Best Chris Johnson & The Milkweed Group, LLC Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 25: A Conversation with Parker Palmer, part 3 38:01

18d ago38:01

38:01

Here's the third installment of my delightful and illuminating conversation with the renowned author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer. You can learn more about him and his work on the website of the Center for Courage and Renewal. In this episode, Parker reflects on the "power of anger in the work of love" and its relationship with his steadfa…

1
Episode 24: A Conversation with Parker Palmer, part 2 26:17

25d ago26:17

26:17

This week’s episode is the second of what will be a three-part series featuring my rich and delightful conversation with none other than the renowned author and educator Parker J. Palmer. You can see a more complete introduction of him in the show notes for Episode 23, or on the website for the Center for Courage and Renewal: couragerenewal.org A h…

1
Episode 23: A Conversation with Parker Palmer, part 1 40:28

1M ago40:28

40:28

This week’s episode is the first of what will be a three-part series featuring my rich and delightful conversation with none other than the renowned author and educator Parker J. Palmer. I am grateful and honored beyond words by Parker’s generosity of spirit and time, every morsel of which begs to be savored – so again, this is the first course of …

1
Episode 22: Pause, Part 2 41:43

1M ago41:43

41:43

This episode continues our exploration of “pause” by inviting stories of models or exemplars of pause. Who comes to mind and heart as practicing pause as an act of love? As solitude? As an expression of care or connection? Rest and renewal? Simply noticing? We hear stories of a wide range of inspiration around pause -- where it can come from, what …

1
Episode 21: This Ain't Your Dad's Holy Grail: Men and Meaning (A Conversation with Dane Anthony) 42:50

2M ago42:50

42:50

Each episode of the old TV show "Red Green" would end with the all-male cast gathering for the opening of the regular meeting of the Possum Lodge by bowing their heads for the Man’s Prayer: I’m a man. But I can change. If I have to. I guess. While it may be true that some things have changed since then, men still have a lot of work to do – a lot of…

1
Episode 20: An Unboxed Life (Living a Life that Matters, part 3) 19:55

2M ago19:55

19:55

Going through the boxes (or closets, or backpacks) of the "stuff" of one's life can be, like many things, both daunting and illuminating. What are you carrying, and what's calling to be "unboxed," to come into the light and air -- maybe in some cases in order to be let go, and in others inviting you to live with intention into openness and possibil…

1
Episode 19: Freeing Yourself to Really Be Yourself: A Lifelong Journey with Neal Hagberg 53:27

2M ago53:27

53:27

What if I try this new thing, and some people don’t like me? My guest this week, Neal Hagberg, voiced these worries of his own many years ago to his then 8-year-old daughter. Her response (you’ll love it!) set him free to take the risk, and opened up his life in ways he could’ve never imagined. She helped him to realize that “If you free yourself u…

1
Episode 18: From Star Stuff to Cowpies in a Warm Summer Rain (Living a Life that Matters, Part 2) 28:19

2M ago28:19

28:19

The word “matter” can have multiple meanings. There’s the one which is the overarching focus of this podcast, the one that’s invoked when we say that something or someone “matters” or when I ask, What really does “matter,” and why? And then there’s the meaning of the word that points to physical, tangible, measurable “matter”: things, objects, the …

1
Episode 17: Pause (Part 1) 29:57

2M ago29:57

29:57

The need for "pause" is built into the nature of things -- between inhale and exhale as we breathe, between the beats of our hearts, and (as we hear in this episode) between "stimulus and response" throughout our lives. And yet it's so easy to neglect; it seems immensely difficult to actually do in any kind of consistent and meaningful way in the f…

1
Episode 16: Navigating Life when EVERYTHING is a Priority 49:10

3M ago49:10

49:10

When daily life can feel overwhelming, and when EVERYTHING feels like it’s supposed to be a priority, how can it make sense to make plans or have goals at all, let alone to live with intention into a sense of vocation or calling? My guest this time is the wise and delightful Dr. Danielle McGeough, founder and host of the podcast PlanGoalPlan. She t…

