Shows
All That MattersSimon and the Storm-Once More*Four years ago in the midst of the pandemic, Jan started this podcast to share stories that reframe the way we live and look at life. It was a call for positivity in a sea of worries. This is that first podcast, a brief tale of the need to open our eyes and hearts in order to recognize the gifts that are all around us. Jan's voice has changed ever so slightly, as we all do. But the truth of the tale he shares, remains. Enjoy!2024-12-0207 minAll That MattersThe Day My Brother Made A MiracleRetelling a story of his dad and late brother, Mark, Jan celebrates the incomparable love and gifts that they gave him, and calls on all of us to cherish the possibility of discovering light in the darkness.Dedicated to Mark's daughter, Jan's niece: Happy graduation day, Amanda!2024-06-1712 minAll That MattersWhen Heaven and Earth Kiss-an ATM repriseJan shares the way his mother saw sunsets and brings the crimson gift he has long chased to your ears once again this week.2023-10-0910 minAll That MattersFinding YES-Rules from The Tavern of Life* an ATM repriseSometimes getting to a YES in Life is finding the right question to ask. Jan shares rules he discovered from a pre-revolutionary war era tavern in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.2023-10-0213 minAll That MattersRichard Carlson's Incredible Gift!Every once and awhile we encounter an individual whose grace of heart and spirit gift us with remarkable insight. Jan shares the story of reaching out to the late Richard Carlson, author of the international bestselling series of books, "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff," and taught the transformative power Richard taught him in reaching back.2023-09-1814 minAll That MattersRiding the Wings of 9/11On September 11, 2001, like millions the world over, poet, journalist, and activist Kevin Powell stared in stunned horror at the events unfolding at the Twin Towers. That November he wrote a simple, profound poem that, on this anniversary of that day, Jan shares with you here, excavating hope from the mouth of madness. 2023-09-1112 minAll That MattersThe Night of A Thousand Cranes-an ATM repriseThe folding of origami cranes is said to bring the granting of a wish, for life, for recovery. Jan shares the story of a little girl named Sadako and a lesson of love and art to lift us all.2023-09-0412 minAll That MattersSuper Possibilities of a Super Blue MoonThis month we have an astounding natural phenomenon in which there is both a super full moon that is also a blue moon. Rare and worthy of notice as to what it might say to us about our own possibilities for growth. Join Jan and dream a little.. 2023-08-2113 minAll That MattersThe West Virginia Cobbler Life-Changing SurpriseThe Unexpected meeting. Traveling the road less taken. Sometime going off the beaten path leads to discoveries that deepen our lives. Jan shares his teenage cross-country detour to West Virginia and the day he was transformed by a family of real McCoys.2023-08-1415 minAll That MattersThe Journey and The Blessing-our 150th PodcastCelebrating our 150th podcast, Jan shares the best advice he's received, and two poems that transform our understanding of all that matters.2023-08-0715 minAll That MattersThe Secret Life of Audrey HepburnSometimes experiences shape every aspect of who we become and others never know it. Jan shares with you the relatively unknown hidden world of one of Hollywood's iconic actresses, her work with the Dutch Resistance, her connection to Anne Frank, the failed dream of being a ballerina, and ultimate triumph on screen that empowered others.2023-07-2411 minAll That MattersThe Day Evil Came Through The DoorA young woman attempts suicide. An older woman who lived through the worst evil of humanity seeks to rescue her, sharing how she survived the darkest chapter and found her way back to life. And it's all true. This is Jan's family history as he shares a few pages from his Book-of-the-Month Club, Literary Guild selected novel, ALL THAT MATTERS.2023-07-1715 minAll That MattersAlbert Einstein and the little man who sold hot dogs!Helen Keller said one should never creep if they want to soar. She was speaking of living fully. Jan shares Albert Einstein's rules of how to get there along with the story of man Jan met who taught him the meaning of pride in what you choose to do in life. 2023-07-1015 minAll That MattersTani and the Gift of LifeSometimes lives are all too brief and yet they continue to touch us in surprising and illuminating ways. Jan shares the story of a special young man whose short life brought infectious laughter and joy, one for whom an annual run in the Jerusalem hills is named, the Tani Run, bringing thousands together to be inspired by his example to lift one another as we reach for a deeper life.2023-07-0314 minAll That Matters*Leonard "Freakin" Bernstein: An ATM Season 1 repriseRecently back in Vermont, Jan visited the restaurant his dad used to own and where, while working part-time in college, this astounding moment took place, captured in this reprise from this popular episode from Season 1:Jan shares the uplifting unimaginable moment when, as a young man, he received a startling phone call from the composer/maestro, a human interaction that illuminates the power of connection and living out our dreams. 