The Quake City Portal

GUEST BIO Christopher Renfro (instagram, additional links) is the founder of the Two Eighty Project, an organization "dedicated to building a sustainable food and wine community that nourishes every member of the local economy and ecosystem." It began with his love and curiosity for learning about wine and implementing his knowledge into a community farm visible from the Highway 280 Freeway heading out of San Francisco.   SHOW NOTES | MENTIONS SEG  1 - Castles and Finding True Freedom in the outdoors   Schweinfurt Military Base"White Washed"   SEG 2 -  Financial Illiteracy, The Underlying Reality of Food Service, Ambitions for 280   the Food Service Industry and HumanityBlack WallstreetTulsa OaklahomaCritical Race TheoryThink Tank   SEG 3 - Rethinking the Food Industry Models, Baselines of Comfort   Food Security in San FranciscoFeed the People CollectiveShared Cultures MisoCo-op BusinessesRethinking the Comfort BaselineHomelessness, Youth, Elders Episode Contains a clip from Contains a snippet from Good Morning America | Patagonia founder donates company to fight climate change, Sept. 15, 2022

GUEST BIO Pam Baker (womenscoachingalliance.org) is dedicated to empowering, encouraging, and developing more young women to become examples of leadership, rather than the exception, through coaching youth sports and giving back to the community. With her own unique leadership, she founded the Women's Coaching Alliance, inspired and built upon the memory of her late husband Doug Friedman, who made his transition in 2020.  Her aim for great leadership and work ethic brought her to places like Genentech and Johnson and Johnson, where she worked as district sales manager, project manager, and project director, as well as Vice President and CEO for several startups in the healthcare and investment sectors. She is a woman dedicated to "minding the gap," a British expression she likes to use that shows her willingness to explore the unfamiliar and help light the way for everyone, especially women and future leaders of the world.  PART 1 - What is the Women's Coaching Alliance? | Exploring the Unfamiliar | Molding Leadership Empowering women through leadership rolesIntentionsPersonal HistoryProcess | Corporate vs StartupHow coaching translates into the real world PART 2 - The Power of Coaching and giving back to community Conflict resolutionCareer Paths as Jungle GymsLou Holtz 3 Questions PART 3 - Doug's Coaching Legacy  | What we learn from grief | What we can learn from griefWhat is the enviornment we're preparing for?Pam's Favorite Leaders Indra Nooyi, Pepsi Co.Melinda GatesBrene Brown On agingOn happiness

GUEST BIO Dr. Karen Apana is one of the founding members of the San Francisco Waldorf School – first founded in 1978. She has been a lifetime teacher, mentor, and student of Anthroposophy for over 40 years. For over 25 years, she has been teaching biography work and has a private practice for biography counseling in San Francisco. She also holds frequent biography workshops all over the Bay Area, and although she is now retired as a Waldorf teacher, she still mentors and advises teachers in the Bay Area and all over the globe. She was born and raised in San Francisco, and as you’ll find out in this conversation, she is a local, cosmic gem. In this conversation, you’ll learn about Anthroposophy and some of the philosophies behind Rudolph Steiner. She also offers a firsthand account of someone born into a generation of San Francisco coming into social consciousness during the 1960s, which eventually set the stage for many spiritual seekers, creators, activists, artists, and life enthusiasts today.   SHOW NOTES Pt. 1 – Who is Karen Apana? and What is Anthroposophy?  Rudolph SteinerWaldorf Education – Youtube LinkMerchant Marine Pt. 2 – What is Waldorf Education and Biography Work? Knowledge of the Higher WorldsSF Waldorf SchoolSF State Student Strike 50 Year Anniversary VideoRoger Alvarado Terry Collins KPOO Benny StewartTom AmmianoEducation, connection and Biography workChengdu, ChinaChinese Cultural RevolutionThích Nhất HạnhPerception of Chaos Pt. 3 – What Question are you living with? The struggle of Western MindIndividuation vs the tribeFinding the baseline Music Credit (Guitar): Katherine Delafkaran

GUEST BIO   In 2008 Matt Levin, his wife Melanie, and his good friend Michael Greuel opened The Refuge Restaurant, home of some of the best pastrami sandwiches and burgers. At the time, The Refuge was a small restaurant focused on french wines, Belgian beers, and house-made, hand-sliced pastrami sandwiches. Since 2008 their popularity has exploded. Customers have waited up to four hours to sit and dine with them. Fifteen years later, they streamlined the process and opened up two more locations along the way, one in Menlo Park, and the other in San Mateo. They both have over 25 years of experience in the food service industry.   They both share their experiences running three restaurants during the pandemic and what they've learned from it.   NOTES | MENTIONS   Seg 1  - Catching up with Old Friends, Survival Mode in the Food Service Industry Gastrosexual15 years in businessProgress of the Restaurant and Food Service EconomyThe Refuge MenuFine Dining vs Fast FoodProblems of maintaining consistencyThe BearStandards of Skilled Food LaborFood Truck Business Effects on RestaurantsEffects of Silicon Valley Work From Home on Surrounding BusinessesRaising Children in the Restaurant business Seg 2 - Spiritual Growth after Pastrami Matt's daily routine - first 3 steps of RecoveryTellefinUniversal TraumaLife in Recovery and SpiritualityEffects of Economy on the Food BusinessRising Food CostsMarco Pierre WhiteDecision making processesHow to manage laborInitial Vision of SuccessBarcelona TelefericThe Science of Popcorn Seg 3 - Aging and Folly Going to restaurants as a guestThe EggDoors of Perception William Blakeguided psychedelic retreatsThe Funeral IndustryFunerals and weddingsJudaism BurialThe Funeral Industry TodayTerrence McKennaHow to Control Deja VuRule 62How to make more funCoco Melon Seg 4 - Kids Will Save the World Dumpling PickupsGao Viet KitchenObservations on human behavior from restaurant service experiencethe industry of evilCharcuterieThe Fatted CalfRestaurant workers vs Yelp Seg 5 - What success means nowModern Restaurant Ticket MachinesMatt's AA Recovery Wisdom

