The Next Chapter with Charlie

Show Notes  

For the last two shows I have attempted to discover the basic tenets of atheism and theism in an effort to understand how people approach their inner and outer lives. In the theistic case we would call it spirituality. 

Well, today I plan to discuss spirituality through a third medium—an hallucinogen called Ayahuasca, the chemical that the scientist Rick Strassman called the “Spirit Molecule” in the 1990’s.

I’ve discovered several substances that would have once been referred to as recreational drugs, are now being studied by major institutions like Johns Hopkins and the University of San Francisco, especially regarding the use of psilocybin for managing PTSD, Depression and Anxiety.

But today, we are here to talk about the medicinal use of the plants that make up the hallucinogen, Ayahausca. My studies show that thousands of people from around the world travel to the Amazon every year to drink Ayahuasca for mental health conditions including alcoholism, depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, and drug addiction.

My guest today, whom I will refer to as Dan, has attended 18 Ayahuasca ceremonies and is a strong advocate of the medicinal advantages of the chemical, physically, mentally and spiritually. Dan is not a druggie. In fact he seasoned business executive with an MBA and 30 years experience in founding and running businesses. Dan was also an officer in the Marine Corp. Obviously, Dan is not your typical recreational drug user. Finally Dan has been happily married for 20 years, chose not to procreate and likes to save needy dogs.

So, let’s get onto educating ourselves on the advantages or disadvantages of the use of Ayahuasca, Strassman’s “Spirit Molecule”. 

You can get more information and regular updates from Charlie at thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

Last week, we filled up most of an hour on the subject of Atheism—not in an effort to disclaim it, but rather to better understand it. I think it was a great show. In fact, it was one of my favorites.

Well, today I want to give equal time to Theism. I decided to do the show primarily through the eyes of a Christian priest, Fr Robert Edwards who is the Rector (or lead minister) of St Margaret’s Episcopal Church in San Juan Capistrano, CA-which is my home church. And Robert is also a very close friend. He and I talk about this stuff all the time.

Today will be another “discovery” show where my objective is to learn even more about a very common topic—Theism, or the belief in God. Data shows that most of my listeners would more readily align themselves with Christianity than with Atheism. But my question is, “Why is that so?”

You can reach Fr Rob at [email protected]

You can get more information and regular updates from Charlie at thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

Let me begin our show today with a question? Consider this rather long list of names: Woody Allen, Isaac Asimov, Kevin Bacon, George Carlin, Jodi Foster, Joyce Carol Oates, Brad Pitt, Ayn Rand, Oliver Sacks, Kurt Vonnegut, James Baldwin, Charles Bukowski, Ursula K LeGuinn, Pablo Neruda, Virginia Wolfe, Stephen Hawking, Sir Richard Branson, and Bertrand Russell. What do all these famous and intelligent people have in common?

When I add the name Sam Harris to the list you might know: they are all atheists. And all of them have also contributed significantly to the value of the value of society and the world. They have made huge impact on the poor and disenfranchised as well as initiated critical thinking about the state of life and the universe. 

So, today I am choosing to go off my normal grid and talk curiously about the subject of Atheism. I am genuinely curious. I ‘d like to know what atheism is and even more important what it isn’t, why a person would adopt a-theism over theism. My hope today is to simply understand a general overall perspective of the atheism. Many very bright and compassionate people have come to the atheistic conclusion through deep study, listening to their “moral compass,” and have often suffered some sort of restrained cynicism about what they believe and don’t believe.

My very special guest today is Matthew Sitton. Matthew is a thoughtful man, fluent in conversational Japanese, and spent one year in Japan teaching English.

Matthew Sitton is a Southern California native who is openly atheist. Matthew grew up a Christian but found himself leaving religion in his early adult life. A combination of time abroad, self-reflection, and extensive reading lead Matthew to find that he could live a progressive and moral life without theism or other supernatural beliefs. Matthew believes that a worldview without these attachments affirms our ability and responsibility to live meaningful, ethical lives—lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity. Matthew now identifies himself as a humanist and tries to live his life [I really like this part] tries to life his life informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by compassion.

