No, I Know Podcast

Do arts interventions and creative engagement really make a difference in our lives and our brains?  Yes, they really do. Come explore what the Neuro Arts movement is all about. In this conversation with Susan Magsamen, the author of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us, and Director of The International Arts and Mind Lab at John's Hopkins University School of Medicine, we cover: *Why putting ourselves in the path of AWE is powerful for our brains. *What is Neuro-Plasticity? *How the Saliency Networks in our brains impacts why certain things resonate with us. *Why daydreaming is good for us. *How nature is the ultimate enriched environment for us. *What is the default mode network of our brain? The seat of ourslves or place of rumination? *And what actually causes us to ruminate? *The Aesthetic Triad, how we are wired vs our lived experiences. *The paradigm shift that is happening right now in public health. *Music Break, take a breathe and let go. (*Song: Of Your Own by James Harrell)  *Why Art and Science together is potent medicine. *What is Entrainment and why is it so powerful in arts interventions? *Music Break ( *Song by James Harrell, from documentary film Separate But Equal)  *Arts and Health vs. Pharmacology. *Are the Arts and Sciences dating? Yes and it's getting serious! *Closing song (Alchemy by Ilyana Kadushin and James Harrell)  *Signing off with Ilyana and James and may include some special cat guest! All Music and Lyrics in this episode by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.  Visit: https://www.noiknowpodcast.com  https://www.neuroartsresourcecenter.com/home  

Your vibration matters. Music and sound and the vibration and frequencies they emit, have a power to shift and transform us and even heal us. How? What does this mean and feel like? That's what this episode is all about. We have special treat, we recorded a sound bath healing session with Chrissy Earhart of Zenna Wellness Studio in Berlin, Maryland. What is a vibration in sound? How does it enter on a cellular level and how does sound heal us on a cellular level? What does it do to our body, mind and spirit? Headphone friendly episode, so listen with headphones!!! Intro and Outro Music written performed by Ilyana Kadushin and James Harrell This episode of NIK POD is sponsored by: Zenna Wellness Yoga and Sound Studio. This epsidoe orignally aired in 2020.

 The movement  to protect land and natural resources in the United States has been going on for a long time. Our guests: Rosa Hance and Cindy Dillon have both worked on behalf of The Sierra Club in the state of Maryland.The Sierra Club was founded on May 28, 1892, with John Muir as its first president. It is the oldest and largest environmental group in America, the Sierra Club has 750,000 members. Sierra Club mission statement is "to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment, and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives." Protecting the environment and Improving lives. All music and lyrics in this episode written by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin. 

Smart Growth can be defined as development that supports economic growth, strong communities and environmental health. Smart Growth can cover a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our health and natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. Our Guest is Gerrit-Jan Knaap, Professor of Urban Studies and Planning and Executive Director of the National Center for Smart Growth Research at the University of Maryland. Knaap's research interests include the interactions between housing markets and policy, the economics and politics of land use planning, the efficacy of economic development instruments, and the impacts of environmental policy. Knaap has authored or coauthored over 65 articles and coauthored nine books. He serves on the State of Maryland's Smart Growth Subcabinet, Sustainable Growth Commission, Governor's Scientific Advisory Panel, and the Mitigation and Science workgroups of the Climate Commission. All Music and Lyrics in this episode by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

Sit and listen. We are here for you.  Maybe baby step and look at those who came before you. Everybody loves the sunshine. Not everything needs to be said outloud.  You could write it down.  Reinvent your original thought into a poem, a song. Release your sludge and come home. What are you leading with in this life? Stories of Prince and  Nina Simone.  The dopamine of anger. You know better. All Music and Lyrics by your hosts James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin. www.noiknowpodcast.com  

Your hosts, Ilyana and James return to ask some questions. In the quest to not be destabilized by all that you are not in control of, you can feel powerless. Yet you can maintain your humanity.   Can we become human again?  What does it mean to let it all go?  What are sacred doodles and what do they have to do with the seed of life? Alchemy and Self Hypnosis. Staying alive inside means making dirt and sifting for gems. And a visit from the Strawberry Express! You can and must ROCK ON! All music, lyrics and performances by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin

