Arash's World Podcast

Arash Farzaneh
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Daily

This podcast is affiliated with the blog Arash's World dealing with existential issues and solutions in health and wellness, psychology, and philosophy. By providing reviews on books alongside exclusive, insightful & thought-provoking interviews with health & wellness experts, renowned psychologists & psychotherapists as well as global thought leaders and life coaches, we put together and forge individual holistic paths toward health, happiness, and wellbeing in your personal & professional life!

  1. Oct 17

    Following Harry: Filmmaker Susanne Rostock on Belafonte’s Enduring Legacy and Turning Pain into Purpose Through Art

    In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Susanne Rostock on how her documentary “Following Harry” reveals the depth of Harry Belafonte’s commitment to human rights. Susanne explains that his art and activism were inseparable as he understood the influence of his voice and used it to connect people, support others, and inspire and encourage meaningful action. The documentary also shows how we can turn pain into purpose through creativity and collaboration. Susanne highlights the Harry Belafonte Songwriters Workshop, where young people transformed pressure and trauma into music, and the prison choir, whose members felt recognized as human beings. She emphasizes Belafonte’s belief that change begins when we acknowledge our common humanity. Moreover, we talk about Harry Belafonte’s impressive ability to inspire younger generations and bridge social divides. Susanne shares how even a twelve-year-old viewer left the film with a clearer sense of identity and responsibility. We then finish with Belafonte’s enduring global legacy, where audiences can watch Following Harry as well as Susanne Rostock’s forthcoming film, The Hidden Diary of Diahann Carroll.

  2. Oct 6

    The Joy Molecule with Larry Kesslin on How Real Human Connection Creates Meaning and Happiness

    In this wide-ranging conversation on Arash’s World, I have the pleasure of speaking with author and human connection coach Larry Kesslin about what it means to live as an integrated, authentic person. Drawing on his book The Joy Molecule: How to Unlock the Power of Human Connection, Larry distinguishes the roles we perform from the deeper self beneath them. He argues that joy and inner peace begin with knowing what we are, who we are, and why we are and with showing up consistently across work, relationships, and everyday life. The discussion then turns to the paradox of modern connection: despite being constantly linked through technology, many people feel increasingly lonely and emotionally disconnected. Larry traces this shift from the communal “campfire” to individual screens and the age of AI, presenting technology as an accelerant rather than the root cause. He invites listeners to look beyond status, occupation, and superficial interaction, suggesting that purpose is found not by chasing an abstract goal but by noticing where we connect most deeply, that is with people, nature, animals, creativity, or service. Throughout the episode, Larry offers a thoughtful and practical philosophy of agency: circumstances do not have to define our joy, comparison undermines our sense of “enoughness” while curiosity is more useful than judgment. He contrasts momentary happiness with the steadier clarity of joy, redefines success as freedom joined with contribution, and shares how gatherings and initiatives, such as “Good Food, Good Men” create space for honest conversation and belonging. The result is an engaging reflection on resilience, meaning, and the distinctly human capacities for presence, service, and genuine connection.

  3. Oct 3

    Walking Well with a Curious and Wandering Mind: Ken Wilson on Paths, Pilgrimages, Birdsongs, Planted Trees, Microdosing, and Transformation

    In this episode, I have the pleasure of talking to author, poet, professor, and dedicated walker Ken Wilson about his book, Walking Well: Trails, Paths, Pilgrimages. We start with a simple question why walk? and follow it from his childhood rambles and daily commute through Regina’s Wascana Centre to the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage that made walking an even bigger part of his life. Ken explains that walking can be meditative, but it can also give our thoughts room to wander, rehearse difficult conversations, and unlock new ideas. We compare what solo walks give us with the easy, free-flowing connection that can happen when we walk beside someone else. Along the way, we talk about pandemic walks, mindfulness in motion, birdsong, planted trees on the Prairies, and the way a familiar route can shape the mood and rhythm of an entire day. Our conversation also takes a more personal turn as he reflects on mental health, microdosing, and a powerful guided experience that left him feeling he had been given a second chance. We bring in Dickens, pilgrimage stories, and the idea that walking’s steady back-and-forth movement may help us process experience. By the end, Ken makes a warm and convincing case that when we step outside, pay attention, and keep moving, we may find more creativity, connection, and renewal than we expected.

  4. Sep 30

    Doulas, Pitocin, and Prepared and Informed Parents: Navigating Childbirth Safely with Birth-Injury Attorney Gina Mundy

    In this episode of Arash’s World, I have the pleasure of speaking with birth-injury attorney, bestselling author of A Parent’s Guide to a Safer Childbirth, and host of “The Childbirth Attorney Podcast” Gina Mundy who draws on more than two decades of reviewing childbirth cases to explain how families can prepare for a safer delivery. Gina highlights several practical considerations: approaching Pitocin inductions slowly and carefully, understanding the distinct supportive role of a doula, questioning whether and when the bag of waters should be broken, learning common labor-and-delivery terminology before stress makes new information harder to process, and paying close attention to the baby’s heart-rate monitoring. We also weigh home birth, hospital capabilities, premature delivery, and C-sections, emphasizing that the safest choice depends on each family’s circumstances and access to timely medical care. Throughout, Gina connects legal experience with prevention, advocacy, and informed decision-making while working toward a future in which fewer families ever need a birth-injury lawyer.