2023-06-2614 minAll That MattersInstruction For Not Giving UpYou ever feel at the end of your rope? Like you must tie a knot at the end of it to simply hold on? Jan celebrates two remarkable poets, Lucille Clifton and Ada Simon, who help us see both our own power in shaping ourselves and how we can join the spring trees who unfurl new leaves of hope as if to say to the world in front of them: "I'll take it all."2023-06-1915 minAll That MattersThe Day I Said "NO" To Tom CruiseHave you ever spoken truth to power? We each would like to think we could, and some of us perhaps have. Jan shares a personal story about a remarkable prosecutor/Krav Maga hero/dear friend, a big time Hollywood producer, and the possibility of making a film with Tom Cruise.And how saying NO taught Jan, as it teaches all of us, a bit more about what we stand for.2023-06-1215 minAll That Matters"Brave Enough To Be It"Recently a school in Miami-Dade objected to the fierce and electrifying inauguration poem, The Hill We Climb by then 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, being available to children. They moved it into an older section of the library, away from the eyes of its younger students, claiming, the poem will "lead to confusion and indoctrination..." and was, therefore, a threat.Jan highlights the poem and the power of absolute clarity the poem brings and how each of us can see ourselves as a piece of light if we're "brave enough to be it."2023-06-0514 minAll That MattersJack Antonoff-Your Grandfather Would Be Proud!Sometimes forgiveness and music go hand in hand. Jan shares the true story of how his childhood Rabbi forbade music at one of the most important moments of his life, and how that man's grandson has, poetically become one of the gods of contemporary rock n'roll and a fitting tribute to his own grandfather's eventual expansive vision.2023-05-2912 minAll That MattersThe Highlands of Second Impressions: an ATM repriseSometimes if we go just a wee ways beyond our comfort zone, we find the real soul of our lives. Jan shares the true story of a stranger's challenge for him to truly see Scotland and the miracle of a panhandler on Skid Row. Here's to second impressions! 2023-05-2211 minAll That MattersMy Grandfather and the Miracle Horse: an ATM repriseOur family stories are integral to who we are and who we can be!Jan shares the story of his grandfather, a country doctor, and the remarkable horse that saved his life so he could save others.2023-05-1513 minAll That MattersFinding Good When Bad Things HappenJan shares an interaction with bestselling author Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People , who recently died. Kushner shows a new way to understand the Book of Job and how to more clearly see that unfairness doesn't have to destroy you but can deepen you and lead to good, if you allow it.2023-05-0816 minAll That Matters"I know Who I Am"-an ATM repriseJan revisits an ATM podcast from a year into our broadcast, the message reverberating with a tool of empowerment. With dialogue from the Academy-Award winning, Cher-starring movie Moonstruck he reminds us all the uplifting self-message that comes from reaching for clarity, knowing at who we are and what we really stand for.2023-05-0116 minAll That MattersHave You Heard? Spring is a Verb!Jan's mom, Roberta Goldstein, an award-winning poet, raised him to delight in words. He shares 3 poems from Dickinson, Wordsworth, and Oliver, that empower us with new ways to see light and life through the poetry of Spring.2023-04-2414 minAll That MattersSpontaneously YOU!Where do you want to go today? What if we shared the attitude of A.A. Milne's verse: If you were a bird, and lived on high, You'd lean on the wind when the wind came by, You'd say to the wind when it took you away: "That's where I wanted to go today!” Jan shares the power of improvisation and meeting the child within you.2023-04-1713 minAll That MattersThe Startling Gift of HumilityThe question: Are we the person we hope our child or young people growing up will