The Idea Fountain: Life Changing Conversations

Today - We are hanging with Peter Sims of Parliament and Blk Shp. The episode is titled Learn but.... we also chat a lot about openness.

At the end of last year someone told me “You should meet Peter - you two would have a lot in common”. 

I was open. Without thinking twice we jumped on the phone. Not only did I instantly get a new lifelong friend but.... someone who would introduce me to about 50 new friends this year.

He also ultimately help me knock something off my bucket list that I’ve been procrastinating for 20 years!

We’ll kick it off in Los Angeles, with a deep bench of great friends at my house, and inspiring conversation for another episode of The Idea Fountain. Thanks for listening & also telling a friend. Follow @TheIdeaFountain on Instagram or www.theideafountain.co

First, I am so damn lucky to be surrounded by so many brilliant people from all walks of life. I hope you really enjoy this episode. The Idea Fountain has been behind schedule. In July I went to Seattle and recorded a very special episode with some of my biggest influences from growing up in the music scene. It was an inspiring conversation and then horrible news broke and that episode will most likely never come out. Over the summer, again and again, I felt like I kept reliving the same challenge. “What do we do NOW?” In 2018, with cancel culture, it can be complicated navigating relationships. Whether it was separating art and morality, or how someone so genius could do something so horrible, I was feeling a lot of confusion. David Kim is a friend, scholar, Blk Shp, and philosopher whom I often turn to on heavy topics. I have never said “I don’t know….” so many times in a conversation as I did in this episode. I feel when there is so much hurt, heaviness, and noise it’s important to get together and sort through things with good friends. For this taping we stepped away from social media, piled into my living room, and did a deep dive on everything from Kanye, to Supreme Court nominations, #MeToo, redemption, and how to protect yourself from toxicity with out throwing away people. @davidkyumankim

Sister Pat is a GANGSTA nun. I’ve said that for years because she’s lived a couragous and fascinating life from being in Mozambique during their civil war, she was Mother Superior and worked in Rome, then landed in South Central in the 90s as A Place Called Home was beginning. She is the reason I started The Idea Fountain. I’ve known her about 15 years, via Debrah Constance at A Place Called Home, but never was able to dig in on her full story because she’s so humble. For every question I would ask her over breakfast she would ask me 4 more about my life. I wanted to do a formal interview with her but thought if I did it, for a blog, it would be a lot of work and get lost. 

There’s a lot happening in the news again with The Church. It’s heartbreaking to hear any stories of abuse. I’ll give you a little context - I’ve never felt home at church. I went to Catholic High School but am not Catholic. I believe in higher powers. I love manifesting things for myself and others. I know energy is real. Still, I’ve never fully formed my opinion about how God and prayer fits in my life until I talked to Sister Pat. I had a huge breakthrough around how I already connect with God, or the Universe, every single day while taping this episode.  

This isn’t an episode about religion. There’s no part of the episode that preaches. It’s an episode about one of the most powerful people I know and the everyday philosophies that created the magic around who she is. I always find talking to her healing. Listening to it feels like a bit of a meditation. This episode was taped at her house. With that - I’m excited for you to meet Sister Pat.

Hope lives in here, in this episode. For me, when I recorded The Idea Fountain Episode 7: Justice with Mike de la Rocha, I didn’t have much hope. Years ago I had visited Sylmar’s Juvenile Detention Center with Mike and it made me feel sick. I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere, the enormity of challenges, or how it was even possible to have a building the size of a high school filled with juveniles with life sentences. When nationally babies were being taken from their parents at the boarder I didn’t have much confidence that a tweet, phone call, or showing up at a march would change that. I wanted to do something I just didn’t know WHAT. Mike de la Rocha is an extremely talented artist and also an organizer who works at Revolve Impact. He joined us, along with Tia Oso from Revolve Impact, and walked through how to make a difference locally via education, using your voice, and building community. It gave me a whole new level of much needed hope. My wish is it does the same for you. Come into my living room for a fireside chat with friends and lets figure out how to make a difference.  Now is the time! #socialjustice #immigration #juveniledetention #prison #Humanize #Policy #Politics #JohnForte #alexandriaocasiocortez #Organizing #Community #Local #problemsolving #Hope #LockedUp #UseYourVoice #knowyourrepresentatives #malidomasome #Energy

I want to be Debrah Constance when I grow up!

If anyone knows me - you have surely heard about A Place Called Home or Youth Mentoring. In South Central LA there is tremendous work being done at an organization that was founded 25 years ago by Debrah Constance. Since then they’ve served over 20,000 youth! 

“I don’t want your money I want your time” were the words that inspired Debrah Constance to get involved working with the kids. I don’t think enough people realize how big of an impact they can have just by showing up. 

