In a world that celebrates constant motion, what wisdom might we discover if we simply... paused?

Heather Hiscox, founder of Pause for Change and author of "No More Status Quo," examines how our pursuit of immediate results creates a paradox in social change—we often recreate the very systems we aim to transform. This thoughtful conversation reveals how stepping back from the "move fast and break things" mentality opens space for deeper impact, and why slowing down might actually catalyze more meaningful progress.

From frustrated changemakers burning out while tracking activities instead of outcomes, to the power of gathering with shared purpose that transcends individual effort, Heather offers practical frameworks for transforming how we approach complex challenges.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How "move fast and break things" mentality breaks people, communities, and trust (10:04)

• Why being a "frustrated changemaker" creates space for both anger and hope (11:44)

• The giant triangle of waste: how traditional problem-solving fails stakeholders (15:20)

• How bias shapes our approach to change work through powerful storytelling (30:04)

• The transformative power of leading with love and deep care in social impact (22:14)

Listen now to explore what becomes possible when we create space for reflection before action, building change that serves our shared future.

Episode Length: 53 minutes

Connect with Heather Hiscox:Website: www.PauseForChange.comBook: www.NoMoreStatusQuoBook.comPossibility Project: www.PossibilityProject.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherhiscox

Connect with The Infinite Search:Website: www.theinfinitesearch.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TheInfiniteSearch

Instagram: @infinite.searchTikTok: @infinite.search

What happens when our pursuit of perfect solutions prevents good ones from emerging? In this Waypoint reflection, we explore the curious paradox in how we approach difficult conversations about our planet's future. Drawing inspiration from Jenny Morgan's insights on climate polarization, we consider how moving beyond heroes and villains might create space for meaningful progress. This is a Waypoint from The Infinite Search - brief philosophical reflections between our full-length conversations.

In a world often divided by polarized climate discourse, how can we create meaningful accountability without resorting to cancellation?

Jenny Morgan, climate strategist and author of "Cancel Culture in Climate: Polarization is Setting Our Planet on Fire," explores how our approach to climate communications can either bridge divides or deepen them. This thoughtful conversation reveals how living by core values like bravery, compassion, and discipline creates authentic climate action, and why forgiveness might be the key to both personal liberation and environmental progress.

From organizational green-hushing to dichotomous thinking that limits our understanding of human complexity, Jenny offers practical frameworks for transforming how we engage across differences in the climate movement.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How making decisions from fear rather than confidence hinders climate progress (08:05)

• The crucial difference between accountability and cancel culture (19:46)
• Why organizations doing remarkable environmental work often stay silent (26:06)
• How unaddressed trauma influences our approach to climate action (35:32)

• The liberating power of forgiveness in climate discourse (37:06)

Listen now to explore how we might approach both our human and ecological relationships with equal care, creating a moral ecology that serves our shared future.

Episode Length: 55 minutes

Connect with Jenny Morgan:

Website: cancelcultureinclimate.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennycmorgan

Connect with The Infinite Search:

Website: www.theinfinitesearch.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TheInfiniteSearch

Instagram: @infinite.search

TikTok: @infinite.search

What happens when you tell an artist what they can't paint? They find a way to paint it anyway... just in code. In this Waypoint reflection, we explore how creative expression preserves cultural memory when direct communication is forbidden. Drawing inspiration from Mongolian artists who maintained their identity through political change, we consider how resistance takes form through art and how we all find ways to keep what matters alive.

This is a Waypoint from The Infinite Search - brief philosophical reflections between our full-length conversations.

When a culture faces profound change, what endures? In Mongolia of the 1930s, as Buddhist monasteries were dismantled and ancient practices set aside, artists navigated a complex reality. From this transformation emerged Mongol Zurag, an art form that honored the past while engaging with a changing present.

Orna Tsultem, whose father was an influential artist during Mongolia's socialist period, shares how Mongol Zurag became a space where cultural identity survived despite radical shifts. Her work bringing Mongolian art to Western institutions addresses the absence of these important stories in global conversations.

