The Ethan C. Lewin Podcast

Ethan C. Lewin
  • 4.8 (25)
  • Relationships
  • Updated Weekly

Join me as I confront what terrifies me—including launching this podcast—in hopes of unearthing truths that set us free and help recover personal authority to forge a path uniquely our own. This podcast exists to raise to light the stories, life experiences, and messages of people from everyday walks of life. No single topic—just a shared journey aiming upward. I invite you to come alongside me as I live out this journey. After all, there’s no better time than the now.

  1. 3d ago

    #53 - Major General Ronald K. Nelson - Good & Faithful Servant

    At 94 years young, Major General Ronald K. Nelson reflects on nearly a century of experiences — from flying President Eisenhower as a young Marine helicopter pilot, to simultaneously building two careers over four decades: rising to the rank of two-star general in the Marine Corps Reserve while spending those same years coaching, teaching, and mentoring generations of students at the Academy of the New Church High School in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. He coached wrestling for over 30 years, founded the lacrosse program, and was eventually inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. When it was his turn to speak at the induction, he walked to the podium, pointed to the crowd of former wrestlers, and said: "The only reason I'm here is because of you guys. If you guys didn't win, I wouldn't be up here." Despite a lifetime of accomplishments, Ron is always quicker to credit others than himself.  Welcome to Episode 53. Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    1h 56m

  2. May 22

    #52 — Tony Rose - Turns the Tables on Ethan

    I would like to say 52 weeks and 52 episodes flew by but I really can't. It's been long, rewarding, uncomfortable at times, and... really, really good for me. I was reluctant to be in the guest seat but Tony refused to let me off the hook and I'm glad he didn't. Tony did a great job keeping it grounded, using me as the lens to reflect on the podcast, the people, the stories, and what it's actually meant to show up 52 times in a row. We talk about how this journey has helped me become more present and curious, why I'm drawn to uncomfortable conversations, and how a lot of that comes from wanting answers myself. Most of all, this one is a thank you. To every guest who trusted me enough to share their story. To everyone who's listened, reached out, or told me to keep going. Tony ends by asking what's next and the answer is simple: we're going to keep chuggin'. I cannot believe I am saying this… and at the same time I can. Welcome to Episode 52. Check Out: Episodes 0-51  Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    1h 28m

  3. May 15

    #51 - Ben Pendleton - Milk & Honey

    “This is going to be a pretty dark interview… with suicide, Islamic dreaming, jihad… it may get a little dark. But anyhow, it is what it is, I guess. Welcome to my life.” There you have it — straight from Ben himself. Hard to top an introduction like that. But I will add this: beneath all the darkness Ben deeply cares. And despite the weight of the conversation, we shared a lot of laughs too. Ben Pendleton was born into a family deeply affected by mental illness — and as he openly shares, he didn’t quite dodge that bullet himself either. As we discover, his love of religion and inner spiritual struggle have helped him make meaning of his own suffering, his sibling’s, and others’. Ben served in the United States Marine Corps, reported from Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War in 1983, and in 1991 photographed and interviewed legendary Afghan resistance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud. Ben introduced me to a side of Islam, poetry, and the Middle East I likely never would have explored on my own. As Ben says, afterward he went back to working construction — “boringly, scraping paint.” Well… I’m not sure I quite buy that. You can decide for yourself. I feel genuinely lucky to bring Ben’s story, and in many ways the parts of ourselves we often wrestle with most, to you. Welcome to Episode 51. Check Out: Ben’s page: The Use of Dreams in Islamic Jihad (@benyameenp) Caleb’s Café: 583 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, PA (normally open Saturdays 8am–2pm) Book Recs & Related Material: Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader — Marcela Grad To the Mountains: My Life in Jihad from Algeria to Afghanistan — Abdullah Anas The Dream in Islam: From Qur’anic Tradition to Jihadist Inspiration — Iain R. Edgar Surah Yusuf (Qur’an, Chapter 12)  “Song of the Bow” (David’s lament for Saul)  New Church Writings Arcana Coelestia (full text archive) - see numbers 1975-1983 Arcana Coelestia (Elliott), AC 5091 Spiritual Experiences (#8)  The Heavenly City, A Spiritual Guidebook #269 Divine Providence 326 Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    3h 2m

  4. May 8

    #50 - John Rienstra - Under the Helmet

    John Rienstra was drafted ninth overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and later played for the Cleveland Browns. He played under Chuck Noll, Bill Belichick, and Bruce Arians — coaches who combined for 11 Super Bowl rings. He was nicknamed The Raging Rhino. At his peak, he could total over 2,000 pounds in powerlifting.But there was always an unseen side. Since his first year at Temple, John battled crippling anxiety and panic attacks — often so severe that the only way through them was to vomit before every game. He hid it for a long time. And when coaches eventually did find out, the way they handled it said a lot about the era he played in. What John and I really dig into today is the full arc — from a boarding school dorm room in Bryn Athyn to the NFL, and everything that came after: More than 20 surgeries. Teammates who died and were posthumously diagnosed with CTE. Going from a first-round pick salary to essentially starting over. From lifting 2,000 pounds to not being able to bench 10.  John is living with the cognitive effects of a career's worth of repetitive head injuries and has been part of the NFL concussion lawsuit for over two decades. His story is a hard one. But John tells it like it is, and I admire him for it — and I think you'll walk away seeing football, and a lot of other things, in a completely different light. Check Out: Penn Sports Live Podcast with John Rienstra A Quiet Warrior, The Story of Former NFL Player   Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay ConnectedContact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    2h 7m
  5. #49 - Martha Pitcairn - Too Soon to Tell

