Illustrator / animator/ storyboard artist/ wildly creative gentleman, Dan Meth, is the guest! He has done work for Buzzfeed, Disney, Nickelodeon, FX Network, Amazon, Gizmodo, Fortune Magazine, Condé Nast, and more. He’s won awards for best animation, and you can find all of his amazing stuff on his website www.DanMeth.com. He also created the artwork for this very podcast!

Listen to two pop culture nerds geek out! This is our normal, and Dan's normal is illustrating it all!

Thank you for listening. 

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧   

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Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Unfoldment, Revealment, Evolution, Exposition, Integration by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/reappear/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

 + Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

Ever feel like you're living in one square inch of reality and calling it reality? Well, the fascinating Dr. Betty Kovacs has. I had the great privilege to talk her about life, death, religion, and everything in between on all dimensions of reality. Ever since she was child, learning about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Dr. Kovacs started asking the big question of "WHY?" Her normal has always been trying to find ways to break out of the norm, step outside of it, and find something beyond that, because that is the nature of all of our creativity. We get into her studies of symbolic and mythic languages, how religion has influenced our way of life, how the pandemic is an example of the decay and destruction of the heart consciousness in western culture, quantum physics, essentially trying to answer the big questions of life and human existence, and so much more. We also dig into the amazing connections between the deaths of three people closest to Dr. Kovacs: her mother, husband, and son. 

Dr. Kovacs earned her doctorate from the University of California, Irvine, in Comparative Literature and Theory of Symbolic/Mythic Language.  She taught Literature, Writing, and Symbolic/Mythic Language for twenty-five years.  She served many years as Chair and Program Chair on the Board of Directors of the Jung Society of Claremont in California and sits on the Academic Advisory Board of Forever Family Foundation.  Dr. Kovacs is author of Merchants of Light: The Consciousness That Is Changing the World, winner of the Nautilus Silver Book Award and the Scientific & Medical Network 2019 Book Prize.  She has also written The Miracle of Death: There Is Nothing But Life. 

Dance life in snake boots! Leave each moment fully, then let it go. Enjoy, and thank you for listening. 

Website:  https://kamlak.com   

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/KimberlySaavedra 

Pinterest: @kamlak  https://www.pinterest.com/kamlak/merchants-of-light-betty-j-kovacs-phd/ 

Frequency of Love in a Dying World:  https://youtu.be/8ilOzvz-18w 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/The-Kamlak-Center-Videos-Putting-Birth-Death-Back-Together-Again-213684922010449/ 

Merchants of Light:  https://www.amazon.com/Merchants-Light-Consciousness-Changing-World/dp/0972100555 

The Miracle of Death:  https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Death-There-Nothing-Life/dp/0972100504 

Betty’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Betty-Kovacs/100006184996784 

*

Undercover Vampire Policeman by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/uvp/ 

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ 

Thank you for listening. 

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧 

Facebook: @whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders 

Twitter: @wnwgspodcast 

Insta: @wnwgspodcast 

Email: [email protected] 

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

A great title for this fun talk with Rena Strober. “Celebrating the Weirdness” exemplifies not only Rena’s normal and how she raises her daughter, but how being weird is not being boring, and it's how to celebrate what's different. Rena says she can respect those that are "normal" but that's "just not how she was made." To her, every day is an adventure. 

Rena Strober is multi-talented. She is the co-producer, creator, and performer of the Sesame Street album "Imagine That!" She works with "Dotz" the blind children's choir, a voice actor, she was on the Broadway tour of "Les Miserables" (and knows another guest of the podcast), played the Witch in "Into the Woods" at the Charlottesville Opera House, was in the original LA cast of "Reefer Madness," featured in HBO's "Veep," the Disney Channel's "Liv and Maddie", performed on the dais at The Friar's Roast and on home plate at Shea Stadium, and so much more.  We get into classic Nickelodeon, a side story about Marc Summers of "Double Dare" fame, my connection to Ben & Jerry, our love for Mel Brooks and if he was indeed in "The Muppet Movie," and the amazing fact that her house is a pop culture museum. 

We also get into her association with a famous murder in a NYC Italian restaurant, which was made into an episode for the OG "Law & Order," and Rena shares her feelings about fact vs fiction. Rena co-wrote and performed in her own musical "Spaghetti and Matzo Balls" which was based on that experience.  

Order a "half double-decaffeinated half-caf... with a twist of lemon," dive in to this great talk, and celebrate weirdness with us! Be sure to check out her music video for "Imagine That!" on YouTube, and you can buy the album on her website: renastrober.com! You must also watch this promo video for "Imagine That" (https://www.renastrober.com/imagine-that-a-childrens-album/).... You will LOVE this album. 

