EP 14 - Janet Blue
True Fiction Project
In today’s episode, Heather Vickery is here to talk about her life journey from fear-based to limitless! Heather is an award-winning business owner, global leader, entrepreneur, and published author. We talk about embracing fear and the unhelpful and unrealistic pursuit of being fearless. Heather shares her story of coming out at the age of 38 and how she rebuilt her life by taking risks and manifestation. Later in the episode, we hear a fictional story by Michael Kobzik about a woman who takes a chance and a brave step toward her dream. IN THIS EPISODE: ...
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EP 13 - The Queen of Teacups
True Fiction Project
Today I’m speaking with the Queen of Teacups, Lissi Kaplan, about her journey to becoming an internationally recognized fine artist. Lissi’s hand-painted porcelains are in the collections of dignitaries, heads of state, and private collectors around the world. We talk about her unique calling to porcelain art following the passing of her mother. More than her skill with a brush, Lissi also has a beautiful gift of capturing the essence and spirit of a client through her artwork. Listen in as she explains the emotional process behind her art and hear a fictional story by Michael Colucci...
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EP 12 - ENCORE - Wiseguy Charming
True Fiction Project
I want to tell you about a show I think you'll enjoy: -- epic audio adventures that reimagine Shakespeare’s timeless tales, featuring original music composition and the voices of award-winning actors. Each episode explores plays from Macbeth to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in a way that you can actually understand it and created specifically for the podcast form by some of America’s most exciting playwrights, directors and composers, and performed by stage and screen’s best. Check out their current season of King Lear that stars Emmy-winner Keith David and Severance star Tramell...
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EP 11 - The Appointment
True Fiction Project
In this episode, I’m speaking with Jess Salomon, a New York based Canadian comedian who prior to her career in comedy was a war crimes lawyer. Jess speaks to the cathartic process of her work and how “tragedy plus time equals comedy.” Jess shares about her relationship with wife, their comedy duo, and the unique perspective they bring with being Jewish and her wife being Muslim and Palestian. We also hear a comedy fiction story, written by Parker James, based on Jess’s prompt about an odd couple and their unique career choice. IN THIS EPISODE: [02:05] Jess’s...
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EP 10 - Namaste Station
True Fiction Project
In this episode, I’m speaking with three members of the Kabir Café or Neeraj Arya's Kabir Café. Described as a modern mystic band, they are influenced and inspired by a 15th century poet named . We discuss how the band came to be and what Kabir’s ideology means to them and fans. They also play a beautiful piece of music that encompasses the message of Kabir and carries a central theme that we have come to better understand during the pandemic. The fictional story is written by Jean Bernard and tells the story of Kabir, a traveling poet who finds a young boy to apprentice. The young boy...
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EP 9 - The Grape Farm Spectre
True Fiction Project
In this episode, I’m speaking with Rajeev Samant, CEO of Sula Vineyards and the man responsible for putting wine on the map of India. When asked about his success he simply says he was “the right guy in the right place with the right background.” His friends called him crazy when he quit his job and moved to a poverty-stricken area in India to start a vineyard. But, he now has the last laugh having created one of the most visited vineyards in the world. Rajeev talks about the team he assembled to help him create Sula Vineyards, the bureaucratic obstacles he had to overcome in the...
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EP 8 - First Stop
True Fiction Project
In this episode, I’m having a timely conversation with Dr. Barry Thomas Malin, a head and neck surgeon turned art gallerist (the Malin Gallery), about switching careers and following your passions. Now more than ever people are reevaluating their careers and asking themselves the important question of am I satisfied in my work. Dr. Malin reflected on this same question when he decided to leave his career as a sought-after free flap construction surgeon and open his own art gallery. We talk about the intricacies and challenges of being a free flap surgeon and what ultimately led him to quit...
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EP 7 - True Fiction Favorites: A Case Study on Anna Delvey/Anna Sorokin
True Fiction Project
In this episode, I'm speaking with Diann Wingert, psychotherapist turned business mindset coach and the host of the Driven Woman Podcast. Why are people so fascinated by Anna Delvey/Anna Sorokin, who bilked her way through the New York social scene? As a psychotherapist, Diann was particularly intrigued by her motivation – what drove this seemingly successful young woman to engage in such fraudulent behavior? Interestingly, much of Anna's motivation can be traced back to her childhood. She was always a bright and imaginative child, but she was also drawn to the finer things in life....
