Shows
A New NormalStories matter: The Invisible WarThis time on the podcast, the story of an invisible war. Shots are fired. Injuries sustained. But how do you fight an enemy you can't see — one that may not even exist?
2021-05-2756 min
A New NormalStories matter: The Elephant WhispererAn armchair safari to a place where humans and elephants are engaged in a deadly conflict over resources — and the one man who can communicate with both sides. -----Much of the music in this episode is from the Free Music Archive by:Bruce Miller (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Broos) CC BY-NC-NDVinod Prasanna (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vinod_Prasanna__Okey_Szoke__Pompey) CC BY NCSiddhartha Corsus (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Siddhartha) CC BYPodington Bear (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear) CC BY NCTheme music: Fragilistic by Ketsa; licensed under CC...
2021-04-161h 10
A New NormalHistory matters: not Gone With the WindConfederate soldiers never reached the US Capitol during the Civil War, but the "Confederate flag" (which was actually the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia) finally arrived in the building on January 6. Join us for a deep dive into the question: why does that symbol still speak to people so long after the Civil War? The answers lie in another disinformation campaign — one that took root in this country 155 years ago, and still impacts us today. This time on the podcast: America’s original Lost Cause — and the real cost of alternative facts. Cover art: A...
2021-03-1256 min
A New NormalHistory matters: heroes or traitors?The divisions that have taken hold of the country are playing out not only in our public lives, but also in some of our closest relationships. What drives the tensions are our very different answers to that perennial question: What do you do when you believe your country is heading the wrong direction? In this episode, we look to history — and the story of a man who has been called “one of the most troubling figures in American History”— for insight. Note: The cover image of John Brown is from a painting called Tragic Prel...
2021-01-2651 min
2021-01-1102 min
A New NormalPlan Be: embracing "radical hospitality" with Mike GrayIs Santa real? You bet. These days he goes by the name Mike Gray, a retired jack of all trades who lives not at the North Pole, but in a recycled house in the Arizona desert—when he’s not with the Lakota on Pine Ridge or the Seri people in Mexico. He's given up the red suit for a work shirt, jeans and a straw hat. And he's stopped making toys in favor of making gardens, building houses and furnishing clinics for people who need them. The sleigh filled with gifts? He traded it in for a van full...
2020-12-1054 min
A New NormalPlan Be: warrior turned potter Matt MaraschIn the first of our “be the change” stories — stories about people who are being the change they want to see in their own communities — we talk with Matt Marasch, former infantry paratrooper and green beret turned potter and healer. A couple of years ago, having lost a number of veteran friends to suicide and struggling to reinvent himself, Matt started looking for a way to bring veterans together to learn new skills and build the kind of close relationships they missed from their days in the military — and Veteran Potter’s House was born.Veteran Potte...
2020-11-2023 min
A New NormalTranscending TribalismThis has been a time of trauma — for some of us it started four years ago, for others just last week. It's tempting to think the answers to our pain lie in retreating further into tribalism. But if there’s one thing this election made painfully clear, it’s that we can’t vote the other side away.Transcending our differences won't be easy. Our guest, Alaine Duncan, Author of the Tao of Trauma explores this time through the lens of our national body as a trauma survivor. How do we heal the divisions and the mist...
2020-11-1249 min
A New NormalCountry over party: this is what democracy looks likeToday, as voters head to the polls in record numbers and with concerns around the election at a fever pitch, we’re talking about a topic that has us alternately feeling like Chicken Little and Pollyanna. But we’re not alone. Everywhere you look people and organizations are prepping for this election—and most would say with good reason. So when we heard about a training designed to prepare people to take action in the event of an undemocratic power grab, we decided it was definitely worth our virtual attendance. The premise of the training, called...
2020-10-301h 08
A New NormalLet's get it started with BaratundeThere's nobody better to kick off our new season — and "Plan Be" — than the man who helped inspire it: Citizen Baratunde, Executive Producer and Host of the hit podcast How to Citizen with Baratunde. Writer, activist and comedian Baratunde Thurston has been "citizening" since way back in high school (which we discuss). In addition to his podcast, check out his Ted Talk, and his New York Times bestselling book, How to Be Black. You can find all of that and more on his website: www.baratunde.comOVER ON THE WEBSITE>We've got...