SAY HELLO TO DAN! Website: http://www.dangriffiths.us/ Kapoot Clown Theatre Skit Video How Much - Created and Performed by Dan Griffiths Donut Goat at the Barber Shop GUEST BIO Dan Griffiths is a multi-talented, experimental performance artist, award-winning theatre director, teacher, and founder of the first Church of Clown in San Francisco. He founded the Clown Workshop, Clown Zero, and KAPOOT Clown theatre. Some of his recent gigs include teaching clown at The Wu Qiao International Circus Festival in Shijiazhuang, China. He also did work as a clown doctor and trainer for the Big Apple Circus and a director of CLOWN ZERO, a Medical Clowning Unit residence at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. For almost 35 years, since 1988, he has performed original theatrical works across the country and around the world. He studied at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre and has served on the faculty Clown Conservatory San Francisco, The School for Mime Theater, Columbia College Chicago, Roosevelt University, Indiana University Northwest, and Academy of Art University. Dan holds an M.A. in Experimental Performance from New College of California and an M.F.A in Interdisciplinary Art from the California Institute of Integral Studies. NOTES | MENTIONS SEG 1 Church of Clown How to start a church Holy Fools ParadeSt. Stupid's DayPraise Folly What is Folly? What is the mission of the Church of Clown?Church of the Flying Spaghetti MonsterSatanic ChurchKenyan CollegeMarcel MarceauMimeLon ChaneyFree MasonsMeyers Briggs TestClown LabHopi Indians - Clown CultureKapootSacha Baron Cohen SEG 2 What type of people does clown/ theatre attract?Teacher CompensationHumanitiesObservations on Waldorf EducationWhat is the mimetic realm Why do people hate mime performance? How to be more comfortable in performance?Gastro AbsurdoClown ConservatoryHow to deal with a performance gone bad?Taking the temperature of the room SEG 3 Humor and Play as ToolsSoldiers in your cup 1:12:10Teaching clowns in ChinaRole of Jesters in Medieval TimesThe Joker, Dark KnightThe King of ComedyCharles Dickens, First Scary ClownHarlequin ClownThe Flow State of Clown PerformanceLaughter - Henri Bergson SEG 4 Kettle ChipsHow to evaluate an experimental performanceOvercoming a failed performanceAccepting Foibles Dan's follies Being InflexibleDifference between a lifelong  vs a day one performerTimes to be seriousFrederico FelliniGreatest Joke Ever SEG 5 The MultiverseWaldorf Education, Why?What is the purpose of clown college?CosmophiliaMaplethorpe ExhibitBe easy on yourself

GUEST BIO Instagram | @sophiacassellabjj Sophia Cassella is a 22-year-old brown belt from New Jersey, under Jason Rau. She's trained with some of the greatest minds that helped change the sport today in what some people call the renaissance of Jiu Jitsu. She commutes hours and hours every day from New Jersey to New York to train with some coaches and grapplers in the sport who are considered to be the best to ever coach and compete - John Danaher, Gordon Ryan, Gary Tonon, Renzo Gracie, and all of the greats that drop in there to train.   To account for the amount of travel she had to do, she home-schooled herself throughout high school. She is currently studying in college while working and still finding the time to train and improve her game. That is inspiring dedication to the art! And going back to truth, it is interesting that this path she took, even though unconventional, is happening during a time when many of our long-established institutions and conventional ways of thinking are being questioned and re-tooled. Her competitive drive and work ethic have propelled her to be one of the rising stars in no-gi Jiu Jitsu. Best known for one of the fastest submissions in a women's match on Who's Number One. She is currently the Medusa EBI Strawweight Champion, a seasoned competitor, and a student of the game. She is determined to be the best, and how can you not be inspired by that kind of spirit? Sophia has such a busy schedule. This conversation was recorded a few months ago as she had just finished up a whole day of working, studying, driving, and training and still was gracious enough to sit for a chat with us. Training out of Vanguard Academy Jiu Jitsu in New York by way of New Jersey, please enjoy this episode about the mental game of training, the remarkable Sophia Cassella!

GUEST BIO Souhad Abou Zaki is a Curious Economist and a Rural Development Enthusiast. She is currently a Senior Admissions officer residing in Lebanon at Notre Dame University, Louaize. Souhad works as a Lecturer in Economics, teaching undergrad courses in Microeconomics, Managerial Economics, and International Economics. She is also a Research Consultant and Proposal Writer for Rural Entrepreneurs, helping conduct research on rural development-related topics, which include women's economic empowerment, food security, and social entrepreneurship. She holds a Degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut and a master's in Agricultural Economics and Development. She is currently pursuing another degree in food security. SHOW NOTES SEG 1 Lebanese Civil WarFood Crisis of 2007 - 2008Food SecurityWorld Food Waste StatisticsIntervention from other countries SEG 2 Successes of her intervention workSri Lanka Food Security CrisisCauses and Outlook of Increasing Food Security CrisisWhat is food security?How to create more food security as individual householdsHospitality as it leads to over abundanceCommunity Supportive AgricultureIncompetence vs OptimismCronyism SEG 3 How to encourage the youth to pursue agricultural entrepreneurship?The state of the banking sector in LebanonSubsidies for Agriculture Sectors (Pros and Cons)What is resilience?LocalismLebanese vs Filipino food SEG 4 Food PolicyPoverty and FaminesThe downside of over specializationessential soft skills for the 21st centuryEffective stress management techniques (snippet)Essential Technical skills cloud computing

