Inner Revolutionary Radio

It feels good to recycle, buy local, and verify that our clothing brand has sustainable practices. But are we really making a difference? What could have a larger impact? What can we actually do that will impact the economy and the environment in a positive way, supporting sustainability? Join co-hosts Chris Reese and Helen Hillix as they interview Alden Wicker, the founder of EcoCult, a leading sustainable lifestyle blog and a freelance journalist who has been featured in Newsweek, Quartz and many other publications. Alden provides an informed and compassionate perspective and she urges us to take action! Listen in and join the InnerRevolution, where we question everything and are often surprised and inspired with the outcome.

In 1950, guest Beth Green heard a popular song: “Lucky, lucky, lucky me, I’m a lucky son of a gun. I work 8 hours, I sleep 8 hours and have 8 hours of fun.” Even as a child, Beth was baffled by those words. People worked 8 hours and slept 8 hours but definitely didn’t have 8 hours for fun. Who does? This little ditty shows the lie that we live every day: the lie that work is what we get paid for. This narrow definition ignores all the unpaid work we do every day and disguises how housework and relaxation are connected to work. Aren’t we either getting ourselves ready for work, recovering from work, helping others function at work, avoiding work or raising the next generation of workers? Beth says the way we have been taught to connect work with money has led to the disempowerment of men and women, blinded us to our overwork and kept us divided and down. So what do we do? Let’s start by revolutionizing the conversation about work right now! Tune in to this show and call if you can.

The economic and political system that reigns supreme does not care about the health or welfare of anyone. It's a machine that chews up executives, secretaries and fast food workers alike. But what if this wasn't the case? What if our economic system was based on a wholly different model – based on the notion that quality of life should be measured by more than national income? U.C. Berkeley Economics professor Clair Brown will join us to answer these questions and more. She'll share her approach to organizing the economy that embraces questions of values, sustainability, and equity. In her new book, Buddhist Economics, Brown incorporates the Buddhist emphasis on interdependence, shared prosperity, and happiness into her vision for a sustainable and compassionate world. We cannot thrive in a world where we sacrifice ourselves to an economy and societal norms which put short-term self-interest before our health and the health of the earth. Join us for this important conversation!

Aren’t you sick of the pain of the polarized conversation in our country about abortion? Do you believe that there is common ground between the two sides? Is it true that most pro-life supporters are not feminists? And is it true that most pro-life supporters truly believe in supporting all life? Are the New Wave Feminists truly an original idea? Do they promise the hope that the two disparate sides of this issue might be coming toward finding commonalities at last? Are pro-choice women the only group that can be feminists and pro-women’s rights? We won’t shy away from the tough questions on this show! Join us for what is sure to be a dynamic conversation that just might challenge all our perspectives and move us all to a new place on this most painful issue. And it might just help create an Inner Revolution in some of us! Call in with your questions and share your experiences. Then join us for the April 8th, 10-1, Revolutionizing the Abortion Conversation event online or in person.

Are you wondering if resistance and fighting are the solution? Is there a nagging voice in the back of your mind challenging you to not polarize? We cannot fight hate with hate. And we cannot capitulate and recede into the background. How do we find our voice and join forces for real change; to create Oneness, Accountability and Mutual Support? The Handbook for the Inner Revolution provides guidance. Join live or listen in as the InnerRevolution.Org members share from the Handbook and relate their own experiences in overcoming our tendencies to fight and separate. Let's move into more harmony and forward movement for the highest good of all.

Andrea Shelton, president of Heart Bound Ministries, answers that question: Your mommy will read to you. Hear Andrea share about the transformative healing programs that HeartBound brings into the GA correctional system to restore family bonds. This work is Inner Revolutionary because the inmates are not confined to the role of prisoner or criminal. They get to be parents too. Haven't we all made mistakes? Don't we hope that others will forgive us and possibly see us in a different light? Join us as we feel our connection through the common human bond that transcends religion or political affiliation, of longing for family and redemption.

A generation of Americans have grown up seeing progress as an inevitable fact, but many are waking up for to realize that each of us is responsible for shaping our shared future. How can we shape that shared future together, without resorting to shortcuts like labeling or dismissing those we consider different from us? Can we instead, try to understand how the life experiences of others impact their views and choices? Join us for a conversation with Andrew Morgan, who returns to Inner Revolutionary radio to talk about his new online documentary series, Untold America. Can this new series help to foster an Inner Revolution of Oneness, Accountability and Mutual Support? Tune in and find out. The country is more divided than at any point in modern history and the need for powerful and clear stories of who we are, where we came from, and where we can go are more important than ever.