2020-10-2257 minA New NormalSeason 2 trailer: Plan BeAs the pandemic drags on and the American project feels like it’s spiralling out of control, hope can feel hard to come by. What’s an ordinary person to do? Especially if you're more comfortable ghosting family members with different political beliefs than engaging them, and clicktivism is your idea of getting involved. Join hosts Kelley Lynch and Cindy Sealls in Washington, DC and Obaidul Fattah Tanvir in Bangladesh as they step outside their comfort zones and embark on "Plan Be"— a project to live more in line with at least a few of their loftier ideals...
2020-10-1511 min2020-10-0101 min
A New NormalThe Gini* is out of the bottleEarly on during the pandemic there was a popular refrain: "We're all in this together." Sadly, time has shown that to be a fiction. The recession ended for the haves months ago. Meanwhile, it's gotten harder and harder for many of us to kumbaya our way through it all. Join us as we talk with our go-to economists Shuaib Hassan and Chinesom Ejiasa about the wealth gap—what it looks like today, how we got here and what it means for us going forward. It may be economics, but we promise you it's not boring!*Re...
2020-09-1757 min
A New NormalDon't rock the boat (feat. Archie Bunker)What do All in the Family, the Brady Bunch and our all too apparent political divisions have in common? Join us as we cast (real) political commentary aside (we were no good at that anyway) and resurrect the sitcoms and TV dramas of the 70s in a musically fuelled episode for the current political climate. Grab your lifejacket and climb aboard!
2020-09-0423 min
A New NormalHistory lessons from the great divideEnough already! As if a pandemic, looming economic disaster, racial and civil unrest, and political division weren’t enough, there is talk in some circles about a second civil war. Clearly we're in uncharted territory. Is it possible that what we learned all those years ago in high school history and government classes might come in handy after all? This week's guest, Steve Steinbach, current high school history and government teacher and former trial attorney, looks back at our past, examines our present and gives his take on what might lie in our future. Spoiler alert: all is...
2020-08-191h 02
A New NormalPivot!!!It's a surreal time. Millions are unemployed and, for others, work has changed in ways they never imagined. This week we talk with career and leadership coach Karen Gulliford about managing change, what it takes to lead during a pandemic and why NOW could actually be the time to find a job or a career that fits you better than the one you’re leaving behind. Find out more about Karen's work here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/karencgulliford/Connect with us on our Instagram feed:https://www.instagram.com/anewnormalpodcast/
2020-08-061h 04
A New NormalRisky businessMortgages, the economy and capitalism, oh my. In this wide ranging conversation, our guest, economist Shuaib Hassan, talks about (among other things) immigrating to the US from Afghanistan when he was 11, what makes capitalism great (and how we could do better) and how the chaos in the housing market that led to the Great Recession has become a lifesaver (for those with a mortgage) during the pandemic. Find out more about Shuaib's work here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shuaib-hassan-mba-7119363/Connect with us on our Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com...
2020-07-301h 23A New NormalFootsteps in the darkFinally we get around to talking about the biggest elephant in the room: mortgages, the economy and capitalism. Our guest is economist Shuaib Hassan, who immigrated to the US from Afghanistan when he was 11, and is now responsible for making sure your mortgage servicer plays by the rules when it comes to the CARES Act and COVID-19. We'll be back with this awesome double episode next week!
2020-07-2312 min
A New NormalTruth and consequencesIs there one (bitter) pill that, consumed regularly, could save us from COVID-19? As cases surge across the country, our guest, hospital pharmacist Samira Duja, reflects on the challenges of keeping up with the demand for medicine in her New York hospital during the spike—and we take the opportunity to rummage through the medicine cabinet in search of the only remedy guaranteed to slow the spread of a pandemic: clear, accurate information.To see pictures related to this story, check out our Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/anewnormalpodcast/The theme mu...
