Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson

Latest Episodes:

Episode 14: Holiday & Kathryn Apr 10, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I sit down with my wife Holiday Reinhorn and dear friend Kathryn Adams to talk about LIDÈ, a not-for-profit educational initiative the three of us started. LIDÈ, which means both “Leader” and “Idea” in Haitian Kreyol, uses the arts and literacy to build resilience and empower at-risk adolescent girls in rural Haiti, helping them to transition into academic or vocational education. The three of us share our experiences and talk about how the devastating effects of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti not only decimated the nation, but also uncovered the need for educating and empowering adolescent girls. We discuss the need and importance of hope; the importance of not only education, but why specifically the education of women is paramount. We also talk about the idea of adopting a "grassroots-up" approach to development work rather than a "top-down" approach, and we touch on 'accompaniment' and how each one of us has a gem within us which needs to be mined. We discuss the importance of trust and having faith; what a “tap-tap” is, and how LIDÈ's program for kids with disabilities came to life. I hope you enjoy this conversation, and if you'd like to find out more about LIDÈ and how you can support its programs, go to lidehaiti.org. Please also check out some of the wonderful organizations we mention in the podcast, like The Mona Foundation (www.monafoundation.org), Sean Penn's charity JPHRO (jphro.org), and also the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (www.smallholderfarmersalliance.org). Don't forget to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or here on Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pSm04WKcx5wfkfG0zyj1a Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 13: Erika Batdorf Apr 03, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Canadian multidisciplinary artist, performer and creator, Erika Batdorf. Erika's work has received numerous awards and been featured around the world. She was in California attending an SBCAST retreat, so I sat with her and had an amazing conversation about how science and art intersect; her show 'Burnish' and how like all of her work it's inspired by the Baha'i Writings. We discuss how our physical body and the ability to “feel” our body - like the beating of our heart, or even the power of walking - has an effect on our soul. She shares the fascinating story of how she was first introduced to the Baha’i Faith at the age of nine, and how as a teen, she would hitchhike dressed as a clown to get herself to Green Acre. She shares one of her personal struggles, her favorite Baha'i quote, and she also offers some wonderful advice to young Baha'i artists. You can find out more about Erika Batdorf and her fascinating work from her website: BATDORF.ORG Be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SlPwhOR6nb4MRHT4Ck3mH If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out BAHAIBLOG.NET. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 12: Michael Penn Mar 26, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview my Baha'i friend Michael Penn, a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the US. We talk about how he became a Baha'i and the cool story of how he and his wife met; we discuss beauty and being our authentic self; hope and hopelessness; racism and how each one of us can overcome it; how the human being is the most sensitive signal detection system in the known universe - yep that's right! and we talk about the book he's working on, and how philosophy is the bridge between science and spirituality. Subscribe to Baha'i Blog's email list to find out when Michael Penn's new book comes out, and here's one of his already published books I mention in the podcast called "Overcoming Violence against Women and Girls: The International Campaign to Eradicate a Worldwide Problem". You can purchase the book from this link: http://amzn.to/2nCvtM3 There's also going to be an online seminar with Michael Penn coming up on 11 June, 2017 at the Wilmette Institute which you may want to attend. It's called "Mind & Development: Some Baha’i inspired Reflections on Mind and the Harvests of Human Thought". Use this link to find out more and register: http://bit.ly/2n7Plmz Be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ttXiwIaPyGgEn34oEyuny If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit www.bahai.org, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out www.bahaiblog.net. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 11: Luke Slott Mar 13, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview the wonderful Luke Slott, a Baha'i singer and songwriter from Dublin, Ireland who has an equally wonderful head of hair. We talk about his musical background and how he became a Baha'i; how he first started composing music based on the Baha'i Writings and the new album he's just released during the month of the Baha'i Fast called 'Year of the Nightingale', which is dedicated to the bicentenary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah taking place this year. He tells us all about the fascinating book he's currently reading; what personal struggle he's currently trying to overcome, and what advice he would give to other artists and musicians. He also sings one of the songs from his new album live for us, and shares another one of them at the end of our beautiful conversation. You can listen to songs from 'Year of the Nightingale' as they are released on Luke Slott's YouTube channel, and find out more about Luke Slott and his work on his website (lukeslott.wordpress.com) and on his Facebook page. Also the book Luke mentions he's reading is called 'With Thine Own Eyes' and it can purchased here: http://amzn.to/2nkxolW Be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Z8vQJ4Cdg9YwR04czeVNm Thank you for listening to the Baha'i Blogcast. If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit www.bahai.org, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out www.bahaiblog.net. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 10: Joy DeGruy Mar 06, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Dr. Joy DeGruy, an internationally renowned researcher, educator, author and presenter living in the United States. We talk about how she became a Baha’i and her research and work creating and developing the concept of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome. We also talk about how we can affect change in society, especially when it comes to dismantling racism, and we end our discussion speaking about Joy’s love of fishing. Here are links to some of the things mentioned in our conversation: Joy speaks of her admiration for Hooper Dunbar and mentions his book, Forces of Our Time: The Dynamics of Light and Darkness, which can be purchased here on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mcSOmB This is a link to the video I summarized where Joy recounts being discriminated against at the grocery store: http://bit.ly/1LRgONL Here is the quotation Joy recited, a quotation that moves her deeply, from Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah: Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, and yet none of you hath, for one instant, consented to detach himself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that the brief moments that are still yours may not be dissipated and lost. Even as the swiftness of lightning your days shall pass, and your bodies shall be laid to rest beneath a canopy of dust. What can ye then achieve? How can ye atone for your past failure? To find out more about Joy and her work, check out her website: joydegruy.com Be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ewoMT8vvoW8NaJG0rcO9n Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 9: Tom Price Aug 23, 2016

