GENUINE, the podcast

By Sarah LiptonSociety & Culture Philosophy

GENUINE, the podcast episodes

May 01, 202116: Learning to Trust Yourself
Sarah Lipton and Dr. Carlton E. Green welcome you to another episode of GENUINE, the podcast!
We cannot be fully genuine unless there is some measure of trust. So the journey of remembering how to be genuine dovetails with us learning to trust ourselves. Today, Carlton and Sarah introduce a diverse group of people who all think about things deeply and are willing to be open and vulnerable in sharing their stories. They pull back the curtain on the topic of trust and dive into what it means to trust yourself.
The world feels tumultuous right now for many different reasons, and there has been a lot of uncertainty lately. Covid has been a common experience for everyone, and that environment has presented many new questions and provided many new and exciting opportunities. However, when new opportunities arise and we need to pivot, many of us don’t know what we are supposed to do. Some of us might look to others for help in understanding things more clearly or figuring out what the next step is going to be.
Sarah and Carlton encourage you to relax, feel into your body and vulnerabilities, and stay present with this moment. Pause and allow yourself to be. Know that you are safe wherever you are.
Show highlights:
Dr. David Rivera is our first guest for today. Many things have gone into his journey of learning to trust himself.

Aaron Lurin feels that trusting himself is the only thing he can do with 100% confidence.

Amy Lepage’s approach to helping people trust themselves involves deep listening and building awareness.

Dr. Corey Capers had some difficult family dynamics. He has had to navigate different worlds as a biracial person. Learning to trust himself was a complicated and primal challenge.

Yvonne Hawkins experienced sexual harassment and sexual abuse. It disrupted her sense of safety, and healing from it was the key to her learning to trust herself.

Sarah Galbraith and Sarah Lipton connected around a piece she wrote about caring for the earth. She talks about dealing with our stuff and living into our experience as a way to learn to trust ourselves.

Tiffany Thomas loves to serve people. The book, A Course in Miracles changed her life. It taught her to use love rather than pain to learn to trust herself.
About our guests:
Dr. David Rivera is a friend Carlton met while at graduate school. He is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education at Queen’s College in New York. He is also a scholar, author, researcher, consultant, and leader in his field.
Aaron Lurin is Sarah’s eighteen-year-old cousin who is currently a student in Austen, Texas. Sarah and Aaron have always had a strong connection.
Amy Lepage is a friend of Sarah’s from Montpelier, Vermont. She is a prenatal yoga instructor and a somatic embodiment teacher.
Dr. Corey Capers is Carlton’s friend and fraternity brother. He is also a father and husband. He is a historian, he studied with Angela Davis, and he served as a professor at the university level. Corey is brilliant and thinks about the world in very complex ways.
Yvonne Hawkins is Carlton’s friend. She was an award-winning newspaper journalist and a media executive. She is currently in Chicago, at the Garrett Theological Seminary, studying how to foster healing for black folks living with racial trauma.
Sarah Galbraith is a mother, writer, and journalist. She and Sarah Lipton connected around a piece she wrote about caring for the earth.
Tiffany Thomas serves as a city councilperson in Houston, Texas. She is an Assistant Professor at Prairie View A&M University, where she serves as a program coordinator.
1 hr 2 min
April 24, 202115: The Promise of Spring
Dr. Carlton E. Green and Sarah Lipton welcome you to this latest episode of GENUINE, the podcast! If you are anything like them, you could be feeling a little drained and fatigued right now. Not only from surviving the pandemic but also from living day-to-day with everything that’s been going on in the news recently.
Derek Chauvin was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd last week. Sixteen-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant got shot and killed by police in Columbus, Ohio. And the use of Johnson & Johnson vaccines got put on hold due to the possibility of deadly side effects. Not to mention an increase in suicide mortality rates, mental health diagnoses related to Covid-19, and the mass shootings in the United States in the last month.
With all of that going on, Carlton and Sarah decided to check in with you, the listeners, today. In this episode, they offer their thoughts on how to be present amid the turmoil of the times. They reflect on how they are doing and share how they are trying to be.
Sarah and Carlton hope you will enjoy hearing their conversation today. They urge you to pause, take a breath, and be present in this moment. And remember that now more than ever is the time to listen, spark, and ignite.
Show highlights:
Allow yourself to tune into your body breathing. Still your mind, and let your heart stay open.