While soldiers make up only 7% of our population they are responsible for 20% of the suicides in the US. Why? What is moral injury and how do we help those who are suffering its effects? Join us as Rev. Brock exposes the painful reality of a deep and wrenching injury that cannot be seen: the injury to the soul when a soldier is asked to do things that are contrary to his or her moral convictions. While PTSD treatment helps many soldiers heal and return to normal lives, there are a significant number who are not healed by it. We will explore why and whether it has anything to do with the type of military engagement, as well as the country’s perception of the battle being fought. What effect does this have on the families? How do they feel about their loved ones being involved in battle and possibly killing others, sometimes civilians and children? Join us as we explore the true cost of war and how to treat our returning soldiers with the care they need.

Many people are angry about the policies of the new U.S. government, and the word “resistance” is on many people’s tongues. But is resistance enough? How would this resistance be different from the right-wing resistance to President Obama, when the “other” side felt excluded and disenfranchised, which in turn, helped swing the pendulum to Trump? How can we move past divisive politics, where the pendulum keeps swinging back and forth, problems don’t get resolved and a lot of folks get hurt? Is it possible to free ourselves from the tyranny of the pendulum, go beyond resistance and achieve a revolutionary shift in the foundation of society? Tune in to this show, where co-hosts Beth Green and James Maynard talk with Helen Hillix, Co-Director of Outreach of TheInnerRevolution.org, and learn more about what some people are doing to overcome the tyranny of the pendulum swing and to bring about the historic changes we need for a better world. Call in if you can.

Our children are experiencing alarming rates of stress, depression, obesity, diabetes and other health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles, according to many researchers. At the same time, children are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. This disconnect is more prevalent in lower income urban neighborhoods where health risks are already high. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the creation of nature-rich urban environments can help improve overall health, creativity, and social cohesion. Join host Chris Reese and co-host Helen Hillix as they speak with Margaret Lamar, the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Children and Nature Network. Lamar tackles the huge issue of children’s sedentary lifestyle and their often-unmet need to play in nature. She works in communities across the U.S. to connect children to outdoor learning and play with the goal of wellbeing. Listen and call in if you can. It will be enlightening, informative, and inspiring!

Have you noticed how few men have really close male friendships. And if they do they're usually drinking or sports buddies. Why is that? What keeps men from connecting with one another in a real way? Join us as men from the men's group Inner Revolutionary Men explore this topic together. We'll share the outcome of our recent retreat Crush or Build: A Workshop for Men Who Want to Use Our Power for the Good. What happened in our lives that caused us to feel men weren't safe to connect to? And what happens in our socialization that reinforces that message? Finally, what can we do to undo all that programming and connect to one another in ways that are authentic, caring, loving and emotionally honest. We're excited to share what we've learned as well as our own challenges in connecting to each other instead of going back to our safe ways of relating. Join us with your questions and comments too.

If you are fired up to make a difference but don’t know how, listen as guest Beth Green, founder of TheInnerRevolution.Org talks about how we can all make a real difference in the world, starting with ourselves. Author of the new little powerhouse book, The Handbook of the Inner Revolution, Beth will tell host Helen Hillix how we can fight for Oneness, Accountability and Mutual Support. She will address the rumors of infighting in the Women’s March on Washington and what makes this such a common occurrence in even the most well-meaning movements and what we need to do to overcome all this divisiveness in our movements, our political parties and our homes. Sound like magical thinking? Well, it’s not! Beth has down-to-earth, practical guidance for every listener. You will be inspired by her original thinking, her brilliance and her humor and you will take away the feeling that you really can do something after all besides be frightened or angry! Join us and call in with your questions.

Most of us have felt jealous. We’ve wanted someone else’s looks, power, success, talent, money, influence, position – even their mate. And others have felt jealous of us. Jealousy hurts everybody, including those who are jealous. It directs negative energy toward its target, which can impact them emotionally and spiritually. And sometimes it turns into real damaging behavior – gossip, undermining or even worse. Sometimes we act out of jealousy but don’t even realize it. Sometimes we are impacted by others’ jealousy but are blind to it. Let’s overcome jealousy. Host Beth Green is going to help us see how. Let’s talk about: Why do we feel jealous? What can we do about it? How can we protect ourselves from it? Call in if you can and take advantage of Beth’s uncanny ability to help us see and free ourselves from jealousy. But even if you can’t call in live, tune in anyway and benefit from the discussion and the experiences of others. What’s the antidote to jealousy? Tune in and find out.

