Episodes

  • The Podcast is the Process, Sourdough as Metaphor, and Polyamorous Practice in Creative Community

    The Podcast is the Process, Sourdough as Metaphor, and Polyamorous Practice in Creative Community
    Sep 2 2024

    How does our creative process actually create us? How does having a thriving ecosystem of relationships and creative outlets better resource us for ALL our relationships and creative projects? How can we create community and engage in metaphor to support ourselves? What does sourdough have to do with any of this??


    Kristyn with a Why gets personal and reflects on the process of season 1, sharing more backstory of the last year of the three-year journey leading up to the release of the podcast in this decidedly un-finale episode of “season 1.”


    (Free week on The Numinous Network with Carmen Spagnola is September 9-15, join her newsletter if you would like to join me there! <3)

    —------------------------------------------

    Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

    Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need.

    —---------------------------------------------


    Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

    The Numinous Network with Carmen Spagnola

    Rev. angel Kyodo williams


    As always:----------------------------------

    Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

    Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

    “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

    Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

    Matt Schubbe (Logo)
    Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)
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    57 mins
  • "Crack in the Wall" Invitations to Liberation and Hadestown Vibes

    "Crack in the Wall" Invitations to Liberation and Hadestown Vibes
    Aug 19 2024
    This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women” and this episode connects it to the 2019 Tony Award winning musical “Hadestown.” How are period pieces a prophetic praxis that helps us to view the reality of THIS moment in time? In what ways is/can our creative practices be liberatory? How can we reach toward a liberated future when public schools are priming and praising students to obey fascism? Is Orpheus even a real person, a metaphor for creativity, or a manic pixie dream boy? Kristyn with a Why dives deep into the themes of liberation in stories- how they invite us to liberation through the cracks in the walls: the 4th wall between us and the characters in stories, the walls we build between “us” and “them”, and the walls of domesticity that we build to keep us from remembering our wildness. (See time stamps and links mentioned in the podcast below.) —--------------------------------------------- Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode: Anna Kendrick “the characters in musicals don’t acknowledge they are singing” Sophie Strand’s Disappearing stars and Fake Realism and “Orpheus is a Title” Roadmap to Liberation “Prophetic Praxis” My recovering teacher blog post Akilah richards’ Raising Free People Fascism 101: Episode 207 of The Numinous Podcast Kurt Vonnegut shape of stories Manic pixie dream girls or stale white wonderbread boys? Rewilding 101course Liberated to the Bone book Rev. angel Kyodo williams Hadestown Links: Persephone’s “Crack in the Wall” on Hadestown (The “song/story” is (a) meta(phor), folks!) “Wedding Song”- Orpheus’ Song will bring world into tune and make flowers bloom, and Eurydice chooses to stay with Orpheus (How Jo is in tune when connected to her creativity, and how Meg chooses John despite him being a poor man) “Hey little songbird”- No good choices in late stage capitalism (Meg stumbles when buying the silk, and Jo “sells out” to Dashwood). “Flowers” -Eurydice forgets who she is, but vaguely remembers a field of flowers. (Jo isn’t signing her name on her writing and longs for her childhood when her family was enough) “How Long?”- Persephone makes Hades listen to Orpheus’ song (How Dashwood’s daughters made him see Jo’s book was worth publishing) Why we build the wall: Capitalism requires we put up walls and remain disconnected, from ourselves, our creativity, from each other, from the natural world. Time Stamps:---------------------------------- 0-9:36: Intro to “Crack in the wall” 9:36-20:10: Period Pieces as Prophetic Praxis 20:10-36:50: The problem with public schools/Unschooling 36:50-39:22: Meg:John::Eurydice::Orpheus 39:22-46:00: Creative Practice=Liberation 46:00-52:57: Jo:Orpheus::Beth:Eurydice 52:57-1:01:00: Eurydice:Orpheus::Jo::Creative Practice 1:01:00-1:06:00: We can all be an Orpheus 1:06:00-1:12:00: Why do we build the wall? 1:12:00-end: Outro/Gratitude As always:---------------------------------- Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song: Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams Shout out for the artistic assistance of: Matt Schubbe (Logo) Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing) —--------------------------------------------- Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​ Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. —---------------------------------------------
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The Wealth Wound in Little Women

