Today, work challenges feel particularly front and center. It leads perfectly into an intriguing question: what if you woke up one day to find you were “generationally taken care of” rich? How would you spend your days? Would there be a phase where you did absolutely nothing? And could you truly step away from the drive for external validation? Let…

So, my brother recently visited a friend who's off-grid homesteading in the wilds of Alaska, and that's where he stumbled across the curious term 'Law-ptional.' Turns out, when you're living in the middle of nowhere, some laws and rules become... well, more like suggestions! It got me thinking—what rules in our own lives have become 'law-ptional'? …

Today, we explore the uncanny parallels between the film Wag the Dog and the current political climate. Along the way, we discuss how the term 'playing politics' often fosters unnecessary people-pleasing. We also dive into the fading presence of cultural rites of passage, share thoughts on aging with grace, and highlight our favorite headline of th…

Summer in the PNW is nothing short of spectacular, so it's been a minute since the ZNZBT crew gathered for a recording. But we’re wasting no time diving right back into the random conversations and topics that keep our ADHD brains buzzing. We catch up on Kinzie's travels to Italy and Vegas and Robin's to New York. Robin finally realizes that he may…

We race through life at such a breakneck speed that we hardly notice time passing, much less the changing of seasons or the years slipping away. From fleeting trends to the whirlwind of fast fashion, it feels like no one truly wants to keep up with the relentless pace we've set, yet we struggle to maintain the facade of enjoyment. Slowing down migh…

We’re all human by nature, but have you ever paused to consider what it truly means to be human? Imagine having to consciously think about things you do instinctively—walking, breathing, reaching for an object. It’s like the intriguing question making the rounds: how do you refer to yourself in your thoughts? Are you an "I," a "You," or a "We" In t…

We’re surrounded by signs and symbols every day. Often, we accept them at face value, but what if there's a hidden, possibly harmful, meaning beneath them? Today’s discussion springs from a controversial "No U-Turn" sign in California. The more we dig behind the surface, the more disturbing truths seem to emerge. This might explain why the concept …

In this episode, we dive into a phrase that’s haunted us for years: "You'll understand it when you get older." It was maddening, but recently, I finally got it—thanks to The Doobie Brothers. I now appreciate the key changes, the tempo shifts, and the incredible musicianship of their music. So, what else are we finally ready to understand with age? …

You might find it increasingly difficult to accommodate people with differing opinions. Today, we ask ourselves tough questions: Should I stay silent or take the risk of voicing my thoughts? Although balance is a vital aspect of life, it's often easier said than done. Opportunities for imbalance and triggers abound. Finding a balance that makes you…

How can one of the most creative and promising generations of our time be tied to the lamest catch phrases? Well, let's go...with this episode. Today we talk about the riveting Kidz Bop version of the Kendrick and Drake beef, which may be the only way I the associate with a beef again. But we also chat about the struggle of having a conversation wh…

Now I know that I can't know everything, but as an adult, I still get tickled when I learn something new about life. So imagine my surprise, and potentially yours, as we learn about "jump humping." And on a serious note, are we really in a place where fast food chains are sponsoring national parks? We still don't have flying cars, work and joy are …

As I've gotten older, finding ways to disconnect and slow down has become increasingly important, especially in an era where staying connected is easier than ever. Recently, I discovered Darkness Retreats and spent 5 days in complete darkness to explore this unique form of unplugging. In today's episode, we'll delve into that transformative experie…

Man, we are running the gamut today on tangents. After sharing stories of our misguided youths, we have a good discussion around meditation. From different ways to approach meditation, to dealing with meditation injuries, which sounds counter intuitive. But here we are. We talk a bit about growing up around racism and ignorance around equality, but…

In this conversation, we attempt to explore the unexpected lessons hidden in life's randomness and glean the profound insights gained from seemingly trivial experiences. And we also bring light to the absurdity of mattress commercials in Texas, uncovering the curious quirks of regional advertising. If you don't know, check out Mattress Mack! We cha…

Join us for a thought-provoking journey as we delve into the fabric of our human experience. In today's episode, we ponder the notion of whether there's a malevolent force orchestrating our lives or if we're simply crafting meaning from the chaos. As humans, we're wired to weave narratives, finding significance even in the seemingly mundane. Ever h…

Topics come and go, but I love maneuvering through a seemingly nonsensical, tangential conversation. Join us as we navigate through seemingly nonsensical conversations that somehow always find their way back home. In today's episode, we tackle the ever-relatable topic of travel frustrations and share our savvy strategies for overcoming them. Ever w…

Today we are digging into the complexities of being nice while avoiding the pitfalls of people-pleasing. We'll explore impactful phrases like "being in trouble" and question who we're truly accountable to. Additionally, we'll dissect the notion of "confidential contracts" and how they silently erode relationships. But fear not, it's not all serious…