We need to give ourselves permission to check in with ourselves and with each other.

Carlton helps people to connect in community and carry the burdens that communities carry. All of that feels quite oppressive for him right now.

Sarah sees the opportunity for learning, understanding, and growth in all that has been going on recently.

Growth can feel tiring.

Sarah talks about living beyond hope.

Carlton defines hope.

Learning to reside and cope in this place, with all the burdens and pain. And learning to stay with all your experiences, regardless of how painful they are.

Sarah and Carlton talk about pain. And letting go.

Carlton shares a powerful quote from the book, Against Racism by Valerie Kaur.

Stress can be exhausting! Focusing on your breath can help you relax.
Links and resources:
Rate, review & share GENUINE, the podcast: https://sarahlipton.com/blog/podcast/intro/
Thanks to Carlton’s Alfred Street Baptist Church Choir for the music: https://www.alfredstreet.org/
Book mentioned:
Against Racism by Valerie Kaur
47 min
April 17, 202114: Living on the Earth
Thank you for joining us for the latest episode of GENUINE, the podcast! This episode is all about being on the good green earth. Today, Sarah Lipton joins up with Dr. Carlton E. Green once again to share some interesting snippets with you, the listeners. We will be traveling to Israel to talk with Sarah’s cousin, Shira Danin, who works at a zoo. And we will also be visiting the Good Heart Farmstead in Worcester, Vermont, where we will be talking to farmers, Kate Spring, and Edge Fuentes.
Today, Sarah and Carlton offer you an opportunity to connect to the earth, tune in, and be present. You will hear Sarah’s interview with her cousin, Shira, where she shares the story of how she came out of a life-changing struggle into something unexpected, interesting, unique, and fun! After that, you will hear Sarah’s conversation with Kate and Edge, the two local Vermont farmers she visited at their gorgeous mountainside organic farm.
Wherever you are in the world, and whatever you are doing right now, Sarah and Carlton urge you to take some time out to sit back, relax, and enjoy taking in what they have to share with you on the podcast today.
Show highlights:
Shira talks about her journey.

Shira discusses the physical problem that started while she was hiking in Kathmandu.

Shira eventually got diagnosed with fibromyalgia a year after she was in the hospital.

Shira loves animals. She talks about a random encounter that resulted in her getting a part-time job working with animals.

From not being able to move, Shira went to working full-time. She talks about what she does in her job.

The fibromyalgia ended up getting Shira to where she needed to go in her life.

Learning to see the good in doing what you want to do.

Kate and Edge talk about what they focus on at the Good Heart Farmstead.

Kate shares the core mission of the Good Heart Farmstead.

Kate explains why they named their farm the Good Heart Farmstead and discusses their approach to farming.

Kate explains how she and Edge reinforce their direct connection with the soil.

Kate explains from where their inspiration for creating the Good Heart Farmstead came.

Kate and Edge talk about how their subsidies work.

How becoming more sustainable helps Kate and Edge to be more effective in serving others.

Edge talks about finding the beauty in farming.

