The Gathering Room Podcast

We’ve ALWAYS been sensitive to what others think of us, but now we are exposed online to more criticism, bullying, and mockery than we experience in person. Including things people would never say to our faces! Martha talks about how prevalent judgment-fueled anxiety and depression have become in the age of the Internet, explains the Spotlight Effect, and shares a psyche-shielding exercise from psychologist Mario Martinez. (Originally aired: Nov. 15, 2020)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few days before the contentious 2020 election, Martha delves into how American power systems were born and how they are continuing to evolve. She points out that the changes we’re witnessing can be unsettling (like all changes), which is why many Americans feel intensely fearful and worried. She encourages those of us who can become centers of calm amidst this panic to do so, since our energy has a softening effect on those around us. (Originally Aired: Nov. 1, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that at just 5 weeks old, babies hit a major developmental milestone? The new kiddo in Martha’s household has just reached this age and is experiencing the associated burst of neurological development . . . which can be both overwhelming and unpleasant! That got Martha thinking about how adults ALSO experience periods of unexpected acceleration and growth. She shares 7 steps for coping during these tough times. (Originally Aired: Oct. 25, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Into each life, earthquakes must come. Sometimes they come in the form of a traumatic experience, sometimes a choice, sometimes a global pandemic … whatever the initiating event may be, it has a HUGE impact on your life. In this episode, Martha shares a Zen belief that when shaking starts within our lives, the only safe place to be is within the shaking itself. The most effective way to ride a wave of disruption is complete nonresistance. (Originally aired: Oct.18, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martha believes that material reality is an illusion. That we aren’t physical beings who generate consciousness; we are all part of a consciousness that’s busily generating a physical world. And that none of the good stuff that we’re here to gather is physical. We want the FEELING of being well-supplied, secure, loved. It’s the perception that matters! With that in mind, she shares an exercise to help us recognize abundance all around us. (Originally aired: Oct. 11, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you’ve had a baby. Or a crisis. Or a time in your life when you just couldn’t keep up with all of your normal responsibilities. Since we live in a culture that forces people to believe that pausing our normal, everyday responsibilities is a massive personal failure, you probably felt awful. Martha urges us all to explore self-forgiveness in response to the nasty things our inner critics and our social conditioning scream at us. (Originally aired: September 28, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us have been waiting for the world to right itself. But when we focus on waiting, life can become unbearable. When we live in limbo, it creates some degree of suffering. In fact, Martha reveals her belief that the source of most suffering is misplaced focus: concentrating on a possible future and removing our attention from the present moment. She teaches us how to come home to ourselves through the trans-theoretical model of action. (Originally aired: Sept. 13, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you noticed that even the busiest, most active people in your life are slowing down? Everyone seems to have an increased need for rest, downtime, and relaxation during these decidedly tumultuous times. Martha points out that this isn’t just natural, it’s radical and revolutionary! In fact, taking time to rest is one of the most seditious things we can do to bring down the patriarchy and resist systemic oppression. (Originally aired: Sept. 7, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having just watched the film “Superhuman,” Martha is eager to talk about miracles! She’s had plenty in her own life—including learning to bend spoons and watching her son Adam create visible balls of light between his hands—and has learned that they are drawn into our lives at particular times. Specifically, when we get into complete alignment with what we feel in our hearts, what we know with our minds, and what we’re doing in the world. (Originally aired: Aug. 31, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a BIG difference between “hitting a rough patch” and feeling the Universe relentlessly pound you into the ground. In this episode, Martha recounts coaching a client who’s definitely in that latter category yet has remained remarkably clear of mind, heart, and spirit. She explains that sometimes life takes wonderful people and beats them down hard, over and over, in order to forge them like samurai swords. (Originally aired: Aug. 23, 2020.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.