Pranks have been a very active part of our lives. Sometimes whether we want it to be or not. The 3 of us had the pleasure of working together for a number of years, which involved many pranks and now our bonded friendship. Today we share stories of the pranks that we have been a part of. Whether on the pranking side, or the receiving side, as long …

Here at Zen and Not Zen, it's no surprise that we love our music. In today's episode, we're diving into the transformative journey of artists and how their evolution impacts our connection to their work. Inspired by Andre 3000's innovative flute album, we explore the question: do we grow alongside our favorite artists as they push boundaries in the…

This episode is a personal favorite of mine. In our haphazard attempt to talk about 2023 and the impact it had on us, we end up talking about everything but 2023. We cover the influence that the band Blues Traveler had on us. How all spiritual and religious practices really just want us to be good people, when you boil it down. And how upside down …

What random jobs have you had? But more importantly, what random skills have the jobs you've had taught you? From splicing movies together to video game coin mech repairs, we may not know when this random knowledge will come in handy, until you need it. But more than that, what interesting practices do you have, or have you seen someone else do? We…

Why do we love villains so much? Is it that we empathize with them in some way? Maybe they're acting in a way that you wish you could sometimes. Or maybe we just love to see what chaos would look like, but from the safety of our own managed mayhem. Whatever your reason, we all seem to have some that we look to, so today we are talking about ours. W…

Growing up in organized sports, our coaches used to cup check us constantly. Whether they were trying to see if we were in uniform, or it was some sadistic ritual, the jury is still out. But it seems that this has continued and is now going viral. So why do much of the "affectionate" rituals that men in the west observe seem to have undertones of a…

We at Zen and Not Zen love our entertainment! And we deeply enjoy adult cartoons. So today, we are spending some time talking about adult cartoons and cartoons that have adult overtones. We have the classics like The Simpsons, Family Guy & South Park, but what are your go to's? We also tackle the hard hitting topics like Chuck's vs Vans, Canadian m…

Burning man 2023 was met with many unexpected challenges. In todays tangent, we talk about this unintended social experiment and how what may be perceived as going wrong, may actually be the signs of something right. Most of us have been a part of something that may have started small and intimate; a cult classic movie, a music group or sub-genre, …

Anne Lamott dropped this gem: "Expectations are resentments waiting to happen." Today, we are chatting about all the wild things we anticipate and the boxes we put ourselves, others, and life in. But hey, can we just take a moment and marvel at the fact that aliens are being talked about openly by our governing officials now? I was half-expecting a…

Today we embark on an amusing journey as we tackle the epic battle of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) versus JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out). Ever felt like you're trapped in a social obligation vortex? Join Robin, Kinzie and I as we explore the art of saying "no" without a hint of guilt. Plus, we'll uncover the magical powers of a good night's sleep in a wor…

As you may know by now, we have "topics" that we typically move towards in our conversations. Sometimes we get there, sometimes we don't. Today is one of those days that we just couldn't really get to the topic. But that's ok! We'll get to that topic one of these days. So today, we talk about Pride week and how to keep showing up as an ally. How Au…

Please humor me as I try to work out this idea in my head, as we conversate about it on the air. Life is funny, whether it's "meant" to be or not. And sometimes we observe life in all of its hilarity, again, whether it's intended to be or not. With all of that being said. We have a birthing doula, who births babies into the world. We have death dou…

Beauty is a very subjective observation, and also one of my favorite expressions from the Canadian slang. But sometimes we tend to find beauty in some not so beautiful moments. Maybe it's more of an esoteric beauty at that point. Like the beauty in climbing back up from rock bottom, or the beauty in saying goodbye to a loved one. And there are also…

Today, we totally went off topic, (yes, there are topics) and stumbled our way into a tangent about humanity. There is a lot happening in the world right now. We started off talking about gourmet fast food and Walmart shenanigans, harmless enough. But when we brought up the new golf league, LIV, it opened the door to move the conversation toward hu…

Today was an important day. We found out the Kinzie had a "crush" on Kevin James, that none of us are fans of padded toilet seats and that most of the food we grew up on and still sometimes eat is banned in other countries. I understand that we all have different standards and practices, but can't we find a better substitute than yellow #5? Shit, w…

We live in an interesting age where technology is being developed at a rapid pace and inventions seem to be flooding the world. But what are some of the inventions that meant the most to humanity, in a good way and a bad way. Today, we are taking a look at some of the most influential inventions and some of the most detrimental inventions we have s…