become? Jan introduces you to the words of a poet who captures the path to humanity and kindness that can elevate life. 2023-04-1014 minAll That MattersThe Young Pilot and Her Guardian AngelUp in the air with a missing wheel. Life on the line. And a stranger steps in and helps rescue you. Jan shares the true story of Taylor Hash and Chris Yates and reveals how each of us both need guardian angels at moments in life, and, maybe more importantly, can be one!2023-04-0311 minAll That MattersBruce Springsteen and the Crazy Day of Unbelievable Good LuckThere are moments in life where luck can drop out of the sky and change the way you look at things. If we're open. Jan shares the power of luck in his life and the path to seeing life not as a cup half-empty-but half-full, awaiting us to fill it.2023-03-2714 minAll That MattersThe Nun of BasketballWhat purpose makes you happy? What about it brings you joy? The power of cheering on ourselves and others, even facing impossible odds, is part of the magic of Sister Jean. Jan shares the story of a 103 year-old nun whose life reminds us to see the miracles in one another. 2023-03-2016 minAll That MattersSpeaking Truth To Power: Antigone, Rosa, and You!Speaking truth to power has to be one of the most difficult of ethical challenges, yet essential to who we are and hope to be. Jan shares his personal story when his livelihood was threatened for speaking out and those who've inspired him with their "culture of candor."2023-03-1315 minAll That MattersThe Tevye In All of UsEveryday we perform rituals, large and small, that beg the question-why? Our lives may answer, as does the famous milkman from the hit musical, "it's a tradition!" Traditions of all kinds are they so important to us, in small and larger ways. Jan shares a bit of his own Tevye as he celebrates the rituals of our lives.2023-03-0613 minAll That MattersElevating Attitude With GratitudeJan shares memories of his boyhood tailor and his parents' local business friends as he commemorates the anniversary of his Dad's passing. We recognize that the good stuff from our past, and the people who touch us, are course corrections for negativity. You deserve the positive. Remember it!2023-02-2714 minAll That MattersMiracle on a Frozen LakeWhat is the most unusual place you have ever met someone? And what gift, unseen at the time, unfolded in the future from that meeting? Jan shares the personal story of two men who met on a frozen lake long in the past, men he would never meet himself but men who would, without knowing, change his life forever.2023-02-2016 minAll That MattersEverything Is Waiting For You!How can a soapdish enable us, the latch of our window awaken us to freedom? Jan shares the magical words of the Anglo-Irish poet, David Whyte, who urges us to consider the familiar and the fortuitous nature of our lives. 2023-02-1316 minAll That MattersFairy Circles and the Tallest TeachersTrees can inspire us. Especially the redwood that teaches us about support and interconnection. Jan shares a bit of the tree magic that can remind each of us how best to grow and thrive!2023-02-0611 minAll That MattersThe Day Dwyane Wade Gave Me That LookSometimes you end up in a place you didn't expect to be, having an experience that changes you somehow. Jan shares the day he was cast on a national TV drama, the wonderful actress opposite him and the Basketball All-Star boyfriend who made the change uncommonly human. And yes, that's the correct spelling of his name! 2023-01-3014 minAll That MattersGabby and The GiftWhat gift have you received that you consider most precious? What gifts have you given that meant the most?Jan shares the exciting chapter from his novel ALL That Matters (following the 2 chapters from last week), a scene where an opening to life and hope begins.2023-01-2317 minAll That MattersA Miracle in Central ParkWhat do the young and the elderly have to teach one another? Jan shares an excerpt from his novel, ALL THAT MATTERS, featuring a young woman ready to give up and her grandmother's desperate magical race against time to help her fall in love with life.2023-01-1615 minAll That Matters"Kitchen Table Wisdom" and the Football PlayerA player falls and the world holds its collective breath. We make a wish. Jan shares the impact of one of his heroes, Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, and a lesson in wishes that has changed lives, one that could lift us all.2023-01-0916 minAll That MattersA Year of ClarityJan shares with us the new year's message from actor Sir Anthony Hopkins who celebrates 47 years of sobriety with a message of hope and empowerment for each of us. Tell others, won't you?Happy 2023!2023-01-0213 minAll That MattersFreedom Is A WomanPerhaps we forget that the symbol of freedom is a woman as evidenced by the statue atop the US Capitol. Jan celebrates his mom's birthday and the example she set for wisdom and the responsibility from freedom that can empower us all..2022-12-2615 minAll That MattersTis the Season for LightWhere do you find your own individual light? Tis the season for light-Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, among others. Jan celebrates one such light-Linda Chester, his literary agent who passed this week, and how she saw writers as helping to illuminate the world. 