Growing Down: A Progressive Integral Podcast

Frayed. That's the word I think of when I think of how I left Growing Down. Growing Down was last published in 2020. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since that time. Here is an update of cohosts Jeremy and Ryan: Jeremy is engaged in other projects but is up for reunions now and then. Ryan has created a wonderful political podcast "Meta-Ideological Politics" with Nate Coffman that deserves a listen to.  As for me, I was not ready to let Growing Down, or GD, go because I believe the panel of thinkers we interviewed are the foundation for future integral politics. I want to build upon their insights.  There are two subjects for the episode. The first is closure.  I am not certain of the future of Growing Down, but I do know that the idea that birthed GD is still very needed today. Before giving up on it, I wanted to explore the subject of political engagement. Growing Down was my political engagement-at least, how I measured it. Without this political outlet, I found myself disinterested in the current political narrative.  There was a wonderful satirical sitcom in the 80's called "Not Necessarily the News". As a child, I watched it with joy to watch some of the world leaders make comedic faux pas' over and over. If anything, it made politics fun. To the skeptics that say politics can't be fun I say this: you are probably right. But --  Let's try.  I asked Canadian metamodernist Brent Cooper (and past interviewee of GD) to cohost to help me unravel some anxiety I have about the future of politics and this podcast: How do politics fit into our lives? How can we transcend the left/right spectrum?  Is direct democracy a good thing? How can we stay politically engaged when all we want to do is quit? And -- Should we quit? Not necessarily.  Be a working class hero and donate a $1 to Brent's project: https://www.patreon.com/abs_tract

Andres Bernal returns to Growing Down to discuss the current political landscape and how the principles of MMT can create a new framework for how we view money. Integral Politics advocates for a new paradigm that transcends the left/right binary. What might a new society look like if the conversation shifted from "How are you going to pay for it?" to "How can we create a flourishing society?" 

Author David Nicol joins the GD podcast to discuss his book, Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation, and the important role subtle activist can play for the local and global challenges of the meta-crisis. About Subtle Activism: "Can awakened consciousness contribute to social change and, if so, how? David Nicol introduces the concept of "subtle activism to describe the use of consciousness-based practices like meditation and prayer to support collective transformation, such as global meditation directed toward peaceful resolution of a conflict. Subtle activism represents a bridge between the consciousness movement and the movements for peace, environmental sustainability, and social justice. It is not a substitute for physical action but rather a potentially crucial component of a more integrated approach to social chance."  Learn more about David at Earth Rising Credits: Featured Intro/Outro Track "Nobita" by Smith the Mister | Follow GD on Twitter: Jeremy //  Matt //  Ryan

Growing Down podcast talks with Hanzi Freinacht. Hanzi is a political philosopher, historian and sociologist, author of ‘The Listening Society’, ‘Nordic Ideology’ and the upcoming books ‘The 6 Hidden Patterns of History’ and ‘Outcompeting Capitalism’.  In this discussion we explore constructive ways out of hyper-polarization, Hanzi's metamodernism and its relationship to an integral left or an integral 'cosmopolitan socialism',  and the politics of a regenerative future. | Subscribe to Growing Down's new YouTube Channel. Follow GD on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jdj_writes https://twitter.com/Integralartist1 https://twitter.com/NakadeRyan  #Metamodernism #IntegralTheory #DevelopmentalPolitics

Jeremy Johnson is joined by Ryan Nakade, Brent Cooper, Matthew T. Segall, Brad Kershner and Layman Pascal to honor the memory Michael Brooks  (1983-2020) and discuss his contributions to integrative thinking in politics, cosmopolitan socialism, and where we go from here in solidarity. Recorded on 7/25/20. Watch the YouTube livestream of this talk. The struggle continues. #LeftisBest. #RestinPower. Show notes: Follow and support TMBS / TMBS Patreon / Against the Web by Michael Brooks / Jacobin's Michael Brooks Tribute / Featured Intro/Outro & Track "Nobita" by Smith the Mister 

John Dupuy, the author of Integral Recovery, reflects on how politics and addiction intersect. As a country, we may be experiencing a dark night of the soul. The opioid crisis highlights a wound in our country that we must be brave enough to face. Can an integral practice provide a clue to addicts and non-addicts alike to how we can flourish into our best self, community and country? 