GUEST BIO Julie Rogers is the Founder and Director of TLC Transitional Life Care, a Vajrayana Buddhist non-profit organization dedicated to the education and support of individuals and their families during the end-of-life transition. This program is centered in the SF Bay Area and southern Oregon, and is available online and via Zoom. She is a writer, author, mother, educator, and administrator, and has been a caregiver and hospice volunteer, as well as a Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhist for almost 40 years.  Over twenty-five years ago, Julie was surrounded by a string of deaths. These were the deaths of her friends, many only in their thirties at the time. Years later, she experienced the death of her husband. The close succession of some of these deaths compelled her to ask why there wasn’t much information available to address the needs of families and individuals dealing with death. With encouragement from her Buddhist teacher, Venerable Gyatrul Rinpoche, Julie Rogers later founded TLC Transitional Life Care in 2014. Years earlier, she had written a concise instructional manual about preparing for the moment that will eventually come for all of us – Instructions for the Transitional State, published by Vimala Treasures. To summarize, it aims to offer guidance through the dying process from a Buddhist perspective, but is intended for those of any persuasion. It also includes information about working with the secular aspects of documentation and paperwork, things that families are too often burdened with while in the process of grieving, but it’s focus is on how to offer compassionate care to the person dying. A checklist showing how to properly care for those who are dying is provided, as well as supportive material about how to hold space during the transition of a loved one, or anyone. In other words, the manual is condensed with valuable information that we often overlook until it’s too late. So, since death is an inevitable part of life that causes us to picture the worst of our fears to the point we bottle them up until the very last moment, is there not anything we can do to help prepare ourselves for when that time does come? Is there anything we can do better to help each other grieve and process loss rather than avoid it altogether?      We hope that conversations like this bring us closer to acceptance, and encourage us to feel less resistance when we do eventually transition out of our bodies and into whatever you believe is waiting to greet us in the afterlife.  In speaking with Julie, she helped impart in me an affirmation of a belief that we can never be grateful enough. And to show that gratitude by giving and giving truthfully in alignment with our beliefs.  I suggest listening to this episode with a loved one and encourage you to have conversations around the topic of death so that grief becomes less taboo, less of a thing to avoid in each other. And in doing so, we can help each other, in the words of the late Ram Dass, “walk each other home.” Please enjoy this conversation with Julie Rogers.  ESSENTIAL LINKS TLC Transitional Life Care WebsiteTLC MANUALVajrayana Buddhism NOTES FROM THE SHOW SEG 1 inner workTashi Choling CenterFriends Passed of Cancer in their 30s in span of 2 yearsORGYEN DORJE DENGaytrul RinpocheElizabeth Kubler RossInstructions for the Transitional stateAlternative Intermentgreen burial Ed Bixby Green Burial Council Seth Vidal Catholicism and BuddhismBodhicitta SEG 2 How do we allow space for others to grow, while spreading awareness and raising consciousnessMeeting a GuruMount Shasta https://www.npr.org/2015/06/07/412098380/a-mountain-of-many-legends-draws-spiritual-seekers-from-around-the-globe PhowaNatural Liberation – Book by Padmasambhava SEG 3 Ritual BurialRosek and KaYouth Centric CultureAgeismDifferent Forms of Self Carehelping others through grief SEG 4 Managing RelationshipsDavid MeltzerMarriage as a path to spiritual workDifferences between a meditator and someone that studies Buddhism with A guruPracticing with intent to serve othersWhat is a dignified death?

GUEST BIO Jairus Ferrer is a agricultural entreprenuer from Philippines. With family roots in Mindanao, the southernmost region of the Philippines, he decided to leave the congested, fast-paced city after thirteen years in favor of a more steady-paced, semi-rural, widely untapped area to get in touch with nature and get involved in economic development in rural communities. When Jairus was a boy, his family's shrimp farm was affected by red tide. It was a devastating blow from which it could never recover. Feeling insecure about not knowing what to take up as a career, Jairus decided to take what he called a gap year after high school. During this gap year, he and his father (my dad's twin brother) enrolled in a local organization that offered entrepreneurship intensives in the agricultural industry. There, Jairus learned the necessary skills, both on the farm and the business side, that led him to what he eventually aspires to do for Mindanao and all over the country. To bring back food security, develop infrastructure, and inject a youthful spirit into the once-mighty agriculture industry of the Philippines. What was only supposed to be a four-month entrepreneurship education program turned into a five-year position with the same institution that taught him. After completing the course, Jai began working for the same institution to help train batches of the enrolling students. Then, with moral and extra financial support from the program, he traveled around the Philippines. A few years later, Jai co-founded Pronic Foods, a short-lived organic distribution start-up and later founded iFarms, Inc., an agri-tech corporation, a company which he is currently leading. In this conversation, you'll find out about agricultural entrepreneurship in the Philippines, and what is currently in place to improve food security and distribution for a country in crisis that is in dire need to re-establish its once-independent reliance on the abundant farmers and farmlands that once comprised nearly 40% of the workforce of the philippines. I invite you all to listen in on this conversation with one of the many people that is helping improve the food systems in the Philippines, who I am very grateful gave his time to share his experience, his enthusiasm, and his curious drive to push the boundaries of our agricultural heritage. - please enjoy this conversation with my cousin, my genetic half brother all the way from the Philippines in Mindanao - Jai Ferrer SHOW NOTES Segment 1 Getting your product to marketGrowing  Chickens in the Philippines"I started to realize that knowledge has evolved " - nature (SNIPS)]Modernization vs nature (snip)Life back in the provinceHustle Life in the USPermaculture in the Philippines (snippets Here)Bamboo ArchitectureFood Security in the Philippines OutlookThe decline of farm life in the PhilippinesDevelopment in Rural Communities Seg 2 Is there an agricultural youth movement in the Philippines?Ticktock (ask to keep?)Sparking agricultural activitiesReforesting the countryside (replenishing and replacing snippet)Challenges of Rural BusinessesTypical day for an Agricultural EntrepreneurSupporting Local (snip)Agricultural SubsidiesAcceptance and Boundaries Seg 3 AncestryNapoleon HillInternational Rice Research instituteHelping Communities that need more talentAsking for help and adviceWaste Management ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ARTICLES | Media ABOUT JAI Manila Times Article | iFarms Brings Technology to FarmingThe Agricultural Revolution in the PhilippinesYoutube Video of Bamboo Agriculture Intensive ADDITIONAL LINKS Philippine Agriculture is Dying - Rappler Opinion ArticleBiodynamic FarmingIsrael's Innovative AgricultureThe State of Philippine Agriculture | Video EssayWhat Happened to the Philippine Agriculture Industry? | Video EssayPhilippine Agriculture Facts