1
Episode 15 -- Living a Life that Matters, part 1 17:25

3M ago17:25

17:25

With reminiscences of growing up on a dairy farm in Minnesota as a starting point, this episode wonders: What really matters, and how do we know? What does it mean to live a life that matters? We find ourselves deep in paradox here: that people and experiences, things and details, my life and yours can both not matter at all, and that they can at t…

1
Episode 14 -- Friendship, Grief, and Love without Limits: Living into the Calling to Be the Person You Are 44:42

3M ago44:42

44:42

Jacqueline Bussie acknowledges that it took the sudden and tragic death of her best friend and husband, Matt, to help her to “unlearn” the cultural traps of overwork and of equating self-worth with productivity. In this poignant and delightful conversation, Jacqueline speaks of friendship as her highest calling, of leaning into the long and anguish…

1
Episode 13 -- Winter's Light 23:42

3M ago23:42

23:42

As every season has its mysteries and magic, its occasion for suffering and wonder, ache and awe, its lessons to teach and questions to pose, so does winter. And so do the interior winters of our lives. What wisdom might the cold and the dark of deep winter hold? How might our search for meaning and purpose be enriched by winter's harsh rigors -- a…

1
Episode 12 -- The Revolution Will Have Dancing and Good Food: Living with Intention and Attention 44:38

4M ago44:38

44:38

Instead of being overwhelmed by "more, bigger, faster," what if it’s possible to live a different kind of life? What if instead of being shackled to the hamster wheel we take tiny, purposeful, lasting steps toward depth and learning, toward sufficiency and wholeness? My guest this week is parent and teacher and professional listener Ellie Roscher. …

1
Episode 11: On Transitions and Ellipses -- Living into the In-Between 14:37

4M ago14:37

14:37

I’ve been thinking a lot about transitions lately. Shifts in life. The long, slow turn into the New Year. Some of it has been about change, loss, grief. Letting go, moving on. In this episode I tell the story of three small birds that have found their way down the chimney (even though the damper was closed), become trapped in the stove, and died. "…

1
Episode 10: Words Make Worlds 49:16

4M ago49:16

49:16

This episode will drop one day after the annual holiday honoring the life and legacy of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr…. and some three months into the horrific war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East, not to mention the ongoing war in Ukraine, and deepening political divisions in this country. King managed to see beyond violence and hatr…

1
On Trying Something New, Part 2 35:53

4M ago35:53

35:53

The turn of the calendar is often an occasion to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re headed, to turn a fresh eye or open heart toward what you want to live into. Some folks are big into making new years resolutions – I’m not among them, so this episode isn’t about that. Instead, you’re invited to listen in on a living room conversation am…

1
Change, Resilience, and Nature in the New Year 46:42

5M ago46:42

46:42

My kids grew up loving the "Magic School Bus" books and animated PBS series. I had great help as a parent from the teacher in those stories, Ms. Frizzle, who was always reminding the kids (including my own): "Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!" Michaela Rice, our guest today, has much the same attitude when it comes to experiencing and learnin…

1
Awe and Light: A Little Holiday Pause 13:14

5M ago13:14

13:14

The holidays are powerful times to celebrate the light that shines in winter's darkness. They also tap into our capacity, our need, for awe and wonder. The light of the holidays includes the awe-some and awe-inspiring light that we can bring to the dark places of fear and despair, hatred and brokenness of the world. Our "practice to take with you" …

1
Burnout and Belonging: Being Present in Your Own Life 41:43

5M ago41:43

41:43

My guest today is my friend, the poet and educator Tristan Richards. She talks with me about her own version of a journey that I’m guessing is familiar to many of you: a journey into overwhelm and burnout, fueled by the tangled morass of unrelenting professional demands and personal loss and grief, all while struggling to figure out the relationshi…

1
Sort through the Voices that Tell You Who to Be 16:36

5M ago16:36

16:36

If you're like me, you're carrying around lots of "voices in your head," lots of internal self-talk that fuels a tendency to get in your own way. To what voices do you tend to give the most authority, and why? And what voices actually deserve your trust? What voices are worthy of your attention? How about these, for starters (in the words of a poem…

