We're all caught in old stories, both personal and public. What is possible for us when we learn to tell new ones? Today’s guest, Ben Joseph Stewart, has spent the last decade and a half telling new stories—first as a poet and musician, then as a one-man-band filmmaker. Ben's films challenge official narratives while showcasing human potential, promoting personal sovereignty and cultural transformation. The through-line is awakening: inviting viewers to engage reality with curiosity, courage, and responsibility. Making the present incrementally better rather than aiming at utopian visions.

 

In this conversation, we track Ben’s pivot from poet to prog-rock to filmmaker, after one psychedelic night and a Zeitgeist screening that ignited his filmmaking, and the stubborn discipline it takes to keep your voice intact when budgets, teams, and “the machine” grow louder. We get into art vs. propaganda, the influencer economy and why scrappy iPhone footage can feel truer than cinema glass. Why is the story so powerful, and what strange comfort can come from opening up to the darker aspects of life to understand the game board we're collectively playing on—from smart cities, endless news cycles, and the Fourth Turning—without letting fear steal your agency.

 

This episode is a guide to sovereignty: repetition over perfection, publishing before you feel ready, and returning storytelling to its original job—transmitting living values from one soul to another. If you’ve ever felt your best life and work is bottlenecked by permission or perfection, this one’s a key.

 

Ben Joseph Stewart is a filmmaker, writer, and musician known for the documentaries Esoteric Agenda (2008), Kymatica (2009), and the Gaia series Psychedelica. His work explores consciousness, culture, and power through an art-first lens. He’s collaborated with creators across media (from Aubrey Marcus to DMT Quest), composes his own scores, and teaches story craft through The Soul of Filmmaking, an academy focused on making art that speaks from the core without bowing to the machine.

 

Feelings with Strangers Socials

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/feelings.with.strangers/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FeelingswithStrangers

 

Ben Joseph Stewart   

Site: benjosephstewart.com

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/benjosephstewart/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenJosephStewart

 

Soul of Film

Site: souloffilm.com