GUEST BIO Martin Jay Ruiz is someone that found his way on a skateboard and later on to the wrestling mat as a troubled youth. At an early age, he found the blank canvases of the skate deck and the wrestling mat to be the wide-open spaces that allowed his soul the room for infinite expansion. To this day, his heart never lost its passion for the two mediums. He came from the streets of Santa Maria, California, pulled to the magnetic energy of San Francisco – a pilgrimage for skaters because of its steep, long, concrete hills that can send one bombing down a dance between weightlessness and death. As a former collegiate wrestler for SF State, he became the wrestling coach for Lowell High School, one of the most prestigious public high schools in the United States. Under his tutelage, he’s coached both boys and girls to multiple state championships. Martin also coaches wrestling to adults at Fight Culture Gym in Daly City; he earned his Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is still an active competitor at thirty-three.   EPISODE NOTES Segment 1 brush with a murdererbenefits of learning self-defense | Combat sportsworking with a moving companywhat you find inside other people’s homesbiggest takeaways from working at a moving companyMartin Bio + BackgroundInjury stories (ankle + leg) boneless skate moveBones Brigademental and physical recovery from injuries Segment 2 Dealing with anxiety and depression through wrestling and skatingmental and physical support during injuryInjury Stories (shoulder) Dolores Park Hill Bombing GX 1000High School WrestlingSanta Maria GanglandHow Martin developed mental toughnessChasing the flow state Segment 3 undefeated as a seniortournament stories handling losses Coach Lars Jensen, SF State WrestlingMoving to SF | College Wrestling Career ExperienceMauricio WrightCollegiate Wrestling Practice Structure Segment 4 Collegiate vs High School WrestlingHow skateboarding helped mentally for wrestling the power of repetition the prototypical wrestling personalityDepletion in relation to stress and trauma “cleansing yourself” How to hold attention in the practice room coaching high schoolers Goal StructuringCoaching a state champ Segment 5 where did you learn how to restructure goals?7 habits of highly effective peoplethe joys of coachinganxiety and depression from childhood traumafinding a therapistWhere does your work ethic come from?intrinsic value, motivationWhat is your coaching philosophy?Differences between coaching boys and girlsHow to coach someone who is unmotivated Segment 6 how do you deal with when your best is not enough?coaching strategy/ practice structureJiu Jitsu vs Wrestling TrainingWest Coast WrestlingEvolution of wrestlingFight Culture, Daly Citywhat is it like to bomb a hill in sf

Jake Luigi is the mind behind the Less Impressed, More Involved video blog on youtube. In less than a year, I saw his channel grow from a few hundred to well over seven and a half thousand subscribers. Some of his most popular videos have amassed sixty thousand views and continues to grow due to his cerebral, detailed, and cataloged approach to learning the art, the language, and the endless evolution of Jiu-Jitsu.  In a time that has never seen more opportunity than today for creative exploration and exchange of ideas, I hope that conversations like this one can give some insight into those that want to invest in themselves, their life's work, and the most authentic expression of themselves to what I believe will be the future of designing a flexible lifestyle - in creating content for an open, and shared information economy.  Just a heads up - this conversation has many Jiu-Jitsu references, but I believe it's a metaphor or an example for learning and mastery. It's a great insight into how to arrange a vast amount of information, organize it, and package it in a practical way that creates value for those seeking improvement. To be less impressed and more involved in our hobbies. And it's a conversation with someone who's very passionate about learning, mastery, and embracing the beginner's mindset.  I hope with this intention that you find much to take away from this conversation, as I have, and to please check out his channel, Less Impressed, More Involved, on YouTube. EPISODE COMING SOON! SEG 1 Van life/ Micro-greensBroccoli SproutsVertical FarmingTraining Jiu-Jitsuthe privilege of learning in the modern worldRethinking the Career PathYoutube Channel - Less Impressed, More InvolvedNote Taking TechniqueCommunication Goals, approach to improvements in communication SEG 2 Differences between mastery and general practitioners creating opportunities Visualization practicesAdam Ondra visualizationHandling the sudden growth of a community of followersWhat is a flexible lifestyle?How to approach learning/self-teaching / taking ownership of your learning (snippet)Ruotolo BrothersThe Talent CodeApproach to Learning and MasteryShokuninSunk Cost FallacyHunting in Lanai Story of Deer Arriving in Lanai Whats the feeling like from bagging your first deer?The wastefulness of hunting in LanaiHow long does it take to feel confident until you hunt for deer? Ethical Shot The technical aspects of environment for hunting deer. Understanding nature SEG 3 Resilience What is resilience?Who is the most resilient person you know? Spirituality Thoughts on death and suffering What is a flow state?Closing Books | Podcasts Skin in the GameAnti FragileMindset, Carol Dweck