Class is in session! The co-hosts of Growing Down sit front row as Rabbi Michael Lerner shares insights from his new book Revolutionary Love and his rich history of activism for social rights. We were honored to be in the audience and we hope you feel the same.  Excerpt from Revoltionary Love: "We seek a new bottom line that judges our institutions, our economy, our political lives, our legal system, our cultural institutions, our educational system, and every aspect of our society as productive, efficient, or rational to the extent that they maximize our human capacities to be loving, generous, and caring toward each other and the Earth, ethically and environmentally responsible, and committed to social, economic, and environmental justice; and to the extent to which they promote joy, playfulness, compassion and empathy, self-acceptance, humor, and aesthetic creativity, health and thanksgiving for life in all its forms, love of learning science and literature, repentance and forgiveness, treatment of all human beings as embodiments of the sacred and not just instrumentally as means to our own ends, and a response to the universe and our planet Earth that is filled with awe, wonder, and radical amazement (rather than seeing them only as "resources" to fill human needs). " -Rabbi Michael Lerner

Eileen Reavey of the National Popular Vote campaign joins co-hosts Ryan and Matt to discuss the history of the electoral college and the movement to create an interstate compact that would guarantee the presidency to the candidate who receives the the most popular votes. Join us to discussion its importance to democratization politics. 

In this episode of Growing Down, David Loy, Buddhist teacher and author, shares his views on how Buddhist teachings can be applied to the spiritual and ecological crises of today's age. He advocates for a dual activism for the modern Boddhisatva, or Ecosattva: one of spiritual practice and social engagement. Can Buddhism provide an insight to integral politics by shifting the narrative from "good vs. evil" to one of "delusion vs. "awakening"? Please join us for this wonderful discussion.  You can find David Loy's work at: http://www.davidloy.org

In this episode of Growing Down, Matt, Ryan and Jeremy are joined by Stephanie Lepp. What happens when we take conceptual tools like Integral Theory, or metamodernism, and use them to, well, grow down? To create, engage with--make culture?    Stephanie does just that. She is the host of the podcast show Reckonings and the YouTube series Infinite Lunchbox. Together we explore her inspiration behind these shows, navigating the culture wars, how Youtubers like Contrapoints (Natalie Wynn) and journalists like Krystal Ball (The Hill) are arguably integral thinkers, and media strategies for (integrally) engaging our present culture of hyper-fragmentation.    Reckonings: http://www.reckonings.show/   Infinite Lunchbox: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfolfCaQThHgbl3hEVsYN_A   Uncanceling Contrapoints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4srHnkN4hk   Steph's next appearance on a Growing Down panel episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIVf_B0j4Q   Follow Stephanie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephlepp

The Growing Down podcast is honored to be joined by Bruce Alderman. Bruce is an adjunct faculty in the College of Psychology at John F. Kennedy University (JFKU). He received his master’s degree in Integral Psychology, with an emphasis on Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, from JFKU in 2005. Bruce is the founder of Integral Stage, a new YouTube and podcast series featuring conversations integral thinkers and media creators.    More about Bruce: https://www.jfku.edu/faculty/bruce-alderman/  Publications:   Alderman, B. (2018). Sophia speaks: An integral grammar of philosophy. In S. Esbjörn-Hargens & M. Schwartz (Eds.), Dancing with Sophia: Integral philosophy on the verge. Albany, NY: SUNY.   Integral Stage: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaA4zkLRnR3lGm8Y7c5Tvdw  Integral Post-Metaphysical Spirituality: https://www.facebook.com/groups/470435939720069/ The Integral Stage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/442764176469520/

In this episode, the Growing Down podcast interviews David Hartful Jr., to talk about the protests and riots erupting in America, following the murder of George Floyd by police, from the perspective of Integral Theory and Spiral Dynamics. David is a researcher and founder of Black Leadership Analysis, (https://blackleaderanalysis.com), which explores leadership practices in black communities through Spiral Dynamics, Integral Theory, and practices of self-realization.    David’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvH7ICAx2fzym-2ykAlNVPw   Dr Zenju Earthlyn Manuel: https://blackleaderanalysis.com/2018/01/02/zenju-earthlyn-manuel/   Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar:  https://blackleaderanalysis.com/2018/02/02/dr-bhimrao-ambedkar/

Growing Down co-hosts percolate recent interviews and attempt to integrate their diverse meanings (from changing public perception around more creation, MMT, evolving value systems, and other themes that have emerged on the show).

