KPFA - Talk-It-Out Radio

Host Timothy Regan, the real O.I. (organic intelligence) Timothy Regan, welcomes you and many callers to wrestle with this question:  What does A.I. mean for healthy human relations with eachother, ourelves, and all life?  Will it “save us” from the worst in ourselves, or might it destroy the social foundations of our societies?  Of course, the possibilities are as endless as the billions of interactions humans are having with the latest very powerful “large-language model” A.I.s released to the public just a few months ago.

Timothy shares his very interesting exchange with a Chat GPT based A.I. “Peacetalk.ai” on the practice of human empathy, and receives equally interesting calls from fellow humans.

The post The A.I. Episode appeared first on KPFA.

A how-to and what-to-do program where skilled hosts welcome guests and callers to practice empathy, mindfulness, and effective communication. Do you want tools for connection, conflict resolution, and compassion for self and others? We explore skills, knowledge and resources to empower you to connect across differences.

The post Talk-It-Out Radio – April 16, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Join host Nancy Kahn for a dynamic conversation with Stephan Berwick, on

Lou Reed’s Art of the Straight Line: Tai Chi as the Ultimate Wellness Practice for Life.

What was it really like for Lou Reed to practice, heal, and grow from Tai Chi?  Renowned for its physical and mental benefits, Tai Chi as a practice comes in many forms that address almost any goals.

In part two of our exclusive interview with Chinese martial arts master, Stephan Berwick, learn more about Lou Reed’s Tai Chi training.  From Reed’s story, Berwick details how to begin Tai Chi, how to maximize your practice, and recognize its amazing benefits.  Berwick shares his personal experiences of how Tai Chi contributes to meeting essential human needs that include wellness, protection of the body and the freedom to change your energy.

Stephan Berwick is a martial arts instructor, performer, and researcher, specializing in Chen Tai Chi and Chinese swordsmanship. As an original student of Master Ren, Berwick conducted primary research at Tai Chi’s birthplace in Henan, China over two decades ago. From that research, Berwick published the first English language profiles of the emerging Chen village masters, and other works on traditional martial arts. Before devoting himself to Chen Tai Chi, Stephan was one of the two first Americans – with Asia’s top action star, Donnie Yen – to train in Xian, China under its national martial arts champion, Zhao Changjun and his coach, Bai Wenxiang. With Yen, Berwick went on to perform in Hong Kong action films under the tutelage of the director, Yuen Woping, as one of the few Western martial artists to star in Chinese action films. Years later, he met and befriended Lou Reed in 2003 at a national martial arts event with Master Ren.

To learn more about Lou Reed’s book, The Art of the Straight Line, My Tai Chi, visit www.harpercollins.com/pages/ArtoftheStraightLine (new website on Lou Reed’s Tai Chi)

We invite callers at 7:30 pm. Live stream Talk It Out Radio at www. kpfa.org or listen to this show after the show airs in the archives.

Talk It Out Radio airs Sunday nights at 7:00 pm PST.

The post Lou Reed’s Art of the Straight Line: Tai Chi as the Ultimate Wellness Practice for Life appeared first on KPFA.

[ This is Part 2.  Part 1 aired on KPFA on Sunday Feb 19, 2023 7-8 pm.  That episode can be found in the KPFA archives HERE ]

Host Timothy Regan welcomes back Amie Leigh, who shares in this episode her vision for universal knowledge and skills that everyone can use to help fellow humans who are going through mental or emotional crisis.

Amie shares specific steps and shining gems of guidance for anyone who wants to be there for others who are overwhelmed by disaster.  This episode is for you especially if you want to grow your confidence and skills to enhance mental and emotional balance and stability in people who have lost these and more.

Amie Leigh is Founder and CEO of Capacity Path, which provides trainings and consultations and direct service to help humans restore mental and emotional balance during and soon after disaster strikes. She is also the Clinical Director for the Florida State Emergency Response Team for Mental Health.

The post Crisis Stabilization and Resilience Part 2: How to Prepare and What to Do appeared first on KPFA.

