What Could Possibly Go Right?

Jodie Evans is the co-founder of CODEPINK and the after-school writing program 826LA. She has been a visionary advocate for peace for several decades. Whether in board rooms or war zones, legislative offices, or neighborhood streets, Jodie’s enthusiasm for a world at peace infuses conciliation, optimism, and activism wherever she goes.Jodie addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:That the war economy is in the structures around us that are violent, oppressive, extractive, and destructive. “We won't end war until we end the war economy”. That we need to lean into the peace economy, which is life, community, planet Earth, parenting, the commons, healing.The war economy thrives on alienation and self direction. The peace economy is about connection and community engagement.That we should not get caught in the “folly of fretting”. “Everything is about action because if we don't act, we let the banality and the brutality of it undermine our capacity to act.”The peace economy examples of sharing and abundance found in supporting homeless youth in Venice Beach and creating land trusts for commons to reemerge. That we should ask, “How do we use our wild imaginations together to create something absolutely fresh and new? What am I doing today to create the conditions conducive for life?”Resources21 ways to divest from a war economySafe Place for Youth (SPY)Lead with LandTwo Rivers FarmsGreenhorns (see also episode 18 https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-10-13/what-could-possibly-go-right-episode-18-severine-von-tscharner-fleming/ )Soul Fire FarmConnect with Jodie EvansWebsite // Facebook // TwitterFollow WCPGRFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Victor Lee Lewis is a progressive life coach, trainer, speaker, and Founder of the Radical Resilience Institute. As a social justice educator, Victor brings a unique, socially progressive vision to the work of personal growth, personal empowerment, and emotional health. He addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:That many esteemed institutions and structures that we deeply believe in are counterfeit to what we really want and need.That humanity and life can’t bear another century of white supremacy, patriarchy, and Western enlightenment-based education. That “we need to unpack and detox our notions of freedom and liberty”, which has typically been construed in racial terms in the United States of America. That liberation is a nonlinear process and much has changed, even if progress isn’t always obvious.That this is an infinite game. “We're not trying to win it, we're not trying to complete it. We're in an infinite game that we want to keep going. I'm not trying to live forever. I'm trying to see that life lives forever.”That “as things fall apart, opening our hearts as well as our minds, and taking courage may yet carry us through.”ResourcesBook: "I Seem To Be A Verb" by Buckminster FullerBlog post: “An Easter Sermonette” by Vicki Robin https://vickirobin.com/an-easter-sermonette/ Current Conversations Episode #307 with Victor Lee Lewis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egZ9n7wtSxYConnect with Victor Lee LewisWebsite // FacebookFollow WCPGRFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Glacier Kwong is a political and digital rights activist born and raised in Hong Kong. She is the founder of the NGO Keyboard Frontline and is a Research Fellow at Hong Kong Democracy Council in the US. In self-exile in Germany, she is pursuing her PhD in Law at the University of Hamburg, with her research focusing on data protection and surveillance in Hong Kong and China. She addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:“We don't persist because we see hope. We only see hope when we persist.” Self-care is part of the revolution. “Activism, at its core, is fighting for the better livelihood of people,” so taking care of your well-being is aligned with these goals.We should honor the freedom and the privileges we have; use them well and not take them for granted.We should not suppress our feelings of sadness during our activism. Being upfront with these emotions shows our humanity and gives validation to others feeling the same way. “We have one million reasons to give up. But we only need one to continue the fight; that is, we know that what we're doing is right.”Connect with Glacier KwongTwitter // InstagramFollow WCPGRFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Alan AtKisson has been working professionally in sustainable development since 1988 and has been recognized internationally as a pioneering innovator and thought leader in the field. He currently serves as Assistant Director-General of Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, where he leads the Department of Partnership and Innovation. Alan is a musician and an author whose books include bestseller Believing Cassandra: How to be an Optimist in a Pessimist’s World.Alan addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with insights including:That sustainability concepts and the sustainable development sector are moving from