    May 1

    #49 - Martha Pitcairn - Too Soon to Tell

    Martha is a coach, a listener, and what she calls a "lay midwife for women's spirits" — someone who helps people come home to themselves. She’s also my godmother. She's known me since before I knew myself. That should be enough said. In this episode, we talk about what it means to truly see someone, why anger is almost always thwarted love, the stories we carry that keep us small, and why the hardest parts of our lives might be exactly what we were handed on purpose. Just Martha and me, doing what we've always done. Welcome to Episode 49. Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    1h 14m

  6. Apr 24

    #48 - Lach Brown - The Noble Warrior

    If you asked a room full of ten-year-old boys what they wanted to be when they grew up, Lach Brown became all of them: a Vietnam War Cobra attack helicopter pilot, police officer, firefighter, and decorated veteran, holding the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and Air Medal among others. In the traditional sense of what it means to be a man, he checks every box. But Lach is the first to tell you: he was asleep for most of it. The real journey of masculinity, he’ll tell you, is the distance between a man’s mind and his heart. That journey led him to his wife Dorothy—50 years and counting—who taught him the things of the heart that no cockpit or firehouse could—and supported him in finding brotherhood with other men on the same path. That realization—that a man needs other men, and that the hardest war most men fight is the one within themselves—eventually led Lach to become a founding member of SWET (Spiritual Warfare Effectiveness Training), volunteer at halfway houses helping people reintegrate into society, and adopt five children. What Lach ultimately shows us is that the measure of a man isn’t necessarily found in titles or medals—it’s found in the ordinary person who simply does right. In their conduct, their work, their home, and their community. That’s the example worth looking up to. And the reason that matters? It means any of us can live it. Welcome to Episode 48. Check Out: SWET (Spiritual Warfare Effectiveness Training) Bryn Athyn Police Department Bryn Athyn Fire Company Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    2h 12m

  7. Apr 17

    #47 - Shawn Rose's - 5 Primal Medicines

    Shawn Rose has lived a quiet, intentional life that looks a lot like a modern-day Johnny Appleseed, and in this episode he shares just how that path unfolded. Shawn has built his life around music and nature: perhaps best known as the piano accompanist to many generations, but there is more to this man than meets the eye. He has slept in a tent for the last 19 years, climbed trees closing in on 7,000 ascents, and is quite possibly the only American I have ever met who is lucky enough to have never sent an email. Together we explore the pursuit of the 5 Primal Medicines: sun, sky, cold, dark, and earth. Primal medicines meaning how something can be medicine even when you don't think of it that way, such as how walking in the woods is anti-inflammatory. And if many diseases stem from inflammation, maybe Mother Nature has been writing us the right prescription all along. Shawn is living proof. Light-hearted, jovial, and full of wonder, just like the legend himself. Step into spring with us as we embark on a new adventure together that just may rewire your brain too.  Welcome to Episode 47. Check Out:   Purple La Sportiva Climbing Shoes  Planet Medicine Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    2h 10m

  8. Apr 10

    #46 – Dr. Marcia Perretto – Hypermobility as a Superpower

    Marcia Perretto grew up in Brazil surrounded by physicians, fell in love with medicine early, and spent years becoming one of the most globally recognized specialists in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility disorders. But through all that training, she kept noticing the same flaw in the medical system: patients weren’t getting the time or attention needed to address root causes. So she built something different—a holistic practice that treats the whole person, not just the symptoms. What she didn’t expect… was that she would become the patient. After nearly dying during labor, undergoing three hip surgeries, and ending up in a wheelchair, she hit a point where she wasn’t fighting to get back to the things she loved—she was fighting just to stay here. Ironically, the hip specialist had to learn how to walk again. What followed was more than seven years of rebuilding—one small, unglamorous win at a time—until the day she returned to what she loves: line dancing, horseback riding, running, and weightlifting. I met Dr. Perretto when I was living in Florida and starting to lose hope. She helped me see that getting back to the life I love is actually possible. Her experience as a patient didn’t just change her perspective—it made her a far better doctor. In her words, it was one of the greatest blessings in disguise… and something she would go through all over again. This is an honest conversation between two people living in hypermobile bodies—what it’s like to navigate chronic pain, the ego, healing, and what it really takes to get better. The lessons go far beyond hypermobility. Whatever you’re healing from—this one’s for you. Welcome to Episode 46. Check Out Dr. Perretto’s: IG: the_eds_pt Clinic: ActifyPT.com Linkedin: Marcia Perretto Book: Unlocking the Secrets of to the Hypermobility Puzzle *stay tuned for her new book coming out late 2026 Books Mentioned Radical-Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma Die with Zero Elevate the Experience Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School. Stay Connected Contact: https://ethanclewin.com/ A Note from Me I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn. Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

    2h 13m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Join me as I confront what terrifies me—including launching this podcast—in hopes of unearthing truths that set us free and help recover personal authority to forge a path uniquely our own. This podcast exists to raise to light the stories, life experiences, and messages of people from everyday walks of life. No single topic—just a shared journey aiming upward. I invite you to come alongside me as I live out this journey. After all, there’s no better time than the now.

Information

  • Creator
    Ethan C. Lewin
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ethan C. Lewin
  • Show Website
    The Ethan C. Lewin Podcast

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