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
Jun 1, 2022 • 57min
Raising Wildlings
When it comes to parenting, culture comes on strong. There are so many contradictory opinions out there, and the judgmental attacks on parents come fast and furious about every little thing. Under this kind of pressure, how can parents raise happy kids who follow their own true nature? That’s the question Martha and Ro explore in this episode of Bewildered, and their insightful conversation brings instant pressure relief. For anyone who is a parent (or has had a parent!), you won't want to miss this one!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 18, 2022 • 1h 3min
Brainwashed into Happy
Have you ever found yourself answering “I’m fine” when the exact opposite was true? Toxic positivity, or what Martha and Ro call “happy-washing,” is the cultural pressure to force ourselves into a state of performative happiness. In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro explore what really happens when we stop happy-washing, let go of culture, and come back to our true nature to express the bad and the ugly as well as the good. So listen in and get in touch with your inner complainer. It’s liberating!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 4, 2022 • 50min
Are You a Messy?
A gracious German author once asked Martha if she was “a messy” after seeing the disorderly state of her hotel room. (She’d been frantically searching through her luggage moments before.) But is being "a messy" a permanent label that defines us? On this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Rowan delve into the dichotomy of mess vs. order and the beauty to be found in chaos. Tune in for insights on how to step away from culture and tap into nature to find a more fluid relationship with both mess and order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 20, 2022 • 53min
The Vanishing Horizon of "Enough"
Is enough ever truly enough? In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Rowan examine our culture's pursuit of "enough"—a pursuit that never satisfies because it never ends. Drawing on Asian philosophy, their own helpful (and often hilarious) stories, and the occasional anecdote from the animal kingdom, Martha and Ro argue that "enough" may not even exist—and reveal what we're all starving for instead. Tune in for their refreshing reframe of "enough" and how we can bring this concept back into our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 6, 2022 • 53min
Outfoxing Anxiety
Did you know anxiety disorders have risen 400% since the pandemic? (And that's just the diagnosed cases.) The cultural idea is that we're victims of our chemistry. But when it comes to anxiety, we have a lot more choices than we might think. In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro talk about anxiety and its tendency to hack around any cultural solutions we throw at it. They also share the answers to be found in nature and the right side of the brain. It's a fascinating episode you won't want to miss! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 23, 2022 • 48min
The Time-Bound Mind
Is the culture trying to pull the wool over our eyes about time? (Spoiler alert: YES.) In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Rowan explore the concept of time and our complex relationship with it. From the “rubber time” of non-Western cultures, to the experience of “premembering” events that haven’t happened yet, to Einstein's theory that time is just an illusion, Martha and Ro cover it all. It's a time-bending episode you won't want to miss—it may even blow your mind!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 9, 2022 • 28min
Letting Yourself Off the Hook
Every culture has what Martha and Ro refer to as “hooks”—powerful influences that compel us to behave a certain way and that even shape our identity. How much we buy into the culture determines the extent to which we become stuck on these hooks. In this episode, Martha and Ro dive deep to explore the cultural hooks that often pull us away from our true purpose. They also offer insights on how we can free ourselves to seek a more authentic way of being. It's an enlightening conversation you won't want to miss!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 2, 2022 • 52min
Toothpicks, Dinosaurs, and Snakebites
They’re back! Martha and Ro are bringing you another installment of The BeWild Files where they talk about the things that YOU, their listeners, are trying to figure out. In this episode, Martha and Ro answer questions about how to make money with integrity when you're in a hurry, how to become more creative and less critical when leading teams, and how nature helps us take intentional rest when we truly need it. It's a liberating episode about abandoning culture for creativity, and you won't want to miss it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 9, 2022 • 39min
Perfection Paralysis
Do you strive for perfection? Or does the need to be perfect prevent you from striving? We all have some kind of beauty or wisdom inside of us, but “perfection paralysis” often stops us from sharing it. In this episode of Bewildered, Marty and Ro offer different perspectives on perfectionism and talk about its antagonistic relationship with creativity. Tune in for insights on how to get past perfection paralysis, what the opposite of perfection is, and why sharing your work with the world is a selfless act!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 15, 2021 • 51min
Creative Contrarians
Back by popular demand! In this episode, Marty and Ro deliver another installment of The BeWild Files where they talk about the things that you, their listeners, are trying to figure out. Marty and Ro discuss the importance of contrarians and counterculture to the culture as a whole (and also to our own inner culture), the concept of sin as a tool of control, and how joy is key to accessing our creativity—and solving big problems. It's another episode full of insights (and absurdity) you won't want to miss! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
