Curiouser and Curiouser (Tell me Everything)

With Robert Mulhall, CEO Kripalu, Yoga, Wellness & Retreat

A retreat. A university. A rich historical site. A yoga center. An oasis. We chat with CEO Robert Mulhall about the magical place that is Kripalu (www.Kripalu.org). Set on a 100 acres of forests, gardens, trails, wilderness, lakes and lawns in the Berkshires, Kripalu offers a range of yoga, health, outdoors, retreat, spiritual, mindfulness, nutrition and wellness programming. The center occupies spiritually and historically significant land once sacred to Native Americans who participated in vision quests on it, housed the Gilded Age estates of industrialists including Andrew Carnegie, and served at various times as a yoga retreat, Hindu ashram and Jesuit novitiate. In an age where wellness experiences are out of reach of the ordinary man, Kripalu is notable for how it makes high quality programming, cuisine, resources and nature available to all. We talk to Robert about Kripalu, its history, the extraordinary land it sits on and its future. This episode originally aired November 9, 2022

With Dr. Mangalam Srinivasan, Academic/Scholar, Corporate Board Member, Advisor to Indian PM Indira Gandhi

We continue our chat with special guest Mangalam Srinivasan touching upon the irony of the Silicon Valley business pioneer household names today that were born out of the California counter culture. Our conversation winds through memorable moments in Dr Srinivasan’s career and life as an advisor to Indian PM Indira Gandhi, the non-aligned summit lunch where Fidel Castro insisted on sitting next to her, and where she was the only civilian and only other woman besides Mme Gandhi, advising the Taiwanese government in the 1980s (where my brother and I were, incidentally, the first American children to visit), journeying to the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan as the guest of HRH the King of Bhutan in the 1980s and more. An academic by vocation, Dr. Srinivasan has held international faculty & research appointments including at Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Northeastern, University of Madras, American University & UC Berkeley, served on global corporate & advisory boards, as an S&T advisor to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi & was one of the first distinguished female fellows invited to Harvard (CFIA) in the 1970s. In addition to academia, she has either worked (often as the first woman) or served on the Boards of organizations as diverse as the World Bank, Wells Fargo, Arthur D. Little, United Nations, the Forsythe Institue, National Academy Of Sciences, NSF, State Bank of India (first woman there) and several notable technology companies from the 1960s on. She has listed companies on the NYSE, Nasdaq, Euronext & the BSE, and hAs also served as an advisor to heads of states, governments and apex scientific, corporate and academic institutions in various capacities. She seems to be everywhere something happened much like Forrest Gump. Finally, Dr. Srinivasan also happens to be my Mother. (Pause for laughter), in the second part or our conversation we’re going to chat about some of her experiences. This is part 2 of a two part episode. This episode originally aired August 21, 2022

With Jon Famery, Paris-St. Germain (PSG) F.C. player

Football. Soccer. The game. We talk to ex-PSG professional soccer player, Jonathan Famery-Mariani about life in the big leagues playing for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. France’s most successful football club. Jon played the role of the “creator” after which he pursued a career in the business world working in tech and finance. Join us for a wide ranging conversation where we’ll talk about all aspects of life and the game playing at elite levels. Bring your questions. And your A game.

That Lil Ole Band from Texas: ZZ Top

Texas should be proud. Part Texas blues, part boogie, part experimental and all weird, ZZ Top is simultaneously both local and alien, tough rock and synth, camp and genuine, raw talent and humorous show. Basically they’re everything. Just like this show. And I just love them. On this episode of Curiouser & Curiouser we’re going to talk about the indomitable sons of Texas, ZZ Top. Originally broadcast July 2022

Life Advice from Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is not only one the greatest dramatists of the Western world, he also is one of its best psychologists. An astute observer of the human condition, Shakespeare was a prolific purveyor of timeless wisdom which he embedded in his plays. He was a master psychologist with insight so effective it ranks up there with Rilke, Jung and Rumi. Though written almost 400 years ago, his advice is modern and applicable today. In fact, we consume his words often emblazoned on coffee cups, via common quotes or delivered through daily inspirational apps and we don’t even know it’s him.. So join us as we examine and dole out Shakespeare’s life advice; you just may not need to go to therapy this week. (You’re welcome) This show originally aired July 30, 2022