The Abiders Urban Achiever Podcast

The Abiders' Urban Achiever Podcast

Jeff Bridge's iconic character "The Dude" asks us to simply "take it easy man." Loosely based on the tenets of The Church of the Latter-Day Dude, host Chad Bartalone sits down with people working to embody a Dudeist vibe, wondering out loud the tough questions about life, our interaction with the world and those we share it with, modernity and our responsibility as humans, and cultivating humanity itself. Through deep contemplation, asking questions that outlive any possible answers, each session seeks to shine light on topics that beg for the world to continue.

  1. 02/01/2024

    The Future of Social Work with Stephen Jenkinson

    I have been looking forward to this conversation for a very long time. I spent time on Stephen’s farm in Ottawa a number of years back during a time in my life when very little made sense other than a trip to a faraway place only to return from whence I came. I have thought about my time at the Orphan Wisdom School a great deal and many happenings have filled the space between this interview and that experience. I no longer work for the fire department and have shifted my efforts to social work. Therapy. One of the most recurrent treatments on the ambulance was “supportive care.” In the field, this was a fancy word for “hand-holding.” These were usually the elderly nursing home patients with abnormal bloodwork or someone with an illness that required little more than a ride to the hospital. These were often my favorite calls. I remember an old woman telling me how the Nazis invaded her town in Holland when she was 13. She went on to talk about her brother and how he survived the camps after being sent there for smuggling Jews into England with fake passports. Supportive Care was likely the place where my desire to pursue talk therapy found its roots. This is where the thank you cards came from. Not from our IV skills or our medical jargon. From the warmness shared from one human being to another. Heart-based cognition as I believe it is called. So I went to the school of social work to begin my studies. As my time at university progressed, I began to notice something: many members of the faculty and social workers in the field seemed interested less in that type of heart-based cognition and more into the management of people and more specifically the customer service business of getting people back in for more therapy. Moreover, much of the material sought to normalize experiences of burnout, narcissism, greed, and ego. These critiques are from a perspective that is inherently subjective. I’m in the school, opening a practice, and have circled the sun enough times where my past experiences do not dictate my present, but they do inform it. This smelled like good old-fashioned b******t. And who can afford therapy? People with money. Or a good EAP (Employee Assistance Provider). Who has those? Largely government workers. I had a great EAP with the fire department and was able to see my therapist 12 times a year. For most of the working class and poor, this is something other people do. Many of my concerns and critiques weren’t going anywhere. And I’m not intent on leaving social work before I have entered it. So I reached out to Stephen. Before heading up Canada’s largest palliative care unit, he was a practicing therapist, seeing clients as I will soon be. And so often in my life I can look to the experience and words of older people who have been in my life, and in my case mostly older men. I could identify with them in ways that felt as though I was being spoken to from the future, someone to help ground me in where I was in my own life. Stephen shared with me his own experiences in social work. He called it the redemption business. I believe that may be more fitting. I’m so grateful to him and his wife Nathalie for arranging and sitting down for this interview. It has been some time since I have released a podcast. I have written a great deal, and I hope that you’ll look in to that work as well. For now, I hope this interview with Stephen leaves you as it did me, ever curious about this life and the people we meet. Salud.

    The Future of Social Work with Stephen Jenkinson

  2. 08/11/2021

    Jessica Dieter: Qigong Teacher

    On the podcast today is Jessica Dieter.  Jessica is a Qigong instructor in the greater South Bend, IN area.  I met Jessica around 2013 when she was offering Qigong classes in the park here in town.  After working with her, it initiated my dive into Qigong practice and eventually my curiosity into Daoism.   Have you ever tried to sit and meditate as you see yogis do or in movies?  Have you struggled to clear the mind of the "inner chatter" as it were?  Qigong, also called moving meditation is a way to calm the mind by moving the body.  We're so stuck in our heads that the practice of clearing the mind becomes a "heady" experience in itself.  Qigong is a wonderful way to bring attention to the movements of the body whilst turning off that chatter for a bit. Jessica is currently hosting classes in the South Bend area during the remaining summer and fall months.  She can be reached at chispirience@gmail.com or through her website at http://www.Chispirience.com

