What's the value?

Terry McMullen
  • 5.0 (23)
  • PHILOSOPHY

I ask guests about the value of a strongly held belief, vision, or objective they have. This can be a business idea, a personal/spiritual belief, a political/social agenda, or a focus of their career. I want to have conversations with people who are really passionate about their belief and work through how much they've questioned and challenged it. No intent of changing their minds, but just exploring and being curious. My hope is that it will help listeners better understand the guest's perspective, while also helping the guest to better understand themselves and their belief.

  1. "Family" - Tony Losacco

    11/10/2023

    "Family" - Tony Losacco

    These conversations are hard. I've listened back to this one a number of times and the only thing I can keep thinking is "nuance." These discussions are nuanced, these topics are nuanced, life is nuanced. On the one hand I feel like this is all we can do, have an open conversation with someone, hear their thoughts, ask questions, and try to understand different perspectives better. On the other hand I feel like I should have pushed back much harder. Some of the words used weren't OK and I should have addressed that more, not to be combative but to try to get to a better place. You guys will be the judge on this one. I do thank Tony for being on, sharing his thoughts, and being open to discussing and challenging them. A more complete bio from Tony is below: I am like all broken people who come from broken families. I am everyone who longs for family that never was given the chance to be. I am the example of why healthy families are the key to most problems, and the guide to bring young people back to the family. I am the harbinger for those who are actively trying to destroy the family, and the light for those trying to find their way to fight for what is normal. I'm just a regular guy, who see what's wrong, and wrote it down. Link to book is here

    1h 4m
  2. "The power of philosophy to heal society" - Nikos Patedakis

    11/01/2023

    "The power of philosophy to heal society" - Nikos Patedakis

    "Philosophy is actually the end of abstractions." Wow, what a statement to think about. How different our approach to life might become if we embrace that thought. How much more reflective and humble we might become. This conversation with Nikos was full of interesting and insightful thoughts. We talked philosophy, biology, evolution, psychology, and spirituality-- all with the same goal of trying to better understand what the hell we are doing here. Not because it is interesting to think about, but because it is the realest, most practical question we can ask. A more complete bio for Nikos below: Following in the footsteps of Epicurus, Nikos Patedakis works with individuals, groups, and organizations, bringing to bear the most powerful and holistic teachings of the wisdom traditions in relation to our most daunting personal and global challenges. His training includes earning two master’s degrees and a PhD, as well as a graduating from a 3-year, full-time certification course in specialized educational theory and practice—along with countless hours of spiritual practice and years spent teaching inside and outside of the university system, as well as years spent working as a consulting philosopher and corporate trainer for Fortune 500 companies.

    55 min
  3. "Everything is always my fault" - Chad Wittfeldt

    10/25/2023

    "Everything is always my fault" - Chad Wittfeldt

    Chad is a successful business person who now works to help coach others on how to be successful. What's super interesting about Chad is that: 1. He has some spiritual and religious values that underpin a lot of his thinking and his goals in life. 2. On the surface, he can seem like a bit of a "finance bro" who overemphasizes his masculinity and his drive to win at life. As we do on this show, we spent the discussion trying to reconcile that, understand who Chad really is, and why he approaches life the way he does. We didn't shy away from the controversial areas or the potential contradictions, we leaned into them. The result was a really honest and authentic conversation, where I got to truly understand another person's perspective. Big thanks to Chad for being game for the discussion and having an honest conversation. A more complete bio from Chad is below: Chad Wittfeldt started his entrepreneurial journey at a young age by starting a landscaping company and electronic arbitrage business in his teenage years. He quickly focused on investing in the equities & currency markets. Chad later became a full-time investor and real estate entrepreneur in his twenties. Today, he's partnered on over $30,000,000 in real estate syndications.