Co-hosts, Ilyana and James speak with Special Guest: Jason Schuler, an Interdisciplinary Performance Artist. You will learn about: Immersive Theater- What is it? Can you hypnotize an audience? Transhumanism- Humans and their relationship with technology (cell phones and all computers) can you go into a spiritual altered state with it? Will we become like our machines? Trans-migration of your spirit and falling in love with your computer? Can you cultivate a "Hallucinogenic" mind that brings enlightenment without using hallucinogens? Plus- an unplugged music performance of "Living Inside" and Jason leads the audience on a guided meditation that brings you back to the dawn of man. All Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin. *This episode originally aired in 2016. 

We welcomed Lego Serious Play facilitator and Stories Love Music team member, Loretta Veney onto the podcast! We hear her powerful story about how Lego helped build a bridge between her and her mother when she was diagnosed with dementia. When Loretta joined forces with Stories Love Music we dreamed up the idea of a Creative Engagement: Empowering Caregiver Symposium and we just produced our first one in October 2024 in Ocean CIty, Maryland. We speak about how amazing it was to provide a space and creative experience for caregivers to relax and create. One of the symposium highlights was our collaborative session of Lego and Live Music. We take some time to describe the benefits of this multi-sensory session and how it can affect the mental and emotional health of our caregivers. All music and lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin. 

An impassioned account of the fall and rise of the small American towns she cherishes by Dar Williams.   A musician, educator, author, Dar rose out of the vibrant mid-90's Boston scene, inspired by the eclectic influences of alt-rockers, Berklee jazz musicians, slam poets, and folk artists, After a year of touring non-stop with her first album, The Honesty Room, in 1994, she was invited by Joan Baez to tour in Europe and The United States. To date she has written 14 albums and 6 books. And we wanted two speak with Dar about one of those books. "What I Found in a Thousand Towns" A Traveling Musician's Guide to Rebuilding America's Communities—One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, and Open-Mike Night at a Time(published in 2017). A beloved folk singer presents an impassioned account of the fall and rise of the small American towns she cherishes. Dubbed by the New Yorker as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters," Dar Williams has made her career not in stadiums, but touring America's small towns. She has played their venues, composed in their coffee shops, and drunk in their bars. She has seen these communities struggle, but also seen them thrive in the face of postindustrial identity crises. Here, Williams muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities. What I Found in a Thousand Towns is more than a love letter to America's small towns, it's a deeply personal and hopeful message about the potential of America's lively and resilient communities. All Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

Right now on this planet it's time to wake up to what affects the development of self and our culture as a whole.  What if we were to regularly engage in the creative process and what happens to our spirit when we stop creating? Art and Spirit, they are in a marriage and are profoundly dependent on each other in ways we do not understand! What are the steps of the creative process and how is the subconcious at play with this? We have invited someone to shed light on this….an artist, teacher and author. Coeleen Kiebert is a sculptor working in both ceramic and bronze.  She exhibits her work nationwide in museums and galleries and is represented in numerous private collections.  She has degrees in Art Education and Psychology  Her interest in the psychology of the creative process, she pursued the effects of Asian philosophy on Western art.  Her search for the "spiritual" in art has taken her to extensive study and travel in Japan and China and left a decided impression on her sculpture.  These pursuits have become a powerful influence as she digs deeply for personal and spiritual meaning in her sculpting process. Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

Lay down with us and take a deep breath. This episode was recorded in bed, as it is a day we needed to process and remember when we lived in NYC on 9-11-01.   All Music and Lyrics written and performed by your hosts: James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.  All episodes archived at:  noiknowpodcast.com

Marriage in a Crab Shell part two with your co-hosts, Ilyana and James. Our conversation in our teardrop camper Barbarella on Chincoteague Island continues. We cover: Addiction and dry drunk behaviors, why flags and bumper stickers are not going to change mindsets, Arts and Culture as the Heart and Soul of a place and why communities need it to thrive, Gen X and Latchkey childhoods and mixing it up in marriage and love. All Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin. Visit us here: www.noiknowpodcast.com