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EP 6 - White Terror
True Fiction Project
In this episode, I’m speaking with Steve Vines, who was a journalist based in Hong Kong for 35 years until he recently left for political reasons in 2021. Steve shares the rapid series of events that ultimately led to his departure from the country he called “home.” Steve sheds light on the current situation in Hong Kong by looking back at its history and the resilient spirit of Hong Kong, which he has studied in depth for his new book, Defying the Dragon: Hong Kong and the World's Largest Dictatorship. He discusses how there was once a high degree of liberty and low democracy in Hong...
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EP 5 - Emergency Ukraine Crisis episode: A Plea from Yuriy
True Fiction Project
In this Ukraine special emergency episode, I’m speaking with Yuriy, a journalist on the ground in Kyiv who has taken up arms to fight for the freedom of his country. Yuriy recalls waking up to the early morning attacks in Kyiv and shares how this unwarranted conflict has affected his family and the civilians of Ukraine. He speaks to the heroic and sacrificial patriotism of his fellow Ukrainians. Yuriy’s main concern is to appeal to Western allies to take to the streets in an effort to help convince NATO to help Ukraine by establishing a no fly zone. Later in the episode, we hear two...
info_outlineIn this episode, I’m speaking with three members of the Kabir Café or Neeraj Arya's Kabir Café. Described as a modern mystic band, they are influenced and inspired by a 15th century poet named Kabir. We discuss how the band came to be and what Kabir’s ideology means to them and fans. They also play a beautiful piece of music that encompasses the message of Kabir and carries a central theme that we have come to better understand during the pandemic.
The fictional story is written by Jean Bernard and tells the story of Kabir, a traveling poet who finds a young boy to apprentice. The young boy adopts Kabir’s melodies and continues to share them long after they have both died.
Namaste Station - A Fictional Story in Print
IN THIS EPISODE:
- [02:48] How did Kabir Cafe come together?
- [10:41] Who is Ram? Who is Kabir?
- [16:32] Is Kabir simply music, or a way of life?
- [19:30] What is Kabir Panth?
- [21:50] Kabir Cafe sings and explains the meaning behind the music
- [25:52] The different between greed and need
- [27:52] What does the “Fakir” symbolize?
- [33:17] FICTION PIECE: Kabir stops traveling to write
- [35:18] Kabir meets a young boy named Neeraj
- [37:02] Kabir apprentices Neeraj
- [39:27] Kabir passes away and Neeraj carried on his music and ideology
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Kabir was a poet back in the 14th century who spoke about oneness, humanity, gender equality, and love. Although he's from the 14th or 15th century, you can still connect to him as a friend because he spoke about the eternal truth.
- The Guru–shishya relationship is a very, very old tradition that we have from India. It’s not schooling in the traditional sense. A student sits with their guru and takes in the knowledge that the guru imparts, similar to apprenticeship.
- Kabir Panth is a non-denominational ideology of togetherness, equality, and humanity. It values community and helping other people.
- A Fakir represents contentment. They ask nothing of others. They are free to seek and achieve true happiness in life.
BIO:
The only band to exclusively perform the verses of Kabir. Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café is a Mumbai based folk fusion band known for performing songs composed out of Saint Kabir’s Dohas. The band’s lineup consists of Neeraj Arya (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Raman Iyer (Mandolin), Viren Solanki (percussions and drums), Mukund Ramaswamy (violin), and Poubuanpou Britto KC (Bass Guitars, backing vocalist). Kabir Café aims to ensure that the verses of Kabir Das are accessible to the rest of the world.
Not only does the band perform folk renditions of classic verses by Sant Kabir Das, but they also are known for fusing different genres of music into their compositions. The songs composed and produced by Kabir Café reflect the flavours of pop, rock, reggae, and Carnatic music occasionally. Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café talks about Sant Kabir Das who did not believe in any sorts of boundaries, then why should they do so?
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