    The Wealth Wound in Little Women
    Aug 4 2024
    This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women” Wouldn’t Sally have a more intimate friendship with Meg if she were better attuned to the gap in their economic realities? If Laurie weren’t so worried about pleasing his rich grandfather would he feel free to pursue his creativity? How did forming attachment with Beth provide the catalyst for Mr Lawrence to move from a place of “charity” to “reciprocity”? In what ways does Aunt March’s scarcity mindset and hoarding tendencies keep her from being able to live her life in alignment with her values? Kristyn with a Why dives deep into the “wealth wound” in this episode- extending compassion to four people to whom capitalism has severed from earning secure attachment: with their friends, family, community, and themselves. **We will never pretend that people in up-power positions in systems of domination and oppression are harmed in equal or greater ways than those in down-power positions within those systems. And yet, in order to be ignorant of your power and complacent within these systems- one must be severed from their sense of shared humanity, and this is a wound that needs tending (but never at the expense of folks in down-power positions).** (See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.) 0-6:26: Content Warning 6:26-10:44: Land Acknowledgment, Locating my positionality in the story of Little Women 10:45-13:00: Introduction to “the wealth wound” 13:00-17:24: Sally 17:24-23:28: Laurie 23:30-28:14: Mr. Laurence 28:14-39:50: Aunt March 39:50- 46:35: Unpacking my personal positionality in this story 46:35- 49:00: Striving for the Marmee life: divesting by increasing community 49:00-end: Outro/Gratitude Scene Links—------------------------ Sally at the dress shop Mr Laurence and Beth Aunt march and Amy Marmee: Breakfast to Hummels —--------------------------------------------- Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode: Land Acknowledgement *Resmaa Menakem’s book “My Grandmother’s Hands” is a great resource at looking into how systems of domination impact bodies differently depending on their power in that system- specifically racialized trauma* Dra Rocio Rosales Mesa- for more compassionate holding towards unlearning and healing from colonial programming. Carmen Spagnola and The Numinous Network Toi Marie- Instagram- “The responsibility of white wealth” “Selling labor for currency” Rev. angel Kyodo williams As always:---------------------------------- Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song: Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams Shout out for the artistic assistance of: Matt Schubbe (Logo) Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing) —--------------------------------------------- Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​ Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. —---------------------------------------------
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    51 mins
  • March Sisters– “Sisters” as Choices, Needs, & Thresholds and Internal Family Systems

    March Sisters– “Sisters” as Choices, Needs, & Thresholds and Internal Family Systems
    Jul 21 2024
    This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women” In what ways is a creative practice also a liberation practice, and why is Jo the only one who gets to carry her creativity with her into adulthood? (hint: it’s capitalist patriarchy) What are the archetypal choices, needs, and thresholds the March sisters represent? What happens when: you can’t get what you want, when you get what you want only to realize you don’t actually “love it as you should,” and when your life circumstances shift in ways that make you question whether you would make the same choice in the present that you did in the past? It’s 2024 and we still need better choices! Kristyn with a Why dives deep into the March sisters in this episode- inviting us to see ourselves reflected back. What if we reacted to/interacted with each sister as some part of ourselves? How might we unlock the liberatory potential of stories by practicing empathy with its characters: “How do I relate to their choices, big lies, needs, and thresholds? How do their stories resource me for my own life as I reach towards what matters to me?” (See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.) 0-5:00: Scope of season and review of where we are 5:00-7:20: Intro to Episode 3 Jo- : 7:20-15:20 Meg: 15:20-29:30 Amy: 29:30-37:50 Beth: 37:50-43:14 *Kristyn Crying about Beth* 43:14-46:10 More Beth 46:10-52:42 Outro/Gratitude: 53-end Scene Links—------------------------ Jo is Lonely and Marmee bringing Jo food (1:20-1:28) Meg: Pretending to be someone else, Silk Conflict with John, Wedding Day wish to be with John, Choosing John again. Cypher in the Matrix Amy can’t be deemed a genius, so may as well marry rich Beth and Jo at the Beach, and pretty sure I pulled from my subconscious about Beth’s death in the 1994 movie, too! —--------------------------------------------- Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode: Kurt Vonnegut’s shape of stories My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network Tarot Teachers: Jessica Lanyadoo and Sarah Faith Gottessdiener Rev. angel Kyodo williams As always:---------------------------------- Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song: Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams Shout out for the artistic assistance of: Matt Schubbe (Logo) Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing) —--------------------------------------------- Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​ Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. —---------------------------------------------
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    55 mins
  • From Misattunement to Marmee: Contact Nutrition in the Wild

    From Misattunement to Marmee: Contact Nutrition in the Wild
    Jul 5 2024
    This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women” How does “Contact Nutrition” build secure attachment? What is liberation if not people in up-power positions being in solidarity with those in down-power? Specifically, how can we, as parents, teachers, and adults, respect kids when they are occupied and meet them where they are rather than demanding they operate on our schedule? And also, some “Friedrich fan fic” for an important invitation to liberation that was not explicitly told in the film. Kristyn with a Why dives deeper into secure attachment- through “contact nutrition” and moments of attunement and misattunement. Put differently, “what to do (and not do) when you are in a position of power, rank, and privilege over someone else in order to earn secure attachment with them?” Specifically analyzing Sallie’s ignorance over Meg’s financial status, Aunt March’s power over Amy, Friedrich’s patriarchal conditioning that kept him unaware of Jo’s emotional risk in exposing her work to him, and diving into some deep stuff around rage, repair, and death in relation to Amy burning Jo’s book and falling through the ice. (See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.) Intro 0-3:00 Overview of Contact Nutrition and (mis)attunement: 3:00-6:00 Jo & Teddy and Jo and Friedrich Meeting-Contact Nutrition as Hollywood’s way to show that “bonding has happened”: 6:00-8:40 Misattunement with kids- Aunt March and Amy: 8:40-14:40 Sally in the Silk Shop: 14:40-18:12 What could Friedrich have done differently? 18:20-26:50 Friedrich Fan Fic: 26:55-32:30 Book Burning/Falling in the Ice: 32:40-40:18 Marmee!! 40:20-52:55 Outro/Gratitude: 53-end Scene Links—------------------------ Jo meets Teddy and Friedrich and Jo Meet Cute Aunt march and Amy Meg: Silk shop with Sally, Silk Conflict with John, Wedding Day wish to be with John, Choosing John again. Friedrich’s feedback Jo burning Amy’s book Amy falling through the ice **Cannot find scene about rage with Jo and Marmee** :( Marmee bringing Jo food (1:20-1:28) —--------------------------------------------- Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode: My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network Virginia Sole Smith’s substack: Attuning with kids: Dinners are a meeting we call and set the agenda, bedtime is a meeting the kids are calling us to that we want to attend. You’re Only as good as your last goodbye- “Alex” by Punch Brothers Rev. angel Kyodo williams As always:---------------------------------- Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song: Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams Shout out for the artistic assistance of: Matt Schubbe (Logo) Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing) —--------------------------------------------- Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​ Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need. —---------------------------------------------
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Secure Attachment and the Male Gaze in Little Women

