Reflections on The Positive Fantastic

This week I’m releasing the 50th episode of my podcast, and I have several reflections on “The Positive Fantastic.” When I started this podcast, I had a vision to create something that would somehow complement my novel trilogy about how humans can thrive. While my intentions are still in keeping with this directive to support humans thriving, the impact of this project on me personally has been extremely satisfying.

Often I find myself in the position of making offerings. I am a helper if you will, a consummate lover of giving and being of service to others. As I have been deconstructing my relationship with hegemonic institutions, I have returned again and again to the structure of giving away all that I have. Not to say that I don’t own things or that I have extracted myself completely from the matrix, but rather I must note that I feel most at home when I am truly creating and sustaining a supportive role in the universe.

I’m a mom -to a wonderful son- but also to humanity. I feel maternal towards all of us striving to do our best. I fit well in my job as a champion of everyone living their lives to the fullest. I applaud when we collectively follow our dreams and create wondrous beauty. Perhaps it’s overstated and we all operate like this, but I find that this is one of my strengths: uplifting energetics in the direction of Utopian possibilities.

Season 1 of “The Positive Fantastic” podcast

Season one launched in the thick of the Covid pandemic. Never before did I feel so called to bring forth good news as I did in those first few months of the episodes getting released. People were hurting in all kinds of ways as we collectively dealt with a huge shift in how we do our reality.

I didn’t really know what I was doing. The premise to interview people was simple enough. I had a friend show me how to use a very basic, portable recording equipment set-up, that she herself employed for her own podcast. And I thought, why not? I can do this!

The first few episodes were done on a whim and a prayer. But, hey, they worked! Mostly… technical difficulties with even the simplest set up were part of my initial experience for sure! However, the joy that came getting to see people in person was unparalleled.

After several months, things started to become easier, and I slowly found my groove. I reached out to my friends to get interviews, and I stuck my toes into unfamiliar waters to get some guests from organizations that I really respected (but didn’t necessarily have any personal contact with other than my admiration).

In my life, I am always looking for the enthusiastic “yes.” And, interview after interview, episode after episode, I was left feeling both grateful for the chance to share a conversation about important things, and also excited to share that content into the wider world.

By October of 2021, I was ready for a break to figure out what it was that I had created, and how I wanted to fine tune the offering for the next season. After over twenty interviews in my first year, I felt pleased that I had made a substantial and worthwhile offering.

Season 2 of “The Positive Fantastic” podcast

Season two launched with the inertia of the previous year’s excitement. The recipe to release the podcasts on the new and full moons set the stage. The ingredients: add equal parts commitment to this project and fabulous people to interview. Voila!

I started to explore more diverse topics. I reached out to people that I maybe knew through the grapevine, but didn’t know personally. I even started contacting some people that I just wanted to get to know better!

The forum of podcasting has proven to me to be something special. The time and energy that I put into this thing rivals anything else I’ve got going on. What went from a side project wild hair has become a central fixture in my reality. It is my fervent hope that what I am creating has value for you -that these insights into how I envision Utopia and the ways that I know how to thrive are of use.

I’m not generating income by making this podcast. It is simply a labor of love: something that I wanted to exist, saw a niche, and then I put my energy into creating it.

Part of what initially inspired me to make this podcast however, was my desire to explore Utopia more, as I am also simultaneously writing a trilogy about how we can all thrive. Part eco-fiction, part hope punk, and a lot of throughtopian musings are going into my books.

In order to balance work and play, I have decided to scale back the quantity of episodes I produce for the podcast in Season 3. Instead of 20-30, I will be doing about 10 episodes; I’ll be shifting the rhythm from publishing episodes every new and full moon to bringing forth new episodes on the earth’s pagan holidays: the solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days (which are the middle dates between the solstices and the equinoxes) -plus a few other special edition episodes tucked into the programming for good measure. The content will still be stellar, but fewer podcast interviews will help me to focus more on my writing. And, that’s another big piece of my heart that wants to express itself.

I’m so grateful for each and every interview –to be able to hear about people’s wonderful and often miraculous lives gives me so much hope. And, I hope that you too will find something deeply satisfying by tuning into “The Positive Fantastic” podcast.