This conversation reveals how creative responses to yesterday's challenges speak to our contemporary questions—environmental sustainability, cultural recognition, and how economic systems affect creative expression.

In this episode, you'll discover:

How Mongol Zurag preserved cultural memory when traditions were interrupted

What happened when artists had to adapt to Socialist Realism

Why bringing overlooked art to new audiences transforms our understanding

How creativity becomes a bridge between worlds and across time

Listen now to explore how art moves beyond borders and time, offering fresh perspectives on our connections with each other and the world we share.

Episode Length: 50 minutes

Connect with The Infinite Search:

Website: www.theinfinitesearch.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@TheInfiniteSearch

Instagram: @infinite.search

TikTok: @infinite.search

In this episode of The Infinite Search, host John explores the creative journey of Eric Von Haynes, a printmaker, artist, and community builder, who finds balance between personal creativity and community service. As the founder of Flatlands Press and co-founder of the Love Fridge Chicago initiative, Eric shares how he creates art that fosters social connection. From his leadership in the Chicago Printers Guild to his impactful work in community aid, Eric offers insights into how art can transcend the individual and empower communities. Tune in to hear how Eric's creative journey intertwines with service, collaboration, and a philosophy of slow media and patient practice. This episode is perfect for those interested in art, social impact, printmaking, and the power of community-driven creativity.

Join The Infinite Search Community

If this episode inspired you, please share it with your friends and family. Join the conversation on Instagram at ⁠⁠@infinite.search⁠⁠ and visit our website at ⁠⁠www.theinfinitesearch.com⁠⁠ for extended show notes, further readings, and full transcripts.

Join Bill Diamond, CEO of the SETI Institute, as we embark on a journey through the vastness of space in search of extraterrestrial intelligence. In this episode, Bill shares insights into SETI's cutting-edge work, exploring the mysteries of the universe, and listening for signals that could reveal intelligent life beyond Earth. Discover how SETI bridges science, philosophy, and wonder, and how the search for life in the cosmos reflects our own quest for meaning. Bill dives into the ethical implications of discovering alien civilizations, the science behind listening to the stars, and the boundless curiosity that drives humanity’s exploration of the unknown. This episode is essential listening for anyone fascinated by space exploration, the search for alien life, and the deep questions about our place in the universe.

Resources Mentioned:

Join The Infinite Search Community

If this episode inspired you, please share it with your friends, family, or anyone passionate about space exploration. Join the conversation on Instagram at ⁠@infinite.search⁠ and visit our website at ⁠www.theinfinitesearch.com⁠ for extended show notes, further readings, and full transcripts.

Join Azzedine Downes, CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), as he shares his impactful journey in wildlife conservation. Learn how his leadership is protecting endangered species, preserving habitats, and fostering a global movement for environmental stewardship. Through compelling stories and insights, Azzedine reveals the vital connections between humans, animals, and ecosystems, and how they are essential to our planet's future. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about conservation, wildlife protection, and creating a sustainable world.

Resources Mentioned:

Join The Infinite Search Community

If this episode inspired you, please share it with your friends, family, or anyone passionate about wildlife conservation. Join the conversation on Instagram at @infinite.search and visit our website at www.theinfinitesearch.com for extended show notes, further readings, and full transcripts.

Today, our search lands us in conversation with Sunaura Taylor, a professor, artist, writer, and activist whose scholarship explores the entanglement of disability and ecological thought.

Her work at the intersection of disability studies, environmental justice, multi-species studies, and art practice invites us to see beyond traditional environmental narratives to appreciate the vital contributions of all forms of life, advocating for a more inclusive understanding of our planet’s health and our species' future.

Her latest book, Disabled Ecologies: Lessons from a Wounded Desert, is a powerful analysis and call to action that reveals disability as one of the defining features of environmental devastation and resistance.

