Our world is more confounding than ever, but Dara and Amber are still finding ways to cope, and still laughing whenever possible. In this episode they discuss a recent revelation: that by heeding and not reflexively dismissing a sudden calling to pursue creative inspiration, they found solace, purpose, and a feeling of control in uncertain times. Hear how they listened to gut intuition, without a lick of experience or skill as a basis for their projects (typical!), and dove headfirst into gardening and painting, with shockingly good results. Maybe, just maybe, creativity provides pathways to dealing with these un-dealable times....and this very podcast just could be the ultimate proof of that. They hope that after listening, you'll let your creative spark shine, too.

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

As our country spirals deeper into chaos, Dara and Amber continue to cope with the confounding by finding new perspective. This time, they confront the certain yet mysterious fate we all face: death. Dara and Amber reflect on the tragic loss of their dear friend Monica (interviewed last season in her 9th year living with metastatic breast cancer), another friend's need for a life-saving kidney donation, their own experiences with the death of family members... plus black holes, weirdly dark things Dara's kids say, and how 90's fashion was the beginning of the end for our society.  

Episode resources:

- Kidney donation for Joshua Mason (O blood type donor needed):
If you are at all interested or know someone who might be, call the Umass Medical Center Transplant team at 508-334-1269, option #4 (living donation), and indicate that you are calling on behalf of Joshua Mason. You can also reach out to Paula Chesley at [email protected] with any questions. 

- Theme music by Amanda Zorzi
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU?si=OFaXUyJgQKS91AkpC2YXLg

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

This is Part 2 of Dara and Amber's sitdown with Amber's father, Greg. Born in 1949, he's an optimistic yet empathetic guy who reps the best qualities of the Baby Boomer generation. His story prompts us to examine how we choose to respond to change, opportunity, and loss.

While Part 1 focused on Greg's early years (growing up, going to Vietnam with the Air Force, and using the GI bill to go to college), Part 2 focuses on loss. In 2019, he lost the amazing woman who his wife, the love of his life, and Amber's mom, Barbara.

How do you go on when you lose the one person your whole world has revolved around for close to 50 years? It's almost impossible, but he has found a way to somehow go on. Thank you so much to Greg for sharing so openly about the ups and dows of your incredible life's journey!

And thanks as always to Amanda Zorzi for our podcast's theme music. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU?si=wR-qK7dMTy26mS80KHHaBg

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

How do you deal with change, and respond to difficulties and opportunities that emerge along the way? Dara and Amber sat down with Amber's Dad, Greg, to talk about it! In Part 1, we get his take on growing up poor in our Massachusetts hometown in the 50s, including his parents' unique union (urban astral-projecting atheist meets bible-thumping farm boy) and his time in the Air Force, with a tour in Vietnam. 

Fun fact: He spent most of his childhood with broken front teeth due to lack of dental care, and you'll hear how a British doctor fixed his choppers on an airstrip in Da Nang with no pain meds!

Boomers may get a bad rap but we think Greg exemplifies the best of this generation. We hope you agree that it's refreshing to hear the perspective of someone born in 1949 and who carries an appreciation and zest for life despite some hardships. 

Don't miss your chance to learn from "The Smartest Man in America" (his ridiculous tagline within the family).

Thanks as always to Amanda Zorzi for our podcast's theme music. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU?si=wR-qK7dMTy26mS80KHHaBg

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

As parents who often feel like they worry too much, or not enough, or have no idea what they're doing, Dara and Amber were thrillled to connect with the woman dubbed “America’s Worst Mom” only to flip it into a positive movement. Lenore Skenazy sure had a lot of deal with after unleashing a media firestorm with her 2008 column, “Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone." But she didn't apologize or back down. Instead, Lenore has been tirelessly advocating for the common-sense notion that our kids are safer and smarter than our culture gives them credit for. 

We talked to her about her journey as a parent, and how she so bravely swam against the current of parental anxiety, using research, data and her own experience to illuminate the dangers of keeping kids insulated from the world. 

In 2018, she co-founded Let Grow, the nonprofit with a mission to give kids back the developmentally crucial independence that was deleted from childhood. She has lectured at corporations, conferences and schools across the country, and even the Bulgarian Happiness Festival. You may have seen her on The Today Show, The Daily Show, Dr. Phil, or her own reality show, World’s Worst Mom. Before all this, she was a reporter and columnist at The New York Daily News and New York Sun. 

Lenore lives in New York City with her husband and beloved computer. Her sons are gainfully employed.