    42 min
  4. "There is more to life than we realize" - Cory Rosenke

    10/19/2023

    "There is more to life than we realize" - Cory Rosenke

    Cory is an author and a pastor, who has a deep faith in God. He believes that it is only through God that we can fulfill our inherent cravings and live a happy, peaceful, meaningful life. He has written a book, The Magnetic Heart of God - Understanding the Five Cravings of Your Soul. We spent this conversation exploring Cory's understanding of those 5 cravings, why he is confident they are spiritual and non-biological, and what it actually means to embrace God to fulfill them. I always love the chance to talk to someone with deep spiritual beliefs, especially someone as open as Cory to examining and questioning them. It leads to such a rich, productive, and insightful discussion. A more complete bio from Cory is below: As an author, pastor, communicator, and a tenacious pursuer of truth, Cory Rosenke is both the concept pioneer and the foremost authority on the cravings of the soul. Through session, song, workshop and manuscript, he is dedicated to the pivotal work of connecting hungry souls to the joy of their Maker. In a world where truth and reality have become shrouded in deceptive ambiguity, Cory Rosenke specializes in reasserting the clarity of divine definition and design.

    47 min
  5. "Understanding that your reason is everything" - Kamal X

    10/11/2023

    "Understanding that your reason is everything" - Kamal X

    Kamal is a photographer who wanted to capture the essence of what really was happening in America in 2020. He wanted to use photography to let all of the division, hate, fear, anger, sorrow, love, compassion, and humanity show its true self--the true story of what was underneath it all. As you'll hear, he is also just a really authentic, thoughtful, self-aware person. It was fascinating to hear his stories, how he became so passionate about photography, and what he learned about humanity as he created his book, Black Astronaut. I love talking to photographers because most of them are natural observers. They feel compelled to look at the world around them and see what is going on. Those are the types of people I want to hear from because very likely they've seen things I haven't, and I can learn from them. A more complete bio from Kamal is below: I am Kamal X, a professional photographer that has been documenting my travels throughout the world since 2015. Photography found me at a time in my life where I felt confused and voiceless. I wasn’t sure of where I was internally and what direction I wanted my life to go. I welcomed my challenges and I found myself drawn to creating images that evoke emotions rooted in the many universal elements of the human experience.  My goal is to tell stories from all walks of life and give a raw voice to the world we live in, through compassion and honesty.

    54 min
  6. "Finding the truth" - Dana Diaz

    10/06/2023

    "Finding the truth" - Dana Diaz

    Dana has experienced a lot of trauma and abuse in her life by narcissists. From a young age she dealt with it from her mother and step father and even later in life at the hands of her ex-husband. She spent so much time struggling with this form of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse that it made her question the reality she was living in. As she explains in her work, narcissistic abusers create so much confusion and conflict in the mind of the abused. She's struggled with this for much of her life and that is why her value of finding the truth is so important to her. Dana was super open to share her experiences and really examine them in an earnest way. We spent time trying to make sense of what leads someone to abuse someone in this way, how she grappled with her own self doubt, and even if she could/should have empathy for her abusers. Some of these questions are really hard to ask and even harder to answer. But if we want to understand the ugliness in our world, we need to examine it. I can't thank her enough for engaging in this type of discussion so that others can better understand their own situation. A more complete bio from Dana is below: Dana S. Diaz is a wife, mother, and author of the best-selling book GASPING FOR AIR: THE STRANGLEHOLD OF NARCISSISTIC ABUSE. Dana has had life-long experience with narcissistic abuse, beginning in childhood. Her education in journalism and psychology at DePaul University in Chicago gave her the ability to accurately verbalize and express how narcissistic abuse creates confusion and conflict within victims, so that she can help other victims know they are not alone and better understand their own circumstances. Today, Dana is a proud voice for fellow victims who are unable, afraid, or ashamed to share their experiences. She strives to create awareness and understanding to ensure victims are given the support they need to first understand their situation and then begin the healing process. Her first book, chronicling her own abusive marriage that lasted nearly three decades, started as a journal that she hid under the couch cushion in the basement.