Kate talks about where her spark comes from.
Join GENUINE, the community to enter the conversation: https://genuinenetwork.org/
Good Heart Farmstead websiteThe Good Heart Life on FacebookGood Heart Farmstead on Instagram
Jim’s Big Ego, the band: https://www.bigego.com/
Katie Trautz, musician: http://www.katietrautz.com/
Share, rate and review GENUINE, the podcast: https://sarahlipton.com/blog/podcast/intro/
45 min
April 10, 202113: Are We Hardwired? with Dr. Ron Siegel
Welcome to the latest episode of GENUINE, the podcast! Today, Dr. Carlton E. Green and Sarah Lipton are happy to have the author and teacher, Dr. Ron Siegel, as our guest. Dr. Siegel is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School and Board of Directors Faculty Member at the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.
Dr. Siegel has a warm, humorous, down-to-earth approach to thinking about how we navigate relationships, which is why we invited him to be a guest on the podcast. His many years of work, study, teaching and writing in the field of psychology and meditation has led him to a clear understanding of how we, as humans, tend to get caught up in cycles of dominance and delusion, and what it takes for us to engage in a life that has wellness, balance, and truth.
In this episode, you will hear Dr. Siegel shares his thoughts on what the journey of being genuine entails and how to approach a relationship. We also offer a guided meditation for you to engage in empathy and to rouse compassion. Enjoy the exquisite cello piece composed and performed specially for the podcast by Paul and Melissa Perley. Stay to the end to hear the fabulous genuine definition by Crys Goure, who did the beautiful cover design for Sarah's book "The Harmony of Dissonance.”
Carlton and Sarah spent many hours working on this episode and encourage you to take time to soak it up and listen.
Show highlights:
Dr. Siegel shares from the perspective of his training what the journey of being who we are looks like.

The more we can embrace our messiness, the more compassionate we can become toward ourselves. And the more compassionate we are toward ourselves, the more compassionate we can become toward others.

There are benefits to rousing the necessary courage to lean into being gentle and vulnerable in our relationships.

Dr. Siegel discusses our social dilemma.

Dr. Siegel talks about meditating when we are feeling vulnerable or experiencing painful emotions.

Leaning into the balance between our vulnerability and executive function when we are in a position of helping someone else.

Dr. Siegel explains the fundamental ground of empathy. And empathic resonance.

We discuss engaging with compassion versus engaging with empathy.

Dr. Siegel talks about what the word 'genuine' means to him.

Dr. Siegel discusses our human preoccupation with social dominance.

There is value in risking being genuine.
Links and resources:
Dr. Ron Siegel: https://drronsiegel.com
Paul & Melissa Perley: http://www.paulperleycellos.com/
Crys Goure: http://www.crystalgoure.com/
Share, rate and review GENUINE, the podcast: https://sarahlipton.com/blog/podcast/intro/
Learn about GENUINE, the community: https://genuinenetwork.org/
1 hr 13 min
April 06, 202112: Three Badass Asian American Women
Welcome to another episode of GENUINE, the podcast. Spark is a word you might hear mentioned frequently in the GENUINE community. For Dr. Carlton E. Green, co-host of the podcast, spark reflects the energy related to an epiphany after he has been reflecting on something, or a shift he feels as a result of some deeper understanding he has gained. Sometimes, spark could even occur as we relate to others. For this episode, Carlton has invited three self-proclaimed "badass" Asian American women to a roundtable discussion, hoping that they might all experience that spark.
We live in a time with record levels of hatred and reported hate incidents leveled towards Asian and Asian American people. Many listeners may be aware of the anti-Asian hatred and violence that have come to the fore recently, in the conversations about and the movement for racial justice in the United States lately. According to a recent peer research center survey, three in ten Asian Americans have reported experiencing racist jokes or racial slurs since the pandemic began. In their latest national briefing, StopAAPIhate.org disclosed 3,795 anti-Asian hate incidents between March 2020 and February 2021. And then, in mid-March, a man murdered eight people in the area of Atlanta, Georgia. Six of them were Asian women working in Asian owned businesses.
At GENUINE, we are interested in experiences of genuineness. We wanted to talk to some people about how they manage to live through this time in our nation’s history. So we invited three Asian American psychologists to discuss the harm that is happening to people from the Asian diaspora. And to share their expertise because we wanted to hear about their experiences as Asian-American women living through this challenging and overwhelming time.
It is important to note that while all our guests identify as Asian American, they are ethnically diverse. Marcia identifies as Chinese American. Cirleen identifies as a multiracial Asian American. And Kim is a Korean American transnational transracial adoptee.
We invite you to take a deep breath and soak into this potent episode.
Show highlights:
Kim, Cirleen, and Marcia talk about how they experienced, in their bodies, the recent news and images about the violence perpetrated against Asian and Asian American folks.