2022-12-1914 minAll That MattersSecond Chances and Heart-Changing SecretsWhat if someone appeared in your life with a secret from the past that would completely upturn your world and present you with a second chance at the thing you most wanted in life? Jan shares the first chapter of his novel in progress-The One-set at the magical mountain retreat of the Trapp Family in Stowe, Vermont. Come take a journey of colors, poetry, and risking it all for what matters most.2022-12-1215 minAll That Matters"Live the Questions Now..."The poet Rilke urges us to live out our inner questions, the answers often reveal themselves down the road. Jan shares the birth of a new novel begun when he was writer in residence at the Von Trapp Family Lodge and the questions that can both upend us and lead us home.2022-12-0515 minAll That MattersMiracle in South Central-*reprise from November 2020Two years ago this month Jan recorded a podcast in the thick of the pandemic. Listening we realize we've come so far and yet, miracles like the one in South Central Los Angeles (and the question put to Deborah that began it all) are as inspiring for each of us as ever. 2022-11-2811 minAll That MattersOut of Darkness, Light!Sometimes it takes another to discover miracles at the most painful times of life and remind us by rekindling our inner light. Jan shares retired NBC correspondent Mark Potter's story-the journey shared with his wife during cancer-and the sunrise photographs he took that are producing healing and hope for so many.2022-11-2111 minAll That MattersThe Muslim in the SukkahWhat gives you hope? A butterfly? A new moon? A human experience of others that connects us? Jan shares symbols of hope and the remarkable story of his meeting a muslim inside a dwelling built for a Jewish holiday and the power each of us can draw from connection.2022-11-1418 minAll That MattersThe InheritanceWhat we inherit in our souls, matters. Jan shares how his dad passed that on to him, in part by introducing him to theatre and acting, while exploring the power of playwrights like Tony Kushner and Mathew Lopez to use imagination to elevate our spiritual inheritance.2022-11-0715 minAll That MattersThe Ghosts That Haunt UsThe Christian All Hallow's Eve, and the secular Halloween, come to us with a history we may not know. Jan introduces us to that story and a modern poem that reflects the emotional ghosts from our past that we have the power to release, renewing our own lives.2022-10-3114 minAll That MattersKindness-The RevolutionRalph Waldo Emerson urged kindness as a path to a fulfilling life. Jan shares the story of the nuns who taught him about his own father's kindness and the journey to his understanding that kindness can often be the best map to positivity and healing.2022-10-2414 minAll That MattersThe Snowflake ManJan introduces you to the story of Snowflake Bentley who taught us no two snowfall crystals were alike, each original, just like each of us. Asked as a teen to write the theme song for the local PBS production on Bentley's life, he discovers the inspiring creativity found in nature that definitely leads to more of the good stuff of life.2022-10-1711 minAll That MattersTom Hanks, Typewriters, and Maple Leaf Fun!Fun. Jan shares stories of how some celebrities do it: Hanks and typewriters, Beyonce and actual Beehives-and introduces us to his simple childhood game of catching autumn leaves: pointing us to the power and balance created when we simply prioritize fun!2022-10-1013 minAll That MattersOur Time To Dance!Longing vs. Living. Jan shares with you the vital story of a divorced woman sitting on the sidelines of life who discovers the power of getting on its dance floor and creating her own choreography of living!2022-10-0315 minAll That MattersThe Prince of NantucketWe are all primed to go far in life, each in our own way, but to do that, at times, we must first find our way home. Jan shares the true story of his mother's Alzheimer's and the inspiration for his LA Times bestselling second novel of a mother and a son and the meaning of art.2022-09-2618 minAll That