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Tom Price, a Baha’i music composer, director and well-known public speaker currently living in Adelaide, Australia. We talk about his background, his travels, his experience doing music projects for global Baha'i events, and the fascinating story of how he became a Baha'i. We look at topics like the harmony between science and religion, walking and its meditative benefits, spiritual principles and how they apply to the physical world. We also talk about his experience as a public speaker whose talks have become widely shared and listened to around the world, his creative process with music, his daughter's band Lake Street Dive (http://www.lakestreetdive.com/), upcoming projects, some of the research he's doing, and some of his current spiritual goals. You can stay up to date with the talks that Tom Price is giving here on https://www.facebook.com/talksbytomprice/, and Baha'i Blog has also made some of Tom Price's talks available online which you can listen to using the links below: 1) Recreating Ourselves in the Image of the Master: http://bahaiblog.net/site/2012/10/new-talks-by-tom-price-recreating-ourselves-in-the-image-of-the-master/ 2) Following the Example of Abdu’l-Baha: http://bahaiblog.net/site/2015/01/following-footsteps-abdul-baha/ 3) The Role of Religion in Today's Society: http://bahaiblog.net/site/2015/02/role-religion-todays-society-tom-price-2/ 4) The Five Year Plan: http://bahaiblog.net/site/2015/01/5-year-plan-tom-price/ Be sure to check out and 'subscribe' to the Baha'i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5OnYetVRxR39Z9FcoRHDv5 Thank you for listening to the Baha'i Blogcast. If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit www.bahai.org, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out www.bahaiblog.net. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 8: Leyla & Ryan Haidarian Aug 15, 2016

Show notes

Episode 7: Steven Phelps Aug 08, 2016

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Dr. Steven Phelps, physicist, philosopher and translator who currently lives Oregon, USA. We talk about his experience growing up as a Baha’i, his studies in physics and philosophy, when his deepest beliefs were challenged, his move to the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa and his experience as a Hebrew, Arabic and Persian translator. We also look into some of the deepest philosophical questions and share thoughts about how the world works, the relativity of religious truth, science and religion, consciousness, and the progress of civilization. Here is the quote by Abdu’l-Baha from Paris Talks which Steven Phelps refers to: “I say unto you: weigh carefully in the balance of reason and science everything that is presented to you as religion. If it passes this test, then accept it, for it is truth! If, however, it does not so conform, then reject it, for it is ignorance!” You can listen to a talk by Steven Phelps called "Science, Religion & the Coming Spiritual Revolution" here: https://soundcloud.com/bahai-blog/steven-phelps-science-religion-and-the-coming-spiritual-revolution Be sure to check out and 'subscribe' to the Baha'i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Ie0nUJVv5lwbZ3xg728bF Thank you for listening to the Baha'i Blogcast. If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit www.bahai.org, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out www.bahaiblog.net. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 6: Andy Grammer & Aijia Jul 31, 2016

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Andy Grammer and his wife Aijia. We talk about how they met and what married life is like, the evolution of their careers, having a baby in the kitchen, trying to 'keep it real' in all that you do, tests and perseverance, songwriting, death and loss, becoming a Baha'i, their favourite Baha'i quotes, plus they even sing Aija's favourite quote for us at the end of the podcast. Here is the quote by Baha'u'llah from the Hidden Words that Andy refers to: "O SON OF EARTH! Know, verily, the heart wherein the least remnant of envy yet lingers, shall never attain My everlasting dominion, nor inhale the sweet savors of holiness breathing from My kingdom of sanctity." And here is the reference to the quote that Aijia refers to which they sing: "Whatever is done in love is never any trouble, and - there is always time." Abdu'l-Baha was reported to have said this in 1908. This quote is taken from page 42 of "Daily Lessons Received at Akka, January 1908" by Helens S. Goodall and Ella Goodall Cooper. Here are the music videos to the songs Andy spoke about in the interview: Honey I'm Good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go7gn6dugu0 Keep Your Head Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmrOB_q3tjo Holding out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7kJVU1ioWU You can view more of Andy's work on his website: http://www.andygrammer.com/splash/. You can also follow Andy on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/andygrammer?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor and Aijia here: https://twitter.com/aijiaofficial. Be sure to check out and 'subscribe' to the Baha'i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ZITxbsaADoYeuMvtDnBEr Thank you for listening to the Baha'i Blogcast. If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit http://www.bahai.org, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out http://www.bahaiblog.net. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

Episode 5: Payam Zamani Jul 24, 2016

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the Baha'i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Payam Zamani, Iranian-born entrepreneur and philanthropist living in San Francisco. He tells me about his escape from Iran to the United States, his early religious experiences as a Baha'i, including the discrimination he experienced in Iran, his family's pioneering journeys in different countries, his humble beginnings, switching careers, becoming a business owner and his desire to find the spirit of service in his work, plus a lot more. Payam is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of One Planet Ops and the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.bahaiteachings.org. To explore the Baha'i Teachings website click here: http://www.bahaiteachings.org, and to learn more about Payam's company you can visit One Planet Ops website here: http://www.oneplanetops.com. You can also follow Payam on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/PayamZamani?ref_src…erp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor. Be sure to check out and 'subscribe' to the Baha'i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on iTunes, Google Play, or Soundcloud. You can also stream the Baha'i Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Okx0xTXk6dbyff5wRfTde Thank you for listening to the Baha'i Blogcast. If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit www.bahai.org, and for more Baha'i fun stuff check out www.bahaiblog.net. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson

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