GUEST BIO Our next guest, Stephanie Crawford, is a hospice care nurse and Death Doula. She recently founded Awakened Endings - an end of life service and community dedicated to helping others understand and prepare for a better death. In this conversation, you’ll hear both a heavy and light-hearted approach to talking about the transition of death. You’ll learn about what a death cafe is, what a “green” burial is, what some commonalities she has witnessed observing people weeks away from their last breath, and much more. It’s an educational tool for those learning how to approach caring for a dying loved one. In piecing this episode together, I noticed that much of what is said during this conversation can also be a metaphor for having meaningful relationships with someone still alive and healthy. Why wait until someone is dying to listen and finally get to know who they really are? You’ll also hear firsthand what kind of person is willing to take on this role of helping bring death back into our culture - not as a traumatic, avoidable topic of discussion - but a reverent, growth transitioning, healing rite of passage.    Reach out to Stephanie Crawford, Death Doula: Serving in-person clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Serving virtual clients worldwide.   Awakened Endings - WebsiteFor a FREE 45-minute consultation and all other inquiries, contact stephanie@awakenedendings.com     Show Notes Segment 1 Death/ NihilismType of nursing work - TraumaWhy is it hard to talk about death?Terror Management TheoryMortality and getting olderHow death can be normalizedAcceptance and deathHow to care for a dying/ suffering patientGoing through a divorce during the pandemic Practices in place to cope with suffering Segment 2 Living in the mindDivorce and Death Finding meaning through suffering Grief as a teacherViews on the healthcare  system Surgeries leading to worse state for elderly Discharging from hospice care/ education about hospice careTerri Schiavo CaseDie Wise, Stephen JenkinsonPain Management/ How to manage patient sufferingThe power of conversation, vulnerability and opening up (snippet)Dark Sense of Humor/ Survival Tactics Light hearted moments working in hospice care Segment 3 Being around family and loved ones, how to talk with loved ones about mortalityEducating people about the death process while still of sound mind and body Early Advanced DirectivesAssisted Death Catholic Death RitualsDifferent types of options for BurialRituals for Death practices to help make sense of death transition (snippet)Coco The Day of the Dead The Death CafeDesert Solitude, Edward AbbeyHuman CompostingPsychedelics and DeathDon't be so focused on the outcome, constant state of changeEye Contact with someone dying, what's that like?Death Connects us with our humanityDrawing boundaries for yourselfCommon themes witnessing people die Visioning academic paper Segment IV what have you learned about people?Work as a death doula, the process what is a death cafe? The Death Deck Game How to approach someone talking about deathHow to hold light and dark in a playful space (credit to Wisdom Sun Meditation Practice)How to build resilience

GUEST BIO If you had BBQ in the Bay Area in the past ten years, there’s a good chance the meat was cooked on one of the units fabricated by our next guest – Garnet Geoffroy, also known as G Stacks – proud owner and welder of custom-made, handcrafted smokers and pits right here on the west coast of Northern California.  Barbecue pits are a great equalizer for entrepreneurs typically bogged down by the seemingly endless fees and regulations imparted on small business owners who have no resources or means of opening up a brick-and-mortar business. Barbecue pits and pitmasters are the embodiments of resilience. The techniques they’ve honed in and feel they’ve developed for cooking come from trial and error. Their cooks are subject to variables in time and weather, so they must be able to adapt and keep their techniques fluid and flexible to adjust as necessary to create consistency in their products.  G Stacks provides the fabric to turn these barbecue dreams into reality. His units are the legacy of what west coast barbecue is now evolving into – making a name for itself on the world stage.  I first met G Stacks while we both began our business ventures about ten years ago. With the support of our family, my wife and I started a booth at a local farmers market, which then blossomed into a full-blown catering company in less than five years in business. To help elevate the food and distinguish ourselves, I wanted to get a texas style offset smoker. Still, the closest quick search online led to businesses well outside of California, all the way to Texas even. After a month of searching, I finally found G Stacks and gave him a call, and in talking with him for about a good hour, I quickly learned about his business, passion for barbecue, and craft. His enthusiasm and love for cooking were infectious.  He went to great lengths to make sure we ended up with a suitable unit for us, and with his build and my work around the fire – we helped bring joy to the people that sought us out to do business with us and eat our food regularly. This conversation offers everything – your Monday motivation, insight into the systems in place that lead to inequality, and perspective from a resilient being that got to where he is today through hard work, observation, and determination, with a big enough heart and capacity for love to pay it back for those that most of us have forgotten or choose to look away from.  So as I’m sure with many of you, what started with a shared enthusiasm for something with a stranger – whether it be fire, food, barbecue, or whatever – can transform into a camaraderie that can be rekindled through nothing much other than good conversation. With that, please enjoy this uplifting discussion with a BBQ legend, a man of integrity and pride in his work, shedding light on others and especially his community, the people of Vallejo, CA – please enjoy this conversation with – Garnet “G Stacks” Geffory. REACH OUT HERE https://www.gstackspits.com/Gstacks Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gstackscustomsmokers/ SEGMENT 1 | ORIGINS Fout springs https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/solano-county/solano-still-trying-to-phase-out-fouts-springs/ Cypress MandelaRio ConsumnesWelding program at Fout SpringsWelding HoodCompartment SyndromeAccidents at work/ SurgeriesFirst Job outside of weldingGrowing up in Vallejo E-40Product of the environmentThoughts on Community and LeadershipTaco Bell Drive Thru Shooting – Vallejo, CA 2019Homeless Youth in Vallejo SEGMENT 2 | THE CRAFT AND THE WORK The workers that help him Gustavo’s Story – 18 year old worker. Orphan from El Salvador. Ruby JewelsThe Work Ethic G-Stack’s Mom’s hustleCal Neva Casino Near Death Experiences/ Injuries/ SurgeriesWhat is it about welding that he loves?Why BBQ Pits?Agricultural Community Shade and Restoration Trailer Working with your handsShout outs to the celebrities that own his buildsTraeger’s/ Factory Grills and Smokers vs Handmade BespokeThe Secret Ingredient to SuccessWhat is California BBQ?Tankhouse BBQ SEGMENT 3 | NEVER QUIT Drive through PhilosophyBeing AvailableGStacks Praying for a Man in front of a Liquor StoreStreet MinistryHow to build a better communityMatthew 6:33The Smoke DoctorWho Motivates you? The Honor System Smokin Woods BBQ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ RESEARCH FOR THIS EPISODE https://youtu.be/zeM6j0vO71ghttps://www.sfgate.com/food/article/bay-area-bbq-barbecue-flints-everett-jones-kcs-16249865.php https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/solano-news/solano-county/vallejo-historian-releases-new-book-on-communitys-black-heritage/https://oaklandherenow.com/blackoaklandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-evolution-of-american-barbecue-13770775/

