05: Rabbi Sharon Brous says community can unlock our humanity

04/02/24 • 49 min

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"Take seriously the fact that there's something in the world that you need to do and then do it now. Don’t wait — we don't know how long we have."

Rabbi Sharon Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR, a leading edge Jewish community based in Los Angeles, and the author of the national bestseller, The Amen Effect, Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World. She's been named to the list of the most influential rabbis in America, and was recognized by the Forward and Jerusalem Post as among the most influential Jews alive today.

Rabbi Brous’ work has been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and her 2016 TED Talk, Reclaiming Religion, has been viewed by over 1. 5 million people. Her commitment to building bridges across divides, her anecdotes about how we can all find meaning in our lives, and her belief in our common humanity are inspiring and thought provoking.

Join us for a conversation about how to join or build a community, how to stay centered in your humanity while the world’s turbulence roils around you, and why you should never delay fulfilling your desires.

In this conversation you’ll find:

Her own spiritual journey,

How she’s building a community of those who have been disaffected by religious institutions,

Her take on the ways social media is keeping us apart,

How her book landed at the perfect moment for the state of the world,

The ways in which we’re all struggling with loneliness and isolation,

How the loss of a friend gave her much needed clarity

What she hopes she’ll leave as her legacy

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe

"Take seriously the fact that there's something in the world that you need to do and then do it now. Don’t wait — we don't know how long we have."

In this conversation you’ll find:

Her own spiritual journey,

How she’s building a community of those who have been disaffected by religious institutions,

Her take on the ways social media is keeping us apart,

How her book landed at the perfect moment for the state of the world,

The ways in which we’re all struggling with loneliness and isolation,

How the loss of a friend gave her much needed clarity

What she hopes she’ll leave as her legacy

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe

Previous Episode

04: Lucy McBath: Mom on a mission

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“I fell into flying as a flight attendant. And it was probably the best thing for me at that time, my love for travel, my love for other cultures, and ethnicities. And it's the best training ground for the work that I do now.”

After hearing your enthusiasm about the first three episodes of the Firestarters Podcast, I’m excited to tell you that I’ll be continuing to share one new episode of the podcast per month.

And today I’m talking with my friend Lucy McBath, a gun violence survivor, former Moms Demand Action spokeswoman, and three-term Georgia Congresswoman. Since 2019, Rep. McBath has advocated for bipartisan solutions to end gun violence, uplift small businesses, protect veterans, and lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs.

What you’ll find in this conversation:

What growing up was like as the daughter of a civil right’s activist and a nurse

How being a flight attendant prepared her for her current career

The ways in which she’s gained confidence in herself to go after what she wants

External obstacles she’s faced in running for office

How her son Jordan’s murder made her completely change course to protect other families

The women that helped push her to new heights

For more inspiring conversations like this one, be sure you’re a subscriber to my Substack, Playing With Fire.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe

Next Episode

06: Sandra Cisneros on the power of words to shape our womanhood

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“I tell people you don't have to say, ‘I'm just a drop in the bucket.’ Well, take care of your drop. Your drop affects so many other people and whenever you speak or are in contact with people, you're shaping and changing every day.”

Sandra is a prolific poet, author, and artist, perhaps best known for her book The House on Mango Street, originally published in 1984, which has gone on to sell over six million copies and is required reading in schools across the world. Recently, Sandra published her first book of poetry in 28 years called Woman Without Shame, a brilliant collection of songs, elegies, and declarations.

She has received a number of awards and honors including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowships in poetry and prose. Sandra has also founded the Macondo Foundation, an association of socially engaged writers, and the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation, a grant-giving institution that served Texas writers for fifteen years.

Join us for a conversation about the ways in which we all have a gift to give, how invested teachers can really change a life, taking darkness and transforming it into a path out, and being courageous enough to taking the next step.

In this conversation you’ll find:

Being the only girl with six brothers

Her struggles in school to stay engaged and reign in her imagination

Growing up sensitive, and later realizing it was a gift

Writing in secret out of shame

The power dynamics and damage of an affair with a married professor

A 20 year “overnight” journey to success

Learning more from disasters than accolades

Having exactly what we need to make change

Not wasting our time in life

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shannonwatts.substack.com/subscribe