    Jessica Dieter: Qigong Teacher

  3. 05/19/2021

    Justin Rhodes: The Apron-Wearing Permaculture Chicken-Ninja Master

    Also available on Youtube! (https://youtu.be/HX3UDslPsEE) This week on the podcast is permaculture farmer and YouTube Vlogger, Justin Rhodes.  With over 840,000 subscribers, Justin reaches MILLIONS of viewers as he invites his fans to take a chance at a life that perhaps walks a little softer in the world... a very Dude proposition indeed.  Justin details how he and his family feed and provide for themselves from the land they live on with organic gardening, livestock husbandry, and hybrid permaculture techniques.  In the podcast, we will discuss:    Composting and permaculture techniques   Mixed crop rotations   Trial and error homesteading   Stereotypes towards and preconceptions against working with one's hands   Making a shift toward land stewardship   Aligning goals and values of spouse and kids (working for a shared vision)

    Justin Rhodes: The Apron-Wearing Permaculture Chicken-Ninja Master

  4. 04/21/2021

    Carlaine Reynolds: Peace Corp Volunteer, Orphan Wisdom Apprentice

    TBA

    Carlaine Reynolds: Peace Corp Volunteer, Orphan Wisdom Apprentice

  5. 03/31/2021

    Jake Mitchell (Psychedelic Society of First Responders): Compounding Stress and our Interpersonal Relationships

    In the latest session of the podcast, Jake Michel and I welcome one another back for a simulcast of both our shows.  Jake and I have never met in person but when we talk it feels like we've known one another for years.  I love doing podcasts with this guy, it really is a great flow.  In this episode, we discuss varying levels of cumulative and acute stress in the workplace.  Though much of the scenarios are geared towards first responders, many of us can relate to cumulative stressors that can cause us to blow our tops, often on the people we love.  It's a poignant but cool and laid-back conversation. Jake Mitchel is a former transport paramedic from Quebec, CA, and manages the Facebook group, The Psychadelic Society of First Responders.  He currently works in a safe injection facility in Ontario where patients are given a controlled environment with access to clean needles.  In Jake's facility, he and other staff provide a space for discussion, vulnerability, substance abuse resources, and counseling. As a medical professional he and other members are also there if necessary to provide medical intervention to prevent fatal overdose, an epidemic sweeping nations across the world which, without intervention leads to the transmission of communicable diseases, violence towards and from the user, anoxic brain injuries, and of course, death.  He's an advocate for expanded and nuanced mental health awareness and treatment for first responders and the medical community at large.  Through the controlled and therapeutic use of cannabis and psychedelics, he cites the benefits in preventing and treating PTSD in vulnerable communities, by which we are specifically talking about those who are on the front lines of being there for someone else during the worst day of their life. Jake is the host of the podcast "A Flight of Thoughts" available on most podcasting platforms.  In his program, he addresses the aformented issues with an objective, medical, and nuanced approach.

    Jake Mitchell (Psychedelic Society of First Responders): Compounding Stress and our Interpersonal Relationships

  6. 03/24/2021

    Jack Cain: Psychedelics and Buddhism

    Alright, ya'll here it is... the long-awaited, ever procrastinated, perhaps overdue Season 3 of the podcast!!!  I am so freaking excited to announce that we're kicking off the season with the return of Indiana NORML's Jack Cain!  Jack had a long and successful career in sales and has dedicated his life to the service of people.  In his most recent capacity, I met him during his time as a member of the Indiana chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.  What I was surprised to learn during the podcast we did about the organization is that Jack is also a practicing Buddhist with a breadth of knowledge on the history and practice of Buddhism.  I was also very interested to find out about our shared passion for the study of psychedelic compounds. What better way to premiere the new season with a discussion about psychedelics and their impact on society, the ego, our relationship with the environment, and our ability to communicate with others.  Further, we discuss similarities and common ground between the use of psychedelics and Buddhist practice.  Where do one's conclusions interact and where might they diverge?  What lessons can be drawn from the two and, as author and earth poet Stephen Harrod Buhner has pointed out if one can't or chooses not to "take the jet plane" to nirvana,  how can we cultivate practices that prefer the cross-country ride in the station wagon if you will? We also talk about the "OK Boomer" phenomenon.  As Jack points out, baby boomers aren't the problem.  The mindset of the culture is the problem, the way we administer capitalism, the way we as westerners see our world which is informed by language, trauma, and the media to name a few.  As Jack articulates, pointing the fingers at a particular generational group is short-sighted and reductionist by design.  Not all boomers fit the George Carlin bit of the whiniest generation ever.  It's evident by the existence of people LIKE Carlin and Jack.  If we are to create a more just, caring, and humanistic society; a position of means-testing which group the more pious than the others will not likely bear good fruit. Jack is such a cool guy to talk to man... I really could listen to him for hours.  After we finished the podcast, Jack and I went for a walk down the nature trails on my property and talked about life, love, loss, and grief.  We shared our hopes for the future and how our present has been informed by our own pasts.  He's a real mentor of mine, an elder that is, as the Dude was, a man for his time.  I hope those of you who take the time to "listen to the Dude's story" will be as enlivened and as moved as I was.... sitting in the living room on the mics or in the woods being counseled by my friend and mentor. Also worth mentioning is in the intro I discuss what I've been up to the past six or so months.  I talk a little about COVID and how it's affected me, trips I've been on, and things going on locally here.  Great episode to start the season!