Debrah’s story is the most unpredictable, unprecedented, unexpected story about how to make miracles happen. This legend has survived near deaths experiences, celebrated Mother’s Day brunching with Tupac, and created a ripple effect of change felt around the globe. I feel like when the news of the world gets frustrating I find solace by making a difference locally, and would love you to join me, by learning more about Debrah Constance and A Place Called Home.

Alex Banayan And The Third Door

This one is for the college dropouts.

This one is for the Black Sheep.

This one is for the entrepreneurs and the dreamers.

It’s for anyone who just needs to TRUST themselves and take a risk.

Alex Banayan is a great friend & has his first book, The Third Door, dropping June 5th.

He came over for a fireside chat and his first ever, official, book signing at my house!

We talked about his journey to interview some of the biggest thought leaders in the world about the secrets to their success. Along the way he had the adventure of a lifetime and

got priceless advice from Bill Gates, Quincy Jones, Lady Gaga, and Maya Angelou…. whose words of wisdom ultimately changed MY LIFE.

Come into my living room, celebrate a huge life moment from with one of my favorite friends, take away magic from his stories, and learn what’s behind The Third Door!

Andrea Marcum definitely changed my life - in more ways than one.

On this episode of The Idea Fountain: Life Changing conversations we catch up on her book Close to Om.

I didn’t do yoga before I moved to LA.  For a long time I thought yoga was just a trendy LA thing. I didn’t realize it was the only workout that, when finished, that gave me MORE energy than before I started.

This isn’t an episode on Yoga.

It’s not an episode on meditation or OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMs that people often chant at the beginning or end of class. It’s about a person who, through her craft and coaching, has made me digest life at a different speed.

Andrea’s yoga classes are known as some of the toughest in town….. In her class - I learned to allow myself to take breaks so I wouldn’t burn out or give up. I carried that lesson with me over to work and my career.

Even this year, Andrea led me to a huge break through!!!! When her book came out - There’s a picture of me doing yoga in it - does that make me a yoga model?!! Felicia at LA YOGA magazine asked me to write a review of her book. It was my first ever book review? Does that make me a writer? AND THEN as a contributor, in the magazine, I was featured with tips on healthy life hacks….. Does that make me a health EXPERT?!

I mean - I’m sure I’ve taken 1000 yoga classes. I’ve built and orchestrated summers of community yoga on the beach radio promotions! I’ve traveled the world doing yoga. However, I still can’t do a handstand and don’t wear LuLu Lemon. 

Who’s keeping the scorecard? At what point do I win?

I just AM…. I AM….. Now.

This episode is dedicated to all the people in my life that I love but don’t see enough and those I mostly stay connected to via social media. That’s where my relationship with Dina was a year ago. Dina LaPolt is not only someone who has changed my life but listening to this episode and her story could SAVE your life. Last year Dina went from having neck pain, to being in septic shock, and asked if she wanted a Rabbi as she went into surgery, all within two very quick weeks. This is a story of strength. It has powerful information on how to advocate for yourself around doctors and hospitals. It’s a life lesson on how much you help yourself when you’re helping others. Dina’s health care led to inspiring our phenomenal Friday Morning Hike Club. She will make you laugh, cry, and want to call your best friend. The interview is worth listening to beginning to end. Share the information with people you love. With gratitude - The Idea Fountain: Life Changing Conversations, Episode 3: Life, with Dina LaPolt.

Last summer I fell in love. The days I spent at Sarara walking amongst giraffes, meditating with elephants, and bonding with the local tribes in Northen Kenya will be with me for the rest of my life. I truly think, even on a cellular level, that time in nature changed me. It changed how I feel about animals. It changed the way I view tradition and culture. It changed how I communicate with people. Behind everything at Sarara there are two brothers, Jeremy and Joffy Bastard. Some people say they are like “real life” Indiana Jones. Their family has worked alongside the local tribes to both protect and revitalize the land. When I returned home from my trip I brought back with me 1000 stories. The trip was so transformative at times it was hard for me to articulate how magical it was. Last summer, after our trip, Joffy was in LA & reached out to us about getting dinner. I told him we would love to take him to dinner…. OR he could come to my house for dinner and share stories with a bunch of my friends. Thankfully he did! I feel like this serves as an audio postcard from the most amazing place I’ve ever been that…. I hope you all get to visit. 

“We have what we need, if we use what we have.” - Dr. Edgar Cahn.

I first read about Time Banking, an alternate currency based on reciprocity, ten years ago in Time Magazine. I joined the Echo Park Time Bank and not only met my neighbors but had doors opened and tried many new things from acupuncture to drum lessons, vegan cooking and even square dancing. In return I helped with social media, philanthropy, and music biz advice in the Time Bank. Inspired - I once attended a conference to hear Dr. Edgar Cahn speak and recently got the magical opportunity to do a fireside chat with him in my living room. Ying is taking the Time Banking concept to a new level and I got to dig deeper with one of my modern day heroes.