MattersThe Price We Pay For Love Part 2Jan continues exploring grief and loss and why they are necessary parts of love and life and happiness. He turns to Toni Morrison and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross to help us understand how to talk to others about grief and loss and all that matters.2022-09-1916 minAll That MattersGrief-Loss: The Price We Pay For LoveWith the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Jan explores the grieving process as he introduces you to an older woman, Ruby, who taught him how to approach loss. As the Queen herself said after the death of her beloved husband last year, "Grief is the price we pay for love." How we pay and the power of that love matters.2022-09-1218 minAll That MattersSpiritual Reparations-You bet it's time!Through words of his grandmother, as well as Mrs. Jihan Sadat, and Rachel Naomi Remen, Jan suggests there's a boon to our health by 'acknowledging' and 'letting go'.2022-09-0516 minAll That MattersThe Woman Who Changed EverythingThere are memorable people we encounter who have the ability to alter our understanding of life itself. Jan introduces you to Hannah, who, in the corridors of a home for the elderly in Jerusalem, showed him what turning darkness into light looks like, and helped inspire the central character of his first novel.2022-08-2916 minAll That MattersThe Power of Celebration-Our 100th EpisodeJan shares with you how his late brother gave the gift of celebration to their father by opening up the world of possibility. Come share life stories that lead us to the good stuff!2022-08-2315 minAll That MattersThe Power of Celebration-our 100th Episode!Jan shares with you the inspiration for the weekly podcast that began 100 weeks ago and how each of us can lift ourselves and others through marking moments of achievement. He reminds us that If we feel we are hearing "NO" from the universe, we just haven't found the question that gets us to that powerful "YES!" Life stories that connect us to the good stuff. We could all use more of that!2022-08-2217 minAll That MattersThe Will To Be a Little DangerousJan shares the wit and wisdom of America's one-time cowboy-philosopher and the importance of sometimes being "a little dangerous" if we want to lift up ourselves and others.2022-08-1515 minAll That MattersChutzpah-the new CharismaSome call it "insolence," others "spiritual audacity." Jan shares the meaning and evolution of a word that, when put into practice for the right reasons, can help you make all the difference in your life and others.2022-08-0815 minAll That MattersFIRE AND RAIN-My night with James TaylorSometimes you rediscover a singer who reveals anew the good stuff in life and all that matters. Jan shares with you his recent evening of rediscovery and how, once and a while, we truly see the shared humanity in an artist and, even more, know that he/she is talking directly to us. 2022-08-0115 minAll That MattersMeet Me at the CrossroadsJan introduces you to his first novel, the inspiration for this podcast, a work that #1 NY Times bestselling novelist, Kristin Hannah calls, "A compelling, deeply moving story of love, friendship, family, and second chances." Come share the roots of Jan's LA Times bestselling novel, All That Matters!2022-07-2515 minAll That MattersLovelocks and SeoulmatesHow do we express the hope that our love, in all its forms, is unbreakable? Join Jan as he introduces you to Namsam Mountain and the bridge of lovelocks in Seoul. 2022-07-1814 minAll That MattersTriumph-Kurt's Indomitable Story-Part TwoIf you could capture any image that represents your life, what would it be? Jan shares the triumphant conclusion to one of the most inspiring individuals he has ever known, a man who experienced the worst that humanity had to offer, and gave back the best.2022-07-1118 minAll That MattersTriumph of the Spirit: Kurt's Indomitable Story-Part OneTorn from his home in Budapest, 17 year-old Kurt would journey from safe house to Bergen-Belsen with family and learn the worst mankind has to offer. Years later, in America, he and his wife would show the world the best of humanity. Jan introduces you to a friend and hero whose story will live inside your heart and inspire each of us to be the best we can be. (Part Two next week.)2022-07-0416 minAll That MattersThe Secret Honor GuardJan introduces you to the story of Imi Lichtenfeld, the legendary creator of a heralded self-defense training, Krav Maga, that has taught countless numbers to "walk in peace." He shares with you the astonishing moment when he stood with 8 men with hidden identities at his dear friend's graveside in tribute to her role in bringing Imi's teachings, together with her