1
The Power of Story and the Courage to Change the World 49:53

6M ago49:53

49:53

This week’s episode features conversation with special guest, award-winning author and photographer John Noltner. We explore the power of story to bridge division and build community, and the importance of doing things in life that feed your soul. John is the founder of “A Peace of My Mind," a multimedia arts project that includes books, exhibits, …

1
Up on the Granary Roof 11:20

6M ago11:20

11:20

On a hot summer evening just after sunset, a child climbs to the peak of the granary roof, and finds the quiet, the space, and the questions that will fuel and sustain a lifetime. What does it mean to believe that you matter? Who has helped you know that you matter, and how have they done that? How do you help others to know that they matter?…

1
A True (but Embarrassing!) Story about Milkweed 14:00

6M ago14:00

14:00

Here's the quick, true (and somewhat embarrassing) origins of this work, around shifting from a story of burnout and breakdown to one of living into one's truest and best self. On behalf of what kind of Story -- toward what vision of the world and your place in it -- do you want to live? What is the Story that shapes, guides, orients, and sustains …

1
On Trying Something New 40:48

6M ago40:48

40:48

In this very first episode, host Chris Johnson shares stories, wonderings, and insights with friends and Milkweed Group colleagues Kelli, Colleen, and Kelsey about what it is to start something new.By Chris Johnson & The Milkweed Group, LLC

1
Introducing ”Pause, Purpose, Possibility” 4:14

6M ago4:14

4:14

Welcome to the trailer episode for "Pause, Purpose, Possibility" -- exploring meaning and connecting with true self. Give a listen to this quick overview introducing the podcast and your host Chris Johnson, and then be sure to subscribe, "like," and share. We're so glad you here!By Chris Johnson & The Milkweed Group, LLC

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Chris Johnson & The Milkweed Group, LLC Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Pause, Purpose, Possibility

Chris Johnson & The Milkweed Group, LLC

1
Episode 25: A Conversation with Parker Palmer, part 3 38:01

1
Episode 24: A Conversation with Parker Palmer, part 2 26:17

1
Episode 23: A Conversation with Parker Palmer, part 1 40:28

1
Episode 22: Pause, Part 2 41:43

1
Episode 21: This Ain't Your Dad's Holy Grail: Men and Meaning (A Conversation with Dane Anthony) 42:50

1
Episode 20: An Unboxed Life (Living a Life that Matters, part 3) 19:55

1
Episode 19: Freeing Yourself to Really Be Yourself: A Lifelong Journey with Neal Hagberg 53:27

1
Episode 18: From Star Stuff to Cowpies in a Warm Summer Rain (Living a Life that Matters, Part 2) 28:19

1
Episode 17: Pause (Part 1) 29:57

1
Episode 16: Navigating Life when EVERYTHING is a Priority 49:10

1
Episode 15 -- Living a Life that Matters, part 1 17:25

1
Episode 14 -- Friendship, Grief, and Love without Limits: Living into the Calling to Be the Person You Are 44:42

1
Episode 13 -- Winter's Light 23:42

1
Episode 12 -- The Revolution Will Have Dancing and Good Food: Living with Intention and Attention 44:38

1
Episode 11: On Transitions and Ellipses -- Living into the In-Between 14:37

1
Episode 10: Words Make Worlds 49:16

1
On Trying Something New, Part 2 35:53

1
Change, Resilience, and Nature in the New Year 46:42

1
Awe and Light: A Little Holiday Pause 13:14

1
Burnout and Belonging: Being Present in Your Own Life 41:43

1
Sort through the Voices that Tell You Who to Be 16:36

1
The Power of Story and the Courage to Change the World 49:53

1
Up on the Granary Roof 11:20

1
A True (but Embarrassing!) Story about Milkweed 14:00

1
On Trying Something New 40:48

1
Introducing ”Pause, Purpose, Possibility” 4:14

Quick Reference Guide