Gratitude Blooming Podcast

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Zen Master and movement leader Norma Wong returns to share her profound insights on tenacity and transformation, illuminating the intricate dance between persistence and stubbornness. And, she shares insights from her new book, When No Thing Works.

We pull the dandelion card, representing tenacity, and explore the art of nurturing curiosity and playfulness amidst adversity, much like how dandelions spread their seeds across vast distances. Norma's reflections on her extensive travels (including more than 3 million airline miles) offer a rich tapestry of lessons that parallel the resilience and adaptability of these unassuming flowers, emphasizing the cyclical nature of growth and personal evolution.

Tune in to discover how valuing the process over outcomes can lead to thriving practices, both personally and communally. Our conversation centers on the courage it takes to release creative work into the world, trusting it will land where it's meant to grow. We delve into the transformative power of intentional practice, elevating routine into ritual, and the importance of choosing practices that truly serve us.

As we navigate life's transitions, the metaphor of autumn invites reflection and renewal, encouraging us to let go of what no longer serves us while embracing the unpredictability of new beginnings. Join us in a conversation that intertwines the beauty of nature with the journey of human growth and connection.

“This is deep, no-nonsense grounding, taught lightly, with invitation and humor and curiosity. Profound and embodied in each line... I know I will return to this text over and over.”
—adrienne maree brown, author of Emergent Strategy (and previous Gratitude Blooming podcast guest)

ABOUT THE BOOK
Talking story, weaving poetry, and offering wisdom at the intersections of strategy, politics, and spiritual activism, When No Thing Works is a visionary guide to co-creating new worlds from one in crisis. It asks into the ways we can live well and
maintain our wholeness in an era of collective acceleration: the swiftly moving current, fed and shaped by human actions, that sweeps us toward ever uncertain futures. Grounded in Zen Buddhism, interconnection, and decades of community
activism, When No Thing Works explores questions like:

● As we stand at a threshold of collective change, what leaps must we make?
● How can we push through discord and polarization and meet these critical changepoints collectively?
● What practices, strategies, and spiritualities can align to vision a sustainable future for our communities and descendents?
● How can we step out of urgency to tend to our crises with wisdom, intention, and care?

ABOUT NORMA
Norma Wong, a life-long resident of Hawaiʻi, is a descendant of Native Hawaiians and Hakka Chinese immigrants. She has decades of experience in organizing, policy, strategy, and politics in Hawaiʻi, particularly in the area of Native Hawaiian issues, serving in the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and as a policy lead and negotiator for Governor John Waiheʻe, Hawaiʻi’s first Native governor. N

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

Join us for our Empathy & Democracy series, a live podcast and pop-up art series brought to you by the Democracy Center, VC Film Fest and Gratitude Blooming.

Guided by the changing seasons, this fourth and final installment centers on the transformative practice of "Fearless Gratitude" in action as we pause together to feel and share the depths of our emotions as we grapple with the complexities of this election year.

What if acknowledging the unseen fears and biases in our lives could reshape our story and guide how we show up for these times of great human divides?

In this episode, we uncover our shared struggles around vulnerability, courage, humility, and the wild card of life-- themes from Gratitude Blooming's Garden of Fearless Gratitude.

Together, with 35 leaders, facilitators, coaches, and community builders, we experienced how gratitude, as a social emotion, can create spaces where even our most challenging emotions can coexist harmoniously.

Tune in to remember the power of pausing in shared space to inspire collective action.  This is the crucial work ahead to nurture our democracy for a thriving future.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

This week, we are joined by beloved movement creatrix adrienne maree brown in a conversation about talking with trees, finding your murmuration, and holding complexity (and each other). With wisdom from Gratitude Blooming’s rose card representing choice, the celebrated author of Emergent Strategy joins co-hosts Belinda Liu and Omar Brownson for an insightful conversation on building right relationships, the power of proximity and her new book Loving Corrections.

We unravel the threads of how capitalism and colonization pull us away from our local communities and the urgent need for spiritual technologies to navigate global crises. Listen in as adrienne shares her wisdom on staying present and connected with our surroundings and the people closest to us, drawing from personal experiences and collective actions like passing a ceasefire resolution with her community in Durham, NC.

How does a budding spring rosebud symbolize the myriad of decisions we face in life? 

In an illustration rich with metaphor, we explore the intricate paths of personal growth and choices, inspired by the branching paths of a rose drawing. From enchanting writing retreats in Ireland to the meditative act of planting rose bushes, we reflect on the lessons nature teaches us about balance, protection, and growth. Each choice, whether familiar or uncharted, blossoms with its own potential and beauty, mirroring our life's journey.