remarkable son, into their lives, helping them to protect and save thousands across the world. Yes, one can make a difference.2022-06-2715 minAll That MattersLetters Only You Can SendJoin Jan as he introduces you to an actor and a dancer who remind us all of the power we have to change the world through our unique gifts.2022-06-2014 minAll That MattersThe Ultimate Exit Interview*an ATM repriseThe Talmud says, "All beginnings are hard." How about endings? What do you think might be there at the Grand Adios? Discover the meaning of your AQ. Join Jan at an ultimate exit interview and how it can impact your life for the better today!2022-06-1314 minAll That MattersUnexpected Glory-The Power of Recognizing Who MattersJan shares a father's day story (celebrating a young woman's dreams of art and theatre) and introduces you to a daddy and daughter moment of the last week that will uplift you. Because turning attention to who matters...really matters!2022-06-0616 minAll That MattersTo Be Is To Stand For-Honoring Those Who Have ServedWhat do we stand for? As we memorialize and celebrate the men and women who defend us, we strengthen our own sense of gratitude. Jan honors his brothers' service to their country, including his oldest sibling, Michael, who rose to the rank of General, and underscores the power of living with conviction and conscience.2022-05-3015 minAll That Matters'I Will Not Go Under'-Celebrating Ruby DeeWho are your heroes? They can jolt us, inspire us, and reframe the world for us. Jan introduces you to a remarkable actress and defending angel whose artistry and soul made all the difference and inspires still.2022-05-2314 minAll That MattersEverything Which is YES!A moment when your breath catches in your throat and you are changed. Jan introduces you to a professor who had that impact on him with a simple poem that upended the way we look at the world around us. Come to the land where 'the ears of your ears awake, and the eyes of your eyes are open.' 2022-05-1615 minAll That MattersMemory Is A 4-letter Word!The power of memories to lift us, to remind us of pain, yes, but also hope, means that they are essential to who we are. Jan shares a memory from his childhood that has shaped his life and reminds us of the words of Desmond Tutu: without memory there is no healing.2022-05-0915 minAll That MattersNana's Incredible JourneyWhat is the wildest, light-affirming journey you've ever taken? Jan introduces you to 21 year-old Jennifer who has given up on living and the family member, a dying woman who has experienced the worst evil mankind has to offer, who takes her granddaughter on one last journey to help her fall in love with life. 2022-04-1816 minAll That MattersThe Best Man Breaks DownEver experienced self-blame? In public? Jan shares his own journey to healing after self-doubt along with the story of a best man who badly needed to learn a powerful lesson we all need.2022-04-1111 minAll That MattersThe Day The Rabbi Blessed The PriestJan introduces you to a priest who led by example on the steps of the cathedral., teaching both him and a group of children a powerful truth. It made all the difference in the world then as it will for you today.2022-04-0416 minAll That MattersThe Haiku of HappinessIn brevity can come enlightenment. Jan introduces you to the grace and clarity of this less-is-more form of poetry. Come meet Issa, a lay Buddhist priest and classical writer of the 18th Century, and Sonia Sanchez who teaches us of love from her life in 1943 Harlem. 2022-03-2814 minAll That MattersLady of a Thousand YearsHow do you see your place in the world? Jan shares the story of a woman, a poet who wrote what many consider the world's oldest novel and from a thousand years ago she inspires with her answer to the question!2022-03-2115 minAll That MattersUnbroken Spirit-Meeting Ourselves on a Field of DreamsWe are part of an unbroken spirit that stretches ever back and ever forward. Jan shares with you a very special dream his sister had, and how she taught him to not only hold his childhood self but connect with an unending family in a way each of us can.2022-03-1415 minAll That MattersThe Day The Rabbi Blessed The PriestJan introduces you to a young priest who taught him and a group of school children through the power of example. You deserve to hear this one. It will make all the difference in the world.2022-03-0716 minAll That MattersAsk Mick Jagger!Another birthday and are we too old to sing rock n'roll? What do we see in the mirror as we grow older? Jan introduces us to a New Zealand-British poet who allows us to discover the incandescent joy of life's 'weathering.' 2022-03-0715 minAll That Matters*LKF about Lincoln and Ourselves-Our 75th episode!