GUEST BIO Victor Thai is one of the most interesting people I know. He's the son of Vietnamese refugees growing up as one of the only Asian kids in Richmond, Virginia.  I met him five years ago, training Jiu-Jitsu at the same gym where we spent a lot of nights after class doing some extra rolls. He was a newcomer to San Francisco from Virginia, and he introduced me to my first few psychedelic experiences.  He grew his mushrooms from home, stocks a wide variety of colorful teas in his pantry, owns fancy teacups and tea sets, and is one of the most fluid and creative competitors I've ever had the chance to share the mat with.  One time, I found out that he accidentally took a book I brought with me to read in the Muni on the way to the gym - Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - because it was left outside of my backpack. He apologized for taking the book and quickly returned it with the quip, "I only took it because I thought, who the fuck would read that book from this gym?".  That's the kind of guy he is, and I admire that in him. He's blunt, says what's on his mind, and relishes in the awkwardness that straightforwardness puts him in, which I feel is very rare these days.  In this conversation, he shares his personal history, including his parents, that met here in the states as refugees from Vietnam. He talks about his long-term relationship with his ex-girlfriend and the unexpected turn their relationship took after driving across the country with her from Virginia. He shares the impact of psychedelics on his life, how to embrace the comforts of solitude, and more.  This was a fun conversation hanging out in Tilden Park of Berkley, California, in the botanical garden just a few weeks before the end of winter.  It's a pleasure to introduce you to one of my good friends, a fellow Jiu-Jitsu practitioner (how cliche is that a guy with a podcast that does jiu-jitsu). A guy, who, to me, represents my future life regression, a guy that genuinely gives much less fucks than I do, a guy who doesn't sniff his own farts, doesn't care what side anyone is on, and even his own. Most importantly, a guy that lives with mindful intention and is always looking for a better explanation without any regard - The Tech Shaman,  Conduit to the Psychedelic World, Victor Thai.  SHOW NOTES | MENTIONS Vietnam War RefugeesVietnamese AmericansRacial Discrimination on Dating AppsSocratesThe Socratic Method

GUEST BIO Connor McCann is the host of the Brain Drain Podcast. I came across his video about San Francisco's graffiti culture on YouTube, which was a topic that I was very interested in for so many reasons.  That led me to his other videos, topics about the far corners of the world, geopolitics, organized crime, interwoven between personal stories about growing up during the early to mid-90s as a son of Irish immigrants in the middle of the city of San Francisco at the cross streets of gang violence and cultural diversity.  In listening to his videos, I noticed the way he recalled information. The way he tells these stories, sometimes seemingly without any pre-written script, connecting the dots between two or more things that, on the surface, have no connection is nothing short of amazing to me because he often finds a way to make it work. On a deeper level, this conversation showed me how little I know and why it's vital to learn deeply about the cultures around us about the cultures around the world. How they affect us, the decisions we make, the decisions our leaders make for us, and how it affects the rest of the world, including some of the people in our communities, if not only because they are interesting stories, but because in learning we might be able to offer a unique observation to contribute ideas that spread love and light in the world. Or admit that we don't know enough and accept the moments that we must sit and listen to the people around us, despite the urge to jump to sudden conclusions. In taking on a project like this podcast, I thought to myself - how can I possibly contribute ideas that bring people together if I have no idea what deeply divides us in the first place? I hope this conversation inspires that in you, the way it has inspired me to question the personal, social, and systemic barriers between all of us, the people right next to you, and everyone you might come across on a daily basis. How can we better relate to one another? Connor McCann joins us from his place in Ashville, South Carolina. A place wherein recent years, he's made home. Although San Francisco is a place he holds close to his heart, he has no plans of returning any time soon. In this conversation, we get a glimpse of his side of the San Francisco cultural landscape, how to see the conflict from a multidimensional perspective, and most importantly, I got a sense of someone that has indeed crossed over the barriers and borders in his mind to seek truth with the awareness that there is always a different answer or explanation, and in embracing curiosity and our pursuit of knowledge, there is a deepening of our relationship with the world and the people around us.  SHOW NOTES | MENTIONS Carabas Barabas (sp?) Russian MafiaOdessaTsarist TimesBen DavisSan Francisco Gangs in the mid 90sCommonalities between Latin and FIlipino culturesIrish Conflict and HistoryTurkish MafiaKhmer RougeGeopolitics of SyriaKhmelnytsky Uprising - Stuck In the Middle episode (Brain Drain)Russian RevolutionFall of CommunismHapsburgsShrimp Boy ChowMohammed Nuru

