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The latest episode – the fifth of my Legacy Editions that launch the podcast – features a 1981 interview with Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda and founder of Ananda Village.

The process of re-purposing these older interviews has been rather revelatory for me. I find it fascinating to listen to these interviews decades after I conducted them. This is partly because, in researching the guests in preparation for these episodes, I discover quite a bit more than I knew about them than I did at the time of the interview – obviously, since I investigate what they have done since our conversation those many years ago.

But it’s also fascinating simply because times have changed do much, including in my own life and perspectives.

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The just-published episode – From the Emerald Triangle: Marijuana and Health – is the fourth in what I have decided to call Legacy Editions. Each of these episodes features an interview conducted 25 to 45 years ago. I will re-package and publish one or two more of these old interviews and then begin conducting new ones.

From when I launched the first episode on February 20 until a few days ago, only one subscriber to Wise Talkers had unsubscribed. Well, in the first 24 hours since publishing this latest edition, two people have done so. I could be wrong, of course, but I am guessing they objected to, or perhaps were simply uncomfortable with, the subject matter – marijuana. If indeed that was the reason for their dropping out, it’s not surprising I guess.

But I think you’ll find that the discussion we had about cannabis way back in 1996 was reasonable and balanced. And in any case, I see this episode more as a ‘period piece’ from a special place, the famed Emerald Triangle, in its heyday.

I’d love to know what you think, either in the Comments section below and/or in the Comments section in the above-linked post about this episode.

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I just talked to Jeff Spies, and we decided to re-do our interview, which was the second episode of Wise Talkers. So I’ve taken it down. Neither Jeff nor I were particularly pleased with the interview… at least we know it could have been better. Jeff was fine, this was my shortcoming.

One reason, and something I’ve learned, is that interviewing a good friend presents its own challenge. I found it too easy to slip into friend-mode, rather than interviewer-and-guest mode. For example, I interrupted Jeff too often. Something that friends naturally do sometimes in their personal conversations, but is definitely not conducive to a good professional interview.

So I’ll be better next time, which will likely be sometime in July or August.

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Just published the latest podcast, Integrating Spirituality and Psychotherapy, with Dr. Ron Mann. It’s a fitting sequel to the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross episode. And I’m particularly excited about the possibility of interviewing Dr. Mann again! We are actively talking about doing that.

Definitely feels like a major theme is in the works for the Wise Talkers podcast, something along the lines of:

Exploring how a spiritual view of life, death and the continuity of consciousness can be useful in addressing our problems and effective in engaging today’s turbulent world.

Still trying to figure out the best way to express this notion. The evolution of Wise Talkers continues….

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The latest episode is now live, featuring an interview I conducted in 1981 with famed death-and-dying pioneer Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Revisiting this interview 43 years later has been an interesting experience. And I find myself thinking about doing more episodes on the topic of death and dying in all its manifold dimensions.

I hope you’ll give the episode a listen, and I’d love to get a conversation going about the whole profound topic. As I mention in my epilogue after the interview, I am considering a future live-streamed episode that starts with replaying the 1981 interview, about 24 minutes, and then having a live discussion with a few panel guests and taking listener call-ins. So please let me know if that idea appeals to you, either as a listener and/or potential participant.

I will also be posting more frequently here on the Backstage blog, and I welcome your participation in discussing anything and everything related to the Wise Talkers podcast.

– Ron

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I just put up a new page describing my Ground…Focus…Fly…and Land interviewing strategy. It’s not a hard-and-fast discussion structure by any means, as each interview is by definition unique. But it is a general guideline I’ll be using.

Next up will be a re-packaged interview I did in 1981 with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. I plan to get this episode up in early April.

– Ron

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I was all set up to interview Jeff Spies today at 5 PM… but something got screwed up, by me, and Jeff didn’t have it on his calendar. So we rescheduled for Sunday afternoon.

Just as well, as Jeff helped me improve some settings and fix a couple of technical glitches. We also talked about our upcoming interview… and I believe our conversation will be better for it.

Having launched Wise Talkers last month with an episode featuring an interview I did 45 years ago, this second episode, with Jeff, will be the first new interview of the podcast. And it will be the first for-broadcast interview I have conducted in many a moon. It should be an interesting experience. I’ll be glad when it’s under my belt!

– Ron

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I am modifying my strategy for launching Wise Talkers, which mainly means just being more reasonable about what I can accomplish in a short amount of time.

The original plan was to publish ever week right out of the gate. But, sobered up by the experience of actually producing a couple of episodes, I realize the old adage applies: Walk before you run!

And it’s not only the effort required to produce individual episodes that leads me to change the launch timetable…. [Read more…] about Getting up to speed…

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