*LKF-Little Known Facts. Learning more about someone helps us know them more, understand them better. The same works for ourselves. But who knew, as Jan shares in this week's pocast, that the lesson would come from Abe Lincoln?!2022-02-2812 minAll That MattersEinstein's Greatest Flaw/ and His Challenge To Us AllFrom the UK, Jan shares a story about Albert Einstein and his relationship with a son whose illness he could not comprehend. How this story relates to the practice of compassion and standing up for what's right, given the rise of incidents of hatred, especially recent antisemitism, carries a message essential to a more balanced life. 2022-02-0714 minAll That MattersFire and Rain: The Hit Song Within YOUJan takes us inside James Taylor's actual reason for writing his first hit song and the power and importance of reaching out today to those important to us, rediscovering you've got a friend by being one.2022-01-2415 minAll That Matters"Are You Breathing A Little and Calling it a Life?"A new year calls for a poet and a poem to remind us of how to use our time, how to breathe more deeply. Come with Jan as he shares the uplifting message of Mary Oliver.2022-01-1711 minAll That MattersThe Rock That Spoke to my HeartOur emotional wounds can be painful yet also powerfully illuminating. Jan shares the experience of one of his lowest moments and how a weathered rock taught him about the resilience and rebirth of his own heart.2022-01-1012 minAll That MattersLaugh At Yourself-It's Good For You!We can take ourselves so seriously at times. Even the advice we live by is innately funny. Jan shares advice and observations that remind us we human beings are both funny and "such stuff as dreams are made on."2022-01-0313 minAll That MattersA Nun, a Kiss, and Reclaiming PurposeAre we true to ourselves? Can we choose again in life? Jan shares the true story of Yvette, a woman who became a nun only to discover she needed to leave her vows for a higher purpose.2021-12-2013 minAll That MattersA Checklist of HopeA folktale leads to deeper understanding of how pain we've experienced can lead to wisdom. Jan shares with you a meditation of light for fostering a season of hope.2021-12-1311 minAll That MattersOur very own Season of Art!Embracing the artist within each of us means welcoming the healing power produced by art. Join Jan in witnessing the magic of a live performance by Sir Ian McKellen, and explore what the ancient Greeks knew about catharsis as a means of tending inner wounds.2021-12-0615 minAll That MattersMoonstruckJan shares the power of Olympia Dukakis' words in a 1987 film that reverberate for each of us and create a path to having more patience and more self-love.2021-11-2916 minAll That Matters"Be Present in all Things..."How do we use giving thanks to become more fully human and how gratitude ushers purpose into our lives? Jan introduces you to the grandmother who accidentally invited a complete stranger to her Thanksgiving meal and created true gratitude. 2021-11-2212 minAll That Matters“Chasing Happy” or “…a little bluer, if you please!”Join Jan as he introduces you to several artists who see music in color and/or taste in shapes. Discover what Van Gogh, Duke Ellington, and Billie Eilish can teach us about "gifts" we all possess and find bit more "happy."2021-11-1510 minAll That MattersThe Remarkable Story of MumbetWho or what inspires you? Join Jan as he introduces you to an incredible woman who put the quest for freedom on her back in 1781 and whose example lifts each of us.2021-11-0811 minAll That MattersThe Coffee Queen of KennebunkJoin Jan as he introduces you to a remarkable woman in Maine who carries on the traditions of her dad, roasting coffee and fostering human connections through a hundred year-old roaster that illuminates the power of a daily cup of positivity.2021-11-0312 minAll That MattersThe Coffee Queen of KennebunkTraditions passed down decade after decade can be the very thing that connects us. Join Jan as he meets a dynamic woman and her 100 year-old coffee roaster that celebrates the simple joy of bringing us together.2021-11-0114 minAll That MattersReprise: Rules for The Tavern of LifeJan is traveling in the Berkshires as this comes to you. Join him here for a reprise visit to the Berkshires Red Lion Inn where American revolutionaries gathered in a tavern with a set of unique rules you're going to love. 2021-10-2513 minAll That MattersSimon Wiesenthal and the BabyDid you ever give up on a dream? Come meet a man who gave up his dream to pursue justice. Discover the meaning of a sacred wound as Jan shares with us his personal interview with the famed Nazi-hunter.2021-10-1816 min