If you are saddened and sickened by the way we treat our veterans, then listen on January 26th about the inspiring and transformative programs being offered by the Greater New Orleans Volunteers of America. CEO Jim LeBlanc and Program Director and Minister Melissa Haley will join our co-hosts Helen Hillix and Chris Reese for an inside look at their veteran services and how they are making a real difference in people’s lives. The Volunteers of America have developed programs that support veterans and their families on every level, including homelessness, mental health issues, substance abuse, unemployment, and just plain losing faith in themselves and life. What an Inner Revolution! Hear what they have to share and be inspired to make an Inner Revolution of your own! There is something we can all do to help the world and it starts with us! Join us for an hour that might just light your inner fire!

The Handbook for The Inner Revolution is now here, and we just held the Inner Revolutionary Training retreat weekend called “Are We Ready to Revolutionize the Revolution?” We’re mobilizing, and we invite you to join us! Listen as co-hosts Todd Benton and Helen Hillix interview several retreat attendees to explore vital questions about the Inner Revolution, such as: What does it mean to be an Inner Revolutionary? How can we stop treating others as cardboard characters and start finding common ground? What’s it going to take to rethink everything and challenge anyone when necessary, including ourselves? How can we bring the Inner Revolution to our relationships, our work, our families, and our causes, if we have them? We’ll also share sections of the Handbook and tell you how to get a free PDF copy of this powerful guide that shows us how to co-create a revolution that will stick, that will be healing, deep and transformative on every level.

So we figured out that life would be better if we didn’t do or say certain things. Or we think life would be better if we did or said other things. But we blew it and now we feel bad. We did what we shouldn’t have, or we didn’t do what we promised ourselves we would! If that’s you, you’re not alone. Lots of us are in the same boat. So let’s see how host Beth Green can help. First let’s look at one of your resolutions and see why or IF you should have made it in the first place! Then let’s noodle out why you broke it. The answer could be amazing. In this show, as always, Beth will use her uncanny intuition to help us see ourselves more clearly. It’s not an easy fix but it could be a big step in the direction of turning our lives around. So call in if you can and get her direct support. And if you can’t call in, tune in anyway. You’ll probably hear someone with a challenge very much like yours! So let’s have a good laugh together and see if we can’t help each other have a great year!

How many of us have become exasperated and angry while trying to parent our kids? How many teachers have turned to punishment to try and control the behavior of “difficult children” in the classroom and found that it backfires? How many of us have become disillusioned in relating to each other in general, especially in this culture of divisiveness, contention, anger and meanness? Listen in next week as host Helen Hillix interviews Dr. Ross Greene, a psychologist with some seemingly radical ideas about how to shift the energy between parents and children, teachers and students and people in general. Believe it or not, his focus is collaboration! Now, that’s a word we don’t hear enough of these days! Join our guest and hear his clear and simple suggestions and his touching successes. We need this kind of inspiration in our lives right now and Dr. Greene can help us all have an Inner Revolution and spread collaboration in our world!

If you’ve never met the hilarious Madam Mazurka, you’re in for a treat. She only comes out on special occasions when Beth Green puts on a long scarf and turns into a dead Transylvanian psychic who tells it like it is and has enough insight to make us ALL feel uncomfortable—but also in awe. Last year, Madam M predicted 2016 would be a transformative year in which “the worm would come out.” However you interpret that – you have to admit it’s pretty darn psychic. This year, we’re throwing another party featuring Madam Mazurka for our final get-together of 2016, with Madam M being interviewed by our very own Christine Benton. We’ll be taking calls too, so join us for a fun time of insight, humor and some New Year’s predictions. And Happy 2017 from Beth, James, Helen, Todd, Chris, Christine and the whole Inner Revolutionary Radio gang!

Public school education for all American students is guaranteed by the constitution and is a basic need for both the student and the community. There is a lot of controversy over the “correct” education techniques and what form of discipline is necessary or allowed. We also see a heavy emphasis on testing and student achievement while students are struggling socially, emotionally and behaviorally and are being impacted by all of the traumas and stressors in their lives -- both at school and in the community. What if we approached this from the perspective of Oneness, Accountability and Mutual Support? What would that look like? How do we approach education with the whole child in mind? How do we consider the needs of the teachers and parents too? We’ll hear from Ann Brennan, a middle school teacher, and Tracey Sridharan, a school psychologist, about their trials, tribulations and successes as they work to create a more harmonious school experience guided by the highest good of all.

The energy of coming together to fight for Oneness seems to be permeating the world news lately. There is Wes Clark, Jr. and his touching amends to the Native Americans. There are the Jewish and Muslim women in the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom working to end prejudice one woman at a time. What Inner Revolutionary stories have you heard about? Are you beginning to feel the stirrings within yourself? Could you be an Inner Revolutionary, too? Listen in to the interview with Beth and find out. She will also share the new “Inner Revolutionary Handbook” that she is writing to help train those of us who do resonate with the call. It promises to be another inspiring and energizing conversation between host Helen Hillix and Inner Revolutionary innovator Beth Green.