Art and activism intertwine beautifully as we celebrate the power of creativity in times of political and emotional upheaval. Drawing from a spring equinox excerpt from her new book, adrienne maree brown shares how poetry, song, and spells can transform overwhelming emotions into life-affirming art. 

By turning chaos into creative expressions, we find ways to embrace joy, authenticity, and a positive outlook.  We hope the heartfelt stories and actionable insights shared in this episode inspire you to turn tough emotions into meaningful actions and cultivate beauty and resilience even in the most challenging times.

Deepen your exploration of Gratitude Blooming's Card #3 CHOICE / SPRING ROSE by tuning into our song and other episodes on choice here:

https://www.gratitudeblooming.com/choice

Explore adrienne's work here:
adrienne maree brown is growing a garden of healing ideas through her multi-genre writing, her collaborations and her podcasts. Informed by 25 years of movement facilitation, somatics, Octavia E Butler scholarship and her work as a doula, adrienne has nurtured Emergent Strategy, Pleasure Activism, Radical Imagination and Transformative Justice as ideas and practices for transformation. She is the author/editor of several published texts, cogenerator of a tarot deck and a developing musical ritual. adrienne's most recent book Loving Corrections is now available from AK Press and wherever book

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

What shapes our identity and fuels our courage to challenge societal norms? Today, we revisit an inspiring conversation with Jim Herr, director of the Democracy Center at the Japanese American National Museum. Jim opens up about his experiences as a Hapa kid in rural Pennsylvania, where he faced exclusion and was told he couldn't be president because of his skin color. His journey from feeling marginalized to leading critical discussions on democracy and empathy offers a compelling narrative of personal growth and resilience. We also touch upon artist Arlene Kim Suda's reflections on cultural identity and the unique pressures mixed-race individuals navigate, emphasizing the crucial role of community in embracing our differences and moving towards a more inclusive society.

Curiosity can be a powerful tool against fear. We explore how engaging with what makes us uncomfortable can lead to deeper understanding and diminish fear's hold on our lives. By taking small, intentional steps, we can conquer our anxieties and live more fulfilling lives. To help keep curiosity alive, we introduce practical tools like the Garden of Curiosity note cards and candles from the Gratitude Blooming shop. These simple reminders encourage us to end each day with a moment of pause and curiosity, fostering peace and a sense of renewal regardless of the day's challenges. Join us for this uplifting episode that showcases the transformative potential of curiosity and empathy.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

Embark on a reflective journey with us, as we begin to weave together the wisdom of over 100 episodes, creating a tapestry of insights that transcend time. Imagine uncovering forgotten treasures and gaining new perspectives through the essence of sound, a medium as eternal as the themes we explore. This special installment brings a spotlight to our collaboration with Zen master Norma Wong, who extends her profound influence beyond a mere interview to ongoing projects like 'Kinship with Water'. Revel in the transformative idea of honoring water as a wise elder, capable of teaching us about nourishment, love, and kinship. Norma's voice guides us through the theme of remembrance, urging us to contemplate living practices that shape our journey and nurture the essence of gratitude blooming within us.

Join Belinda and Omar as they meander through a conversation that is both a nostalgic look back and an innovative step forward. Through the artful blend of past and present, discover how embracing what came before can illuminate the path ahead. This episode is a unique blend of nostalgia and innovation, filled with poignant moments, thoughtful pauses, and deep dives into the nature-infused lessons that keep our creative fires burning. Tune in for an experience that promises not just to revisit the past but to evolve with it, as we share key insights and stories from our ongoing journey with the extraordinary Norma Wong.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

Have you ever experienced a moment so quietly powerful that it demanded your full presence? This episode, with facilitators Angela Oh and Alex Dorsey, captures just that, as we recount an unforgettable evening at the Japanese American National Museum and the Democracy Center—a night where rose petals and silence laid the foundation for an exploration into empathy and democracy. We unravel how holding space for others, whether in leadership, parenthood, or personal growth, magnifies compassion and ensures every voice in our democratic tapestry is valued and heard.

Navigating the nuanced dance of giving and receiving support, we delve into the emotional weight of our 'active giving hand' and its capacity to invoke deep gratitude. Our guests and us share anecdotes that resonate with hope, forgiveness, and the relentless pursuit of self-compassion. By peeling back the layers of our own emotional landscapes, we reveal how embracing vulnerability can lead to a more profound understanding of our intertwined lives and the healing we all seek.