Today we take a look at dive into regret. Regret is a doorway to depression, shame and the root cause for many misspelled tattoos..."No Regerts". But how does regret land with you in your emotional body. It could be said that regret is a useless emotion, but maybe we just aren't ready to hear the message of what regret is trying to tell us. We can …

The perception of truth has been very top of mind recently. Can I have a truth that's separate than your truth, and vice versa? The short answer is yes, but is that counter intuitive to the idea of what a truth is? Well, that's what we are diving into today. That and the new understanding that actress Vira Farmiga loves heavy metal music! But with …

Defining your personal freedom may seem counterintuitive, but too much freedom an be overwhelming. Today on ZNZBT we talk about what state of being can feel like for each of us. This is a personally defined term. My freedom may look completely different than yours. And there's beauty in that. But there's also beauty in hover boards, the movie "Blan…

In our year end review, we talk about our highs and lows, the lessons we learned and the shenanigans we got ourselves into. We're not big on New Years resolutions here at ZNZBT, but we talk about what some of the focus' we will have for the upcoming year and how the year we just passed has helped up prepare for it. From plant medicine journeys to c…

The passing of Naomi Judd, an artist and human being that meant a lot to Kinzie, was what spurred the topic for this episode. Today, we talk about the famous people who passed in 2022. Some of them we knew, but a lot we did not. I found it comforting to know that Coolio passed the day after my mom. So to think my mom and Coolio are on a fantastic v…

I know we are a little bit late for a daylight savings time episode, but here you go! I understand why our country initially instated DST, but why is this still a practice? At least now with the normality of smartphones and smart devices, most of our clocks change themselves and we have learned to adjust, but what about our pets? My dog is fed dinn…

We always sit down with an idea of what we want to talk about here on ZNZBT, but sometimes we just don't get to it. In this episode, we tried 2 or 3 times to work our way back to the subject, but it just didn't work. So today, we bring you another tangent, in its truest form. We talk about Portland's food scene and how we feel that Voodoo Donuts is…

The lovely Kinzie Shaw is leading the conversation in this episode. Since Kinzie is our self proclaimed "house lesbian", she is filling us in on some funny lesbianisms. We at ZNZBT know it’s not the job of marginalized communities to educate us on their experience but in this episode Kinzie volunteered to educate us for one episode on some things a…

What fears do you live with? Combined, we are afraid of heights, the ocean, spiders and Mark Wahlberg's character in the move "Fear". But why are we afraid of these things? Today, we are talking about fear and how to manage it. We discuss mid-evil scare tactics to help induce fear to heal the body and mind and how to maintain your internal happines…

Have you ever loved a movie so much, but when your friends watch the same movie they thought you were an idiot? Well, that's our topic today. From My Father the Hero to UHF; and Captive, where John Stamos plays the bad guy. We talk about all of the movies that, for some reason, we love. We tackle sequels that we feel are better than the original an…

We used to be able to rattle off phone numbers with ease, know and understand directions in a stronger way or even remember bits of obscure information. Now, we have digital platforms in our pockets that remember for us and give us the information we need. Today we are talking about 2 newer "disorders" that effect us due to the time of life that we…

I'm not sure if you've heard or not. And if you haven't heard, I hate to be the one who tells you. But, the beloved Choco Taco is being discontinued. This is a big blow to my childhood innocence and nostalgia. But all things come to an end sooner or later. Why not delicious snacky treats too? Well, today in honor of the Choco Taco, we are sharing w…

Music is very impactful in our lives, whether we realize it or not. It can help us up regulate our energy for a workout or game, but also help us calm our nerves and relax. Today we are taking a look at the music that impacted us and how that impact was felt. We explore the concept that a lot of us will decide our music taste at a young age and for…

We've probably all eaten at one, or even worked at one. Today, we talk about the different types of chain restaurants. From traditional to 24 hour, fast food to fine dining we explore our opinions about chain restaurants. And why I have a desire to watch Western movies, but still haven't yet. These are the things that keep us up at night. Due to ou…

One was a propaganda film from 1936 designed to demonize cannabis and the other is the current reality for states with legalized cannabis. Today we are talking about the cultural shift that cannabis is in the midst of and what Betty Ford and Annies Veggie Lasagna have to do with it. Truly, they have nothing inherently in common, but if you give me …

Getting a "proper" amount of sleep had never seemed as important as it did once I hit my 40's. Sleeping intoxicated, going to bed at 3am and waking up at 7am or sometimes staying up all night were common practices. Once we start to make positive changes in our lives, it's hard to imagine how we survived for so long with such toxic habits. So today …

Do you prefer physical books or e-books? What book would you rather have on display in your house, the Bible or The Never Ending Story? To be honest, up until about 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to answer those questions. Maybe it's my older years that have given me the patience to want to read, but either way, I'm now an avid bibliophile…