In this episode, the Growing Down podcast is deeply honored to interview Rev. Delman Coates on reclaiming the power of money creation, the integral connection between liberation theology, social justice, and spiritual traditions, and how we can transform the public imagination around money.  Dr. Delman Coates has served as Senior Pastor of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Maryland for over 16 years. Under his leadership, the church has been recognized as one of the fastest growing congregations in the country and now has over 15,000 members. Delman is the founder of the Our Money Campaign. He has published several articles and has also been featured on a number of news outlets including MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, VH1, and The New York Times.  He has a Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christianity from Columbia University as well as Master of Philosophy in Religion from Columbia University, a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelors in Religion from Morehouse College. More show notes:  Follow Rev. Coates on Twitter The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton Transformational Policies and MMT ft. Andres Bernal (relevant episode)

In this episode we are joined by Edward Berge, an Integral Theory writer and researcher and founder of the Proactive and Progressive Populism blog. Session Notes: On Integral Review:  ‘Inter-Bridging’ Bridges and Bridging as Metaphors for ‘syn-integrality’ in Organization Studies and Practice “Do our models get in the way?”  "Hier(an)archical synplexity"

In this episode of Growing Down podcast we are joined by Andrés Bernal.   Andrés resides in New York City where he is a Lecturer of Urban Studies at CUNY Queens College and Doctoral student at The New School For Public Engagement, Division of Policy Management and Environment. His research focuses on the Green New Deal as a site of political communication and policy analysis. Andrés is a leading voice and proponent associated with the heterodox school of economic thought known as Modern Monetary Theory.    Show Notes: Learn more about Andrés: https://www.andres-bernal.com/  Twitter: http://twitter.com/andresintheory 

In episode 5 of Growing Down podcast, we are joined by metamodern researcher and political sociologist Brent Cooper. Who are the Emergentsia? Brent talks about his popular Emerge series (read Part 1 here: http://www.whatisemerging.com/opinion...), how he came to become a metamodern researcher, and what communities that make up the Emergentsia can do to stay engaged and literate in transformational politics (like the integral community's "Teal New Deal").  Show notes: Follow Brent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tato_tweets The Abs-Tract Organization: http://www.abs-tract.org/ Read more of Brent's essays on Medium: https://medium.com/the-abs-tract-orga...

In this episode, Matt, Ryan and Jeremy are joined by guests Paul Smith and Luke Healy of the Integral Christian Network to explore the connections between religion, spirituality, and the politics of growing down. Paul Smith is the author of Integral Christianity: The Spirit's Call to Evolve. Paul and Luke are the co-founders of the Integral Christian Network, a global community seeking to co-create "the Christianity of the future," through participatory mystical  practice through WeSpace groups and individually. Join the Growing Down podcast as we explore the intersections of spirit, soul, and the polis. Show notes: Paul Smith's Homepage, Is Your God Big Enough? Close Enough? You Enough? by Paul Smith, All the World an Icon, Tom Cheetham, Re-Visioning Psychology, James Hillman, Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality, Jorge Ferrer.

In this episode, the Growing Down team is joined by our first first guest, integral philosopher Steve McIntosh, to explore how America can overcome hyperpolarization. Steve McIntosh is the author of the recently published Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself (2020). He is the president and co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank, as well as the author of several books on integral philosophy. Steve's work has been featured on NPR, The Daily Beast, Real Clear Politics, The Hill, The National Journal, and in a wide variety of other media.  Steve's homepage Follow Steve McIntosh on Twitter Take the Portrait of the Good character exercise Steve references in this episode Read "Polarization is more of a cultural problem than a political one" on The Fulcrum

In this episode Matt, Ryan, and Jeremy process the COVID-19 epidemic, the corporate bail-out and further meditations on how they'd each like to see the New Left take an "integral turn." The Populist's Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left are Rising Next Republic: The Rise of a New Radical Majority As Congress Pushes a $2 Trillion Stimulus Package, the “How Will You Pay For It?” Question Is Tossed in the Trash