Inner Revolutionary Radio

The quality of our inner space determines the quality of our lives. In other words, the way we experience life is mostly determined by the way we feel. Sometimes changing circumstances can help us feel different. But all too often there’s little connection between our internal and external lives. Each of us seems predisposed to a certain palette of emotions, like anxiety, envy or resentment; optimism, happiness or peace. Which emotions dominate your inner space? Why? Do you even know what you feel, or do you stuff your feelings and pretend to be more positive than you are? The “Guru,” one of Beth’s personas, says sanctuary is a place of inner safety where we can be deeply connected to ourselves and experience awareness but without judgment. How do we do that? How do we turn our insides into the safest place to be? Beth and the “Guru” will lead the discussion and offer some processes to turn our inner space into a sanctuary. Listen, call or email in advance. Join us, and pass the word!

Most of us endlessly seek happiness but can’t seem to find it. What’s worse, some think that wanting happiness is in itself selfish, not as important as other goals. In fact, happiness is an essential part of spiritual living. It’s a key to health, well-being and the ability to give to others. So let’s turn up our happiness quotient! And let’s start on our show. What is happiness? Do we value it? Have we looked in all the wrong places? Are we victims of the “never-satisfied” disease? What can we do to increase our happiness? On this episode of InsideOut, let’s talk about real happiness. Beth and James will be joined by the “Guru” and Madam Mazurka, two of Beth’s alter-egos whose wit and wisdom just pop out of her mouth. And Beth will also lead some processes to help us increase the joy in our lives, processes you can do wherever you are. So join us and participate. Listen, call or email. You’ll be happy you did! And so will all the people whose happiness will be enhanced by yours!

With the recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, our attention has been brought back to heroin, one of the world’s most addictive drugs. His death is a dramatic tale but not unique. Whether it be to food, drugs, alcohol, sex or anything else, many of us live with addiction – our own or that of a loved one. And we face its devastation. Today we’ll hear from a mother and daughter who represent the two faces of addiction: the addict and the family. On one side is Rebecca, a gifted young woman whose life has been ravaged by heroin but who is determined to take it back. On the other side is Helen, a mom who has had to watch her daughter fall into its grip and who’s had to discern the line between abandoning her child and enabling her addiction. What have they gone through? How have they grown? How have they come together to fight the addiction, rather than each other? Here’s a story that relates to so many of us. Tune in, email or call into this compelling program. And share your own.

Lots of folks urge us to follow our dreams, but are we willing to risk whatever comes? We may have a ball and become fabulously wealthy. Or we may have a miserable time and go broke. We may grow emotionally, or we may shrink into disillusionment and self-doubt. Taking chances can be downright expensive, financially and emotionally. We can follow our dream into a marriage that turns our guts upside down and costs us alimony. Or into a new career that flops and leaves us even more desperate. Hear the story of Chris Reese, a woman who followed the dream of opening a store with her husband, only to watch it close after 7 long years of stress and effort. What did this experience cost emotionally, physically and financially? What did she gain? Was it worth it? Is there a difference between a dream and a fantasy? Are our dreams divinely inspired, or are they just ego egging us on? Listen, call in or email. Let’s get real about our dreams and support each other to follow those worth the risk.

A coincidental meeting, a voice in our head, a sudden turn of events, a dream, a gut feeling, a sudden pain in our bodies, a comment we happen to hear – are these messages we’re getting from the universe? Or are they just random happenings onto which we project meaning? Have you gotten messages from the universe? Did you listen? Did you ignore them when they were inconvenient? Did you pay the price? This week’s show explores the many ways the universe speaks to us and how we respond. To highlight one way the universe can speak to us, author Patricia Brooks will talk to us about her encounters with animals and the messages they have brought. Patricia’s book, God Is in All Things, is an honest recounting of her personal journey and how experiences with animals have been part of her healing and spiritual awakening. Call in or email live or in advance. Let’s all share about the many messages the universe is giving us and how we respond. Maybe we’ll all be better listeners next time!

