Baha'i Blogcast With Rainn Wilson

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I visit the Honorable Judge Dorothy Nelson in her home in California. Judge Dorothy W. Nelson is a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and is an active member of the Baha'i Faith who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of United States for many years. She tells me about the fireside she's been running in her home since 1961, and about her late husband Jim and how they both became Baha'is. She shares tips on having a happy marriage and integrating everyday life with your faith. We talk about the importance of 'active' listening, mediation and arbitration, and rehabilitation as an alternative to the justice system. She s

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm at my home in Los Angeles talking with my dear friend and musician, JB Eckl. JB's worked on countless musical projects including The Badasht Project which he is widely known for in Baha'i circles. He tells me how he ended up in a rock band in Mexico as a teen, why we need music and the arts in everything we do, and why he loves Bob Marley so much. We also talk about dieting, guitar solos, how the arts can translate complex ideas, and the importance of empathy. He also shares one of my favorite songs at the end, so hit play and listen in on the conversation! To find out more about JB Eckl and some of the things we covered in this podcast, check out the following links: * Check out JB Eckl's we

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in Chelsea, England with Moojan Momen - medical doctor by day, academic by night! Moojan has authored dozens of books and papers on a variety of topics ranging from things like 'The Baha'i Faith and Hinduism', to 'The God of Baha'u'llah'. Moojan tells me what led him to research and writing, and he also shares his thoughts on what makes the Baha'i Faith unique. We discuss the emphasis Baha'u'llah places on consultation, and we also look at how certain social structures can change if we want them to, and the importance of that change coming from the grassroots. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did! To find out more about Moojan Momen and some of the things we covered in this podca

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I have the delightful Mam-Yassin Sarr and her husband, David Fox, visiting me at my home in California. They are visiting me from The Gambia in West Africa, and they are the founders of Starfish International, a non-profit dedicated to educating and empowering girls in The Gambia. In this conversation we talk about how they met, how each of them discovered the Baha'i Faith, and the inspiration behind Starfish International. We also talk about life in The Gambia, international conflict and racism, and the awesome transformative power of education. I hope you enjoy our conversation! To find out more about some of the things we covered in this podcast, check out the list below: * Starfish Internatio

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in London, England with my dear friend, fellow actor and comedian, the hilarious Omid Djalili. Omid takes me on a ride full of stories and banter, where he tells me about his family and what it was like growing up in the UK as the only 13 year old with a mustache. We talk about soccer, prayer, dreams, gratitude, and the importance of connecting our lives to service and community building. Omid tells me how he got into comedy, and he shares four life-changing points about his career, which I think you'll find extremely interesting! Join me and Omid in this thought-provoking and fun conversation! To find out more about Omid Djalili and some of the things we covered in the podcast, check out the

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Billy Roberts, a dear friend who's a therapist by profession, and who has also served in a variety of capacities on a number of Baha'i Institutions. He was also behind an initiative called the 'Baha'i Black Mens Gathering', so in this conversation Billy tells us about the Black Mens Gathering, what he's learned by serving on various Baha'i Institutions, and how he became a Baha'i. We also talk about the benefits of therapy, ideas around culture and identity, and some of the lessons we can all learn from the African-American experience. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! * You can learn more about 'The Baha’i Black Men’s Gathering' from this Baha'i Blog article: https

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview the wonderful Linda Kavelin-Popov, a psychotherapist, award-winning writer, and one of the creators of the globally acclaimed 'Virtues Project', which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! Linda tells me the story behind the Virtues Project, and why her and her husband moved to the beautiful Cook Islands. We also discuss death and dealing with loss, the importance of prayer and meditation, plus we even do a fun activity at the end of the podcast where I pick a Virtues Card and we reflect on how it relates to my life. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! To find out more about Linda Kavelin-Popov, and some of the things we covered in this podcast, check out the

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm joined by my dear friend, Shadi Toloui-Wallace, a singer and songwriter who also hosts her own podcast called 'Cloud 9'. We talk about striving to be coherent in our everyday lives while trying to be a professional artist, and the creation of Baha'i-inspired music versus secular music. She tells me about the music she's been working on, the exciting things happening with the youth in her neighborhood, the importance of service, and she shares a little about her family and upbringing, plus some exciting news in her personal life. We talk about Baha'i Blog's Studio Sessions and the need for Baha'i-inspired grassroots music, and Shadi sings a beautiful song for us at the end of the podcast, so pre

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in Chicago again, and I'm joined by my friends Syda Segovia Taylor and Kelsey Taylor, an awesome couple who live here in the Chicago area. Syda works as a consultant in issues relating to social justice and Kelsey owns his own civil engineering company. They are both members of the Baha'i Faith and are passionate about working on issues around social justice and youth empowerment. In this conversation we talk about the work they're doing, issues relating to race, youth, violence, social inequality in the neighbourhood and the lessons they've learned. They also really open up and talk about how they've separated twice within their 21 years of marriage, what that was like, and the hard work they

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in Chicago, USA with Steve Sarowitz, founder of Paylocity.com, and the Executive Producer of 'The Gate: Dawn of the Baha'i Faith', a new documentary film that tells the story of the life of the Bab, His message, and the origins of the Babi religion. In this conversation, we not only talk about the life of the Bab and this wonderful new documentary, but Steve enthusiastically shares his thoughts on what forgiveness might mean, how he became a Baha'i, what he's learned from volunteering at the Baha'i House of Worship in Chicago, the concept of progressive revelation, and the importance of sharing the Teachings of the Baha'i Faith with everyone while being careful not to be too pushy. To find ou