  5. Sep 26

    The Don River, Near-Death Experience, Dreams and Intuition in a Mental Hospital and Lives Transformed with Author Robin Blackburn McBride

    In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Author and Poet Robin Blackburn McBride about her book River of Dreams, a character-driven blend of historical, metaphysical, and women’s fiction. The novel follows Avery Conlon from a mysterious childhood experience in Toronto’s Don River to her work as a nurse in a 1920s mental hospital, where she uses heightened intuition to help women return home. Robin explains how research into near-death experiences, dreams, intuition, period language, and early mental-health care shaped Avery’s story. She distinguishes the novel’s “supernormal” elements from fantasy, framing them instead as an invitation to consider the limits of perception while Avery quietly navigates institutional power, personal doubt, and a growing connection with a curious and open-minded neurologist. Our conversation also reveals the personal history behind the book: Robin’s great-grandmother entered a mental hospital and never returned home, a silence that continued to affect later generations. Against that legacy, the Don River becomes both setting and symbol: a place of transformation that connects memory, dreams, healing, and the larger question of how the stories we tell shape who we are and who we become.

  6. Sep 24

    Pat Garrett, Lew Wallace, and the Betrayal of Billy the Kid with Criminal Defence Attorney Frank Abrams

    In this episode of Arash’s World, I have the pleasure of speaking with author and veteran criminal defence attorney Frank Abrams about his forthcoming book, The Slander of Billy the Kid and the Abrams Tintypes. Frank recounts how a group of five tintype photographs purchased at a flea market led him to believe that one image depicts Billy the Kid alongside Pat Garrett and other figures associated with the Lincoln County War. Drawing on the investigative instincts developed over four decades in law, he describes seeking opinions from historians, museum experts, facial-recognition specialists, handwriting analysts, and forensic examiners. We then provide a spirited reconsideration of the legend surrounding Billy the Kid. Frank argues that popular history and film have exaggerated Billy’s violence while at the same time casting Garrett as a heroic lawman, despite evidence that the two men had once been friends. He also explores Governor Lew Wallace’s unfulfilled promise of a pardon, the economic and political conflicts of the era, disputed accounts of Billy’s death, and the photographic reversal that helped create the enduring misconception that Billy was left-handed. Throughout our conversation, Frank frames the story as a clash between evidence and myth, one made newly urgent by modern tools that can test old photographs and documents. The result is part historical mystery, part legal argument, and part personal account of an accidental discovery that became a years-long pursuit. In this podcast, we move through Old West history, betrayal, forensic research, photography, cultural memory, and the challenge of persuading people to reconsider a familiar story as opposed to firmly holding onto longstanding and unfounded myths.

  7. Sep 19

    From Enrolment Decline to Call to Action: Strengthening French Learning in BC with CPF Director Michel Pouliot

    In this episode of Arash’s World, I have the pleasure of speaking with Michel Pouliot, Executive Director of Canadian Parents for French, BC & Yukon Branch on the gradual decline in French-language enrolment across British Columbia. Although demand remains strong, he explains that French Immersion and Core French programs face limited classroom capacity, enrolment caps, and uneven support from school districts. We examine several causes of this pressure, including a shortage of qualified French teachers, difficult certification pathways for internationally trained educators, and limited access in northern communities. We also emphasize that students are more likely to continue learning French when strong instruction is paired with cultural activities, practical opportunities to use the language, and flexible course options in high school. Michel calls for proactive teacher recruitment, protection of French-program classroom space, more flexible access to electives, and stronger provincial requirements where community demand exists. We then conclude that expanding French education would strengthen Canada’s bilingual identity, improve mobility and employment prospects, connect learners with Francophone cultures, and support the country’s long-term economic relationships.

  8. Sep 3

    Closing Ceremonies and Dying Times: Darlene Madott on Heartbreak, Humor, and the Necessity of Loving Each Other

    In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with Darlene Madott who describes herself with distinct precision: “a writer” and “a reluctant lawyer who had to find a way of being in the world.” In this wide-ranging conversation, Darlene talks about her latest book, Closing Ceremonies and Dying Times, a paired collection that explores heartbreak, grief, death, and love with a rare blend of tenderness and dark humor. Closing Ceremonies follows characters through “the aftermath of love,” moving from abandonment and betrayal toward reconciliation, while Dying Times is more about how to live than how to die. We dig into the personal and creative forces behind the book, including a later-life heartbreak after a 21-year relationship that led her to write “Parsing His Goodbyes.” What began as a reluctant confrontation with pain then became a seven-year creative journey through grief, humour, revenge, empathy, and ultimately love. Darlene also reflects on the boundary between fiction and memoir, drawing on her legal background and her years of listening closely to clients’ stories, family memories, and lived experience, all the raw material she reshapes into fiction. Moreover, we also trace Darlene’s lifelong calling as a storyteller, from childhood puppet shows and a Grade 2 pirate novel to her decision during COVID to leave law behind and commit fully to writing. She shares the unusual publishing journey of Dying Times, its republication alongside Closing Ceremonies, and its Italian translation, which became a deeply meaningful return to her ancestral roots. At its heart, this podcast is about transformation: heartbreak into art, endings into ceremonies, death into wisdom, and writing into a way of loving the world.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

This podcast is affiliated with the blog Arash's World dealing with existential issues and solutions in health and wellness, psychology, and philosophy. By providing reviews on books alongside exclusive, insightful & thought-provoking interviews with health & wellness experts, renowned psychologists & psychotherapists as well as global thought leaders and life coaches, we put together and forge individual holistic paths toward health, happiness, and wellbeing in your personal & professional life!

Information

  • Creator
    Arash Farzaneh
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Arash's World Podcast