The Waging Peace Podcast

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Good Friday is supposed to be about the cross, but what happens when we take that story to the place where modern violence is manufactured? 

Shane Claiborne joins us with a challenge that’s as simple as it is unsettling: if you knew a bomb was being built for a school full of kids, wouldn’t you try to stand in its way?

Listen to find out:

• How Holy Week is connected to the real-time violence in Gaza and Iran and ask what it means to follow Jesus when our nation profits from war?
•  Why we’re gathering outside Lockheed Martin on Good Friday and how ordinary people can practice nonviolent witness with courage, grief, and hope.
• Why “the right people get bombed” is the opposite of The Prince of Peace
• Diana’s shift from Iraq War participation to conscientious objection & finding the freedom to change your mind
• Good Friday is solidarity with victims of state violence and practice of refusing to meet violence with violence
• Why weapons manufacturers make modern wars possible and why profit belongs in the spotlight
• Memorial practices for children killed in Gaza and Iran, including names, candles, roses, and a shared rope
• Direct action and civil disobedience as “divine obedience,” with many on-ramps for participation

How to join in person, livestream, or create a memorial where you live!
 

Find out more or REGISTER HERE

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• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

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We talk with Minneapolis community song leader Liz Digitale Anderson about Singing Resistance and why singing can turn strangers into a brave “we” in the middle of fear and state violence. We trace how simple songs support nonviolent action, deepen trust, and help communities protect neighbors without leaving anyone behind.

• Singing Resistance as a leaderful national movement grounded in love, solidarity, and nonviolence
• Minnesota’s lineage of organizing and why community singing takes root there
• Oral tradition song leading, call-and-response teaching, no sheet music, no gatekeeping
• Using songs to name systemic oppression and build courage for action
• Singing as a container for grief, rage, and joy in public witness
• Eviction defense, mutual aid, and showing up for neighbors in practical ways
• Offering off ramps and human dignity while resisting state violence
• Trust as the limiting factor, potlucks and neighbor relationships as strategy
• Going for depth with community and making repair for the long haul

You can go on Instagram to singing resistance at singing resistance, and in our link tree, there’s a toolkit.

This conversation breaks down how to build a local team, learn simple songs, and show up for eviction defense and safety. Listen, then ask: who’s on your team?

Support Liz's song leadership:

https://www.patreon.com/singingforliberation

Join the Singing Resistance: 

Follow:

https://www.instagram.com/singingresistance

Start a chapter where you are! Toolkit, trainings: 

https://linktr.ee/singingresistance

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

High school is tough. Teen mental health is rougher. 

She planned not to see sophomore year—now she’s a 17-year-old mental health advocate. Hear how vulnerability, therapy, and grit turned pain into purpose. Ileini shows how patience, presence, and small steps rebuild a life. 

Parents and teens—this one matters. Will you try the “just sit and listen” tool this week?

Listen to her Teen Podcast on Mental Health:

Mom and Me: Climbing Mountains Together

Find out more about the power of hosting a Peace Hero Awards in your school, City or Community.

Will you Support Youth?

Donate to the inaugural Drum Major for Peace Scholarship:

We are raising money to offer a $1,000 scholarship to support a local youth to pursue MLK’s call to be a Drum Major for Peace and serve others. The Drum Major for Peace Scholarship lifts up young people who choose courage, compassion, and nonviolence in their everyday lives.

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

Mohsin Modi-Ud-Din, founder and CEO of MeWe International, shares his innovative work using storytelling and communication to transform trauma in conflict zones including Gaza and Syrian refugee camps.

In this second part of our conversation you will hear more about how:

• MeWe International builds communication and storytelling interventions for psychological well-being and community engagement across 12+ countries
• Peace provides what war can't: justice and joy, which are essential for human flourishing
• Storytelling creates community, which keeps humans alive as a species
• Communication has been weaponized but should be reclaimed as a tool for transformation

About Mohsin Modi-Ud-Din:

Mohsin Modi-Ud-Din is an artist, activist, and Founder of #MeWe International Inc. (#MeWeIntl), a global non-profit that builds communications and storytelling interventions for psychological wellbeing, leadership development, and community engagement.