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this particular episode I wanted to do something a little different, as right now, millions across the globe are celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, and I wanted to honor this very special occasion. Above our front doorway is a handwritten “Greatest Name”, drawn by the son of Hand of the Cause Mr. Samandari as a gift to my grandparents. As I walk into my house I think about the fact that as a baby (albeit a giant, pale one), I met Mr. Samandari who traveled to Seattle in 1967, and he was the last living person who had spent time with Baha’u’llah. I wanted to write about this remarkable connection: I was once cradled as an infant by the guy who met TH

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in Toronto, Canada at the lovely home of award-winning architect Siamak Hariri. Siamak is the architect of the Baha'i House of Worship for South America, located in Santiago, Chile, and he talks to me about his family and how he was first drawn to architecture, some of his thoughts and inspirations behind the design of the temple and its relationship with the community, and how architecture can touch the heart. We discuss the interplay between material and nonmaterial, where things like proportion and composition are enveloped in mysticism, ideas relating to prayer, and how things like composition and refinement are important and how they're connected to our higher aspirations. He also shares s

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I sit down with Dr. Ruha Benjamin, a mother, a scholar, an author and associate professor in African American Studies at Princeton University, who writes and speaks about science and technology, race and inequality. Ruha and I talk about racist robots and the use of technology, the relationship between unity and justice, the Marshall Islands and the example of her parents, Star Trek, marriage as a soul growing machine, and how bringing about social change also needs to consider the spiritual reality of things. We also look at the importance of independent investigation of truth and the need to challenge our own assumptions, plus the wonderful example of Abdu’l-Baha and how He challenged the status

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I have an awesome conversation with my wonderful Christian neighbors Sara and John Barton. Sara is an author and likes writing poetry and hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, usually at the same time, and she serves as the University Chaplain at Pepperdine University in California, where she oversees worship services and pastoral care in the community. John is Director of the Center for Faith and Learning at Pepperdine University where he also serves on the faculties of the Religion and Philosophy Division and the graduate program in Social Entrepreneurship and Change. John also speaks and conducts research in the areas of African philosophy, ethics and philanthropy, Christian studies, interfaith

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I speak with Nader Saiedi, Taslimi Foundation Professor of Baha’i Studies in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at University of California. Born in Tehran, Iran, and having lived in the US since 1978, professor Saiedi tells me about his personal journey from being a staunch Marxist to becoming a Baha'i, and how he was humbled by the sacred Baha'i Writings and moved by the steadfastness of the Baha'is being persecuted in Iran. Among other things, we talk about slavery, historical consciousness, and the thousands of untranslated and unpublished tablets by the Bab and Baha'u'llah he's been studying recently. Hope you enjoy the conversation! To find out more about Nader Saiedi and

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Kevin Locke, which in Lakota is "Tokaheya Inajin" meaning “First to Rise”. Both Lakota and Anishnabe, Kevin is a Native American Baha'i who is a world famous visionary Hoop Dancer, preeminent player of the Indigenous Northern Plains flute, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator with nearly 40 years of performing to over hundreds of thousands of people in over 90 countries. Living in Standing Rock, USA, Kevin talks to me about Lakota culture, some of their traditional prophecies and the power of women in their society. He tells me how he became a Baha'i, explains the power of engaging in the arts and connecting to the creator, and how the revelation o

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I speak with Hong Kong based Chinese soul-pop superstar Khalil Fong, otherwise known in Chinese as 方大同, which is "Fang Da Tong". Khalil has been very instrumental in bringing an eclectic mix of international styles of music to Chinese audiences, but especially Soul music and R'n'B. Besides creating hit songs, Khalil has been recognized as a positive role model for his upright character. In this interview we talk about his musical influences and what inspired him to pursue a career in music. He tells me what his songs are about and how his faith inspires his music and everything he does. We discuss spirituality in China, being a vegetarian, having his own record label, what really draws him to the F

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in Toronto, Canada interviewing husband and wife Mary Darling and Clark Donnelly. Besides having more kids than I can ever keep track of, they have their own media company called WestWind Pictures, which aims to promote themes of beauty and unity. Among many other things, they are known for their popular TV comedy series called 'Little Mosque on the Prairie', and I ask them how the series started and what sort of impact the show has had. They share the challenges of working on a comedy that deals with things that are sacred, and how they bring Baha'i principles into the creative process. We discuss the importance of consultation, what it's like working as a husband and wife team, the role of a

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview Maziar Bahari, an Iranian Canadian journalist, filmmaker and human rights activist who was imprisoned and tortured by the Iranian government for five months in 2009. After he was released, he wrote his memoir called "Then They Came for Me", which became a New York Times bestseller and is the basis for Jon Stewart's 2014 film "Rosewater". In the conversation I ask him why, even though he is not a Baha'i, he has been actively campaigning for the rights of the Baha'is in Iran. We talk about his religious background; his thoughts on tyranny; why the situation for Baha'is in Iran is so important for the Iranian people as a whole, and how he went from being a journalist to being an activist.

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I interview professional life coach Susan Gammage from Canada. We talk about how she became a Baha'i, why she became a life coach, and how she uses the Baha'i Writings in her work and everything she does. We delve deep into the idea of "sin" and "shame" and she explains why she believes "it's the stories that separate us and the reactions that unite us". We talk about her very popular blog SusanGammage.com, and all of the books she's written and working on. We discuss the spiritualization of money; workaholism and other addictions; what she's currently reading, and how forgiveness is the key to solving so many things within us. To find out more about Susan Gammage, read her articles, discover her