The post Talk It Out March 26 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Talk It Out Radio host Nancy Kahn interviews Stephan Berwick on: Why and How Does the Chinese Art of Tai Chi Heal and Build Wellness?

Nancy Kahn interviews the famed Chinese style marital arts teacher and researcher, Stephan Berwick about how Tai Chi healed and transformed the late rock music icon, Lou Reed in an exclusive discussion about his work bringing Reed’s dream book on Tai Chi, “The Art of The Straight Line. My Tai Chi” to fruition (and just published by Harper Collings), with Reed’s wife, artist Laurie Anderson”.

Lou Reed was a musician, singer, songwriter, poet, and founding member of the legendary rock band the Velvet Underground. He collaborated with many artists, from Andy Warhol and John Cale to Robert Wilson and Metallica. Reed had a groundbreaking solo career that spanned five decades until his death in 2013.

Reed was also an accomplished martial artist whose practice began in the 1980s. He studied with Chen Tai Chi pioneer Master Ren GuangYi. This book is a comprehensive collection of Reed’s writings on Tai Chi. It includes conversations with Reed’s fellow musicians, artists, friends, and Tai Chi practitioners, including Julian Schnabel, A. M. Homes, Hal Willner, Mingyur Rinpoche, Eddie Stern, Tony Visconti, and Iggy Pop.

“The Art of the Straight Line. My Tai Chi” features Reed’s unpublished writings on the technique, practice, and purpose of martial arts, as well as essays, observations, and riffs on meditation and life.

Stephan Berwick is a martial arts instructor, performer, and researcher, specializing in Chen Tai Chi and Chinese swordsmanship. As an original student of Master Ren, Berwick conducted primary research at Tai Chi’s birthplace in Henan, China over two decades ago. From that research, Berwick published the first English language profiles of the emerging Chen village masters, and other works on traditional martial arts. Before devoting himself to Chen Tai Chi, Stephan was one of the two first Americans – with Asia’s top action star, Donnie Yen – to train in Xian, China under its national martial arts champion, Zhao Changjun and his coach, Bai Wenxiang. With Yen, Berwick went on to perform in Hong Kong action films under the tutelage of the director, Yuen Woping, as one of the few Western martial artists to star in Chinese action films. Years later, he met and befriended Lou Reed in 2003 at a national martial arts event with Master Ren.

The post Why and How Does the Chinese Art of Tai Chi Heal and Build Wellness? appeared first on KPFA.

Host Timothy Regan welcomes Roxanne Manning, Ph.D to provide clear and practical guidance for us about a central principle of the Kingian Nonviolence movement: “Attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil.”

We explore the nature of forces of evil, then hear a successful example of this principle in action.  Roxy then explains the vision behind active nonviolence: The Beloved Community.  Finally Roxy shares specific steps to keep in mind when we are speaking up and taking action to stop harm, and at the same time holding deep compassion and empathy for those doing harm.

Click here to learn about two guidebooks Roxy has just finished to be released soon:

Connect with Roxy here too.

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A how-to and what-to-do program where skilled hosts welcome guests and callers to practice empathy, mindfulness, and effective communication. Do you want tools for connection, conflict resolution, and compassion for self and others? We explore skills, knowledge and resources to empower you to connect across differences.

The post Talk-It-Out Radio – February 26, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

[ This is Part 1.  Part 2 of this conversation can be found in the Talk It Out Radio archives HERE ]

Host Timothy Regan welcomes Amie Leigh to help us answer this question:

“How do I support someone in their moment of dire distress and overwhelm in an effective way for their wellbeing? In particular, during or after a disaster?”

We present basic and foundational principles, as well as “what to say and do” as our answer to this question.

If you have wanted to be there in a healing way for someone who is in deep distress as a result of disaster, and you have not known what to do or say, this episode is for you.

Amie Leigh is Founder and CEO of Capacity Path, which provides trainings and consultations and direct service to help humans restore mental and emotional balance during and soon after disaster strikes.  She is also the Clinical Director for the Florida State Emergency Response Team for Mental Health.

The post Crisis Stabilization and Resilience Part 1: “Holding Eachother is a Survival Skill” appeared first on KPFA.