His work has received honors from SOLVE MIT and Open Ideo. Mohsin’s innovative work has reached thousands of people across more than 12 countries, beginning with his Fulbright Scholarship in 2010.

He has been a featured speaker at the World Economic Forum, United Nations, MIT, TEDx, and his work on #MeWeSyria has been published on UNHCR Innovation, VICE, and Al Jazeera.

How to find Mohsin:

• Instagram: @ allplacesfromhere 
• Website:   https://www.meweintl.org/  
• Facebook:   Mohsin Mohi Ud Din & MeWeIntl

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

Stories we tell ourselves shape our relationships and psychological well-being. Mohsin Modi-Ud-Din shows how harmful narratives can erode mental health while transformative storytelling rebuilds connections across even the deepest divides. 

Listen to hear more about:

• Mohsin's experiences in Gaza with humanitarian medical missions 
• How storytelling interventions help trauma survivors reclaim their humanity
• Neuroplasticity and our brain's capacity for growth and transformation
• Cultivating curiosity to overcome fear in our relationships

"Every single human being is a living, breathing story of change. The second that we diminish or forget that, we risk having a very toxic culture, toxic family, toxic world and toxic beliefs because we're going against the essence of who we are."

About Mohsin:

Mohsin is an artist, activist, and Founder of #MeWe International Inc. (#MeWeIntl), a global non-profit that builds communications and storytelling interventions for psychological wellbeing, leadership development, and community engagement.

His work has received honors from SOLVE MIT and Open Ideo. Mohsin’s innovative work has reached thousands of people across more than 12 countries, beginning with his Fulbright Scholarship in 2010.

He has been a featured speaker at the World Economic Forum, United Nations, MIT, TEDx, and his work on #MeWeSyria has been published on UNHCR Innovation, VICE, and Al Jazeera.

How to find Mohsin:

• Instagram: @ allplacesfromhere 
• Website:   https://www.meweintl.org/  
• Facebook:   Mohsin Mohi Ud Din & MeWeIntl

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

At 18, Sophia chose prison over participating in occupation. "When you recognize you have a choice, you have responsibility for that choice." Her story reveals how militarism dehumanizes everyone it touches. 

 "Violence will only breed more violence." The only future we have is a future together." 

• Sophia Orr who spent 85 days in military prison for refusing to serve in the Israeli army. 

• Her courage challenges us to ask ourselves: Are we collaborators or resistors in systems of violence? What choices are we making with our privilege?

• Her refusal to join Israel's military wasn't just personal—it was a political act to break cycles of bloodshed. How are we using your voice to stand against dehumanization? 

Listen to her powerful story now!

Write a Letter of Support the two Conscientious Objectors who are serving their prison sentence now:

Ella Keider Greenburg: Write to her HERE

Netta Lannes Arbel: Write to him HERE

Find out more about Mesarvot

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

Sofia Orr, a 19-year-old Israeli conscientious objector, shares her journey of refusing mandatory military service and spending 85 days in prison for her stance. Listen to hear how:

• Sofia began questioning military service at age 13, viewing it as a political choice rather than obligation
• She describes Israel as "more an army with a country than a country with an army" with military indoctrination beginning in childhood
• Sofia's prison experience revealed how military systems dehumanize everyone involved, including guards
• She rejects the notion that violence can solve the conflict: "There is no military solution to this"
  
  
  

You can find Sofia on Instagram @sofiorr7716 

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

Rita Brent blends comedy and advocacy, using her platform to address serious societal issues while promoting joy and connection. Through her journey from childhood musician to stand-up comedian, Rita emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, community support, and compassion in navigating life's challenges.

