Inner Revolutionary Radio

Billions of dollars are invested by corporate marketing departments, public relations firms, government agencies and nonprofit organizations in attempts to change social behavior, with outcomes that are not necessarily beneficial to society and the planet. Can a new science of social change put the same technologies, tools and strategies that have been used for centuries to influence the masses to work for the benefit of humanity, nature and a sustainable future? Todd Benton and Helen Hillix will speak with Joe Brewer, a complexity researcher and evangelist for the field of culture design. What is culture design? Can it help us to create a shift in the whole human culture toward a livable future? Though it might sound grandiose, we’ll talk with Joe about why he feels that now is the time for such a science and why it’s so urgent. We’ll also talk with him about how memes spread (or not) and we'll even pick his brain on spreading The Inner Revolution. Join us!

The election is over, but the ripples continue. Millions of people are still distressed and apprehensive about the future. Getting stressed and being unhappy doesn’t help us think clearly or act decisively and appropriately. So how can we feel joy in our personal lives and move forward in our activist lives with calm, determination and the feeling of Oneness? Beth Green, long time spiritual activist and founder of TheInnerRevolution.Org, will be hosting this show. We’ll be talking about the positive and sometimes unexpected changes that we are seeing right now in our world – the new commitments, the greater caring and the deepened determination. And we’ll be releasing ourselves to feel joy in the midst. We need to be awake but calm. So tune in, call in with your comments and observations, and be at peace NOW.

Have you ever felt outraged by the roles that men and women have been given in our world? Have you ever suppressed your nature, hidden your weakness, felt blocked from love, been afraid to ask for help or just felt just a little intimidated by other people? If you’re sick of wanting to impress, dominate or win, or to try and fit into some role that isn’t you, join us. We’ll be speaking with Ashanti Branch, founder of the Ever Forward Club. The Ever Forward Club helps at-risk young men learn to get real and find the emotional support they need to lead successful lives. We’ll talk with him about his workshop Taking Off the Mask and explore with him: Can we share our authentic selves while negotiating the often rigid pressure of cultural roles? There is surprising power in uncovering what we often hide, deny, repress or ignore. What if we showed the world what’s behind our masks? Tune in and join us!

Join us as host Helen Hillix interviews the inimitable Beth Green about how to come together and move beyond the vitriol and downright meanness of this election. Can we overcome the hatred that has been stirred up on both sides? Can we work toward healing the issues that surfaced during this election -- the issues of racism, immigration, corporate greed, trade agreements, job losses to overseas workers, global warming, healthcare costs, education costs and more? Can whoever won the election mend the rift that erupted between Democrats and Republicans and even within each party? Or will the contentiousness and partisanship continue and take us all down with it? Beth will weave her magic as she helps us see what we are facing and what we can each do to find the commonality that is imperative if we are going to heal after election night. Join us for Beth’s perspective on all this, a perspective you may not expect to hear. And call in with your own questions too!

It seems like for months we’ve been bombarded with news story about power, corruption, discrimination, racism, sexism and more. Yet because of this, there’s hope. The ugliness is rising to the surface for all to see; we’ve started talking about important issues; and many of us are taking a stand. Whoever we vote for November 8, many of us are wanting real change. Let’s use this show to talk about it. What value did Bernie, Donald and Hillary lend to the conversation? What can we bring? Humans for a Real Conversation is all about finding our commonality and moving forward. Some of us have already started talking about the pain and plans we share. Now let’s continue that conversation on Inner Revolutionary Radio. So drop the signs and the partisanship! Bring your fervor and inspirations! And, most of all, be willing to be honest. Tune in, and call in! Let’s turn this electoral season into the beginning of something better for us all.

The old Haight Ashbury days of free love are over but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a sexual revolution happening. Just look at the news! Younger people especially are exploring gender roles and identities in more open ways. What does it mean to be pansexual, as Miley Cyrus calls it? What does it mean to be “gender fluid” as one of our guests describes herself? Is there still such a thing as bi-sexual or is that completely out? Why is the word “queer” back in the mix, after years of being a pejorative term? What is the right pronoun to use for gender neutral? Join us for a lively, frank and open conversation among a panel of honest people who live in the reality of this new sexual revolution. What does it mean to them and what could it mean for you and the people you touch? Tune in and find out!

The ego is the ultimate hobgoblin. It knocks at the doorway to our minds and warns us: “Trick or treat!” If we don’t do what the ego wants, there will be a price to pay. But if we give into its every demand, it will give us ego candy as our reward. But is ego candy what we really need? Or, is the ego tricking us into thinking that what we need is candy for our egos instead of food for our souls? Join us for a Halloween discussion about men and their egos with a couple of Inner Revolutionary Men, James Maynard and Todd Benton. Together, we’ll explore: What does the ego want from us? What does the ego reward us with? How does that impact us? What do our souls crave? How does the ego punish us when we give ourselves what our souls crave? How are we then vulnerable to either competing with other men or giving in to those who look more powerful than we are? If you want to stop being haunted by the ego telling you who and what to be, join us!

