ROCKETFEATHER CREATIVE - Rocket Feather Pod is a podcast from RocketFeather Creative

ROCKETFEATHER CREATIVE

Why You're Never Too Old for a Coming of Age Story - An Adult Conversation with YA Author Bill Konigsberg

5/24/2020

When Bill Konigsberg was a teen, there were no novels featuring young gay men. Thanks to him, gay teens today can’t say the same. In his latest novel, though, the sexual preference of his protagonists is almost incidental. Max and Jordan are in the middle becoming adults, and their struggle to integrate pain, joy, capacity, and weakness into their wholeness makes this book totally relevant for those of us who are still growing… that is - everybody.

Bill Konigsberg is the award-winning author of six young adult novels. THE PORCUPINE OF TRUTH won the PEN Center USA Literary Award and the Stonewall Book Award in 2016. OPENLY STRAIGHT won the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor, was a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award and Lambda Literary Award in 2014 and has been translated into five languages. His debut novel, OUT OF THE POCKET, won the Lambda Literary Award in 2009. THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS, was released in February of 2019, received two starred reviews, and has been optioned for a film. His next novel, THE BRIDGE, will be released in the fall of 2020. In 2018, The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)’s Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) established the Bill Konigsberg Award for Acts and Activism for Equity and Inclusion through Young Adult Literature.

Before Bill wrote for young adults, he was a sports writer and editor for ESPN and the Associated Press. Charles met and got to know Bill through their shared work helping create initiations for men - the Mankind Project - and boys at Boys to Men. Charles was immediately drawn to Bill’s intelligence, vulnerability, and attentiveness.

Bill lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his husband, Chuck and their two Australian Labradoodles, Mabel and Buford, who complete him. Mabel and Buford have professional glamour shots on Bill’s website. I fell hard for Buford - you might, too.
Bill’s books - the one we read, anyway - are filled with real people of all stripes, not token stereotypes or caricatures. They are dealing with real and relatable problems and struggles, and being gay isn’t the most notable thing about them. They are regular people who just happen to be gay. Bill creates a world that is familiar for some of us - especially those of us who grew up in the arts or in places like Jerome, AZ - where being gay and out is unremarkable. We found it refreshing and a relief to spend time there and we really loved getting to know Jordan and Max and their friends and family. We definitely want to read the rest of Bill’s books, especially the new book: The Bridge that is available for pre-order now.

SHOW NOTES:
References:

Resources:

Who is that masked man?

5/17/2020

Is the masked man a hero or a villain?
These days we’re seeing some very emotional division around the decision to wear a mask in public and whether staying home is cowardly or going out is reckless. Today we are going to dig into that and see what’s under the mask.

In this episode, we’ll be looking at the value of freedom, definitions of masculinity, ideas of strength, and how our society is structured as well as experimenting with empathy, framing, and connection. Charles will have a rant and Kelly will play devil’s advocate.

So stay tuned if you want support around doing the right thing, even when it’s unpopular [with fringe elements]. We want to know what you think about how to balance freedom with responsibility so we hope you’ll comment in the Rocket Feather Community Lab Group or by leaving a phone message at www.Anchor.fm/rocketfeather

References:

Charles's Blog Post "New Strength vs. Old Strength and The Great Mask Debate"
Charles's TEDx Talk "Redefining Strength for the 21st Century"
Vanity Fair Article by Ed Yong Why the Pandemic is So Confusing
Stasia Rivera’s Website
Daryl Davis: Crossing Boundaries with Respect
NPR Story
TEDx Talk
Earl Hipp, Man Making
Bill Konigsberg Website

Music Credits: Bensounds

Don’t Worry Child [Insert Your Name Here]

5/10/2020

Are you missing live music and the sense of community you feel when out on the town? Are you craving connection with the creative energy of your favorite musicians and artists?

This week we’ve got the certified biggest voice in town plus our favorite guitar genius - in the HOUSE! Literally, in our house - don’t worry we stayed in our own corners.
Grammy-nominated singer Candace Devine and local rock god Drew Hall join us for a no holds barred talk about creativity, re-invention, and community, as well as playing some music to lift your spirits. We used several of the fan-submitted questions to pry into the life and history and thoughts of our passionately creative guests.

Candace has been a professional singer since her early 20s, working with Christina Aguilera, Styx, the Four Tops and many others in the recording studio and out on the road touring. In this episode, we find out that she is both a champion equestrian coach AND a cat enchantress. Also, she swears like a sailor, so proceed at your own risk #totally worth it.

Drew is a former banker who defied the 9-5 life at his earliest opportunity, going on to be in every kind of band, teach guitar to young and old musicians alike, and curate exceptional music shows here in Prescott. In pre-Covid times, Drew could be spotted playing with the Cheektones, Summa Totius, THiS Trio with Slim Gamble of Lady Antebellum fame, Drew & Anton, and many many more!

This podcast episode hits a lot of the superlative buttons: longest, loudest, biggest recording challenge, most cat input, most social media engagement, and definitely the most musical. Candace and Drew played two songs for us live, and we play you the recording of “Don’t Worry Child (Rosalyn)” their newest collaboration and entry into the NPR Tiny Desk Concert. “Don’t Worry Child is ostensibly about Drew’s daughter, but in our view, it’s really for and about all of us living through these stressful times.

Show Notes:

Raven Productions website
Candace Devine Website
Bon Jovi -Livin’ on a Prayer
Raven Productions Friday Feature
Drew’s Favorite Guitarist - Richie Kotzen covering Sara Smiles

Music Credits:
Drew & Candace songs

Under the episode intro and featured in the podcast - Don’t Worry Child (Roslyn)
"Givin it Up/Medly"
"You Got Me"
Under the episode outro - While My Guitar Gently Weeps George Harrison Cover by Candace Devine, Dylan Ludwig and Drew Hall

How to Vote for Your Best Self

4/26/2020

What if relationships could be easier? What if you knew why your teen, your toddler or your partner was “giving you that face?” And what if you knew how to respond in a way that didn’t suck? What if you could build rather than damage your relationships?

Well, this week, we got to talk with a relationship and parenting wizard who has developed a simple system to help us understand ourselves and each other. She explains how, from that foundation of empathy, we can use her basic tools to navigate conflict or misunderstanding to build the connection we all crave. Plus, she helped me figure out how to get the trash to the curb on time.

Our guest, Stasia Rivera, is a family systems, trauma, and addictions therapist/coach with 25 years experience helping people reach their peaks. Her practice is a unique combination of applied neuroscience, systems thinking, and common sense. She and her team recently recognized that families and young people are experiencing new challenges during this pandemic. They pivoted their whole business model to respond to these needs and are launching a range of accessible and affordable classes and resources. Check them out at IUGOConnect.org

SHOW NOTES:
Psych Theory Trading Cards

James Clear - Habit Theory
Alfie Kohn - Punished by Rewards
Peter Levine - Trauma and Healing
Attachment Theory
Polyvagal Theory

How to Bear the Weight of the World: Global Respect & Love with Olivia Lee

4/19/2020

What’s it like to work in the Arctic while riding out the pandemic in Arizona? What’s it like to meet this challenge with a giant heart, a brilliant brain, and a 4-year-old?
International researcher, advocate for women in science, mom, and authentic human, Olivia Lee joins us on this week’s podcast to talk through the challenges of conducting climate research during a pandemic, being separated from family overseas, and coping with the weight of feeling like it’s never enough. I’m not a brilliant scientist, but I’m guessing those are things we can all relate to. Listen on to hear how Olivia’s deep empathy and respect drive her work and keep her going in difficult times.

SHOW NOTES
Books, Podcasts & Poems

Brene Brown Interviews Dr. Mark Brackett
Permission to Feel by Dr. Brackett
[Oh Sweet Spontaneous] poem by e. e. cummings

Organizations

Increasing our capacity for the “unpleasant” feelings is one of the main goals we have here at RocketFeather. If we can be with those difficult feelings and over time, stop judging ourselves for having them, we are well on our way to being responsive humans rather than reactive ones. That means we can be there for each other instead of just worrying about ourselves.

So thank you all for hanging in here with us as we grow in empathy and resilience and love. Olivia Lee is such a great model for this kind of strength and we feel so privileged to talk with her and count her as a friend.
We hope this healing conversation will continue in the RocketFeather Community Lab, so reach out with your questions and answers and let’s help each other through this time - let’s do that and more. Let’s help each other redefine who we get to be on the other end of it. What are you leaving behind and what are you bringing with you? We want to know.

How to Cut Yourself Some Slack During the F-ing Pandemic

4/12/2020

SHOW NOTES:
References:

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Brene Brown Interviewing Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed

Resources:

Are you already carrying enough metaphorical baggage and second-hand trauma as you sit in your house? Do you find yourself adding to the load with self-recriminations, overly ambitious to-do lists, or a litany of “shoulds?”

Hang out with us today as we chat with someone who knows what it’s like to have high standards… and who is recognizing that maybe she’s using those standards to beat herself up. And maybe it’s time to stop.

Our guest this week is Ida Woll, the owner of our favorite local frame shop and gallery, The Frame & I. She grew up here in Prescott and calls herself a near-native. She bought The Frame & I in 1998 after working there for 3 years and has used her role as a member of the downtown business community to support the arts and non-profits with true commitment. She raises framing to an art form because she, herself, is a life-long artist, and she is passionate about turning people’s sacred objects into real treasures.

Ida is a great guest for all of those reasons and because she has a powerful capacity for self-reflection, vulnerability and humor. We laughed more on this pod than almost any of the others. And we cried, together, a bit too. We hope and trust that this emotional expression is what you’re here for.