GUEST BIO Franco Soriano is a Filipino American ultra runner. He started running ten years ago at the age of 40 and gravitated towards the adventure of ultra running. He runs for the love of it. As much as I wanted to uncover a story about grit and willpower, this conversation showed me that sometimes it just takes a stoic mindset, careful planning, and taking it easy to develop mental toughness. It's all about the enjoyment and high you get when you cross the finish line. And then it's on to the next. I first met Franco searching for a community of Filipino Runners. As someone that loves to get out and run on the trail, I quickly saw that most trail runners are not people of color. For something so simple that brought beauty and self-actualization into my life, I couldn't help but ask myself, why is that? Is it because we just haven't been exposed? Is it conditioning to prioritize other things? SOME OF FRANCO'S NOTABLE RACES Tahoe Rim Trail 100Hurt 100The Western States 100Bad Water 135 milerLeadvilleMt Whitney Summit (14k Elevation)SF Northface Endurance Challenge - 50 miles LEARNING THE BARRIERS TO BREAK THEM Some of you listening to this podcast may have heard an instance many years ago when I was in high school. I was picking up trash for financial aid at a prestigious catholic high school in the peninsula alongside the football team practice. And a guy yells out between huddles, "haha, you're not out here cuz you're Filipino!". Maybe it was just a joke, but that hit home, and I'm still talking about it more than 20 years later. There was a Filipino guy on the football team, in fact.  The stereotypes I learned in a less homogeneous environment outside of Daly City were eye-opening. Filipinos love shopping, love to collect clothes and shoes, are only bold in numbers, only hang out in malls and play pool. And to be honest, coming from Daly City, one of the highest concentrations of Filipinos in the world outside of the Philippines, it was hard not to argue it, because up until that point, it was all I knew. But as I grew older, I belive that was never true. Yes, just like everyone else, we like nice things - the clothes, the shoes, the material things that everyone else has the right to enjoy. But by my experience alone, if that was the focus on what cultures outside our bubble saw, I knew countless others had more substance to themselves than what I heard in that joke. Which is why I wanted to seek out people like Franco in the first place. I want to prove those stereotypes wrong. I hope that this conversation will help inspire others to achieve their levels of greatness without any concern or thought for what anything outside of themselves can bring. I wanted to have this conversation to go out of my way to prove those people wrong by using the words in this conversation, and the actions of people like Franco, to fight back and be a measure of the standard representation and not the exception. NOTES | MENTIONS Maria Lorena RamirezKilian JornetUltra Marathon Man, Dean KarnazesBorn to Run, Christopher McDougallBarkley MarathonsIditarod 350Fueling Strategy for UltraMarathons

GUEST BIO Tom Brown III is the founder of FutureNature and T3Photography. He is a lifelong practitioner and living guide of ancestral skills, a frequent contributor, and a consultant to the Anchored Outdoors network. As a lifelong practitioner of ancestral skills under his father Tom Brown Jr. - prolific author and Founder of Tracker Wilderness Survival School.  Tom has devoted his life to passing on his knowledge of these skills. He works diligently as an educator, a steward of the land, to help return the connection to the natural world and awareness back to our wild selves. He joins us from his homestead in Oregon by Mount Hood - his home base for sharing his knowledge and experience through teaching, writing, and photography. He hopes to, in his words, "help people see Nature through his eyes, leading them to understand that spectacular natural beauty can be found anywhere, no matter where you may be." I believe that our ability to be resilient is not gone; it's simply re-awakening what we already have innately in us through the examples of how our ancestors lived and what people like Tom bring to light. To recognize our abundance, that we do have it all, and that there is always much to learn about our home here on earth and how to undo our distractions, even if only a little bit, to become better stewards of the land. It was an honor to sit with Tom III and listen intently as he shared his passion for learning and sharing some of the knowledge passed on to him by his father, Tom Brown Jr., and his grandfather, Stalking Wolf, who taught his father. And it was also great to hear some perspective from someone who, through his lifetime devotion to a life outdoors and educating others to find their own way in life, figures out ways of balancing both modern and primitive aspects of our human experience. NOTES | MENTIONS TOM BROWN III LINKS AND MORE INFORMATION Find Tom's work and more information here https://www.tombrown3.com/Tom demos the Proper way to walk in Nature  EPISODE NOTES | MENTIONS Anchored OutdoorsSapiens: A Brief History of Human Kind, by Yuval Noah HarrariTom’s educationTom’s teaching styleTom on failurePaiute Native AmericansStalking WolfTom Brown Jr. Tom Brown Jr. Books Hunter-gatherer societiesThe Rational optimist by Matt RidleyArguments in Climate ChangeBenefits of Being in NaturePine Needle TeaCastaway MovieNomads that Survived TsunamiSteller's Jay1491 by Charles C. MannBaseline vs DisruptionCamasStarlinkGo BagHomesteadingFactory FarmingSurvival Show PhoniesLes Stroud SurvivormanDeep Survival Laurence GonzalesDune - Frank HerbertMarcus Aurelius - “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."Bob Marshall WildernessTrackers Earth - Bay Area Wilderness Survival CoursesChronic Wasting Disease Prion Disease Sit Spots

"No history, no self. Know history, know self."  - Jose Rizal Many of us don't know about the trauma that our parents harbor. As children of parents that immigrated to the United States, the same trauma they harbor could be passed on to us, and manifested in different ways.    Some of us might have these questions like -  Who am I?  Why do we speak this way?  Why do I not know anything about you, our grandparents, or relatives?  Why is it hard to approach my parents with these questions?   Our next guest, Stephanie Balon has taken the first giant steps to help answer these questions, and the countless others we have faced for generations. The idea of providing space, even if only for conversation, might provide a way to heal our forgotten, indigenous, colonialized ways of living - of being together in community. Or as we say in our native language - in Kapwa. GUEST BIO Stephanie Balon is a mental health clinician, an expressive arts therapist with a focus on trauma-informed care, narrative and cultural therapeutic approaches. She holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Washington and a Master's in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco.   With over 15 years in the non-profit sector, and her work as an activist, she helped raise awareness for the Filipina/o/x Community. As a co-chair for the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Mateo County, she has received recognition for her community activism from District 5 supervisor, David Canepa. For congresswoman Jackie Speier, she served on the Asian American Advisory Committee to devise strategies for community engagement. Stephanie also helped raise over two and a half million dollars with the intention to co-found the first Filipino Cultural Center in San Mateo county that aims to provide mental health and wellness services for the Filipino Community.   NOTES | MENTIONS | RESOURCES GET INVOLVED + SUPPORT Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Mateo County Kapwa Gardens Soma Pilipinas Undiscovered SF Bruce Lee Chosen Ancestors generational/ intergenerational trauma Kapwa Intergenerational Resilience Maya Angelou - “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” KTEH - channel 26 Non Profit business vs for profit business What is the difference? What type of person does it take to have longevity in this kind of work? What are the metrics of success of nonprofit work? Paying people what they are worth. How to change nonprofit work. Exploitation in nonprofit work Doreen Fernandez - how to indigenize a dish Colonial Mentality Cognitive Dissonance H.E.R. Why isn't there a "Filipino Town" like there are China Towns Kapwa Cultural Center and Cafe Liwanag, Daly City Helping the Senior Community with Food Security How to approach different cultures about mental health, and provide an open space for expression. How to be culturally attuned Healing Practices Kapihan - Filipino coffee house. To sit and have coffee Healing Ritual Practices - How to practice self love What is a mentorship? Awakening, Anthony de Mello