As the conversation unfolds, we immerse ourselves in the embodiment of empathy and the transformative act of holding space. Contemplating the gentle balance between bearing the heaviness of being a space holder and the lightness of being held, we explore how creating opportunities for understanding can leave a lasting impact on our communities. Wrapping up with an ode to the practice of gratitude, we reflect on its power to help us appreciate life's goodness amid adversity. Join us as we honor the subtle yet substantial ways compassion and gratitude shape our journeys.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

Embark on a transformative exploration with us as we reflect on a profound year investigating the intersection of empathy and democracy. Our heartfelt discussions have led us to recognize the unsung heroes who create nurturing environments in every corner of society. 

Today, we delve into lessons from our poignant collaboration with the Japanese American National Museum, underscoring democracy's vulnerability through the harrowing history of Japanese internment camps. As we gear up for our event 'Holding Space for the Spaceholders,' we're thrilled to welcome the deeply insightful Angela Oh and the adept facilitator Alex Dorsey. They'll share their wisdom on empathetic space creation, the personal cost of conflict, and the nuances of self-expression.

Feel the pulse of authenticity and its profound influence on forging human bonds as we navigate the art of vulnerability. Through symbolism from nature's playbook, we assess the courageous act of revealing our soft underbellies and the complexities of authenticity in maintaining relationships. 

As we anticipate the dynamic exchange in our live podcast series, we invite you to connect with us and our special Democracy Center guests, Jim Herr and Sofia Alvarez, who will share their expertise on the tangible dynamics of holding space. Join us for a heartfelt synthesis of growth, challenge, and understanding, where every voice in the chorus of life is valued, and every moment of silence is powerful.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

As the seasons begin to change, we find ourselves wrapped in the afterglow of a snowstorm — a perfect time to foster our aspirations and face the hurdles ahead. Join us in a heartwarming journey where we embrace the art of grounding ourselves through meditation, connecting deeply with the earth and our innermost dreams. We'll navigate the ancient philosophy of Wu Wei or effortless action and learn to trust the natural flow of life. With art from Beckie Masaki, we explore the transformative power of story circles within communities like Mending the Arc. Together, we'll reflect on exciting collaborations and the fresh growth they promise, mirroring the renewal we seek in our own lives.

With the brushstrokes of Michael Heiser's "Double Negative" and the silent majesty of a winter forest as our backdrop, we reflect on the profound effects of art and nature on our spirit. Solitude, often a catalyst for creativity, becomes a central theme, inspiring introspection and aligning with our intentions for the year. 

We close with the soulful strains of "Sorrow" by Windows Seat as we also look forward to an enriching collaboration with the Democracy Center, continuing to weave a narrative that celebrates the courage found in both love and sorrow.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

As the frost of winter blankets parts of earth, we find ourselves wrapped in the cozy musings of transition and the gentle guidance of nature's rhythm. Based on our recent travels, including to a snow-cloaked Yosemite, we invoke the power of nature's symbolism to inform our reflections on the year gone by. Our conversation meanders through the interplay of presence, intention, and the art of slowing down. We begin with a guided meditation that invites you to feel the essence of change and embrace the unfolding gifts of the coming year.

With each passing story and shared experience, we unearth the profound influence of humility on our journey, mirroring the unassuming strength of Yosemite's ancient sequoias and the steadfast violet. This episode is a tapestry woven with threads of gratitude, intentionality, and the practice of 'Wu Wei'—effortless action that trusts life's currents. As we look forward to a musical tribute to humility with Ariel Loh, we invite you to lend an ear to the harmonies of "Tiger Lily," a melody that cradles the spirit of open-hearted receptivity. Join us for an exploration of how to stand strong yet supple amidst life's ebb and flow, and welcome the new with grace and poise.

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!

Send us a text

As we meander through the intricate pathways of artistry, poetry, and land stewardship, Arlene Kim Suda, Belinda Liu, and Omar Brownson uncover the profound synergy these realms share in steering life's grandest inquiries. Our conversation, rich with personal experiences like a recent trip to a sanctuary in Tijuana, spotlights the vitality of communal ties and the bravery entailed in embracing change. 

Reminisce with us as we delve into heartfelt discourses about the indispensable roles of co-creation, the transformative power of saying "yes," and the journey toward aligning with our internal compasses.

This episode illuminates the often overlooked yet essential aspects of gratitude and the collective joy found in creative pursuits, all while challenging traditional paradigms that no longer serve our evolving society. As we navigate the delicate equilibrium of reminders, routines, and rewards, we celebrate the artists, poets, and land stewards—who are the custodians of memory and communion. 

Here's to the recognition of our shared humanity, to seeing beauty in our joint imperfections, and to cherishing each moment of simply being human. Join us for this heartwarming toast to life, community, and the art of human connection!

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Create an intentional practice with your own Gratitude Blooming card deck, notecards, candle and much much more at our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com. Your purchase helps us sustain this podcast, or you can also sponsor us here.

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.

Share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners!