All That Matters

Did you know that poetry and painting were once Olympic sports? On the eve of the Olympic Games in Paris this summer of 2024, Jan shares the story of when the games celebrated the arts, lifting the mind as well as the body, and ways we each can "medal" in that every day of our lives.

Jan shares a chance encounter with a talented filmmaker and is reminded of the power of taking a second look, not just at films that make a difference, but at encounters with people and circumstances that can deepen us and lead us to an opportunity to repair and grow.

We often hear people talk about what's wrong with the world. Jan shares the story and words of a photographer who turns that on its ear, focusing on what's right, in our lives and that of others. There is a lift and balance, he suggests, if we follow that positive example.

Recently, Jan was asked to place on a gravestone 13 words to sum up the life of a loved one. It got him thinking, what 13 words would each of us choose for ourselves when that day comes? And, then, another thought...what 13 words would each of us choose to describe ourselves right now, today?

Art can heal and illuminate. This we know. But the recent performance of King Lear by Ukrainian amateur actors in Shakespeare's hometown in England, inspires us all to know that anything is possible!

Retelling a story of his dad and late brother, Mark, Jan celebrates the incomparable love and gifts that they gave him, and calls on all of us to cherish the possibility of discovering light in the darkness.Dedicated to Mark's daughter, Jan's niece: Happy graduation day, Amanda!

The 80th Anniversary of D-Day. Jan meets 6 veterans flying to Normandy and shares how their story is a reminder to each of us that we can grow into our worthiness of all they did and the gifts they gave us.

Come with Jan to a small village on the Beira Peninsula of Ireland, where he learns the power of community and connection. See if you hear the ring of a phone during the podcast. Mystically, it was a call from Ireland! Raise a pint!

Poet-Philosopher David Whyte points us to insightful and clarifying questions that can empower the lives we're living, and, as Jan shares with us, those we have yet to live.

Jan shares a reprise of an episode recorded during the pandemic. It's the story of a remarkable couple whose dreams were dashed and then reborn. Come meet Rick and Sarah and their discovery of hope.

If you could capture any image that represents your life, what would it be? Jan shares a reprise of the triumphant conclusion to one of the most inspiring individuals he has ever known, a man who experienced the worst that humanity had to offer, and gave back the best.

Torn from his home in Budapest, 17 year-old Kurt would journey from safe house to Bergen-Belsen with family and learn the worst mankind has to offer. Years later, in America, he and his wife would show the world the best of humanity. Jan reprises and introduces you to a friend and hero whose story will live inside your heart and inspire each of us to be the best we can be. (Part Two next week.)

Jan shares a personal story of his mentor and mother-in-law Marion Solomon who has just died. She lives on in the example of her life, as all we love do. She taught him and teaches all of us, to swim in the waters of possibility.

There are walls we construct that block hearts and minds from seeing the world, and keep us from being seen in return.Jan shares words from the Anglo-Irish poet David Whyte, challenging us to be vulnerable enough to walk through the door of life, not stand on the outside looking in.

Many of us meet a moment where it seems our lives and our ability to navigate them hang in the balance. Jan shares the true story of being at the end of his rope in the midst of two heart-thumping losses, and how the songs of a rocker helped save his soul.

We can be many things in our lifetimes. Sometimes we discover passion at a later age. Jan shares the story of one such woman who was dripping canvases before Jackson Pollock and who is now being rediscovered. The story of artist Janet Sobol is one that will empower the possibilities in each of us.

There are people we come across, some often, some not, who make human connection an unexpected gift. Jan shares the story of a wondrous woman and an everyday diner who serves up a positive spin on the mundane, turning it into magic to live by.

Good advice. It comes in many forms. Friends. Strangers. Life events. Jan shares advice, from Sandra Bullock to Charles Schultz to his own mom, advice that has made a difference. Pointers, humorous and healing, that can take us to the high road of life's journey.

How do we move from complacency to change? To locate the 'daring' within us to grow?Jan shares some poetic roadmaps that take us inside the important questions and help us find the power to wrap our hands and hearts around radical 'possibility.'

Poets and artists of all stripes remind us that hope is essential to a life of purpose, empowering courage and connection. Jan shares the true calling card of growing our future by locating the crack created by heartbreak that lets the light in.

Each of us has someone, or ones, who have taught us lessons that last a lifetime, continuing to guide us. Giving thanks annually, if not more often, treasuring their example, lifts us as well. Jan shares the lessons his own dad taught him by word and example that continue to stand the test of time.

We invest in ourselves when we discover purpose, that each of us has a voice only we can share. Jan celebrates playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who painted worlds with her words that made us laugh, cry, and helped illuminate the power and complexity of modern day women.

New out of Russia is that the great voice of moral clarity, Alexei Navalny, has been silenced. Yet, this news, and his life, underscore the power of conscience to illuminate injustice and inspire us to compassion and courage, in our own way, in our own lives.

When life throws inevitable roadblocks and difficulties, it matters that we show up, for ourselves, and for others. Jan shares the gratitude in having a dad who did just that, and the opportunity we each have to make meaning out of reaching out.

Jan shares quotes and observations from poets, performers, and philosophers to start your week, reminding us of the power in realizing we are 'alive in a broken world', capable of creating our own path of positivity, day by day.

Many cultures have created circles of stone that we marvel at, wondering their purpose. Jan shares the story of a personal stone circle and the powerful mirror to our souls these stones can represent, reminding us of the permanence of memories and what matters most in our lives.

In chaos it is possible we are unsure if we can still shine. We can.Jan shares the words of a poet who asks the questions our hearts may be asking. More powerfully, suggests the possibility of creating new maps to future light.

Life is often governed by questions we put to ourselves: What's in it for me? What's the worst than could happen? Who's it going to hurt? Jan shares the personal story of a stranger who called him to his death bed to pass on a life lesson of positivity that the man had learned from a life of manipulation, hoping to help others before it was too late.

Each of us has experiences that shape the way we see ourselves and the role we want to play in life. Jan shares the story of a welding genius whose art has taught the world what freedom can look like when you fashion with your hands the visions of your heart.

This past year has shaken us and challenged our resolve. It is a time " to come into the peace of wild things..." to renew and tap our resilience. To that end, Jan shares a personal story of an incomparable survivor and friend, Hannah, who taught him the power of purposeful living.

Right now some of us may be feeling abandonment for family, community, friends who don't show up. End of year, it may be part of our unfinished business. Jan shares the story of a dear friend and her path back from a deep rejection, and the poem he wrote for her about finding our way back home.

In the darkest month of the year, amid the shadows of war and hate, is the exact moment for kindling candles. Jan shares a miracle of a story, and the power of illumination, especially for making human connection.

When the world is upside down and deeply challenging, as it is right now, we do well to revisit the voices of those who impacted us for the better, if only to strengthen our resolve. Jan shares a personal encounter with one of the world's great maestro's and how the words of that artist have shaped him for the better to this day.

The Yiddish language shares much wit and wisdom, including how, in some ways, we are all connected: reminding us, "Di gantse velt iz eyn shtot." (The whole world is one town.)" Jan shares some insights of a language once spoken by close to 13 million Jews before the HOLOCAUST, sayings from which we can still learn.

It can feel as if we're at the end of all light at a moment such as we're facing in public discourse, war, and a rise in antisemitism. Jan shares the meaning of faith in such a time and the powerful search for hope needed to meet the moment.

Now is not the time to shrink but to EXPAND. Jan shares a story from one of the lowest points of his life, an experience he had on a lake in Scotland that opened him to ways to meet the challenge of sadness and hurt all around him, a feeling he compares to events many of us are experiencing in the world right now.

Being in the midst of war, struggle, and a constant bombardment of hate, one's inner core and wellness is at serious risk. We must seek balance. Jan shares a true story of the Dalai Lama and a powerful lesson on how to do that every day.

In moments of darkness we must be the light. Jan shares a powerful poem by Megan Falley about how, in the shadows of horror and conflict, something seemingly small and insignificant can be a giver of life. The same can be said for words we choose to use this day.

In light of world events, beginning with the evil attacks on Israel by Hamas, people of all backgrounds are shaken. Many feel very alone. The human touch in reaching out with the simple question, "Are you ok?" is essential for sanity and ought to be a hallmark of our own humanity..

In the midst of war, we are bombarded with hate and misinformation that seeks to twist the humanity away from us, leaving us feeling pronounced loneliness. We need to hear something else, if only to balance ourselves. Jan shares the words of a poet who reminds him of an essential component to being human.

There are moments in our lives when we must be able to call evil out. When moral clarity is required in order to forge a world worthy of our ancestors and our children. Calling out barbarism for what it is must be part of that. Jan shares thoughts of recent terrorist attacks in Israel and shares a personal story where hope was formed between him and a Palestinian baker in Jerusalem as they dreamt of better days for their children.

Jan shares the way his mother saw sunsets and brings the crimson gift he has long chased to your ears once again this week.

Sometimes getting to a YES in Life is finding the right question to ask. Jan shares rules he discovered from a pre-revolutionary war era tavern in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

Sometime it takes going "a wee ways beyond" the first impression of someone or some place, to truly find the truth and power right in front of us.

Every once and awhile we encounter an individual whose grace of heart and spirit gift us with remarkable insight. Jan shares the story of reaching out to the late Richard Carlson, author of the international bestselling series of books, "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff," and taught the transformative power Richard taught him in reaching back.

On September 11, 2001, like millions the world over, poet, journalist, and activist Kevin Powell stared in stunned horror at the events unfolding at the Twin Towers. That November he wrote a simple, profound poem that, on this anniversary of that day, Jan shares with you here, excavating hope from the mouth of madness.

The folding of origami cranes is said to bring the granting of a wish, for life, for recovery. Jan shares the story of a little girl named Sadako and a lesson of love and art to lift us all.

We often yearn for a world that once was. Meet a boy from Siberia who came to live in New York City's Lower East Side. With his music, he gave hope and connection to millions during a time of devastation, planting seeds of comfort, longing, and belonging. (*Recorded during the pandemic)

This month we have an astounding natural phenomenon in which there is both a super full moon that is also a blue moon. Rare and worthy of notice as to what it might say to us about our own possibilities for growth. Join Jan and dream a little..

The Unexpected meeting. Traveling the road less taken. Sometime going off the beaten path leads to discoveries that deepen our lives. Jan shares his teenage cross-country detour to West Virginia and the day he was transformed by a family of real McCoys.