A mushroom cloud - like the ones you see from a distance after a volcanic eruption or a nuclear explosion, is caused by the process scientifically described in the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (RTI). I don’t intend and am highly unqualified to describe in scientific detail what happens during an RTI. But my understanding (based on what I've found on the interwebs) uses the everyday example of what you see when trying to mix oil and water.  Water - the lighter fluid in density based on the Earth's gravity will always be below the oil, a much denser fluid that will always float to the surface.  Let's imagine a physical model of this process by inverting the liquids in two separate jars. Oil in the bottom jar, water at the top. In between the jars, we add a removable barrier between them.  Once we remove the barrier we should see, in slow motion, the oil pushing to the surface. The oil pushing up from the water, and into the surface will create a mushroom-shaped movement. Some would argue, that moves similar to the wax in a lava lamp or pouring cream into your morning cup of coffee. In the same way, we saw fidget spinners, Pokemon go, and hoverboards in recent memory - a similar explosion in the 80s and 90s gave us breakdancing. Dance styles like the uprock, popping, and strutting, started regionally in the 70s by kids in the Black and Latino communities in the burrows of New York, and cities all over California. Over time, they all evolved and melded together to what the world widely knows now as breakdancing. Breakdancing will be an official event of the Paris Olympic games in 2024. The more conversations I have with people from different walks of life, the more I see that all of us have unique outlets of expression. Especially as youths, to gain a semblance of control for what can feel, at times, like an uncontrollable reality. The magnetic pull to immerse ourselves in something like breakdancing, that connects us with a community. To express what might be challenging to put into words through movement.  We all have our own version of this. In this conversation, we welcome back Tudor Atienza, a good friend and guest from episode 007, Dazed and Confused in Daly City. Today, he’s a loving husband, father of two girls, and a hardworking manager for one of San Francisco's transportation branches.  He is where he is today because he overcame a troubled childhood. Losing his mother at an early age, bullying, and much more with what we will unpack together in this and future episodes. San Francisco has always been known as the home to countless cultural movements, tech innovations, and one of the most expensive places in the world to live. But stories of hardworking, struggling, lesser-known cultures and communities deserve just as much of a platform as the CEOs and cultural figures that we've often heard any and everywhere throughout history. It’s a story about the children of immigrants like the Filipinos in Daly City and all over the Bay Area, that latched on to an artform that is equally wild, dynamic, and innovative. A story of how a movement spread across the globe without the help of Youtube and masterclass tutorials. And a story about how regular kids from all over the world can come together and work as hard as any world-class gymnast to contort their bodies, expand and string together seemingly impossible moves that appear to suspend them above ground.  An art form all within the moments that the DJ and breakbeat loop allows, feel a bit more than human. An art form where a battle isn’t settled with detonating bombs, but the eruption you get from the crowd, it seems, with the energy simply made from the style you create from the dynamic movement of the human body. Welcome back, Tudor Atienza!   NOTES | MENTIONS Beatstreet | Battle at the RoxySoul Train BreakdancingApache, Incredible Bongo BandRocksteady CrewPsycho BunniesHype-a-Delic AlliancePRT (Prototype)T-FlareThomas FlarePlanet B-Boy DocumentaryBrazilian Jiu JitsuIndian Summer - (article about the political correctness of the use of the words) ADDITIONAL LINKS Oakland Boogaloo, KQED DOCUMENTARYHistory of Filipino's and Dance - ArticleKQED Video, History of Filipino's and dancePoppin' in San JosePaulskee - Bay Area Breakdancing/ Hip Hop ambassadorNuclear Blasts Slow Motion Nuclear ExplosionNuclear Fireball PhotosRayleigh-Taylor Visual Simulation

GUEST BIO Ivan C Lopez is an artist from San Francisco by way of Columbia. He co-founded and helped build Artillery Art Gallery - a creative community space in the heart of the Mission. His passion to provide space for community inspires others to find what has been explorative and healing for him. Through ceramics and painting, Ivan hopes to bring balance; within a connection to the natural world alongside the concrete walls of the city. I wanted to speak with Ivan because he connects this idea of the modern human being returning to our wild selves by communing with our indigenous selves. Not only through embracing creativity, but through encouraging and teaching others to pick up a brush to play with colors. Or taking a lump of clay and sitting at a table to be creative together. In this way, we embrace our childlike curiosity to explore and meditate upon the infinite ways of knowing ourselves, just in the same way we were created from virtually nothing. In this conversation, Ivan shares his creative process, his journey in his lifetime exploration of art, self-discovery, and community. Please enjoy this stream of consciousness conversation beneath a canopy of redwood trees in McClaren Park San Francisco, on Ohlone Rammaytus land - with the artist, the wild human, the mindfully grounded, Ivan Camilo Lopez. Ivan's Instagram: @ivanclopez Artillery Art Gallery Ivan's Art here. SHOW NOTES Summer SearchCeramic ArtThe AmazonsAyahuascaPlant Medicine ElderberryKava Root Bike packingIvan's Wild Human's Collection Additional Links and Resources https://vimeo.com/113688021?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=12703998