Tapping into the heart pain is a significant aspect of the racially violent experience.

Marcia, Cirleen, and Kim discuss the effects that anti-Asian racism and violence have been having on communities of people. Particularly on the Asian and Asian American folks.

Kim talks about the visibility and the invisibility that Asian and Asian American folks face due to the current situation.

There are times when Asian and Asian American folks may not talk about race because the white supremacy culture has set them up not to have a voice. That has become very upsetting, hurtful, and possibly even dangerous to Asian and Asian American folks, particularly women. Our guests discuss what that has felt like for them.

Cirleen talks about Asian and Asian American people are being re-traumatized.

A fresh public voice is emerging out of this conversation. And that is another hard part of what is happening right now for Asian American women in particular.

Asian folks often get regarded as the model minority. Marcia, Cirleen, and Kim talk about what that means to them and how it affects people.

Some recent reports in the public sphere have highlighted schisms or violence between black and Asian people. Our guests give their take on the way that gets produced in the news media.

Our guests share some strengths that they are drawing on right now to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
53 min
March 20, 202111: Living Truth
Welcome to another episode of GENUINE, the podcast!
Spring is finally taking wing here in Vermont, and because of the frantic pace of everything, we want to offer you this episode, to give you a chance to calm down and just be for a little bit. Today's episode is called "Living Truth" because when when we slow down to be present with our experience, we are, in fact, living truth.
We’re talking about being present and mindfulness today. My interview with John Bailes, an old friend and teacher of mine, gives us an introduction to mindfulness. John lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, (which he claims is the hipster capital of the world!) and John is a long-time practitioner of meditation. I have worked closely with him on my own journey, with meditation, mindfulness, awareness, presence, and the deeper elements of how to be human.
Now, we invite you to give yourself some time to sit back, relax, listen and just be.
Show highlights:
John talks about what he does in the world and what he teaches people to do.

John explains what it means to be a Zen priest.

A large part of John’s work entails helping people open to the vulnerability of being exactly where they are in the present moment.

John explains where the dedication of his community lies and what they practice.

John talks about the Zen vow to opening and explains how it affects people.

John describes what happens in a seven-day intensive session.

Empowering people to let go.

When we are fully who we are, it allows others to be fully who they are.

Most people allow fear to run their lives. And they don’t trust.

John explains what he means by saying that we are trapped by the grammar and syntax of our constructed world.

John defines the word ‘genuine’.

John urges you to follow your own path as it opens before you. It will not be a straight line, nor what you imagined it to be.

Being present is being fully alive.

Presence has become a buzz-word in the world of psychology today.

I lead you through a simple way to be mindful and explain what that will bring to you.

It is vital that you feel worthy as a leader.
Links and resources:
One Heart Zen, https://oneheartzen.org/

Steve Hartmann, musician https://stevehartmannmusic.com/

Jeffrey Lipton, pottery: https://jeffreyliptonpottery.com/
Join GENUINE, the community: https://genuinenetwork.org/
49 min
March 13, 202110: One Year In: Reconnect With Yourself
This one is dedicated to you, the Mamas out there!
Thank you for joining me for the tenth episode of GENUINE, the podcast. It has been a whole year since we were immobilized by the lockdown and stricken by the panic and fear of the pandemic. A full year has passed since our collective world altered irrevocably, and I hold in my heart all the pandemics of racism that have unfurled amongst so much angst, pain, and grief.
It has been a torturous year for all of us. So I will bare my heart and share some of my story with you today. I always wanted kids, and I am super glad that I waited a long time to have them. But I am a writer, a creator, a dreamer, and a visionary. I am constantly burning with the desire and the need to create. So, I never wanted to be with them full-time. Although I am always burning with the awareness of what’s possible, it wasn’t until the enforced presencing with my young family last year that I allowed myself to settle fully into my bones as a mother. And it has been challenging!
I have recently been unpacking some of the places I have been stuck, that I didn’t even know about. And I have also tentatively started to trust myself. The only thing that has kept me alive, and allowed me a semblance of sanity over the past year, is the ability to be present.
So I invite you to settle down for a moment and travel back in time with me as I open my heart and share the story of how I created the foundation of the work I have devoted my life to do.
Show highlights:
I never even knew I had fear until I had children. And I never really understood the word anxiety until we hit the pandemic. It is shocking how much it hurts!