• Exploring the evolution from music to comedy 
• The significance of personal experiences in comedy 
• Balancing humor with advocacy through songs 
• Addressing critics and embracing authenticity 

About Rita:

Rita Brent is an award-winning comedian, musician, and military veteran. She grew up in Jackson, MS where she played music in Baptist churches alongside her mother. By 18, she joined the Army National Guard where she served as a drummer in the 41st Army Band, ending her time in service as a sergeant. She began her radio broadcasting career at WJSU 88.5 FM, and later spent six years at Mississippi Public Broadcasting as a host and producer. In 2013, she made a big leap into standup comedy. Nine years later, she has appeared on Comedy Central, truTV, Epix TV, LOL Network, Circle TV, CNN, and more. She wrote for the 73rd Primetime EMMY Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, The People's Choice Awards, and Stand Out: An LGBTQ Celebration on Netflix. In 2023, she became a first-time Writers Guild Awards Nominee in two categories. When she’s not on the road as a standup comedian, she’s an up and coming music performance artist. She’s a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

How to find Rita:

• Instagram: @ritabrentcomedy  
• YouTube: @RitaBrentComedy    
• Facebook: Rita Brent Comedy    
• Website: https://www.ritabrent.com/

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

Educator and DEI expert Jebeh Edmunds breaks down what we don't know about DEI.

You'll learn:

• Where Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) originated.
• How to take action when you experience or witness discrimination in your school or community.
• Why our fight for justice, peace and equality is happening right now.

This episode delves into the historical context and contemporary relevance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), emphasizing the importance of understanding our past and actively engaging in the fight for equality. 

• DEI has historical roots dating back to the civil rights movement  
• Gender inequalities illustrate the ongoing struggle for equity 
• Emphasizes the role of personal responsibility in fighting injustice 
• Encourages listeners to speak up against discrimination  
• Draws lessons from history to inform future actions  
• DEI continues to be a relevant and necessary conversation 

About Jebeh Edmunds:

Jebeh is an energetic storyteller, full of smiles & dance moves, educator. She loves all things Multicultural and has shared her passion for educating her students and community for over 20 years. She loves good energy, her family, and all of life’s gifts and lessons. 

How to find Jebeh:

• Instagram: @culturallyjebeh_   
• YouTube: @mrs.edmundsculturalcorner2226     
• Facebook: Jebeh Cultural Consulting    
• Website: https://jebehedmunds.com/

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.

Send us Fan Mail

Part two of our conversation with Sharon delves into the essential role of hope in effecting positive change and combating the perils of cynicism. 

After you listen, you’ll know:

•  How to choose between hope and toxic positivity
•  3 ways to take one small action to make Big Changes.
• One powerful, underused tool you can start using immediately to kick cynicism to the curb.

About Sharon:
A #1 New York Times bestselling author, educator, and host of the chart-topping podcast Here’s Where It Gets Interesting. Sharon's newsletter, The Preamble, is one of the largest publications on Substack, where she provides historical context and non-partisan insights to help readers navigate today’s political landscape. 

IG: @sharonsaysso 

What do practitioners of peacemaking and change agents like Sharon and Diana think about:

• Exploring the distinction between hope and toxic positivity  
• Understanding cynicism and its impact on motivation 
• The significance of communal joy in fostering connections  
• The necessity of rest and boundaries in sustaining engagement 
• Emphasizing individual agency in the face of systemic challenges 
• Recognizing the power of committing to one's purpose 

This is a growing podcast, will you take 30 seconds and help us?

Yes! I will sign up to get the newest episode delivered by owl to my inbox!

Heck yeah! I will leave a review because I know how much it help

• Raising my hand to get Diana's writing on  substack
• Follow Diana on Social Media @dianaoestreich    
• Yes, I want free tools from The Waging Peace Project! 
• Buy our book Waging Peace, One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First  to support Veterans, peacemaking and stories that are changing the world.
• Find our Merch here, and Wear Your Peace.
• Bring a Waging Peace Keynote or Workshop to your school, organization, or faith community.