Bewildered
Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan
What if we stopped listening to the controlling voice of the culture around us, and instead learned to reconnect with our own true nature?
Sometimes we aren’t even sure why we feel so bewildered… and discontented… and even downright miserable. Often it’s because we have let the forces of society replace our own instinctive knowledge of what is right for us.
Now, it’s time for us to find that voice again—before it’s too late.
For Martha and Rowan, Job One is to live according to our deepest truths, making the commitment to feeling good even when it means looking weird. We believe that this is how we will reinvent our world—from the inside out— to create a society that’s kinder, more equitable, and more ecologically sustainable than the one we see around us right now.
This is the vision that we laugh and stumble and chat and feel our way towards here on this podcast. Did we mention LAUGH? We want no part of personal and global transformation if it isn’t fun!
So if you struggle to find a place where people who are as idealistic and brokenhearted, as silly and deeply sincere, as bewildered as you are—you might have just arrived.
Welcome!
Sometimes we aren’t even sure why we feel so bewildered… and discontented… and even downright miserable. Often it’s because we have let the forces of society replace our own instinctive knowledge of what is right for us.
Now, it’s time for us to find that voice again—before it’s too late.
For Martha and Rowan, Job One is to live according to our deepest truths, making the commitment to feeling good even when it means looking weird. We believe that this is how we will reinvent our world—from the inside out— to create a society that’s kinder, more equitable, and more ecologically sustainable than the one we see around us right now.
This is the vision that we laugh and stumble and chat and feel our way towards here on this podcast. Did we mention LAUGH? We want no part of personal and global transformation if it isn’t fun!
So if you struggle to find a place where people who are as idealistic and brokenhearted, as silly and deeply sincere, as bewildered as you are—you might have just arrived.
Welcome!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 19, 2022 • 40min
Blowing Up Your Life
Blowing up your life—why such violent imagery? Martha and Rowan say it’s because the culture is so powerful you need an explosion to break out of it! On this BeWild Files episode of Bewildered, they talk about making the decision to upend your life and the criticism we face when our choices don’t match the culture’s expectations. It’s a conversation about how language shapes culture, how to find value in all experience, and the price we pay for living on the frontiers (where the magic is). Don’t miss it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 5, 2022 • 47min
Making the Right Choice
The culture believes there’s always a single right choice, and if you don’t make that right choice, you could end up wasting your whole life. So is it any wonder a lot of us freeze in panic when faced with making a decision? On this BeWild Files episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro talk about how we can move past “decision paralysis” to find guidance in the liminal spaces, and how doing nothing is, in fact, something. For a wild new way to view decision-making, don’t miss this insightful conversation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 21, 2022 • 40min
Helping Too Hard
Martha and Ro are back with another BeWild Files episode of Bewildered to discuss things that YOU, their listeners, are trying to figure out. This episode is all about codependency—sacrificing your own needs for those of someone else—behavior that can lead to exhaustion, resentment, even illness. And yet, our culture calls it “virtuous.” The good news? We can unhook from codependency to create relationships in alignment with our true nature. If you’ve ever felt like an over-giver, this episode is for you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 7, 2022 • 37min
Cave Early
Our culture stresses that we should never, ever give up on anything, no matter what the cost to our happiness or health. Yet our bodies have a way of telling us when something isn’t right—first in a whisper but eventually, a scream. On this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro advocate for what they call “caving early”—giving up the moment you sense something isn’t right for you. (That’s right, you can quit!) If you’ve ever struggled with giving up, you won’t want to miss this liberating conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5 snips
Aug 24, 2022 • 59min
Elizabeth Gilbert gets Bewildered!
Martha and Rowan have a very special guest on this episode of Bewildered—the incredible Elizabeth Gilbert! The bestselling author of EAT PRAY LOVE joins Martha and Ro to discuss the question: Why is our culture so hostile toward women who are single and childless by choice? What follows is an engrossing conversation about the lies that benefit the patriarchy, the saving grace of oversensitivity, and how to trust the wisdom of the body to guide us to our truth. It’s an episode you will not want to miss! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 10, 2022 • 1h
Longing and Belonging
It’s that time again on Bewildered…Martha and Ro are bringing you another installment of The BeWild Files, where they talk about things that YOU, their listeners, are trying to figure out. In this episode they dive into questions from listeners Judy, Bryony, and Annette about masculinity and the pursuit of peace, how to explore identity beyond the binary, and the difference between wanting a house and longing for home. It’s a conversation full of deep thoughts (and belly laughs), so be sure to listen!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
16 snips
Jul 27, 2022 • 1h 3min
A Space for Dreaming
Culture teaches us to strive for stability—and that once we have it, we’re never meant to change. But in nature, everything is always changing, including us. In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Rowan explore the fascinating process of letting go of an old self to become a new one and the undefined “space for dreaming” that exists in between. Don’t miss this insightful and entertaining conversation about following your curiosity down the rabbit hole so you can become who you’re truly meant to be.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 13, 2022 • 53min
[Best of Bewildered] As Good As It Gets?
Martha and Rowan are taking a brief break, but the podcast is still here for you! This week we have another "Best of Bewildered" episode for you to enjoy. Why is it that sometimes when life looks most amazing, it often feels so…meh? Martha and Ro dig into the difference between a life that’s prescribed by culture and one that we invent from our inner wild selves. Instead of embarking on “adventures” based on cultural consensus, we can come to our senses to end up with the best possible experiences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 29, 2022 • 39min
[Best of Bewildered] Perfection Paralysis
Martha and Rowan are taking a brief break, but the podcast is still here for you! You can enjoy a couple of our "Best of Bewildered" episodes…starting with this one! We all have some kind of beauty or wisdom inside of us, but “perfection paralysis” often stops us from sharing it. In this episode, Martha and Ro offer insights into how you can get past perfection paralysis, what the opposite of perfection is, and why sharing your work with the world is not only a selfless act but a moral imperative!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 15, 2022 • 1h 14min
Scary Scary Freedom
Freedom. Many of us value it above everything else—so why does it sometimes feel so terrifying? In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Rowan talk about how the culture teaches us to fear freedom—that to be safe we must do what is expected of us. But this kind of “safety” is murder to the soul. With uncanny insight (and plenty of humor), they explore how we can opt out of culture, embrace our freedom, and live in integrity with our true purpose. It's an existential deep-dive you won't want to miss!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