We know we need love, but what is it? Is it admiration, affection and/or caring? Is it always the same emotion? How much love do we have in our lives, romantic or otherwise? How loving are WE? Beth, James and the crew at InsideOut are going to honor Valentine’s Day by delving into these age-old questions! And we’re going to ask you to look into yourself. Who do you love? What does that mean? Is it feeling comfortable with someone? Is it a product of your getting your emotional or material needs met? Is it something you give to others regardless of the return? Should it be? Love is a deep and vital aspect of our lives, and we hope you join us and share honestly about your relationships and the love you feel or don’t feel in relation to others. We’ll be benefiting from the wisdom of the Guru and Madam Mazurka, so tune in, call, email and participate! Whether or not we’re in a romantic relationship, let’s see if we can’t increase the love we give and receive in our lives!

Most of us have been taught through the liberal use of shame. Bad boy. Bad girl. This conditions us to use shame to try to discipline others and/or to stop people from hurting us. Does shame work to help us change or to support others to do the same? In small doses, shame can bring awareness to hurtful behavior. But shame is so painful, it often backfires. Shamed people usually get defensive and counter-attack. Or they feel so devastated, they are too paralyzed to change. Why is shame such a powerful emotion? How can we stop using it to control others? How can we overcome our own so we can welcome self-awareness without shaming ourselves? Learn more about shame and how to overcome it. And join us in some experiential processes to help us overcome shame and embrace new ways of teaching and learning. Internationally-known spiritual counselor and teacher Beth Green will lead the processes, along with her alter-ego the Guru. Participate live or via podcast. And share the show with others.

Oh, no, not the “f” word! Are you afraid of being fat? Do you binge or purge? Diet? Think about your weight too much? Stuff your face? Feel shame about your body? If so, you are not alone. Let’s get out of the closet and talk about the way we feel about food and fat, and let’s embark on a road of healthier eating. On this show, we’ll chat with two guests who openly acknowledge food issues and who have worked hard to overcome them. One is intuitive Therapist Helen Hillix-Di Santo, who will share her own experience battling a food disorder, as well as her professional views. And the other is Chris Reese, who is on the skinny side, but who is no less tormented by the drive to eat compulsively and is also obsessed with her weight. Madam Mazurka, one of Beth’s alter egos, has promised to join us, too. Listen, call in questions or email in advance. Let’s all get real about our compulsions, obsessions and shame about food and fat. And let’s support ourselves and each other to get healthier!

A lot of people talk about altered states of consciousness, but are they real? And if so, what’s the point of them? Can we experience them without drugs? Can they make us more wise? More connected spiritually? Are they dangerous? Are people experiencing them actually crazy? Or pretending to make themselves look impressive? Let’s talk about altered states. Co-hosts Beth Green and James Maynard will share some of their experiences, and we invite you to share as well. Then Beth and the “Guru,” one of Beth’s personas, will lead a process which will hopefully help us co-create a drug-free altered state of consciousness for hosts and listeners alike, right on the show! You don’t have to be with us live to be part of the experiment! Just tune in during or after the show, and let’s see if we can’t co-create an altered state of consciousness that will help us be more expanded but also more grounded! Call in, email and help co-create an experience that challenges our notions of time and space.

Wanting something too much means putting some goal, thing or a desire before our needs and being willing to sacrifice those needs to do, get or achieve it. What kinds of things can we want too much? A relationship; a baby; a house; a job, career or financial success; to become a star, to look like a good parent, to be thin, to appear spiritual; really just about anything. Have you ever sacrificed your health or well-being for something? Where did that goal come from, and why was it more important than your needs? Is there anything that you want too much NOW? What are you sacrificing? Are you willing to let it go? On this episode of InsideOut, Beth, James and the gang of Beth’s alter egos – Madam Mazurka and the “Guru” – will help us explore wanting anything too much. And they’ll offer suggestions as to how to get past being run by our “must haves.” Listen in and/or participate. Share your story and questions by calling us live or by emailing us before, during or even after the show.