    Secure Attachment and the Male Gaze in Little Women
    Jun 20 2024

    This season focuses on the 2019 film “Little Women”

    What is Secure Attachment? How can period pieces be a useful tool for locating ourselves in our current moment? How “process>product” yields creative practices that help us cultivate secure attachment within ourselves. And Happy Pride Month to Jo!

    Kristyn with a Why explores the question “is it possible to earn secure attachment across lines of power, rank, and privilege?” by specifically looking at four men in Jo’s life (Mr Dashwood, her Father, Laurie, and Friedrich), how she relates to them, how they influence her attachment, and their impact on her creative trajectory.

    (See time stamps and links to the scenes mentioned in the podcast below.)

    Intro 0-4:00

    Overview of the Season: 4-9:00

    Secure Attachment: 9-14:00

    Male Gaze/Jo’s Queer Self: 14-17:30

    Father: 17:35-20:20

    Dashwood: 20:20-23:29

    Friedrich: 23:29-29:50

    Laurie 29:50-35:30

    Men lose community in patriarchy: 35:30

    Jo’s Gaze: 38:25-41:55

    Outro 41:55-end

    Scene Links—------------------------

    Father’s note and breakfast to Hummels

    Dashwood office

    Friedrich’s feedback

    Laurie’s Proposal

    Men on outside before Marmee leaves (at 1:40)

    Jo lamenting to Marmee: Used to be enough but it isn’t anymore

    Beth wanting Jo to write

    Amy “writing about it will make it important”

    —---------------------------------------------

    Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

    My teacher Carmen Spagnola for her courses on Secure attachment and Contact Nutrition on The Numinous Network

    Rev. angel Kyodo williams

    As always:----------------------------------

    Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

    Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

    “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams

    Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

    Matt Schubbe (Logo)

    Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)

    —---------------------------------------------

    Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

    Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need.

    —---------------------------------------------
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • Episode 0: "What's in a Name?"

    Episode 0: "What's in a Name?"
    Jun 16 2024

    What are the questions Stoner Story Witch invites us to ask? Is Stoner Story Witch a set of instructions? In what ways is Stoner Story Witch an archetypal energy? What exactly defines a poem, anyway? How does sourdough relate to any of this??

    Kristyn with a Why discusses the title of “Stoner Story Witch” and shares a little bit of backstory to the three-year journey leading up to the release of the podcast in this decidedly un-pilot episode.

    —------------------------------------------

    Free Palestine! There are many ways to support the Palestinian people right now. Join a student encampment near you, call or email your congressperson via the JVP’s daily calls or email them here. 94 members of Congress have called for a ceasefire, can you help to add yours to the list? ​

    Spread the word on social media, or check out Operation Olive Branch, a mutual aid organization that has compiled a list of GoFundMe’s for those in urgent need.

    —---------------------------------------------

    Grateful for all the learning and inspiration alluded to in today’s episode:

    Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass

    Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira

    The Numinous Network and Quest teachings with Carmen Spagnola

    Rev. angel Kyodo williams

    Here is a link to the blog post I mentioned.


    As always:----------------------------------

    Stoner Story Witch weaves together the works of: healing from and unlearning the colonial mind*, liberation roadmap and embodied social justice**, and the responsibility of white wealth***, through an animistic worldview, attachment focus, and collapse-aware lens****.

    *Dra Rocio Rosales Mesa

    **rev. angel Kyodo williams

    ***Toi Smith

    ****Carmen Spagnola


    Thankful for the musical inspiration for the theme song:

    Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, specifically “Our Lady of the Underground” and Orpheus’ Song

    “Hedwig’s Theme” by John Williams


    Shout out for the artistic assistance of:

    Matt Schubbe (Logo)
    Kevin Carlow (Music and sound editing)
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    35 mins