Through her art and scholarship, Sunaura reveals the overlooked parallels between disabled bodies and the Earth's landscapes—both bearing marks of history and resilience. 

In this time of ecological uncertainty and social change, her insights compel us to question how we perceive health, harm, and harmony in the natural world. To challenge us to think differently about ecology and disability, to embrace a broader, more inclusive vision of environmentalism, and the rights of nature, and ultimately, what it means to be human.

Today, we accept Sunaura’s invitation to experience the environment and our place within it as deeply entangled—where the conditions of Earth reflect and influence the conditions of all living beings. And to propose a solidarity that spans species and systems, leading to a deeper understanding of resilience and regeneration, and teaching us new ways to live and heal together.

About Sunaura

Sunaura Taylor is a professor, artist, and writer. She is the author of “Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation”, which received the 2018 American Book Award, and her latest book Disabled Ecologies, Lessons from a Wounded Desert. Taylor has written for a range of popular media outlets and her artworks have been exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. She works at the intersection of disability studies, environmental justice, multi-species studies, and art practice. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Sunaura lives in the Bay Area with her daughter Leonora, husband David, and their two cats, Rosie and Pirate. You can find out more about Sunaura and her work by visiting:

www.sunaurataylor.net

In a world obsessed with progress and growth, John Stuart Heers offers a simple yet profound insight: Perhaps the most significant transformations occur not through what we gain, but through what we give and how we choose to engage with the world around us. John’s path takes us into a conversation that challenges the essence of our relationships in communities both near and far—a conversation about what it means to cultivate genuine understanding and care.

John is a pioneer in the world of humanitarian work, cultural immersion, and ethical leadership. His life’s work examines how personal sacrifice and attentive listening can dissolve barriers between diverse cultures, fostering a world rooted in empathy and solidarity.His formative years ignited a dedication to grassroots efforts that prioritize local wisdom and long-term impact. As the founder of First Things Foundation, he has championed a model of engagement that goes beyond aid, emphasizing models of partnership and co-creation with communities across the globe. Through projects in places like Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and the Republic of Georgia, John and his team embody a philosophy of humble service and transformative connection. Their work illustrates the profound changes that arise when we shift from giving solutions to facilitating empowerment, from acting as saviors to becoming allies.

Today, we explore the ripples of change that emanate from a commitment to deep, reciprocal care. We imagine a world where every gesture, every act, is imbued with the intention to not only help but to understand and grow together.

About John

John Stuart Heers is the founder of the First Things Foundation, an organization dedicated to deep, immersive community work and ethical leadership, and Greenville SC Keipi Restaurant, featuring Georgian-style cuisine and the community toastmaster or Tamada of the supra fest, toasting to the good and beautiful things in life so that we may experience ourselves in relation to our community at the table of love. 

John's visionary approach emphasizes the importance of local wisdom and long-term partnership in fostering sustainable and meaningful change.

Growing up with a keen awareness of global disparities, John was inspired to create a model of engagement that goes beyond traditional aid. First Things Foundation has implemented projects in diverse locations such as Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and the Republic of Georgia, demonstrating the power of humble service and transformative connection.

John's work challenges us to reconsider our approach to humanitarian efforts, advocating for a shift from providing solutions to facilitating empowerment and from acting as saviors to becoming allies. Through over 20,000 hours of project consultation and 30+ active projects, John and his team have illustrated the profound impact of genuine, reciprocal care.

John Heers' dedication to fostering genuine understanding and mutual support has led to significant and lasting changes in the communities the First Things Foundation serves. His work encourages us to build trust, cultivate empathy, and engage deeply with the people and cultures we aim to support.

You can learn more about John and the impactful work of the First Things Foundation, by visiting their website at:

www.first-things.org.

And be sure to make a trip to Geenville SC to experience the Georgian feast and toast to life.

You can learn more about the restaurant at:

www.keipirestaurant.org

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