Mentions: 

Academy of Music for the Blind (http://ouramb.org/)

Guide Dogs of America (https://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/)

"Law & Order: Organized Crime" (https://www.nbc.com/)

Thank you for listening.    

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧   

Facebook: @whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders   

Twitter: @wnwgspodcast   

Insta: @wnwgspodcast   

Email: [email protected]     

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

Everyone has a story, and first-time author, Simone Knego, shares her own story and journey in her incredible book, "The Extraordinary Unordinary You." She has adopted 3 of her 6 children, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, co-chaired the National Young Leadership Cabinet for the Jewish Federations of North America, and she shares the lessons she has learned in life to hopefully inspire, motivate, move, encourage, and perhaps change the way we think. It was a fantastic conversation that I hope you will enjoy. 

You can buy her book here: Amazon. And there are many links about her online. 

Mentions: The Livestrong Foundation https://www.livestrong.com/ 

Thank you for listening.   😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧 

Facebook: @whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders 

Twitter: @wnwgspodcast  

Insta: @wnwgspodcast  

Email: [email protected]    

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

*Trigger warning: there is talk of childhood abuse by an adult, and abuse directed by and adult.* Joshua Shea is a recovered addict from alcohol and porn. He is now an educator on pornography addiction, a Certified Betrayal Trauma Coach, TED Talk speaker (December 2020), and author of three books: “The Addiction Nobody Wants to Talk About,” “He’s a Porn Addict… Now What?” and “Porn and the Pandemic: How 3 Months in 2020 Changed Everything." 

Joshua had a traumatic childhood. For a few years, he (along with others) was abused physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually by a manipulative babysitter in a "house of horrors". At age 12, he found porn. At 14, he found alcohol. Harboring this trauma, later in life he was diagnosed as being bipolar. Joshua married and had children, and went on to become a successful City Councilman in his home state of Maine, a magazine publisher, and created a film festival. Having an addictive personality was his normal. Joshua says that "an addict has to always escalate..." 

He took himself off his medication to have more control....  Soon, his successful life and career would all come crashing down as his need to control led him down an illegal path, using his investigative reporting skills to catfish young women online. He was caught. He went to therapy, eventually went to prison, and emerged as a therapist of sorts to others going through the same struggles and addictions he battled for almost his entire life. He found his purpose. 

This is a very important talk, and Josh is brave to share his story and reveal very personal and private details in order to shed light on addiction, particularly porn addiction. Go to Joshua's website https://recoveringpornaddict.com where you can find all of the information you need to get help for yourself or others, more info about Josh himself, links, contact info, an educational course called Pornography Addiction Education for Partners… and more. 

Thank you for listening.  

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧  🎤 

Facebook: @whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders

Twitter: @wnwgspodcast

Insta: @wnwgspodcast

Email: [email protected]  

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

Maritri Garrett was born with a gift, well, actually, many gifts. She is a musical prodigy, discovering this talent at the age of 2 1/2. Since then, every intention she has had has come true, and every door has opened. Maybe it is her open spirit that has connected her to the spiritual world, having many stories to share about her experiences with hauntings, ghosts, and various otherworldly experiences. Her normal is essentially being "spiritually in tune." 

This was an incredible, mind-blown conversation that I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.

A special Thank You to Maritri Garrett for the use of her song "Normal" performed by her and The Soulfolk Experience. Follow links to Apple Music and Facebook for more!

Mentions: "Ford v Ferrari" (movie, Dir: James Mangold). "Ghost" (movie, Dir: Jerry Zucker)

Intro music: "Fluidscape" by Kevin MacLeod. Outro music: "A Quiet Thought" by Wayne Jones.

Thank you for listening.

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧

Facebook: @whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders

Twitter: @wnwgspodcast

Insta: @wnwgspodcast

Email: [email protected]

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

Cheryl Kindred is a Newborn Care Specialist, Gentle Sleep Trainer, and former Post-Partum and Birth Doula. Inspired by the book "The Midwife's Apprentice," at age 9, she wanted to be a midwife or work with babies somehow. 

Her first job was as a babysitter at age 11, and she found it incredibly rewarding. About a decade later, she began to make her commitment to the "well-rounded and comprehensive support to new families" even before becoming a mom herself. Of course, she finds babies amazing, wholesome, and the purest of souls; but she also wanted to make a difference with taking care of the baby and rewriting what's normal with being a parent. She has helped hundreds of adults with the transition to parenthood, with the importance of sleep of new parents and babies, essentially assisting the new parents with the totally abnormal experience of having a baby, and so much more.  We also get into the disparities of maternity and birthing care with minorities and those in rural communities that is still an ongoing major issue, normalizing how we refer to the "private" body parts, and the importance of consent. 