2020-07-1754 min
A New NormalEducation on the lineFor many of the world's 1.2 billion children who are out of school due to the pandemic, continuing their education is not a matter of how or even when—but if. Kelley talks with Education Specialist Alberto Begue about the impact the crisis is having on students, families, schools and governments in developing countries and the opportunities it may provide to modernize education.Find more about Alberto and his work here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-begue-37465a7/To see some of my work as a photographer/storyteller documenting education in developing countries fo...
2020-07-0253 min
A New NormalVisit Ethiopia... laterWhat's the future of tourism in a post-COVID-19 world? How do you do it sustainably, so that it benefits local communities without leaving a massive carbon footprint? Kelley talks with Mark Chapman, whose community tourism organization, Tesfa Tours, has been answering these questions—while providing guests with unforgettable experiences—for the last 20 years. Check out Testa Tours at www.tesfatours.com Tesfa Tours has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Telegraph, The Irish Times and Wanderlust Travel Magazine.Do yourself a favor and check out...
2020-06-2545 min
A New NormalWTF (Wear That Facemask)What's it like to collect news footage in a brothel while wearing full PPE in 93ºF (34ºC) heat and 90% humidity? During the pandemic, Bangladeshi video-journalist Salman Saeed has been taking on the near impossible to bring the news you need to the safety and comfort of your air conditioned living room. Links to Salman's work: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/densely-populated-bangladesh-faces-immense-infection-control-challengehttps://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/26/asia/daulatdia-bangladesh-brothel-as-equals-intl/index.htmlhttps://www.itv.com/news/2020-04-27/retailers-withhold-2-4bn-from-bangladeshi-factories-as-coronavirus-dents-sales/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52417822ht...
2020-06-1738 min
A New NormalAmerican dreamingAmerica is battling two deadly pandemics. Is this a moment for hope or despair? Kelley asks her two co-hosts and close friends, Cindy and Tanvir—both from cultures with a history of white oppression, but on opposite sides of the planet—to weigh in on the current moment and that other virus that has infected America from the beginning: racism. Want to put faces to the voices you hear on the show? Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anewnormalpodcast/And if you have a suggestion for the show, by all mean...
2020-06-1038 min
A New NormalDon't stand so close to meHow are companies using the pandemic as an opportunity to re-imagine the way we work? Marie Woods, Director of Operations for a global law firm based in Washington, DC, talks about how her firm has shifted operations and how this shift may become the new normal.Want to put faces to the voices you hear on the show? Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anewnormalpodcast/Our website will be up soon: www.anewnormalpodcast.comAnd if you have a suggestion for the show, by all means get in touch...
2020-06-0455 min
A New NormalA little cross-contaminationWhy do African Americans make up just 47% of the population of Washington, DC but account for 80% of DC's deaths from COVID-19? We’ve been told that it boils down to factors like genetics and diet. But today’s guest, Maurice Cook, Founder and Executive Director of Serve Your City DC, a non-profit based in Washington, is fed up with explanations like that. Maurice talks with co-host Cindy Sealls about how his organization is continuing to support underserved youth and their families during the pandemic. He also offers a generous helping of straight talk about the larger factors that...
2020-05-2749 min
A New NormalThat holy [expletive] momentWho do you call when you suspect that life as we know it may have reached a point of no return? Kelley talks with Laurie Mazur, Resilience Editor at Island Press. Laurie has been writing and thinking about scary things since the 80s. She talks about what the pandemic has revealed about our world and how resilience thinking might come to the rescue. Check out some of Laurie’s most recent publications:https://islandpress.org/resilience-matters-downloadhttps://progressive.org/magazine/build-infrastructure-for-the-future-mazur/https://progressive.org/magazine/fix-it-and-they-will-come-mazur/https://www...
2020-05-1933 min
A New NormalSeason 1 trailer: Welcome to A New NormalWhat do you do when a pandemic brings life as you know it to a screeching halt? In quarantine, with travel on hold, photographer and storyteller Kelley Lynch, finds a new normal at home and ropes her two best friends—one in Washington, DC and the other in Bangladesh—into starting a podcast. Join hosts Kelley Lynch, Cindy Sealls and Obaidul Fattah Tanvir as they talk with people from around the world about adapting to life during the pandemic and where we go from here. New episodes every week starting May 27.
2020-05-1804 min