Linda Marks is an amazing creative woman and prolific singer/songwriter. I was drawn to her and her music by the image she shared online of dancing with God, something I've felt myself. In addition to music, Linda has impressive achievements as a body-centered psychotherapist, lifework counselor, social architect and author of two books. While life challenges kept Linda from pursuing her calling to music post-college, she's come back to the calling with energy and clarity, releasing 15 albums in just 12 years, with no end in sight. Find some of her music on YouTube. Linda Marks lives just outside of Boston, MA.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Music, Nature

This week is the conclusion of our visit with the amazing & inspirational Peter Samuelson about his new book, Finding Happy: A User's Guide to Your Life, With Lessons From Mine. You'll laugh, cry, gasp, pray, & get wiser though all the stories, insights, & lessons that Peter shares. In addition to the 27 movies he has produced (Revenge of the Nerds, Finding Henri, Wilde and Tom & Viv, etc), Peter has founded 8 non-profits to improve the lives of so very many people through the work of Starlight Children's Foundation, First Star Academies, EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof), & more.

Tret Fure, last with us for Song of the Soul in 2011, joins us to share her second sharing from the soul. Tret was among a group of women's music powerhouses of the 1970s and 1980s who were inspirational and transformational for the country, and for me, personally. With her gentle but resolute heart, and her deep musical talent, Tret calls listeners into community and growth. Tret joins us from Newport News, Virginia, for her second Song of the Soul.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Unitarian Universalist

All featured music is written & performed by Tret Fure:

Roses In November - from Roses in November

Monuments - from Stone By Stone

You've likely encountered Peter Samuelson through his work in the movie industry, like with his movies Revenge of the Nerds, Finding Henri, Wilde, and Tom & Viv, but you may or may not have known of the amazing & extensive work he's done through his non-profits, like Starlight Children's Foundation, First Star Academies, and EDAR (Everyone Deserves A Roof). You'll learn about them & much more in his new book, Finding Happy: A User's Guide to Your Life, With Lessons From Mine, much more than a autobiography or memoir, really a mentor in print form, especially for young folks, and a source of great stories & motivation.

Makaela Joy is a delightful mix of whimsical and heartfelt, doing her own thing while drawing on inspiration of great women writers/singers of decades past. She can deliver "La Vie en Rose" beautifully, emote a hymn like "In The Garden," or convey her grief about her brother's passing through her "Apples," all with perfect tone and intention. Makaela is a self-described quiet/shy girl, though you'll have every reason to request that she not remain quiet as you hear her music. Makaela Joy joins us from Tacoma, Washington.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Nondenominational Christian, LDS/Morman

All featured music is written & performed by Makaela Joy:

Man on the Moon - from new CD

We visit with David Welder, and his wife, Veronica, at their off-grid home called Fisher Cat Creek Forest Preserve (on airbnb and Hipcamp), to talk about his book, Forth to Basics: A Guide to Goin' Off-Grid (And Living More With Less), and his life experience leading up to the book. You'll find Dave, and his book, rich in big picture questions & stories, and also very practical knowledge & details. Dave lived in Minnesota's Twin Cities, working mainly as an environmental engineer, until making his transition off-the-grid past the age of 50.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Luther, Catholic, Non-affiliated

Last December, at the suggestion of Flamy Grant, I interviewed Sadie Gustafson-Zook, a winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival and New Leaf songwriting contests, so you know that she's among the shining lights of today's rising folk stars. Given my delight at getting to know Sadie and her music, it's astounding and lamentable that I promptly mislaid her recording, and I only recently brought it to light. At last we present you Sadie Gustafson-Zook, formerly of Goshen, Indiana, now of the Twin Cities of MN.

All Featured Music is by Sadie Gustafson-Zook, unless otherwise noted:

The End - from What I Pushed Below

Autumn’s Fragrance - from What I Pushed Below

We welcome back Kora Feder, who was with us back in April of 2019, a year before COVID so radically altered the world. In the interim period, Kora migrated to a few different states, gradually incubating songs, until she released here new album, Some Kind of Truth, this past spring. She's been a fan & favorite at the Kerrville Folk Festival & the Strawberry Music Festival, among others, where she so eloquently shares her heart's truth. Kora Feder now joins us from her new home in Detroit, MI.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Meditation, Jewish, Non-affiliated

All featured music is written & performed by Kora Feder:

In this special Spirit in Action episode, guest-host Nicole Diroff welcomes Dr. Shanon Shah, Director of Faith for the Climate, for a conversation that weaves together faith, identity, and the urgent call for climate justice. A queer Muslim scholar, journalist, and advocate, Shanon shares how his lived experience and academic insight converge in powerful ways to challenge systems of oppression and invite communities into courageous collective action. He is Senior Deputy Editor of Critical Muslim, and Tutor in Islam at University of London Worldwide. Follow Shanon via the Muslim Institute.

The episode includes a grounding musical performance of “The Seed” by composer and music leader Pax Ressler, a reminder of the role of creativity, community, and hope as we navigate climate disruption.

A dive deep into the analysis and understanding of why & how evil is done in the world - not theologically, but behaviorally - with our guest Elizabeth Minnich, author of The Evil of Banality – On the Life and Death Importance of Thinking. Instead of focusing on the figureheads of evil, like Hitler, we'll be looking to understand, and maybe change, the common people who go along with and make great evils possible, trying to see also why & how people can do that for great good. Among Elizabeth's credentials are her title as a Distinguished Fellow for the American Association of Colleges and Universities and her position as a former professor of moral philosophy at Queens University.