The Horizon Story with Norma Wong

The Horizon Story Podcast
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Arts

Will we choose humanity? Interdependent, thriving, emergent? The Horizon Story with Norma Wong explores, questions, and shares insights, skills, strategies, and practices to navigate today’s challenges while keeping our eyes on the horizon.

  1. Oct 15

    S3E7: Let Go of the Hot Stones – Forgiveness, Belonging, and Being Human

    Questions? Leave us a message. Why are we so lonely when we’re more connected than ever? In the Season 3 finale, Executive Producer Na’alehu Anthony joins host Norma Wong to answer questions from the audience about loneliness, belonging, and what it means to be human. They explore how we’ve come to let technology stand in for real human relationships, how reconnecting with the child within can reawaken our creativity, and how we can go about interrupting the habits that keep us isolated rather than interconnected.  As the culmination of a season focused on Meeting the Moment, this final episode is an opportunity to reflect on the collective effort needed to do so. We cannot meet the moment alone; we must do so in connection and in community with those around us. This requires forgiveness, choosing humanity, and moving into the season of belonging – for everyone.  In this episode: Forgiveness as letting go of the “hot stones” we carry so we can keep moving forwardWhy belonging doesn’t depend on anyone else’s approvalThe “lone wolf” as a sign of the conditions we’ve allowed to grow in our society, not just one troubled individualWhy choosing humanity over othering is the right choice: both morally and strategicallyFind us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

  2. Oct 8

    S3E6: Who We’re Called to Be- Becoming Good Ancestors

    Questions? Leave us a message. “We have to meet the moment by first figuring out not what it is we’re going to do, but who we are called to be. And in that one expression, the entire assignment.” -Norma Wong In this episode, recorded live at Tamaya in New Mexico, Norma explores what it means to be undaunted as we seek to be good ancestors. Being undaunted doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid. It means we can see ourselves, our ancestors, and the horizon. We use this grounded stance to steady ourselves for the consequential work ahead. What does it mean to be undaunted in the face of everything we face today? What does it take to cultivate something more than courage? What are we planting for future generations? Can we plant durable, discerning love? In the second half of the episode, Norma is joined by Lori Tazbah Tapahonso (Diné/Acoma Pueblo) to talk about elders, tricksters, and the importance of tending to the vacant places. In this episode: Why being undaunted means knowing your assignment, even when you're afraidWhat the lychee trees our ancestors carried teach us about planting for future generationsBuilding "high values–anchored human intelligence" in the age of AIWhy eldership is about wisdom and not just growing olderFind us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S3E6: Who We’re Called to Be- Becoming Good Ancestors

  3. Oct 1

    S3E5: There's No Such Thing as a "Good" Habit

    Questions? Leave us a message. What if our habits are the reason we aren’t meeting the moment? Recorded live at Tamaya in New Mexico, this episode explores habits and practices. Norma Wong makes the case that there's no such thing as a "good" habit, and that identifying habits and cultivating practices is how we shift our lives, our communities, and the world. Jeremie Greer returns for his second episode with Norma to dig into urgency, ego, and what it means to be a good ancestor. In This Episode Why habits react to the moment, while practices allow us to meet itWhat happens when we keep using strategies that worked in a different momentWhy interrupting a room's patterns starts with interrupting our ownThe difference between real urgency and self-created urgency we create for ourselvesNot just leaving a legacy: What else being a good ancestor asks of usFeatured Guest Jeremie Greer, Co-Executive Director of Liberation in a Generation Referenced The MatrixYour Assignment If you haven't seen The Matrix, go watch it.Find us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S3E5: There's No Such Thing as a "Good" Habit

  4. Sep 24

    S3E4: Step One, Cut the Grass - A Lesson in Renewal

    Questions? Leave us a message. In this episode of The Horizon Story, Norma Wong is joined by Jeremie Greer of Liberation in a Generation for a conversation about becoming, renewal, and the courage it takes to move forward. They explore what happens when we shed the identities, expectations, and pathways that no longer serve us — and how grief can be part of that process. From letting go of credentials and inherited ideas of success, to the very literal work of cutting grass and clearing a path in a Detroit community space, Norma and Jeremie consider what it actually takes to begin again, stay connected to purpose, and move through fear. In This Episode A 2,500-year-old lesson on changeWhy cynicism is the real enemy of becomingHow grief points you back to purposeTwo men, one Detroit vision, and the critical first stepFeatured Guest Jeremie Greer- Co-Executive Director of Liberation in a GenerationReferenced Freedom Dreams DetroitThank you to the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center for facilitating the learning in DetroitFind us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts. If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S3E4: Step One, Cut the Grass - A Lesson in Renewal

  5. Sep 17

    S3E3: Resisting the Binary of "Us" and "Them"