I have been looking forward to this time for about three weeks now. Finally we get to talk on air about the fascinating topic of atheism. 

FOR ALL MY LISTENERS PLEASE NOTE: MY PURPOSE WITH THIS SHOW IS TO SATISFY MY CURIOSITY ABOUT ATHEISM; NOT TO GET INTO ANY DEBATE OF THEISM VS A-THEISM. I WANT TO LEARN AND I HOPE YOU DO AS WELL.

Show Notes  

I’d planned today to do a “solo-sode, but as I began making notes for the show I thought of my dear friend, Terry Hershey and how much value he could add to the show. So 75 minutes before the show I invited him as a guest. And he agreed. Many thanks.

And this really is a good show!

My topic today is one I’ve lifted from a book by Richard Rohr’s titled Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. In this show I’ll also refer to my theory of the 4 Seasons of Life, which will help navigate this 1st and 2nd half of life talk.

The cover of Rohr’s book reads. “In the first half of life we are naturally and rightly with establishing our identity—climbing, achieving and performing.” These are also what I call the Spring and Summer Years of Life 

“But,“ Richard Rohr continues, “those concerns will not serve us as we grow older and begin to embark on a further journey, one that involves challenges, mistakes, loss of control, broader horizons and necessary suffering that actually chocks out of our prior comfort zone.” Rohr goes on to say, “Eventually we need to see ourselves in a different and life-giving way.” Which, I might add, requires a significant “falling down” that leads to a path back upward that is genuinely self-fulfilling and moves us into the “Elder Status,” a status that has been highly regarded for history of mankind until about the last 60-70 years. 

You can reach Terry at www.terryhershey.com

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

Think about it Paul, what part of you comes out when your back is against the wall? Is it ugly or is it protective in a positive way? Do you lash out in anger, cry or whine, blame, or respond with some sort of passive (or aggressive) attack? Or, do you take the time to consider the best way to handle any given particular situation?

These are tough questions. Hard to answer and even harder to manage, because we all have these “protective archetypes or innate patterns” that actually govern our responses.

Today we are honored to have with us once again, Dena Crowder, who is a specialist when it comes to archetypes, In fact, she uses them masterfully in her own coaching process. I know. She’s my coach and mentor. In fact, Dena has done more with my anxiety in 6 weeks of coaching than my previous 25 years of therapy.

Before we begin, let me tell you just a bit more about Dena.

Dena Crowder is known as the most innovative strategist and consultant for creators and leaders.  She's worked privately with Grammy, Emmy and Humanitas prize winners, CNN Heros, founders, writers, performers, educators, and upstarts from every industry.

Dena’s Mission is to Redefine Power so that we use power for good as she believes that "Pure Power" is the capacity to directly influence… with wisdom and compassion.

Dena and I met at an online writer’s course and have maintained a bunch of contact since then. I am very excited to discuss Survival Archetypes with Dena Crowder.

You can reach Dena at www.denacrowder.com

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

I find it shocking the number of people that tell me quite literally they “hate their jobs.” And if they don’t hate their job they are simply dissatisfied by so many things they do more than 40 hours each week. That’s a lot of time of dissatisfaction. Our special guest today is here to help us with that issue.

With me today is Mac Prichard, who’s the founder and publisher of Mac’s List, which is an online community of people looking for rewarding, creative, and meaningful work. More than 80,000 people a month visit the site, which includes a job board, a blog and courses about the nuts and bolts of job hunting and career management.

As a leading career expert, Mac helps people who are looking for a job during all of life’s transitions, which include Millennials getting a first job, midlife professionals switching sectors, parents getting back to work after raising a family, or even baby boomers who want to change careers.

Mac is also the author of Land Your Dream Job Anywhere and hosts a weekly podcast titled ‘Find Your Dream Job.’ 

