Viggo is a Danish musician/comedian/actor. As part of the trio, De Nattergale (the Nightingales) and in various TV shows, movies, and later solo performances, his work has contributed enduring additions to Danish language and culture - much like the “Pythons” did in the UK. His band, Viggo Sommer and the Backhowlers, continue to bring his brand of warm humor and music to the people when they tour. To Walter and Marie, he is a treasure and a friend. And for this episode, on a cold December day, they met virtually in the dune studio to talk about life, careers, the power of laughter, and hope. 

This is my Thanksgiving episode. John Fugelsang is the only person I can think of who can make normally explosive topics funny, while covering them from a place of research, knowledge, and deep humanity.

John is an actor, comedian & broadcaster. He hosts 'Tell Me Everything" weekdays on SiriusXM.

Prior to the Covid shutdown in 2020, he performed in 'The Bill of Rights Concert" alongside Lewis Black & Dick Gregory which aired on AXS.   He's also appeared at Montreal’s ‘Just for Laughs’ Festival, HBO’s U.S Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, hosted America's Funniest Home Videos for ABC and Bill Maher called him ‘one of my favorite comedians’. 

He is a deep thinker who expresses his knowledge of politics, religion, and current events with surgical precision. Humor is his delivery system of choice. 

You can find him on twitter @JohnFugelsang, and on SiriusXM, Insight #121

Belvie Rooks is an essayist, educator, mentor, producer, and human rights activist whose work and vision weave together the worlds of spirituality, feminism, ecology, and social justice. One of the inspirational and transformational milestones in her life was her meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As one of the nation’s leading anti-apartheid activists, organizers, and strategists, a personal highpoint for Belvie was the honor of serving as an election monitor for the South African elections that led to majority rule and having the honor of attending Nelson Mandela's inauguration as the first democratically elected president.   Belvie and poet Dedan Gills (1945–2015) were married in Accra, Ghana, in 2007. Their recent book, I Give You the Springtime of my Blushing Heart: A Poetic Love Song, chronicles their love story and their journey and the life-changing impact of their pilgrimage to a West African slave dungeon.

www.growingaglobalheart.com

After years of having apprenticed with Don Miguel Ruiz (the author of The Four Agreements), Heather Ash is herself a best-selling author, teacher, and innovator dedicated to inspiring depth, creativity, and joy by sharing the most potent tools from a variety of world traditions. Raised in Southeast Asia, Heather Ash has traveled the world from childhood and is continually inspired by the diversity and beauty of human expression and experience. She brings this open-hearted, inclusive worldview to her writings and teachings. She is the author of numerous books, including the bestselling Warrior Goddess Training, Warrior Goddess Wisdom, The Seven Secrets to Happy and Healthy Relationships with don Miguel Ruiz Jr, and the The Warrior Heart Practice. www.heatherashamara.com

Lisa Smartt is an author of best-selling books, a poet, and a linguist. Lisa’s research on the Final Words Project has broken new ground. Realizing that her father’s language went through a personality change when he was close to dying, Lisa decided to research a missing area of our knowledge base: the language of the dying. Her book, Words at the Threshold catalogues and analyzes some of the patterns of liminal language. Since 2013, she has worked closely with Raymond Moody (who coined the phrase and conducted initial research on Near Death Experiences and who is the author of the book Life After Life). In this podcast, we also talk about the many little deaths each of us go through in life - when relationships end, when circumstances throw us off, and when we lose someone. Ultimately, we talk about the potential for transformation when we - again - find, and connect to, the light. 

http://www.finalwordsproject.org/

https://lifeafterlife.com/book-coaching/

We came off the rails in this one… This is the first time I’ve had to label an episode as containing explicit language. When it came to the role of arts in the era of Covid-19, our conversation got heated. Walter is an internationally known guitarist, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He is also my husband of 29 years. I manage his career, and we have three sons together. Our lives are intrinsically intertwined. On this episode, we talk about the temporary loss of the ability to tour, coping mechanisms, the role of music and the arts in society, and our rollercoaster ride through relationship highs and lows.

Hanne Roer is a professor of rhetoric at the University of Copenhagen (KU). In this episode, we look at the difficulty historically for women to be heard in the public square, and the changes in communication styles happening in a fast-paced world dominated by social media and talking point headlines. At end the podcast Hanne shares her thoughts about how to communicate with people who are not receptive to neither facts nor reason, and who use certitude as a battering ram. 

For twenty years, Amy has lived with the knowledge that she is terminally ill. She has actively died three times - the first time right after giving birth  to her first child.  As a Death Awareness Advocate, Amy has devoted her life and research to helping others facing end-of-life uncertainty. She is one of the most unassuming, wisest, and bravest people I know.  In this podcast with Amy, although centered around death and dying, the conversation is about the time we have here on earth, how to make connections with others, and how to live fully and authentically - no matter how much time we have left. 

Her website is: https://www.passings.us/

Will Taegel has done extensive research in the area of eco-psychology and he is also a tribal elder. In this podcast Will talks with Marie about the meeting place between indigenous wisdom and the newer sciences. How nature, music, and other experiences (like cooking with left-overs) help us feel a part of something larger. How we can learn to live with things beyond our control by feeling connected, rather than in opposition, to them. How to find perspective on the "portal of the pandemic," when we see interactions beyond our control as teachers rather than as enemies.

Jesse Finkelstein is an Emeritus Fellow of the American College of Trial Layers. For over a decade, he made the list of  "Best Lawyers in America," and was admitted to argue cases in front of the Supreme Court.  Faced with a health condition, he left his practice and faced a very different everyday reality. 

Realizing that now was the time to re-claim some of the dreams from his youth, he founded Blues Radio International in 2012 allowing him to help blues music, and musicians, reach listeners worldwide. He also co-founded two record labels. He forges new relationships with friends and business associates in and out of the music business wherever he goes. His thoughts about mid-life changes and how to reach others in ways that are not only helpful to them, but that also give new meaning to his own life, are profound, creative, and inspirational.

He is a dear member of my extended family. He lifts me up every time I talk to him, and our conversation for this podcast was a natural choice for my first episode here on Deep Dives in Extraordinary Times.

http://www.bluesradiointernational.net