Worldwide, we have hit more than two-and-a-half million deaths from Covid-19.

I can’t shake off the awareness of the racial pandemic our country continues to face.

I have been unpacking some of the places I have been stuck and learning to trust myself.

I share the story about how my friend and I birthed a potent practice to guide us through the creative process. It created the foundation of the work I would devote the rest of my life to doing, called The Presence Point. It is six steps to expressing from genuine presence.

I have always believed in omens and signs from life that point you where you need to go.

I wrote a whole draft of a book but did not publish it because I realized that I had an important choice to make first.

The six steps of The Presence Point became the foundation of the work that I did with hundreds of leaders, through my first business.

Six years ago, I wanted to create a podcast to showcase the power of someone who genuinely sparks in the world. And I also co-wrote a book with my cousin, called The Harmony of Dissonance.

In 2018, I decided to focus on the work that was burning within me.

When the pandemic hit a year ago, it felt like everything shattered.

I finally realized that it was time to stop holding back.

I am now at the center of myself and ready to share my core work with you.

Step one is to be present with your experience, no matter what.
Links:
Join Sarah for a special one-hour zoom session designed to help you reconnect to yourself at GENUINE: https://genuinenetwork.org/
Thanks to Paul and Melissa Perley for the music: http://www.paulperleycellos.com/
Check out Robin Sol Lieberman at: https://lifehoney.com/
Join GENUINE, the community to enter the conversation and step into our Positive Mind Challenge: https://genuinenetwork.org/
29 min
March 06, 202109: The Lesson of Betrayal is Trust with Krishna Das
Welcome to the 9th episode of Genuine, the podcast! I am thrilled to be able to introduce you to the incomparable Krishna Das! Krishna, or KD as his fans call him, is an award winning vocalist with a particular gift for blending kirtan chanting with modern instrumentation.
I’ve been following Krishna since the early 2000’s, and it was amazing to finally be able to sit down and have a conversation with KD. If you’ve never heard of KD before, you’re in for a treat. We get him to do some chanting for us today on the show, and you’ll get to hear some of his best work.
Today, you’ll hear KD’s struggle with success and betrayal, as well as being able to witness his chanting and explore some of his music. So, I encourage you to take a moment to retreat into this episode and explore the lessons of betrayal with us!
Show Highlights:
I share what is most important to me as far as being genuine in the world, in my conversation with Carlton.

Carlton shares how he processes his emotions through writing.

The transformative power of writing has impacted Carlton in a healing and restorative way.

By being willing to ask the questions and lean into those questions, it paves the way for reparations.

The story of the shiny bowl and the lesson for how we see ourselves.

Lessons learned from Octavia Butler’s writing

How Krishna Das defines Genuine

KD shares the difficulties we encounter in just being ourselves

We all need someone to turn the light on for us at some point in our lives.

What KD learned from his experience in a cult.

Learning trust through betrayal

The principle of our enlightenment being up to us.

The wounds we carry from the expectations of others.

The spark KD’s Guru left with him.

KD shares his chanting practice with us.