    Questions? Leave us a message. In this episode, recorded live in New Mexico, host Norma Wong explores how othering takes hold across the ideological spectrum, fueled by scarcity, survival, and the need to define who is “us” and who is not. Vivian Chang joins Norma to discuss what it would mean to let go of othering – not only in our organizations and movements, but in how we think about power, resources, and what it would take to create durable wins. They explore how the pull toward othering and the pull toward belonging coexist right now, and what it would take to tip toward community built on shared responsibility rather than shared opposition. In This Episode The hungry ghost- a Buddhist perspective on otheringWhy othering is a bad strategy and happens regardless of ideologyLessons on governance from a 100-year-old cheese consortium in ItalyWhy a 'big tent' alone won't get us to belongingFeatured Guest Vivian Chang - Founder and Principal of the Democratizing Philanthropy Project. Vivian works with movements and frontline organizations to build sustainable, community-rooted sources of power and funding.Find us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who’s ready to hear it. And if you’d like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S3E3: Resisting the Binary of "Us" and "Them"

  6. Sep 11

    S3E2: The Polycrisis Is Here: Why Fighting Harder May Not Get Us Further

    Questions? Leave us a message. **NOTE: We've updated this episode's audio file to fix a technical issue with the previous upload. We updated the file on 9/10 at 9 pm ET.** We're living through a polycrisis: multiple overlapping crises accelerating each other, which has only intensified this year with  the energy of the Year of the Fire Horse. In episode 2, recorded live in Albuquerque, host Norma Wong shares an important lesson. Our instinct to respond to crises by fighting harder, maneuvering for position, or escalating efforts can work against us strategically. Aggressive action is not necessarily forward-moving action. Chhaya Chhoum of Southeast Asian Freedom Network joins Norma to discuss the structural realities shaping this moment: a K-shaped economy, a wave of decentralization, and the vacuum it creates. They also explore burnout culture within movements, identity, and time. They even talk time itself: that we're never only living in the present. Instead, we always carry the past and already see the future coming, like a driver holding the rearview mirror and the road ahead at once. The real discipline, Norma suggests, is acting on what we can already see coming. In This Episode How the fast, "double fire" energy of the Year of the Fire Horse shows up in current events, and why things are escalating so quicklyWhy lone wolf violence is a symptom of this moment, and what we can do about it.Why maneuvering and aggressive action can feel like progress while actually being a step backwardHow holding onto a fixed definition of who you are can limit how much you're able to growFeatured Guest Chhaya Chhoum- Organizer with SEAFN (Southeast Asian Freedom Network).  Instagram: @seafnofficial | @chhayachhoumFacebook: SEAFN | Chhaya ChhoumFind us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S3E2: The Polycrisis Is Here: Why Fighting Harder May Not Get Us Further

  7. Sep 3

    S3E1: Are We Ready To Wage Peace?

    Questions? Leave us a message. Season 3 of The Horizon Story Podcast is different for us — we recorded it live in front of an audience in Albuquerque, New Mexico! Host Norma Wong opens with the season's central question: Are we ready to wage peace? What does it mean to be ready? Who are we called to be? How can people who long for peace respond in this moment of conflict and war?  Drawing on nature, history, and her own Buddhist practice, Norma makes the case that peace is not a null state, but an active, creative, and communal practice. IN THIS EPISODE How Minneapolis is showing us the way forwardWhy tending to your spirit is essential in polycrisisHow burnout is a strategic failureThe case for peace as an active, creative, and communal practiceFind us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S3E1: Are We Ready To Wage Peace?

  8. Aug 13

    S2E7: The Horizon Story Mailbag- Norma Wong Answers Listener Questions (Season 2 finale)

    Questions? Leave us a message. In the season 2 finale, Host Norma Wong and Executive Producer Na’alehu Anthony open The Horizon Story Mailbag to answer listener questions covering burnout, the value of practice, and the paradox of technology. Plus, a heartfelt moment you won’t want to miss: our resident archivist surprises Norma with a relic from the mid-1970s. In this episode: Why did Norma, a strategist and Zen teacher, decide to start a podcast? She discusses realizing the limits of her tradition and how The Horizon Story podcast became her answerKuleana and what it means to “do your part” when everything feels like it’s falling apartWhat is collapse and how do we recognize that it is happeningWhy holding systems accountable must go beyond critiqueHow our relationship with ancestors and descendants relates to the polycrisisDo you have any questions you’re still pondering after season 2? Join the conversation on Substack or send your questions to hello@thehorizonstory.com. Find us: thehorizonstory.com | Substack | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts If this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone who's ready to hear it. And if you'd like to help keep this work going, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Support the show

    S2E7: The Horizon Story Mailbag- Norma Wong Answers Listener Questions (Season 2 finale)
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Will we choose humanity? Interdependent, thriving, emergent? The Horizon Story with Norma Wong explores, questions, and shares insights, skills, strategies, and practices to navigate today’s challenges while keeping our eyes on the horizon.

Information

  • Creator
    The Horizon Story Podcast
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Horizon Story with Norma Wong
  • Show Website
    The Horizon Story with Norma Wong

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