Meet Cousin Alex. She is open-hearted and compassionate. We are second cousins, but this conversation was the longest we've talked...maybe ever. It was really cool getting to know her better through this conversation. I think you'll enjoy her positive personality and laugh. For show notes and links: https://jonahasks.medium.com/episode-16-with-cousin-alex-on-family-being-jewish-divorce-building-community-suitcases-and-9638d59dd93d Topics we discuss: *identity *childhood and divorce *psychology *being Jewish *family history *being an only child *parenting *dance/yoga *listening/calming *public health work *social media Please share, subscribe and rate the podcast. https://jonahasks.podomatic.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jonah-asks/id1537595117 For detailed show notes: https://jonahasks.medium.com/episode-16-with-cousin-alex-on-family-being-jewish-divorce-building-community-suitcases-and-9638d59dd93d Thanks for listening and stay safe!

Welcome to Episode 15 of Jonah Asks. Meet my brother, Ben. He's four years older than me, and he's a middle school math teacher. In this talk we look back at our memories of childhood. Topics we delve into: *sibling rivalry *parental expectations *divorce *parents as individuals *tennis *psychology and control *teaching *parenting Thanks for listening. If you enjoy it, please subscribe, share and rate this episode. Stay Safe, Jonah

Welcome to Episode 14 of Jonah Asks. Meet Vibraphonist Chris Dingman. Chris makes meditative music. For anyone in need of transporting to a calmer place, this music is a wonderful vehicle. Topics we discuss: *music in childhood *listening and musical influences *categories of music: jazz vs experimental *studying music at Wesleyan *music as healing *exploitation of the artist in the music industry *process vs product *creating music versus promoting music *composing *teaching *losing a parent *universal language of music

Welcome to an Inauguration Day episode of Jonah Asks. Join Mike C and me on a tour of the post-Trump landscape. Topics we discuss: *calls for national unity *life after Trump *social media and truth *future of both parties *white supremacy *empathy *national conversation Please enjoy responsibly. This episode contains expletives. As always, share, subscribe and rate as you see fit. Stay Safe and Feel Good For Now, Jonah

Welcome to Episode 12 of Jonah Asks. Meet Noah. I have never met Noah in person, but we discovered uncanny similarities in our lives in this episode. It's funny how small the world can seem when you find so much common ground with a person you've only ever interacted with online. This was a powerful episode for me, in that it was like meeting a long-lost younger brother. Noah is a basketball journalist who lives in San Diego. In our talk, we discuss the following themes: *basketball as a childhood outlet *Jewish mothers *Greater Boston *meditation and therapy *technology and attention *journalism *fatherhood *getting through 2020 Please share, subscribe and rate this podcast. And stay safe...remember...this is temporary.

Welcome back to Jonah Asks. In this episode, meet Carl. I've known Carl since I was a young child. Our families had dinners together and both families had two boys around the same age. We played all kinds of games growing up. Now, we're middle-aged and have families. In this talk, Carl described working in international peace and security and a life dedicated to promoting peace and nuclear governance. Carl has a grounded sense of humanity and purpose that made for a riveting conversation about truth, risk, family, managing time and technology, the complexity of identity, and politics. Featured in this episode: Edward R. Murrow's wonderful 1958 speech on the importance of television on educating and enlightening the American people. The speech was highlighted in the film Good Night, and Good Luck, which I highly recommend. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechgoodnightandgoodluckmurrow.html Happy listening. Please share, subscribe and rate this podcast if you enjoyed it. Send any feedback to jonahasks @ gmail . com

Welcome back to Jonah Asks. In this episode, meet Andy. I've been friends with Andy for as long as I can remember...as we grew up our families had dinners together. Andy is a compassionate, kind and funny human being. He loves knowledge and ideas. He's a thinker and a professor, a husband and a new father, a son and a friend. I always love our conversations. Because of our history, I'm almost immediately at ease and ready to laugh with Andy. Topics we discuss: *Joe Castiglione (voice of the Red Sox) *snow and winter *baseball and the changing of the seasons *mortality and COVID *our capacity for acknowledging and absorbing suffering *sports fandom around Boston *football and Trumpism *use of technology and the internet *being younger brothers -- impact on identity *Dr. Thomas Boyce "The Orchid and the Dandelion" *ritual weekday lunches (2012-2015) *choosing to have a child *dealing with the inner critic

Meet Paul. He's a father, husband, son, student, electrician, and an adult baseball player, among other things. He's genuine and thoughtful. Topics discussed in this episode: *movies and psychology *competition *pants and weight *life goals *either/or questionnaire *medication for ADD *childhood dynamics *fathers *facebook as a tool for finding family *fatherhood *healing from childhood wounds *trust and forgiveness *having children and adoption As always, any shares, subscribes or ratings are greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening and Be Safe!

On this episode of Jonah Asks, meet Jeremy. A Kindergarten teacher who lives in Salt Lake City, Jeremy believes in the power of kindness. Topics of discussion: -growing up in the desert -identity: being bilingual and brown in rural areas -teaching and building trust -teaching on Zoom -mental health and depression -meditation and silence -letting your feet breathe It was an open and relaxed conversation. Please enjoy responsibly.

Welcome to Episode 7 of Jonah Asks. Today, I talk to John G. He's a friend from college who I've rarely seen over the last twenty years. He grew up in the woods in North Carolina. He now lives in Beijing, China, where he's resided since 2003. Strangely enough, we didn't talk much about China during this conversation. John is a thoughtful and curious person, great at engaging. It's a testament to John has a unique conversational style and ability to convey the process of rolling things over in his mind while speaking, improvising. The conversation topics include: attention and distraction; psychology and the complexity of identity; fandom; the power of silence; technology in our lives; consuming politics; fatherhood; awareness and social justice. Thanks as always for listening, sharing and subscribing.