The importance of understanding why it is important to trust yourself.
Resources Mentioned:
Krishna Das: https://www.krishnadas.com/
Join GENUINE, the community to enter the conversation and step into our Positive Mind Challenge: https://genuinenetwork.org/
Books by Octavia Butler:
Wild Seed
Parable of the Sower
1 hr 2 min
February 27, 202108: Sparks of Inspiration
Welcome to the 8th episode of GENUINE, the podcast! Today we travel back in time and space to two interviews from four years ago when there was no pandemic and it was possible to wander around a city playing hacky-sack with somebody.
On today's archival episode, Sarah and Carlton talk about two interviews Sarah conducted, both focused on sparks of inspiration, in two very different arenas.
Eugene Coneglan is a fascinating guy from New Zealand who left his government career to teach people around the world how to hacky sack. Jim Infantino is a deeply genuine, creative musician, author and web developer from Boston, Massachusetts.
As Sarah says, "Leaning into where we are sparked is super powerful," so regardless of where you are right now and how you might be doing, give yourself the gift of a pause to settle in, listen, and enjoy the journey as it unfolds.
Show highlights:
Carlton and I talk about what inspires us.

Eugene talks about the life he is pursuing.

Eugene shares how he developed his passion for Hacky Sack.

The impact that Hacky Sack has made in Eugene’s life.

What Eugene learned from Austin, his friend, and mentor.

Eugene shares what he did to pursue his calling.

What you will gain from playing Hacky Sack.

Jim talks about his experience of the creative process.

Jim discusses from where the idea for the book he is writing came.

Jim explains what fulfills him when it comes to web design and songwriting.

How Jean-Paul Satre and Simone de Beauvoir influenced Jim’s understanding of communication.

Jim describes the communications he likes to create and talks about what fulfills him the most, creatively.

Jim talks about his napkin poetry shows.

The trap with creativity.

Jim talks about inspiration.

Why you should take a risk and something every day that pushes your boundaries.
Links:
Join GENUINE, the community to enter the conversation and step into our Positive Mind Challenge: https://genuinenetwork.org/
Jim Infantino: https://jiminfantino.com/
Eugene Coneglan: https://vimeo.com/user37053801
43 min
February 20, 202107: Permission to Be Who You Are
Welcome to another episode of GENUINE, the podcast. Today, Carlton and I have a conversation about how we can give ourselves permission to be exactly as we are. We take a deep dive into an experience I had recently, which brought forth the message that Sharon Salzberg shared with us on the podcast in a recent episode: “When You Are in Hell, Keep Going.”
Sometimes, a conversation is the best medicine. That is how I feel when Carlton and I talk to one another. We sincerely hope that our inner exploration is of benefit to you too! In this episode, we share the message that we can transform through feeling whatever is arising, and we can challenge ourselves to be bold. You will also hear some wonderful music from two sets of musicians. So settle down for a while, relax, listen in, and just be.
Show highlights:
Give yourself a few moments to be present, breathe, and feel your body.

Carlton and I talk about what’s going on with us right now, in the present moment.

Inattentiveness to your body’s sensations could cause disease.

I recount a recent experience to illustrate a message left with us by Sharon Saltzberg.

Giving myself permission to feel, lean into, and stay with the physical sensations of shame helped me to move through it.

When we pause, name what is going on with us, and decide to be present in our experience, there is the possibility that everything will shift.

Your willingness to keep going when you’re in hell and to meet the demons and feed them will transform your experience.

Your attention can shift an entire dynamic.

I explain what the first step to awareness is.

We urge you to think about what you can be curious about in your body, in this present moment. (Remember to take a deep breath).

Our bodies are wise. They know how to guide us through all our experiences.

Dealing with the anxiety that we feel when an aspect of racism becomes a stimulus between people by staying present.

Carlton discusses an article called White Debt from the New York Times.

What happens to you when you can’t express yourself.

You are the only one who can permit yourself to genuinely be who you are.

You can begin by offering yourself some gentleness in difficult moments.
Links and resources:
Join our community and step into the Positive Mind Challenge at GENUINE: https://genuinenetwork.org/
Eula Biss wrote the article called White Debt in the New York Times.
Thanks to Revival for the music: https://thebandrevival.com/
Thanks to Paul and Melissa Perley for their music: http://www.paulperleycellos.com/
43 min

About GENUINE, the podcast

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Co-hosts Sarah Lipton and Dr. Carlton Green converse with amazing humans from around the world who are sparking with kindness and igniting with creativity and inspiration because NOW is the time to…

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