Isn’t it time we begin to question what we believe is healthy sexuality? Can women get real about their use of pornography or fantasy and stop blaming men and acting innocent? Can we face together the destructive impact on all of us of pornography, Madison Avenue, the media’s image of female beauty and the need to be “hot?” Join us for a lively discussion as Inner Revolutionary men and women talk openly about their experiences, old beliefs and their struggles to change and become conscious about their sexuality. Listen in as our guests discuss what they have done to themselves to try and gain power or security or love through sex. And find out TheInnerRevolution.Org’s definition of healthy sexuality. Maybe it’s time for you, too, to join this exploration! You are welcome to call in!

Donald Trump needs to feel wanted. He changes his tune to please his audience and he lashes out when he feels rejected. He is not alone. We all feel that need and it drives us way more than we know. In an election, two people are desperate to get picked. If they win, they can feel like they are truly wanted, plus they now have the power to make people want them more. What will they do to be picked? What does the young girl do to get boys to like her? Try to make herself look sexy? Give up her self-respect? What does a man do to get his buddies to think he’s a man? Torture recruits at a Marine boot camp? Try to dominate women? What do business people do to feel wanted? Who are they willing to hurt to make their numbers and be praised? Or make enough money to please their mate? What do you do to yourself to feel wanted? How is the need to feel wanted impacting us and our society? Why do we feel so desperate to start with? Why don’t we already feel secure? What can we do about it?

Often people feel that the concept of Oneness is just an abstract theory. Well it’s not. In fact, children from troubled families significantly decrease their peers’ reading and math test scores and significantly increase misbehavior by others in the classroom. That means that you could be the perfect parent, and yet your kids are being hurt by what’s happening to their peers. And that’s a lot of kids. Researchers estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of children in the US are exposed to domestic violence annually. And that could be violence toward them or parental violence toward one another. We can’t escape. Domestic violence knows no boundaries of race, class or religion and all kids are at risk. So let’s welcome Brett Welch, a school counselor, and Vickie Fahed, a teacher, who are doing something about it. Tune in and find out how you can help your school and your kids as well.

The news is full of it – a man sexually victimizing someone. Good that we’re helping the victims, but what about the perpetrators? Aren’t they also victims of their own out-of-control sexuality? Aren’t we daily flooded with examples of men raping, molesting, abusing or sexually harassing others? Aren’t tons of households struggling with sons and fathers addicted to pornography? Today we ask “Why?” Why are so many men struggling with their sexuality? And why are we primarily focused on punishment? Why aren’t more of us addressing how we can help? It’s time for men to speak up and focus on healing what drives men toward sexual violence and addiction – their own and others. Todd Benton, James Maynard and Richard Di Santo are part of the Inner Revolutionary Men’s group, and they’ll be co-hosting and discussing the deep-rooted causes of men’s sexual addiction and what they are doing to help. Let’s tune in and see if we can’t help our men, instead of disowning, punishing or shaming them!

The ego boasts, manipulates, tears others down, puffs itself up and does anything to promote itself. Does that sound like somebody running for President? Okay we confess we’re describing Donald Trump. Does Hillary Clinton have ego? You bet! She is self-protective, secretive and willing to make deals for power. BUT does she also care for others? Does she think about the consequences of her words and policies? Is she responsible? Yes. And that’s the difference. Donald is all ego. Hillary is half and half. So how do we react when the ego roars? Some of us are accustomed to shrink. Some to fight back with our own egos. Some of us love the guy, because we feel safer when the ego is in charge, or we associate with him, projecting that his power is ours. Let’s do something revolutionary – Fight Ego with Oneness. Join us! Let’s get honest about how we’re reacting and why, and let’s turn the tables on the ego! When the ego runs for president, let’s vote for Oneness. Let’s talk about how.

Violence is something our world has too much of and many people are trying to change that. One such group is the Alternatives to Violence Project -AVP-, active in 33 U.S. states and 45 countries. It was founded by Quakers, based on their belief in our inborn potential for peace, but it’s gone beyond the Quaker community and has been picked up by many others in many venues. Is it working? Do we have an inborn potential for peace? What brings it out? On this show, we talk to Steven Gelb, a guy who has been working with AVP in the California prison system. He will share about building brotherhood with male prisoners and how it’s impacted him, and we’ll discuss what his experience means for us all. So let’s find out what AVP is accomplishing and what more our society can do to integrate our prison population and bring their gifts to our world. But beyond that, let’s think about what more we can all do to heal the violence – physical and emotional – in our world.