You can reach Mac at www.macslist.org

Find Your Dream Job podcast macslist.org/podcasts

Free chapter of Land Your Dream Job Anywhere macslist.org/nextchapter

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

 My guest today is our good friend, Terry Hershey. If you’re a frequent listener of the show then you’re familiar with Terry, who is a regular guest. Terry is a prolific writer, conference keynote speaker, renowned landscape architect, and spiritual advisor.

Today, Terry and I plan to chat about Spring Cleaning: Getting Rid of Things that Don’t Work. You know we’ve all talked about Spring Cleaning for years now, although I think very few of us really do it anymore. Still, it’s a great concept. 

You know there just simply does come a time each year when you need to Clean House, not just physical stuff, but also tasks and habits and even relationships. We seem to live in a “yes-filled” world when the truth is many of us need to just learn the word “no.” 

I think that when faced with tasks and habits and relationships we also need to understand the important difference between either HELL YES or NO WAY! 

You can reach Terry at www.terryhershey.com

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

Today, I am honored to have another special guest, Rand Sperry who is CEO of Sperry Equities and Sperry Commercial. Now here is a guy familiar with 5 star hotels and roads that actually have asphalt on them.

Somehow, Nick Jordan the Executive Director of Wells of Life, convinced Rand and his awesome daughter Keleigh to join us on this rugged trip, where the accommodations are abut 1½ stars at best and the highways are rugged butt-numbing dirt roads. We were located in the most rural areas of the Kingdom of Buganda in the country of Uganda.

Before we begin the show let me give you an idea of the credentials of our exception guest. 

Rand Sperry is an exceedingly accomplished man. He is CEO of Sperry Commercial, Inc. and has been a highly recognized and influential leader within the Southern California and national commercial real industry for more than thirty-five years.

To date, Sperry Commercial and Sperry Equities have acquired more than 100 commercial, industrial, and office properties, exceeding $1.5 Billion in value with over 10 million square feet under management and 6 million owned.

Rand is extremely active in both church and community. He has been a member of numerous civic and religious boards and committees in Orange County California over the last 20+ years.

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

I am super excited about our special guest today, Sherry Benjamins, who is the President and Founder of highly successful Talent Search Firm, S. Benjamins and Company.

Today Sherry and I will engage in a discussion on the dynamics of an entirely new concept of what the workplace and the world of work is going to look like in the very near future. In fact, many companies have already adopted or are in the process of adopting these changes.

The old idea of 9 to 5, show up at the office, do your delegated job and go home is quickly becoming outdated. There is a New Show in the world of Work and that’s what we will be discussing today.

First let me tell you a bit about Sherry. Sherry Benjamins has over 25 years experience in business management, talent strategy consulting, and helping companies find great leaders. Her expertise is in consulting with senior management on strategic work and worker issues in, what is now, unpredictable and changing business landscapes. She is the perfect person to have a conversation about the world of work.

You can reach Sherry at [email protected]

Or for her HRoundtable at www.hroundtable.com

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes

Today I’d like to chat with you, and our producer Paul, about a subject that is most dear to me. Bottom line it’s about the positive impact each of us can make on the lives of other people: from the ones we love the most to just about anyone we engage with in a meaningful conversation.

As I have stated often, I have concluded that my single most important goal in life to help people feel better about themselves. It’s really not all that difficult, requiring only that you, in some way, communicate to them that they are important to you

Obviously there are myriad ways to do so but I would like to focus today on one thing, the Art of a Caring Conversation. Although the word “conversation” implies a two-way interaction is it actually too often a one-way conversation help be two people each with their own agenda and each with their own things they want to talk abou

I have operated for more than 3 decades with the belief I learned from a psychologist that people have 3 primary innate needs: To be heard, to be accepted (by some group that we view as important), and to be cared for or cared about. When those are met we discover a sense of well-being and deep personal satisfaction.

Today I’d like to focus on that first need: to be heard. So today I want to talk about the art of listening and suggest 3 traits that make for an excellent listener.

They are simple: Kindness, empathy, and curiosity.

You can get more information and regular updates from Charlie at thenextchapter.life