How do we use age as an excuse? Have we said things like: I’m too young to quit drinking? Too old to start a new career? Too young to settle down? Too old to change? Really? And do we think we’re too young or too old to learn music, start exercising or get therapy? As we begin a new year, let’s take stock of what needs changing inside and out. Do we need to end something that’s hurtful but familiar? Should we start something challenging but nurturing? Let’s talk to co-host James Maynard, who soon turns 70. Hear him describe the changes he’s embracing every day. And let’s talk to Ann Brennan, a public school teacher and the director of a family program training young kids to be conscious. She’s teaching them self-awareness, Oneness and mutual support. Whether we’re confronting our inner patterns or reshaping our outer life, let’s start the New Year right. Shake off excuses about age and welcome the New Year with determination and joy! Join us. Call in, or email questions in advance.

For a fun way to start the New Year, join the gang at InsideOut for a bunch of laughs, reminiscences, predictions and commitments. We’ll hear from the hilarious Madam Mazurka and the lofty Guru (Beth’s alter egos), as well as Beth and James, as we look back to 2013 and forward to 2014! And let’s hear from YOU. Let’s get real about the year that’s passed – not only what happened, but how we felt, thought and behaved – and let’s also share what we learned. Then let’s look into our crystal balls to see what’s up for next year: promises we are going to make to ourselves, even if we break them before the first day is done, and hunches we have about what’s next for us and for our planet. And, most important, let’s connect to our deepest hopes for the coming year and what can do to support their realization. So join the gang at InsideOut, as we look at what’s happened this past year, what we hope for in the next year, and what WE are going to do to make that future real! Happy New Year!

In 1988, host Beth Green was inspired to write The Autobiography of Mary Magdalene. Told to the author on the night of her death, this is a gut-wrenching first-person account of a woman who confronted extreme hardships, sexual abuse, discrimination and the painful realities of her times and who transcended anger and despair through scrupulous self-honesty. Her story is our story. Today we interview Lynn Hillix and Annette Hughes from The Stream’s women’s group, which is offering a Healing Arts Theater production of the book in January. They will present excerpts from the story and share how it has transformed them. Beth will also speak about the process of writing it. Fact or fiction, you will see the truth of yourself in Mary Magdalene. Man or woman, you will relate. Join us. Let’s heal together from our own pain, and let’s reframe our views of Jesus and the Crucifixion, so we may help release the Earth from 2000 years of shame and blame. Perhaps Mary will join us. Merry Christmas!

Is this season getting to you – making you green with envy, red with frustration or just altogether blue? OR are you feeling great – green as in abundant, red as in jolly or blue as in serene? Or some mix of the above? To help us get centered for this holiday season, we’ve invited back the warm and wise Helen Hillix-Di Santo, intuitive Marriage and Family Therapist, who’ll help us explore what’s going on inside US during the holidays: why we get stressed, overindulge and overspend, and how we can turn this holiday season into a time of nurturing for our bodies, minds and spirits. Informed sources also tell us that Madam Mazurka and the “Guru,” two of Beth’s alter-egos, might make an appearance and add their delightful and unexpected comments. So put up your feet, sip on a healthy beverage, and join us for a moment of introspection, peace and goodwill toward ourselves, as we support one another to make this holiday season the best one yet. Join us! And call in or email us in advance.

Don’t lots of men express anger toward women by calling them bulldozers, weak, domineering, clingy, ballsy, dumb or dependent? Don’t men often act like babies and criticize women for resenting it, or feel entitled to dominate women and feel offended when they can’t? Don’t they often resent their own mothers, calling the devoted mother smothering, the one who took care of herself selfish, the one who argued with her husband a ballbuster, and the one who connected to her husband neglectful of them? Why are men so angry with women? Men Getting Real with Men is a group of guys willing to talk about everything, and that includes the way men can still act like little boys who were disappointed by Mom. They say that men are often trying to make their mates into that perfect mother and that they are angry when their women can’t or won’t go along with the program. They are also trying to do something about it. Meet them on the show, learn what they’re doing, and share your thoughts, as well.