    Jack Cain: Psychedelics and Buddhism

  7. 10/01/2020

    Bullets4Life Indiana: Takisha Jacobs & Loria Perez

    In the season finale of the show, I interview Takisha Jacobs and Loria Perez from Bullets4Life Indiana and Connect 2B the Change.  Loria and Takisha are no strangers to pain and grief.  Both of them "Angel Mothers," a term they ascribe to parents in their shoes; they have both had children die to gun violence.  Faced with a fork in the road, they both had to make decisions as to what they would do with that pain and brokenheartedness.  Both of them decided to look past their own personal grief to the grief being felt by their children's friends and by the community at large.  Together, Loria and Takisha provide space for young people who don't have anywhere to turn when things get tough.  They decided to do their part to prevent what happened to their kids from happening to other people's kids.  To quote the book "I Can't Go on I'll Go On" these strong young women have chosen to lean into the pain and as they say "Turn pain into purpose."  After the podcast, I showed them around the property.  It was a beautiful day and together, they invited me to disarm a bullet in a symbolic gesture of faith that we can move forward without violence if we only choose to.  Thanks for tuning in :) Useful Links/Media: https://wsbt.com/news/local/beads-bullets-and-bracelets-how-one-non-profit-is-changing-lives-through-jewelry https://www.abc57.com/news/local-non-profit-taking-bullets-off-the-streets-re-purposing-them-into-jewelry?fbclid=IwAR3QSt0evTOAcXdf7j3RbXvVE4dlvLno3_WfDVl6eQVp5X8lDjVjJe-LJzs https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/howarddukes/south-bend-group-takes-bullets-off-the-street-and-turns-them-into-works-of-art/article_cd648d80-4de5-11ea-9535-578fa7da26bb.html Connect with Bullets4Life Indiana and Connect 2 Be the Change! https://connect2bethechange.org/

    Bullets4Life Indiana: Takisha Jacobs & Loria Perez

  8. 09/23/2020

    Opiate Addiction and the Island We're Becoming: INORML Part-3

    Hey everyone, welcome back to the show.  Today is part-3 of the series with the Indiana chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.  This episode is a little different in that Jason Straw (INORML Vice-Chair) and Jack Cain (former Vice-Chair) spend the hour interviewing me about my work in Paramedicine and the subsequent study I published on opiate overdoses in St. Joseph County, Indiana.  With a smaller group than the previous two sessions, Jack, Jason, and I have a more intimate discussion about opiate addiction and marijuana reform.  It's a great dove-tail to the conversation you have been listening to over the past two weeks and a great way to close the chapter on this interview series.  Jason, Jack, and the rest of the INORML team were wonderful to hang out with and Jack was such a hospitable host, inviting us all to his Indianapolis home to record the interviews. In the intro today, I discuss my current Qigong practice and how it's given me some balance in an otherwise hectic life.  There's also some discussion as to the wrapping up of the second season and what's to come in the months ahead. Lastly, make sure you stick around until the end for a fun outro I know you'll enjoy! ;) Media Referenced/Useful Links: Chad's morning Qigong Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj4qo2KL9f4&t=2s Chad's evening Qigong Practice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9kvYnWKG3g Professor Thomas Clark Ph.D. (Indiana University South Bend) Marijuana Study Former Adjunct Professor Chad Bartalone Opiod/Cannabis Study (The Island We're Becoming) Connect with INORML! INORML Phone Number: 317-721-4040 http://inorml.org/ Howard County Cannabis Coalition (https://www.facebook.com/howardcountycannacoalition

    Opiate Addiction and the Island We're Becoming: INORML Part-3
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About

Jeff Bridge's iconic character "The Dude" asks us to simply "take it easy man." Loosely based on the tenets of The Church of the Latter-Day Dude, host Chad Bartalone sits down with people working to embody a Dudeist vibe, wondering out loud the tough questions about life, our interaction with the world and those we share it with, modernity and our responsibility as humans, and cultivating humanity itself. Through deep contemplation, asking questions that outlive any possible answers, each session seeks to shine light on topics that beg for the world to continue.

Information

  • Creator
    The Abiders' Urban Achiever Podcast
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Abiders' Urban Achiever Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Abiders Urban Achiever Podcast