Shows
Sage Against the Machine8. Against the Political Tides: DEI and Justice with Deidra Lemons-JohnsonDeidra Johnson works to bring justice, equity, diversity and inclusion imperatives to businesses and brands. She’s been busy since the fall as Project 2025, this administration and anti-woke activists like Robby Starbuck, have implemented a massive effort to drive culture change across every dimension of our society. We talk about why DEIJ really means and why it matters, a broad sense of what DEIJ work really entails, and when it emerged as a force in shaping public and private policy. We also discuss how language is so critical to how people view and respond to policy and mov...2025-07-021h 04Sage Against the Machine7. Design Activism: Building for Community with Mark LakemanIrene and Sandy are joined by visionary architect and design activist Mark Lakeman, founder and longtime spark for the infamous City Repair Project, and the creative director of Communitecture, Architecture & Planning. As a design activist, Mark fuses urban design and architecture with permaculture and revolutionary policy. As the actual Incredible Hulk of community place making, Mark coaches communities everywhere to never take no for an answer. Mark shares his journey from traditional architecture into the world of community placemaking, offering an inspiring perspective on how our built environments shape, and too often limit, our sense of belonging a...2025-05-201h 14Sage Against the Machine6. Our Bodies, Their Choice: Women’s Reproductive Rights in AmericaIrene and Sandy explore the current reality facing women with the overturning of Roe V Wade as well as the medical and legal risks surrounding women’s bodily autonomy. Guests Diane Lamotte RPh (Retired Pharmacist) and Kate Flewelling, Associate General Counsel at the University of Michigan, share their work on the American College Health Association Reproductive Rights Advocacy Task Force. They walk us through what’s happening, what’s coming, and how we can work together to restore and protect our reproductive health and rights. We discuss the basics of birth control and dif...2025-04-121h 02Sage Against the Machine5. The Depths of Forgiveness with Lara Love HardinIt’s a special joy and privilege to welcome today’s guest, Lara Love Hardin, to the podcast!Lara Love Hardin is a woman of many talents – she is a literary agent and president of her own agency, True Literary. She has a Masters Degree in Creative writing and is a NYT’s best selling author. Her personal memoir The Many Lives of Mama Love, A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing and Healing was selected by Oprah to share with her audience. Our conversation centers on forgiveness and Lara’s challenge to forgive herself as an act of freedom...2025-03-121h 00Sage Against the Machine4. Choosing A Regenerative Life - Fin MakepeaceOur guest on the podcast today is a true expert and changemaker for regenerative agriculture, and climate change as a whole! Fin Makepeace is a soil health advocate and Kiss the Ground cofounder. Fin went from passionate regenerative agriculture evangelist to building an educational non-profit that’s trained hundreds of citizen soil advocates. He’s also a lead policy advocate and was in the room where it happened - it being the shaping of the federal farm bill. He is also an accomplished musician, award winning documentary film producer, husband and father of two! Our conversation ranges from...2024-04-0958 minSage Against the Machine3. The Neuroscience of Change with Dr. Kyra BobinetYou’re going to have so many “ahas!” when you listen to Dr. Kyra Bobinet on the podcast today!Dr. Kyra Bobinet is an expert in healthcare innovation, and has passionately pursued the science of behavior change. In fact, she is a self-described behavior designer. She has a Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard, and her work is focused on technology-enabled behavior change, behavioral neuroscience, and health disparities. She is also the CEO and founder of Fresh Tri, a science-based wellness and mindset training app. Her new book, Unstoppable Brain: The New Neuroscience that Frees Us from Fa...2024-03-2654 minSage Against the Machine2. Nurturing Our Humanity with Dr. Riane EislerIt’s an absolute honor to welcome our first guest on the podcast, Dr. Riane Eisler!When we began to produce this show, we both instantly knew we wanted our first guest to be Dr. Eisler. Her work has profoundly impacted and shaped our lives, personally and professionally, and the work she is continuing to do really points us toward the more compassionate and regenerative future we know is possible. Dr. Eisler’s passion for her work dates back to her experience as a child when her parents fled Germany and sought refuge from the Holocaust. For decad...2024-02-2758 minSage Against the Machine1. Sages for Ages: Irene Tsouprake and Sandy SkeesIrene Tsouprake and Sandy Skees take us on their journey as friends, collaborators, sages and change makers. The story of how they met reveals a gob smacking synchronicity and alignment that forged an instantaneous bond. For almost two decades they have been in conversation with each other and a far flung network of thinkers, artists, activists and leaders looking to make sense of the world and activate a shift to more – more equity, more happiness, awareness, and joy.Connect with us on socials:InstagramFacebookTikTokLinkedInLe...2024-02-2728 minSage Against the MachineWelcome to Sage Against the Machine!Welcome to Sage Against the Machine!We’re your hosts, Irene Tsouprake and Sandy Skees, and as women of a certain age, we’re embracing wisdom as our currency. We’re on a mission to reclaim our collective hope for a better future, and provide opportunities to activate change.This is a conversation for people looking for a roadmap to a more equitable society and regenerative future. Our aim with this podcast is to amplify stories and highlight systems that increase the health and wellbeing of humanity and the natural world. We want to activate and ac...2024-02-2104 min