The Soul of California Richard Dion

After 75+ shows of the Soul of California, I am closing out the podcast. This finale is a short five minutes, reflecting on the podcast, some of the stories and a few of my takeaways. 
A MASSIVE thanks to you out there. I hope that you learned something, enjoyed it along the way and felt inspired to go out and have a California experience. I certainly did. 
Please download them and share them - it is unclear how long I will keep the site running. Some are precious stories of people who were very instrumental in creating a new reality and for some reason were not "bankable" enough for prime time. If you want to get in touch, drop me a line at thesoulofcalifornia@gmail.com. 
I am now on to creating the world's first Bridge Museum. In a time of walls, shouldn't we celebrate bridges? Connection over division? Dialogue over debate?
Intrigued? Check out www.bridgemuseum.org. You are the change, if you want to be. 
And don't forget. Feed your soul. Keep listening. 

In this 32-minute episode, Violet Grgich, President of Grgich Hills Estates, discusses the history of the Napa wine producer and the Paris Tasting of 1976, which catapulted her father Mike Grgich, a Croatian villager who fled Yugoslavia to settle in the US, to the center of the wine industry. 
Violet then touches on the types of wines that Grgich produces (min. 8) and the differences in climate and land, which impact the final product (min.11). She recounts the honor and the collective reaction to be named as one of the 101 objects that made America. Her 95-year old father still hasn't gotten over it. Violent subsequently talks about taking over the reins at Grgich Hills and the lessons that her father gave her (min. 17). 
Turning to Violet the person, she discusses her love of music as well as which wines she would bring to a desert island (min. 23). Wrapping it up, she talks about simplicity and complexity - in music, wine and life. 
Feed your soul. Keep listening. 
 
Next up - our swan song - it's been fun! 

In this 34-minute episode, UC Santa Cruz artist/scientist Juniper Harrower places the iconic Joshua Tree in the context of the desert, her PhD research (complete with her mom and a ladder), then moves on to the implications of climate change on the tree (min. 6), and her own nod to social media's dating power for the tree (min. 12). 
She then moves on to the balance of the throngs of tourists now visiting the park, stretching public services (min. 24), which medium she prefers to make an impact (min. 27) and closes out with her favorite spot (min.33). 
Feed your soul. Keep listening. 
juniperharrower.com

In this 17-minute episode, photographer Julian Wasser shares some of his best stories from a 50-year career shooting the titans of entertainment.
Julian's lens caught the likes of MLK, the Kennedy brothers, Joan Didion and Roman Polanski, among dozens of others, freezing important moments in time, becoming instantly iconic and acting as a reference point for generations.
Throughout it, he gives a comic and an honest look at the profession and additionally offers his thoughts on some of the most meaningful photos, which other photographers have taken. 
Feed your soul. Keep listening. 
Next up: Juniper Harrower on the Joshua Tree. 

In this 45-minute podcast, Richard Strozzi-Heckler shares the importance of the body in leadership. The eyes, the walk, shoulders, breathing - it plays a massive role in how you are perceived and the confidence that you exude. 
Richard gives background on the Dojo (the place) and the Soma (the whole body) and its role in leadership, then moves onto the impacts that it has globally (min. 7), the role of the marital arts and how they fit into the “Western” type of leadership (e.g. Peter Drucker (min. 9)) and how morality is a key aspect of leadership.  
He talks about individual physical aspects - the eyes, breathing, shoulders - and how they communicate and how words count for ONLY 7% of how others interpret you.  Yes, a whopping 93% is about your body language…..
We then discuss leadership today (min. 23), Rebecca Solnit’s “mansplaining” (min. 31) and then close it up with Richard's admission that he sometimes falls into the trap of sizing up someone’s soma, becoming more tolerant of the limitations of others and his favorite place in CA. 
Feed your soul. Keep listening. 

In this 33-minute episode, Lauren Jabusch of the California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC) discusses the increasingly important influence and financial impact that divestment is having within the public school system. 
Lauren starts with CSSC's origins as well as the massive reach of the Golden State's public university system and its multi-billion dollar pension schemes, then moves on to the evolution of issues (min. 6) and the engagement with local communities (min. 9). 
She then continues with the subtleties of each issue and winning over hearts and minds (min. 12),  the dual use of facts and storytelling and California's broader influence of divestment in the U.S. and abroad (min. 20). 
Lauren closes it up with keeping a student-run movement going and  her favorite places in California.   
Feed your soul. Keep listening.