Recorded June 11, 2024 on Chincoteague Island in our teardrop camper, aka Barbarella. In honor of our 19th wedding anniversary and the 9th year of the No, I Know Podcast, we are once again popping the hood on our marriage and partnership.  In this episode we cover: How do you handle your own issues in a marriage or relationship?  How does chanting and meditation help you find more space inside and out? Addiction and many marriages. How does geography spark our imagination? Podcasting as a learning tool. How it became socially acceptable to video everything. Armchair critics vs the ones who get paid for it. All Sound Design and Music in this episode written and performed by your hosts, James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

We are all fighters. You against you, we all struggle with something in our lives that tests our will, our strength. How can we martial our own forces, body, mind and spirit? Why do we need this discipline within our self? Going to the edge of our comfort zone to test and see what we are really made of.  You could climb to the top of a mountain, run a race, or perhaps try something called Martial Arts. When I lived in NYC I studied Kung Fu and then landed on a marital arts called Hapkido, a Korean kickboxing and martial arts technique of it's own. There are many styles and schools of martial arts and many benefits from studying it. We invited someone to talk about all this, who not only found his way to martial arts but went so far to open his own school. Guest: Branden Hudson started a Mixed Martial Arts Fitness gym (SBY MMA and Fitness) in his hometown of Salisbury, MD with the dream of introducing a sport he fell in love with to the masses.  Branden is also a professional coach, shareing his inspiring life story and gift for motiving people to become the best versions of themselves on many stages across the country. Hosts/Producers: Ilyana Kadushin and James Harrell All Music and Lyrics by: James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin www.noiknowpodcast.com

Where can artists be seen as cultural workers and offer other humans much needed creative engagement? The intersection of Arts and Health. In 2017, we founded Stories Love Music (501c3) and integrated our deep relationship with music into a program (The Joy of Creative Engagement), for caregivers and those living with dementia. The United States does have some exciting organizations that are diving into this world of Neuro-Arts, the creative arts meeting the challenges in neurodegenerative diseases.  And when we hear of artists doing this kind of awesome work in other countries, we have to talk to them! Our latest guest is Liz Clark, an Ireland-based singer, songwriter, performer, and musician.  Liz has recorded 5 full length studio albums of original songs. She has performed and collaborated throughout the US and Europe working solo engagements as well as  alongside the likes of Sarah Maclachlan, Emmylou Harris, The Counting Crows and more. Over the past ten years she has been working extensively in the Arts and Health context in which she developed a collaborative approach to the songwriting process in healthcare settings across West Cork.  As part of the Arts For Health Partnership Programme, she developed The Starling Song Project which preserves stories and heritage from older participants with dementia, in the form of song and songwriting. From this work, she developed The Starling Band, involving other singers and instrumentalists to showcase this music in a wider context outside of the hospitals. Liz is also the leader of a community choir and choirs for the wellbeing of staff.  Music and Lyrics in this episode written and perfomed by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

No, I Know's Make a Difference Series continues. Across America there are beach towns and resorts areas filled with restaurants and hotels that can create an incredible amount of waste and food waste. Ocean City, Maryland is no different. What can be done about this food waste? Lets find out.  Segment One: Josh Chamberlain is the visionary founder of Go Green OC, an environmental non-profit committed to transforming Ocean City, Maryland into the first zero waste resort town in the United States. Armed with a background in marketing, Josh has always harbored a deep passion for environmental preservation and a profound dedication to safeguarding the planet for future generations. In 2018, driven by an unwavering commitment, Josh transformed this passion into a compelling mission by establishing Go Green OC. Under Josh's leadership, the organization has achieved remarkable milestones in the quest for a cleaner, healthier planet. This includes spearheading a citywide compost program that has diverted over 650,000 pounds of food waste.  Segment Two: Prince Street Elementary's Rhythm & Roots was founded by Physical Education, Health and World Music Teacher, Dustin Thomas. Three students unexpectedly lost their father during the 2018-2019 school year. Mr. Thomas could see a change in their schoolwork and behavior, and he knew he had to find a way to connect with them. Knowing their father played drums, he created an after-school music program, Rhythm and Roots, to engage these struggling scholars and strengthen their connection to their father's legacy. The program began with a whistle, drumsticks, and paint buckets donated by a local paint store. Many Prince Street scholars asked to participate as they heard what was happening. Mr. Thomas began writing grant applications to obtain funding for additional equipment. Rhythm and Roots became a program with local, state, and national recognition in many outlets, including Inspire One Magazine, SHAPE Maryland, Hip Hop Public Health, and the NBC Today Show.   All Music and Lyrics by your hosts, James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin

