Further Reflections

In this episode of the podcast we talk about plant medicine and hear some more about life in China. Abrah Arneson is a herbalist and clinical herbal therapist who joins the show to talk about Plants and Planets, her apprenticeship program and related book, reconnecting with her roots in Scotland and an an upcoming trip to Mexico to present a workshop. Visit https://www.abraherbs.com/ to learn more about her work. In the second half of the program Mark talks about his final year in China teaching English from 2007-2008 in Guangzhou. Guangzhou was a big and exciting city with a rich history, language and cuisine but even there Mark could not escape suburban sprawl. Mark also touches upon a trip to Hong Kong and Macau for the Chinese New Year and other interesting cities and villages in Guangdong Province. In the Final Five minutes Mark discuss Secrets of Britain’s Great Cathedrals.

In this episode of Further Reflections Mark welcomes author, speaker, environmentalist and former city counselor in Ottawa David Chernushenko to discuss his book Burning Souls. David describes this story of four friends over several decades as a climate breakdown thriller with the book getting apocalyptic towards the end. David discusses in the interview, among other things, the Laudato Si, the Fukushima disaster, the turn-around generation and his potential vision for the future. Visit http://davidc.ca/ to learn more. In the second half of the podcast Mark looks at some of the films of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Examined are the movies Maborosi (1996), Still Walking (2008) and Shoplifters (2018). In the Final Five minutes Mark examines the book Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson.

In this episode we welcome Stephen Whiteley to the show. Stephen was known as The Happiness Coach and is now becoming The Freedom Coach. We discuss freedom and themes from his book Happiness Works. In the second half of the podcast Mark talks about a trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hear about what that city has to offer and day trips to Peggy's Cove, Fisherman's Cove and Terrence Bay.

In this new episode of Further Reflections Mark profiles some female trailblazers. First we hear an interview with Adele Stratton of the Phoneix Rising Healing Centre. Adele is an integrational manual therapist and talks about her healing practice, self-love, quality vs quantity of life, travel, work with the embryo among other interesting topics. Click here to hear Mark’s previous interview with Adele from 2013. In the second half of the podcast Mark profiles some young breakout actresses and their movies from this summer. Learn about Jessie Buckley, Florence Pugh, Honor Swinton Byrne and Awkwafina via their movies Wild Rose, Midsommar, The Souvenir and The Farewell. In the Final Five minutes Mark plays some music by Rebecca Noelle.

Further Reflections is conducting a survey

In this episode of Further Reflections we hear about Permaculture and life in China. In 2012 Mark gave a presentation while he was volunteering in Peru about Permaculture design principles. He touches on the works of Bill Mollison, Toby Hemenway and Sepp Holzer, discusses sustainable living and raises the issue of ethics in this interactive talk. Mark then returns to the subject of China and reflects on the years 2005-2006 when he was living for a year in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province. Hear both the highs and lows of that experience, learn about travel in Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui and Zhejiang and the story of the girl on the train. In the Final Five minutes Mark talks about War and Peace.

In this episode of Further Reflections we hear two new interviews. Joe Gunn is the recent Executive Director of Citizens for Public Justice and currently the Oblate Centre in Ottawa. Joe will discuss themes from his book Journeys to Justice: Reflections on Canadian Christian Activism. He touches upon how everyday Christians and Churches in the past have moved the yardstick forward on issues related to social and ecological justice. Joe also spent 7 years living and working in Latin America and reflects on those experiences. Towards the end we touch upon Climate Change, climate grief and biophilia. The second interview is a familiar voice, that of Mike Nickerson. Mike is the founder of the Lanark Eco Village and the author of Life, Money and Illusion. Mike discusses issues related to limits to growth, Climate Change and puts forward a message of hope towards the end. Listen to Mike’s previous interview here or visit Mike on the web at http://www.sustainwellbeing.net/ . In the Final Five minutes Mark reflects on a recent trip to Montréal.

In this episode of Further Reflections we welcome back Pamela French to the show. Pamela is the woman behind the Authentic Relating Ottawa community, which can be found on facebook and meetup. Pamela recaps her last year full of exciting changes. Pamela has taken leave from her job to focus on creating authentic experiences for people whether at games nights, edgy or otherwise, or weekend workshops or in the workplace. Find out what is alive for Pamela in this new interview . In the second part of the episode Mark returns to talk about his time in China teaching English. This time he recounts a memorable three weeks in Western and Central China in the summer of 2005. He reflects on time spent in Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Xi’An and Bejing among other interesting stops along the way. In the Final Five minutes Mark talks about Oscar Romero.

In this episode of the podcast we talk about yoga, meditation, kirtan and the movies. The guest in the first half is Ivy Xie McIsaac of Wishingtree Yoga. Ivy is originally from Guangzhou, China and touches on life during the Cultural Revolution, how she discovered yoga in the 90s and the influence of Tibet on her life. She also discusses her book A Complete Yoga Manual, the origins of yoga and spirituality vs religion. To learn more visit https://www.wishingtreeyoga.ca/ In the second half Mark reflects on some of his favourite movies from the 2000s. These include Before Sunset, the story of second chances, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, about a robbery gone wrong, Traffic, which discusses the war on drugs from different angles, The Secret in Their Eyes, which showcases how Argentina changed over a twenty year period through the lens of a murder investigation and Lost in Translation, with two kindred spirits of different generations meeting in Tokyo. In a new segment called The Final Five Mark also reads from the book Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson.

In this episode of Further Reflections we hear an interview with Dr. Emma Mardlin. Emma is the author of Out of Your Comfort Zone: Breaking Boundaries for a Life Beyond Limits. The book offers effective working tools to conquer our deepest fears, be they minor or major, and harness them to achieve our ultimate goals, establish higher purpose and get everything we want. Visit https://www.outofyourcomfortzone.uk/ to learn more. In the second half of the podcast Mark talks about stepping outside of his comfort zone when in 2004 he went to Fuzhou, China to teach English as a Second Language. Mark was the only Non-Asian teacher at a vocational language school and got to visit some unique towns and villages. Along the way Mark reflects on time spent in Fujian as well as trips to Shanghai, Jiangsu and Hubei Provinces and how a new relationship impacted his life at the time.