    41 min
  7. "Reducing the number of mass shootings in America" - Gerald Schoenewolf

    10/02/2023

    "Reducing the number of mass shootings in America" - Gerald Schoenewolf

    Gerald is a psychoanalyst, who has studied human behavior for a long time. He has used that expertise to formulate hypotheses about social issues, like feminism, civil rights, and most recently mass shootings in America. Some of his views have been called insensitive or offensive. For example, in trying to explore how to stop mass shootings, one of his ideas is to regulate who is allowed to parent a child. The thought being that ineffective child rearing (among other social/cultural issues) is leading to a number of mass shootings. That type of idea is the exact one I want to explore on the show. I want us to swim in the nuance, sensitivity, and uncomfortableness. Not for the shock factor, but because genuinely exploring these types of ideas allows us to learn. If it is a horrible idea, then let us rip it apart and examine it to see. I fully understand that words can do damage and these topics can be difficult to discuss. But my hope is that this show is able to walk the line of being open minded/exploring, while at the same time holding people accountable and calling out things that seem harmful. A more complete bio from Gerald is below: Gerald Schoenewolf, Ph.D. is a licensed psychoanalyst who has been practicing in New York for over 45 years. During that time he has offered numerous presentations at conferences and published 30 books and numerous papers in professional journals, including "The Myth of Sexual Abuse." Other papers offer original theories on the death trauma, gender narcissism and autism. InThe Mass Killer: Six Case Histories That Tell Us Why, he directs his psychoanalytic knowledge and research to an examination of the how and why of mass killings, exploring the psychology and social psychology of six notorious cases. Dr. Schoenewolf is a noted psychoanalyst, listed on Wikipedia, with a world-wide reputation. In addition to his writings on psychology, he has also published nine novels, translated two books of philosophy, written, directed and produced two feature films. and wrote and illustrated a book of poetry and a DVD of video poems. He currently lives in Bethlehem, PA with his wife, Julia, his parrot, Lucky, and his cats, Minnie and Max.

    55 min
  8. "Balance between our 'prosocial' and 'solo actor' parts" - Kent Weishaus

    09/26/2023

    "Balance between our 'prosocial' and 'solo actor' parts" - Kent Weishaus

    My guest, Kent, believes humanity is in a crisis but he is very optimistic that we have the tools and knowledge to overcome that crisis. Much of the problem is rooted in our attachments (or lack thereof) during childhood. We are all damaged children who grow up to become damaged adults and the work Kent is doing is to help us figure out how to heal that damage and be better going forward. If you've listened to the show before, you know I tend to take a much more cynical view of humanity. I look around and see all the damage Kent speaks of, but I don't see any reason to believe that we, at scale, can figure it out and heal ourselves. Life is too complex and our minds are too incapable of handling it. So Kent and I spent some time discussing his work, why he does it, and why he thinks it will actually help humanity. A more complete bio from Kent below- Kent Weishaus’ new book, “Stop Breaking Down: The Secret to Avoiding Overwhelm and Crack-Up,” shows us how to step back, take the high ground, observing our biological and mental processes within the context of the overwhelming demands of our 21st century world. Kent is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in California. He has worked in mental hospitals, community clinics, schools, and served as an adjunct professor at Cal State Los Angeles, teaching social work theory and practice classes to master degree students.

    48 min
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5
out of 5
23 Ratings

About

I ask guests about the value of a strongly held belief, vision, or objective they have. This can be a business idea, a personal/spiritual belief, a political/social agenda, or a focus of their career. I want to have conversations with people who are really passionate about their belief and work through how much they've questioned and challenged it. No intent of changing their minds, but just exploring and being curious. My hope is that it will help listeners better understand the guest's perspective, while also helping the guest to better understand themselves and their belief.

Information

  • Creator
    Terry McMullen
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2023
  • Episodes
    234
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Terry McMullen
  • Show Website
    What's the value?