EPISODE LINKS

Thanks as always to Amanda Zorzi for our podcast's theme music. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU?si=wR-qK7dMTy26mS80KHHaBg

Learn more about Let Grow:
https://letgrow.org/

Read the column by Lenore that started it all:
https://www.nysun.com/article/opinion-why-i-let-my-9-year-old-ride-subway-alone

Get Lenore's book, Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow:
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/free-range-kids-giving-our-children-the-freedom-we-had-without-going-nuts-with-worry_lenore-skenazy/291195/item/3850903/

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

Dara and Amber often chat about the crime and violence in the news, but it's hard to grasp. Are we too worried due to 24/7 media alarmism? Not worried enough? Is violence crime rising or falling? What causes all the violence in our society, anyway? They were lucky enough to get some answers from a special guest: criminologist and professor Dr. Mark A. Winton, who gave fascinating insights on violentization theory as a basis for how people become violent. Hopefully, deeper understanding can help us all deal just a little better. 

Dr. Winton is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida, has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Connecticut and is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Forensic Counselor and National Certified Counselor. He teaches various courses including Criminal Profiling, Serial Murder, Genocide, Terrorism, Sex Crimes, Hate Crimes, and Mental Disorders and Crime. 

Dr. Winton has also coauthored two books and published articles on sex crimes, genocide, torture, and family violence. He was also interviewed for the documentary “Why They Kill: The Creation of the Dangerous Violent Criminals."

Follow Dr. Mark Winton on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/fore...

Learn more on his YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@netsociologist

Read his bio:
https://ccie.ucf.edu/person/ma...

As always, thanks to Amanda Zorzi for our theme music! Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artis...

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

We're back! And our podcast title is more relevant than ever. Dara and Amber talk about how they're dealing with and resisting the dismantling of democracy, and how history and the universe are providing much needed perspective in the midst of confounding events. 

Episode links:

- https://www.discoveryplus.com/... series
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/.../28 Economic Blackout
- https://thepeoplesunionusa.com... way down on the People's Union home page)
Thank you to https://open.spotify.com/artis... for our podcast intro and outro music!

Note: Please forgive some small glitches in this episode. We're continuing to work on audio quality!

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

Dara and Amber call Ebony their icon of positivity, guru of self-care, and Vitamin E, because of the boost her presence provides! So they brought her on the podcast to find out just how she keeps her light so uhnbelievably bright. As always, Ebony delivered, with insights on how positivity is a choice (not always easy, even for her), tips on improving self-talk, and so much more. 

Dara met her at work, where Ebony rose from administrative work to influential leadership positions driving initatives in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Employee Policies, and Wellbeing and Mental Health. Her mission is to not just live life authentically but to foster a culture of holistic well-being and inclusivity, both professionally and through her joyful social media engagement.


Listen now and get your daily dose of Vitamin E!

Visit Ebony's professional website:
https://livingauthenticallyhappy.com/

Find Ebony on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ebonytravis/

Editing by Dara. Music by Amanda Zorzi.



Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

Get ready to treat your ears and heart. Dara and Amber are huge fans of the alternative, dreamy pop songs of Amanda Zorzi, the Philly-based songwriter/independent artist who generously created the theme song for this podcast! But they're even bigger fans of her as a human. Amanda is a certified music therapist, foster mom to dogs in need of homes, and a professional advocate for neuro-inclusive workplaces (a path that connected her to Amber).

Music has always been and remains a main source of expression and comfort for her. In this conversation, you'll not only hear about how the process of musicmaking and performing unfolds for Amanda, but how it helps her deal with challenges, fears, and whatever's going on in her life. Listen in full to the song by Amanda that Dara and Amber literally fell in love with (Keep Me Awake), and in the episode closing, hear the first song she released (Stealing Pictures). 


Find and follow Amanda Zorzi on Spotify.

Remember to follow the show, give a 5-star review, or tell a friend! Thank you for supporting "How Do We Deal?!" Coping with the confounding is much easier with a village (even a tiny one).

Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU

Dara and Amber have wanted Michael Henry on the pod since day one. Partly because a legal mind is needed to make sense of, and deal with, confounding gun and abortion laws. But also because his perspective is uniquely insightful. Before Michael was a health sciences lawyer (and for a few years, Dara's colleague), he was an NCIS Special Agent serving in the Middle East and East Africa. With his military bonafides and roots in Texas and North Carolina, you might assume certain red state stereotypes. Yet he's a definitively independent thinker, muscle-bound and covered in horror-themed tattoos.

We covered a lot of legal, political and cultural ground in this episode. In a society throttled by extreme voices from the left and right, we hope you'll be as uplifted as we were to hear a powerful but reasonable voice for a change. While he informed us, Michael didn't claim to know all the answers but invited us to think deeper. The question may not be, "Why can't we enact reasonable legislation to protect women's rights and prevent school shootings?" but "What in our society has gone wrong to get us here?"

Our music is by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Editing by Dara.

Please boost our un-monetized morale with a five-star review, by telling a friend and/or following the show on your favorite streaming platform. Thank you for your support!



Music by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Find her on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4W7xuppzxE0ntRhDNncNtU