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at VoiceAmerica, which we KNOW is your favorite internet radio network? Here’s your chance to find out! In this episode of InsideOut, we’ll be interviewing Jeff Gerstl, Director of Host Services for VoiceAmerica. Jeff is the go-to person for us hosts who need help, and he gives that help with a smile. No kidding. Jeff is one of the nicest guys we know, AND he’s been around long enough to know all. But will he tell? Tune in and find out. You can play a big part, too. Email or call in questions you dare him to answer. How did he end up on VoiceAmerica – a guy with over 25 years of broadcast experience? How does he really feel about working for internet radio? What’s it like dealing with hosts? His boss? What are his funniest experiences in live radio, and what got him into radio to start with? Don’t miss the opportunity to join Beth, James and the gang – the “Guru” and Madam Mazurka – as they turn Jeff and VoiceAmerica inside out!

Whether you’re a healthy person enhancing your life, or a disabled person transcending physical limitations, technology can be miraculous. Communication, music, information, physical wellbeing, what isn’t supported by technology today? But high tech can also challenge or intimidate us. Are we taking full advantage of what technology has to offer? What ideas, habits and beliefs block us? How can we shift our attitudes to embrace this new world? Let’s hear from two who are grateful for technology. One is Christine Benton, a smart, healthy 40-something woman who loves technology and all the learning and connecting it facilitates for her and her family. The other is our host, Beth Green, a woman who has struggled with chronic illness and disability her whole life, but who can be with people even when housebound and compose music even when too crippled to play. Thanks to technology! Share your own techno miracles, and let’s celebrate a 21st century Thanksgiving with a “Thank you Geeks Day.”

Few of us think about the financial stress of the small businesses that serve us, but their survival has impact. When the local store, the producer of specialty parts, a favorite restaurant, family doctor or trusted mechanic go under, that changes our lives. Small businesses sometimes need cash to start up, expand or just hang on, and sometimes they need it NOW, so a lending industry has grown up that takes full advantage of that need, charging high interest rates with tough terms. A loan can mean life or death to a desperate owner, but repaying that loan can kill the patient or mean higher prices for you. Enter Jim Salters, a guy who considers himself an enlightened entrepreneur. He claims his company provides ethical loans to small businesses and that his approach is changing the industry. How? Has he combined good business sense with care, compassion and integrity in a field that can look pretty slimy? Listen in and find out how Jim is changing a part of the world that impacts you.

Religious beliefs, bad personal experiences and ignorance can bring shame and dysfunction into intimate relationships, gay or straight. Spirituality can help us heal by supporting the release of old traumas and deepening our experience of Oneness, intimacy and energetic connection. Let’s discuss how. Hear from Todd and Christine Benton, who have been in a Sex & Spirituality program for many years. Learn about their challenges, as well as their victories over old patterns of alienation and disconnection. Host Beth Green will share as well. Beth has been teaching programs about Sex & Spirituality for over 30 years. And enjoy the unique perspectives of our guest hosts, the guru and Madam Mazurka! Whether you or your partner has a block to sexuality or an obsession with the act itself, this show could offer you both the comfort that you’re not alone and some guidance as to how to overcome the blocks to your own and your partner’s fulfillment. Tune in, email questions or call in live!

Here’s a guy who has taken on Christianity and yet still believes in it. Why? A now-retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark for 24 years, a biblical scholar, independent thinker, best-selling author and world-renowned speaker, John Shelby Spong is calling for a New Christianity for a New World. A man who has been threatened and celebrated, John Spong is a true radical. He has challenged fundamentalism, texts of hatred in the bible, the literal ascension of Jesus, the Virgin Birth and many other traditional Christian views. He is a long-time supporter of gay relationships and the ordination of women. His latest book, The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, reinterprets and reframes the story of Jesus to eliminate many beliefs Spong believes have been used to justify prejudice and hate. But if you strip away so much of what has been understood to be Christianity, why bother to be a Christian? Ask Bishop Spong. A remarkable and courageous man, we feel honored to have him on our show.