Are you just trying to get by? So how do you feel when you hear that the average black family would have to work 228 years to build the wealth of the average white family today? And if something doesn’t change, that gap will worsen. If you think that doesn’t impact you, guess again. Whatever our race or gender, most of us focus on our own struggles, feeling we have to fight for ourselves, even if we care about others. So how can we admit that slavery and institutional racism have created virtually insurmountable obstacles for blacks, and Hispanics are also losing out? Our security would feel threatened. But when we realize that we’re all impacted by the race gap, we see that we can’t afford not to fight for one another. Our guests are among the co-authors of a new study showing that there is a growing income gap between blacks, Hispanics and whites. They are here to share the facts and we are here to talk about how all income inequality affects us all. Whatever your race, join us!

What is a Patriotic Millionaire? A millionaire – or even billionaire – who understands that income inequality is bad for everyone and who cares enough about people to demand that millionaires pay their fair share. In other words, these are rich people who are not just willing to level the playing field, they are actively campaigning to do just that. Do they exist? They sure do, and we’re interviewing one of them on this show. Fred Rotondaro is a millionaire who came from a coal mining family to be a teacher, do anti-poverty and civil rights work, to be a journalist and more, and Fred is passionately working to end the obscene income inequality in our nation. Who are these Patriotic Millionaires? What motivates them? What are they doing to change our society? Is this movement catching on? Tune in for all this and more. Join us!

History was made as rival Southern California gang leaders met July 17 to discuss making peace on the streets. Some 2500 people came to the summit, including rival gang members, cops, gang interventionists, families and friends of victims, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Police Chief Charles Beck and religious leaders of diverse denominations. Though packed with rival gang members, not a single act of violence took place. What do you think would have happened at a similar summit of Democrats and Republicans these days? What sometimes happens in our own houses? If gangs can do it, why can’t we? Let’s talk to Rizza Islam from United in Peace, one of the sponsors of the event and a man who has been working hard to bring peace to the inner cities. How are gang members coming together? Is the process continuing? Is it making a difference on the street? And what can we learn from it? With so much violence in the world, let’s learn more about positive developments where we least expect them.

Everybody loves to hate Donald Trump – except those who love him. And many people fret about Hillary Clinton’s scandals. But Trump is the result, not the cause of the Republican Party’s problems. And Hillary Clinton’s flaws cannot be dismissed without a look at money in politics. So let’s get off the easy candidate bashing and acknowledge what’s really happening this electoral season. And let’s also look at the fantastic surge of the Inner Revolution that is transpiring at the same time. So sit down with a cup of tea, cruise down the road, or let us entertain you while you do your chores, as we bring you an hour of clear thinking, humor and self-honesty. Call in too, if you can! We’d love to hear from you! Join us!

Few things can be more frightening than threats to our health and so we desperately want to believe that someone has reliable answers. But suppose those on whom we rely are misinformed or misled? JD Bear has investigated some widely prescribed drugs and he says he has unearthed damning information that demonstrates that they can be downright dangerous. He claims that scientific records can be corrupted and that our own doctors have been misled into thinking that all approved drugs are safe and effective when they are not. We know that big tobacco has lied, big energy companies have lied, and the lead and asbestos industries have lied, so could big pharmaceutical companies lie too? Hear JD’s research on some popular drugs, and listen to his suggestions for determining for ourselves whether to take the medications our doctors prescribe. Like it or not, we need to support our doctors by questioning them, especially when it applies to our health or that of someone we love. Join us!

Guest host Helen Hillix will be interviewing our own Beth Green on the latest shenanigans of the 2016 elections, focusing on the conventions and any other mayhem that will have just occurred. What do the 2016 elections say about the state of consciousness in our nation? What does the ego have to do with it? Tune in for a primer on what the ego is and isn’t and how the ego is impacting the presidential race, the electorate and the candidates. Expect Beth’s wit and wisdom and the debunking of the pomp and self-congratulatory rhetoric. But also expect a perspective that sees past the obvious and helps us gain strength and hope in the midst of some disturbing realities and damaging nonsense. Please join us live if you can, so you can call in your questions and comments. We are ALL in this together. Tune in!

First a few facts. More than 2.3 million Americans are in prison and over 50% in federal lock-up are there for drug offenses. Of the 9% of prisoners who are women, 75% have histories of severe physical abuse by partners and 82% suffered serious physical or sexual abuse as girls. They are disproportionately black. Some prisoners work, especially in federal penitentiaries, and they can be forced to work for minimum or no compensation, as little as 23 cents/hour. For the last few years, some people are trying to create a different model for prison labor, developing a for-profit manufacturing sector in prison that is supposed to be a win/win for companies and inmates. Tim Grant runs one such factory in an Arkansas maximum security women’s prison. He says he is giving prisoners decent wages, money to send home, skills to use outside and a sense of value. Let’s get the inside story on this new form of prison labor. Does it help prisoners, is it taking our jobs or is it a new chain gang?