Of Parents and Pandemics: How to Thrive in a Multigenerational Household

4/5/2020

Are you an adult person living with your parents? Are you looking at having to move in with your adult kids? Humans lived several generations all together for the vast majority of our history. But that is no longer the norm. Now, there is a sense of failure and frustration, a feeling of lack of freedom and autonomy that comes with parents and their adult children living together, but does it have to be that way? We think not.

In this episode, we tackle the question of how to live more peacefully with family. Whether you are riding out the pandemic under the same roof, or are separated by many miles, getting along with family can be challenging. The relationships we, as children, had with our parents hang around like ghosts, haunting our present interactions, but Charles and Kelly have a framework for thinking about these relationships differently and suggestions for developing a practice that increases capacity for being together in a new way. Join us as we address a listener question and take a deep dive into the kind of personal work that can bring joy back into stressful relationships in stressful times.

SHOW NOTES

Dead Again [1991] starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, with Robin Williams
William Glasser’s Choice Theory: 5 Basic Needs
Performance Rock Climbing [1993] by Dale Goddard, Udo Neumann
The National Domestic Violence Hotline/Text Channel

How to Belong: Tapping Collective Genius in a Crisis

3/29/2020

SHOW NOTES:
References:

Creative Capacities LLC
Tracey@CreativeCapacitiesLLC.com (928) 925-4020
Tracey on Facebook
Rocket Feather Community Lab on Facebook

Institutions We Support & Admire:

Music Credits: AShamaluevMusic

Quotes: “Between Stimulus and Response There Is a Space. In That Space Is Our Power To Choose Our Response” Charles attributed this quote to Victor Frankel but apparenly the story is more complex. Check it out at Quote Investigator: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/02/18/response/

What would it be like if you could rally your whole neighborhood to tackle a serious problem you all share? What would it feel like to help lots of people find strength and solutions they never imagined they had inside themselves? Can you imagine facing a massive crisis like, say, a pandemic, with love, calm, and optimism?
You definitely can if you are today’s guest, Tracey McConnell. A long-time community organizer, non-profit advisor, and personal growth coach, Tracey is no stranger to hardship or challenge, but she meets difficulty with a loving resolve that is truly inspirational. Her special skills help her to bring diverse people together and find the common ground that makes it possible to move into a solution. A skillful facilitator, Tracey leads us in a Focused Conversation to model how we can come together on even the most difficult topics, see the humanity in everyone, and make things better for all. Join us for a refreshing dip into the pool of possibilities on episode 24 of the Rocket Feather Podcast.

How to Handle Covid - Reduce, Reconnect, Recover

3/22/2020

Are you a little feeling a little concerned? Freaked out? Or strangely numb? Hey, all your emotions are valid. It’s OK.

Join us for this slightly slapdash, but fully engaged podcast episode as Charles shares the emotional stance that helped him prepare his family for the pandemic. He also talks honestly about how he bounced back from overwhelm and grief. In the second half of the pod, Charles explains the cyclical, three phase model for getting through the pandemic and all you all to find ways to lead.

SHOW NOTES:
Recommended Twitter Follows

Laura Fitton @pistachio Great curator of info. Also posts dogs, chickens, and lullabyes.
Andy Slavit @ASlavitt Former Medicare, Medicaid, ACA head for Obama Admin
Mike Birbiglia @birbigs So far daily Instagram Live comedy shows

Other Resources
A List Of Live Virtual Concerts To Watch During The Coronavirus Shutdown

Music By:
Joseph Earwicker

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Quarantined Girl Scouts & Cancelled Conferences: Covid 19 & Community

3/16/2020

Guest: Dr. Christine P. Stewart, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition at UC Davis
Director, Institute for Global Nutrition

As a health researcher, mom, & world traveler, Christine Stewart has an excellent view of the delicate web of health services around the world, and of how communities deal with adverse circumstances. Join us in conversation about how to take responsibility for ourselves and each other during crisis, what makes us resilient, and how we can find opportunities for growth and connection during these turbulent times.

A nutritional epidemiologist, Dr. Stewart wants us to be sure not to confuse her with someone who studies infectious diseases. But this smart, informed, scientist, shares with us her views on how to ride out a pandemic, how to redirect focus on to what’s important and how to stay in community while remaining more than 6 feet apart.

SHOW NOTES:

Dr. Stewart’s full bio: https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/people/christine-stewart
Helen Keller International https://www.hki.org/ A world without barriers to sight, health, and human potential.
Centers for Disease Control [CDC] - https://www.cdc.gov/
Coalition for Compassion and Justice [CCJ] - http://yavapaiccj.org/ Ending and preventing homelessness. We are a service and a solution to those living in homelessness, working toward a just and compassionate community for all!
Yavapai County Food Bank - http://www.yavapaifoodbank.org/ Providing meals, school supplies, computer classes, and more for families in need.