cutting edge to mainstream.That the recent increase in digital meetings has made sector conversations more accessible and inclusive. “We both arrived through the same digital fibers, into the same digital space, speaking to each other on the same terms.” That the “entire financial system is at this tipping point moment of really embracing a sustainable development perspective, where the most influential leaders in the world are making public statements about diversity, environment and climate change.”That there’s power in long-term institutional change, driven by good people who work in government bureaucracies.ResourcesSustainable SeattleBook - “Believing Cassandra: How to be an optimist in a pessimist’s world” by Alan AtKissonSong - “Dead Planet Blues” by Alan AtKissonSwedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)Connect with Alan AtKissonWebsite // TwitterFollow WCPGRFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Kay Taylor is an evolutionary astrologer, author, and teacher who has been integrating soul-centered astrology with a range of healing wisdom for over 35 years. Author of Soul Path Way, Kay runs the Soul Path School to train individuals in intuitive mastery, psychosynthesis, and astrology. She maintains a thriving full-time consulting practice based in the San Francisco Bay Area.She addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:The shifts in consciousness in key periods of recent history, creating greater connection and awakening.That as old structures are coming down, we should “stay in our hearts, be love, and work with each other” as new structures emerge. That our global connectivity through the internet can be the “training wheels” for humanity’s growing physic capabilities.That we need to be careful with our thoughts, words and information with which we engage, directing those towards manifesting what we want to go right. That “it's essential for people who are feeling discouraged to come into small levels of gratitude. To connect to things that are outside that viewpoint, to see the beauty... all the ways that we can remind ourselves that most humans are truly good, and want the best for everybody.” That we can see bridges to scientific and rational realms, such as when considering planetary impacts on tides or looking at energy and particle movements.ResourcesBook: Soul Path Way by Kay TaylorRichard Tarnas, Archetypal Cosmology, and Deep HistoryConnect with KayWebsite // Facebook // LinkedInFollow WCPGRFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Hailing from Celina Tennessee, Trae Crowder is a standup comedian, writer, and self-proclaimed “Liberal Redneck.” Trae gained national attention (or notoriety, depending on your viewpoint) with his viral video rants and has been performing and touring his particular brand of Southern-fried intellectual comedy for over a decade.Trae addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” through his socially aware comedic view, sharing thoughts including:That there’s inexorable positive progress in social issues over time, despite setbacks in the short-term.That each new generation makes advancements in social awareness; for today’s young people, “the default position seems to be one of wokeness.”That in spite of stereotypes, “in any given state, 40 something percent of people voted blue, but the state still shows up red on a map.”That when considering issues such as racism, the wider USA needs to avoid “using the South as a scapegoat, and in doing so, act like they don't have those problems where they live.” That we could all use more empathy to understand others’ perspectives and experiences in our day-to-day lives.ResourceswellRED podcastConnect with Trae CrowderWebsite // Facebook // Twitter // YouTubeFollow WCPGRFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community by  April 13 to receive an invitation to Backstage with Vicki : A What Could Possibly Go Right? Zoomboree on April 14.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Ellen Bass is an award-winning poet, author, and a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Her poems appear frequently in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. Her poetry books include Indigo, Like a Beggar, The Human Line, and Mules of Love. Her nonfiction books include the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth. Bass founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and the Santa Cruz, California jails, and teaches in the MFA writing program at Pacific University. From her view as a poet, Ellen addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with insights including:There’s growing interest and diversity of poetry enthusiasts, in addition to increased accessibility and connection through our virtual communities now. “Poetry is so nourishing, and sustaining, and gives us a chance to grieve, and gives us a chance to celebrate.”The best poetry combines the personal with political.It's not what you do when you're getting to the end of your rope; it's what you do when you're AT the end of your rope.Poetry is about discovery and the process of being transformed. “Why I