* This is a very important episode. *

(Plus: two special guests make their podcasting debut!) 

Mentions: Book:  "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman. Movie: "The Business of Being Born" (2008), directed by Abby Epstein.   

** This episode is sponsored by the Motorola Connect40 Baby Monitor by Hubble. CLICK THIS LINK to get 10% off your order, with OFFER CODE: NEWBABY!

> https://hubbleconnected.com/products/motorola-connect40-5-wi-fi®-video-baby-and-home-monitor?_pos=1&_sid=9020bbf40&_ss=r <

Thank you for listening.

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧

Facebook: @whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders

Twitter: @wnwgspodcast

Insta: @wnwgspodcast

Email: [email protected]

Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/wnwgs/message

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

Josh Davis is a Broadway actor, known for playing Javert in the North American tour of “Les Miserables,” and for being in the original cast of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”  His “normal” is enjoying and being mindful of the process of life and work, and he shares the importance of the process. He opens up about his battles with ADHD and shyness as a child, when he discovered he could sing, and how his true path begun once he got fired from a job. We also get into the current normal status of Broadway and theater in general.  Enjoy his voice.  

"Stars" and excerpt of "Bring Him Home" from the musical "Les Miserables" performed by Josh Davis; music and lyrics by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel, and Herbert Kretzmer. Excerpts of "If I Were A Rich Man," from the musical, "Fiddler on the Roof," performed by Josh Davis; lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock. Excerpt of "Being Alive," from the musical, "Company," performed by Josh Davis; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Excerpts of "Wait For It" and "You'll Be Back" from the musical, "Hamilton," performed by Josh Davis; music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Excerpt of "Papa, Can You Hear Me?," from the movie "Yentl," performed by Josh Davis; composed by Michel Legrand, lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Excerpt of "Come Fly With Me" performed by Josh Davis; lyrics by Frank Sinatra. Excerpt of "Luck Be A Lady," from the musical, "Guys and Dolls," performed by Josh Davis; written and composed by Frank Loesser. Excerpt of "These Are My Friends," from the musical, "Sweeney Todd," performed by Josh Davis; music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. "By Your Side" performed by Josh Davis from the musical "Beau" performed by Josh Davis; music and lyrics by Douglas Lyons and Ethan Pakchar. 

Excerpts from "Concert with Josh Davis" on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IVnq6eE-oqM 

Josh Davis on Instagram: @joshdnyc  

https://thisisjoshdavis.com  

This is a difficult time for the Broadway community. Our entire industry has been shut down till at least 2021 and the Actors Fund is here for the entertainment community when they are in need.  "Founded in 1882, The Actors Fund is a national human services organization here to meet the needs of our entertainment community with a unique understanding of the challenges involved in a life in the arts. Services include emergency financial assistance, affordable housing, health care and insurance counseling, senior care, secondary career development and more."  How to Donate:   Click this link: https://actorsfund.org 

Thank you for listening.  

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatsnormalwithgabrielsanders  

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Email: [email protected]  

Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/wnwgs/message 

Eternal Hope by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100238 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram: @danmeth.

In this episode, I had a great talk with a woman who grew up in the world of Evangelical Pentecostalism. Miggie Boylan shares with us her "normal" of feeling "in place, but out of place," and how she found a way out. We also talk about our thoughts on the strength of prayer, the effectiveness of prayer, and how she was put into a position of being told she wasn't praying hard enough. I also get into my history of being an accident prone child. 

Thank you for listening.  

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧  

Mentions:  “Religulous” (2008) with Bill Maher.  “Outside” music/lyrics by Mariah Carey

🎤WNWGS links:  

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Email: [email protected]  

Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/wnwgs/message 

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

In this episode, I talk to my good friend, Steven Leon. Friends for 20 years, what’s been normal is not talking about the normal! He is a person of color, and we have never talked about race, systemic racism in America, and diversity in the workplace! His normal is being a person of color, and shares his views on being judged.  There are revelations and truths shared in our talk. I reveal some things to Steven, and his take on society is to “judge people by their character.” It’s a fun, beautiful, and deep convo and I hope you enjoy it!  

Check out Steven’s company’s website: https://www.betweengigsjobs.com. A “Social Hiring Network for Performing Artists and Creatives in the Entertainment Industry.”  

Thank you for listening.  

😁❤️🎤🤪😷🎧  

Mentions:  “CBD Nation” directed by David Jakubovic. Listen to my talk with him on the episode “An Exercise in Madness”. https://anchor.fm/wnwgs/episodes/015--An-Exercise-in-Madness-ejfv7n  

“1001 Things Everyone Should Know about African-American History” by Jeffrey C. Stewart  

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Email: [email protected]  

Voicemail: https://anchor.fm/wnwgs/message

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.