How does it affect the development of self and our culture as a whole if we regularly engage in the creative process and what if we don't? Art and Spirit, they are in a marriage and are profoundly dependent on each other in ways we do not understand! What are the steps of the creative process and how is the subconscious at play with this? We have invited someone to shed light on this….an artist, teacher and author. Coeleen Kiebert is a sculptor working in both ceramic and bronze.  She exhibits her work nationwide in museums and galleries and is represented in numerous private collections.  She has degrees in Art Education and Psychology  Her interest in the psychology of the creative process, she pursued the effects of Asian philosophy on Western art.  Her search for the "spiritual" in art has taken her to extensive study and travel in Japan and China and left a decided impression on her sculpture.  These pursuits have become a powerful influence as she digs deeply for personal and spiritual meaning in her sculpting process. Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

Welcome to your World. What Design Can do. Guest, Sarah Goldhagen, (PHD former Harvard professor) a leading voice in the emerging movement in neuro aesthetics and architectural design. Her book,  Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives  won a Nautilus Book Award in 2017 for its contribution to social and environmental justice, has made her a sought-after speaker; she lectures frequently and publishes widely about the effects of architecture, landscape, and urban design on human health, cognition, and wellbeing.The New Republic's architecture critic for nearly a decade, Goldhagen's criticism has appeared in the New York Times, Art in America, Architectural Record, the Chronicle of Higher Education,Prospect (UK), and dozens of other publications. She is a faculty member of the Moving Boundaries consortium, and sits on the boards of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA), the Centre for Conscious Design, and on the Intentional Spaces Advisory Committee of the Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab. She recently released her first film, What Design Can Do (co-written and produced with Sarah Robinson), which premiered at the IAM Lab's Intentional Spaces Summit. 

Interfaith Comedy in 2024, sounds like a slippery slope that could end in the flames of societal outrage right? The pendulum of what is deemed appropriate in comedy has swung from the outright cruel to the paralyzed in fear of offending. However, the founder of Interfaith Comedy reveals it is actually a unique approach to anti-bias work. Their mission-driven, feel-good, clean comedy show reduces prejudice through laughter. Starring comedians from different faiths, their nationally touring show is perfect for places of worship, community organizations, faith-based conferences, comedy clubs and universities.Their comedians have been seen at venues that include: The White House, Gotham Comedy Club, Caroline's on Broadway, Stand Up NY, the DC Improv, The Moth and the Kennedy Center. All Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.

A beloved folk singer presents an impassioned account of the fall and rise of the small American towns she cherishes. Dar Williams is a musician, educator, author and has had over a 25+-year career. She rose out of the vibrant mid-90's Boston scene, inspired by the eclectic influences of alt-rockers, Berklee jazz musicians, slam poets, and folk artists, After a year of touring non-stop with her first album, The Honesty Room, in 1994, she was invited by Joan Baez to tour in Europe and The United States. To date she has written 14 albums and 6 books. And we wanted two speak with Dar about one of those books. "What I Found in a Thousand Towns" A Traveling Musician's Guide to Rebuilding America's Communities—One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, and Open-Mike Night at a Time (published in 2017). A beloved folk singer presents an impassioned account of the fall and rise of the small American towns she cherishes. Dubbed by the New Yorker as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters," Dar Williams has made her career not in stadiums, but touring America's small towns. She has played their venues, composed in their coffee shops, and drunk in their bars. She has seen these communities struggle, but also seen them thrive in the face of postindustrial identity crises. Here, Williams muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities. What I Found in a Thousand Towns is more than a love letter to America's small towns, it's a deeply personal and hopeful message about the potential of America's lively and resilient communities. All Music and Lyrics by James Harrell and Ilyana Kadushin.