think most people write poems is so that at the end, they will not be the same person they were before they wrote the poem.”ResourcesLiving Room Craft Talks by Ellen BassBook: All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth JohnsonConnect with Ellen BassWebsite // Facebook // Twitter // InstagramFollow WCPGR on Social MediaFacebook // Twitter // InstagramJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Learn more: https://bit.ly/wcpgr-resSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Dr. Jem Bendell is the Founder of the Deep Adaptation Forum and a Professor of Sustainability Leadership with the University of Cumbria. He works as a researcher, educator, and advisor on social and organizational change, with over 25 years of experience in sustainable development initiatives in over 20 countries. In 2018, he authored the viral Deep Adaptation paper, downloaded around a million times.Jem addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:That “people are changing their lives because of their anticipation of collapse, to relate more openly and wanting to do what's right, come what may.”That “holding space for each other and our difficult emotions has led to a new quality of engagement.” That Deep Adaptation invites people into a different way of talking about crisis response and emotions - fostering compassion, curiosity, and respect.That sustainable development may be a delusion, but we can ready ourselves for societal disruption to help others with our skills and networks.ResourcesAuroville intentional community, southern IndiaBook: “How Everything Can Collapse” by Momentum InstitutePaper: Deep Adaptation by Jem BendellInternational Scholars Warning on Societal Disruption and CollapseConnect with JemWebsite // Deep Adaptation Forum // Twitter // Facebook group Join our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Follow WCPGR on Social MediaFacebook // Twitter // InstagramLearn moreSupport the showComplete Show Notes

New York Times best-selling author Kim Stanley Robinson joins Vicki Robin this week. Widely recognized as one of the foremost living writers of science fiction, Robinson is the author of more than twenty books, includingThe Ministry For The Future, the best-selling Mars trilogy, and the critically acclaimed Forty Signs of Rain, The Years of Rice and Salt, and 2312. In 2008, he was named a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine.From his perspective as a utopian science fiction writer, he answers the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:That science fiction, literature, and arts have “become a kind of a necessary tool of thought for thinking our way forward”.The value of the Paris Agreement in ensuring the rights of future people and all living beings to a livable world.The risk of reaching wet-bulb temperature levels where a high enough heat and humidity combination is fatal to humans. That we do have enormous scientific and technological powers, but our inaction comes down to matters of capitalism and pursuit of monetary profit. “We're in an economic system that will not pay us to do the right things.”The idea of carbon coins and carbon quantitative easing for positive impact. The benefits of significantly increasing the world’s land surface left to animals.ResourcesBook: The Ministry For The Future by Kim Stanley RobinsonBook: Half Earth by E. O. WilsonBook: How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire by Andreas MalmConnect with Kim Stanley RobinsonWebsite // FacebookJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Follow WCPGR on Social MediaFacebook // Twitter // InstagramLearn moreSupport the showComplete Show Notes

Michelle Singletary is an author and award-winning personal finance columnist. She writes the nationally syndicated personal finance column “The Color of Money”, which appears in The Washington Post. She is a frequent contributor to various radio programs and has appeared on national talk shows and television networks.She addresses the question of “What Could Possibly Go Right?” with thoughts including:That the joy of this pandemic could be a lasting effect on people reaching out and helping their neighbors; that people tend to rise to the occasion in emergencies and realize that we are all in this together. That on a financial level, the pandemic has revealed the minimal possessions we really need and that human contact is what we’re craving.That we need to resist the urge to narrow down to single sources of news and instead keep our minds open to other points of view. That none of us are successful if our neighbors remain in poverty.That there are ongoing impacts of intergenerational trauma for Black Americans, in addition to microaggressions, redlining, discrimination in hiring, and more.That you need to align your finances and resources to what you truly value.Connect with MichelleWebsite // Facebook // TwitterJoin our Patreon Community to receive bonus conversations with guests and "backstage" conversations between Vicki and other podcast hosts.Follow WCPGR on Social MediaFacebook // Twitter // InstagramLearn moreSupport the showComplete Show Notes