Pop Conscious

Where does one go from Disney? Malayna and Stacy welcome former Disney animator Dave Zaboski to learn about creative living! A classically trained painter and illustrator, he has cocreated several national children's books including one with Deepak Chopra.  He has created concept art for film and game projects, and travels and teaches creativity and innovation as a public speaker. Spirituality and creativity infuse everything he does, so join us to learn tips on seeing your own life as an evolving work of art!
(Original air datte Sept. 21, 2015)

In celebration of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, second only to Cannes, and known for launching Oscar hopefuls, we're discovering there's plenty to love about Canada. Canadians are much like us, many of them with similar accents, so we don'notice when they show up in our favorite TV shows or movies. Cable programming is full of Canadian-produced television shows, and musicians and comedians become some of our favorites, without our even realizing it. So let's point out how much they bring to our lives in the good ol' US of A, and the world at-large, and share some love...

If you had to learn everything you knew about the world and its people from movies and TV, what would you know about prayer, ritual, and sacred celebrations in other cultures and lands? What could you learn from their depictions? And would they be accuratte? These are the questions we’ll try to answer and discuss in our Pop Conscious preparations for Unity World Day of Prayer. Tune in for our recommendations of alternative spiritual observances with pop culture flair!
(Original air date Aug 31. 2015)

We are all in the school of life, so as summer ends, we're beginning to gear up for getting down to business! Whether in school, work, or just life, our business may include classes, writing assignments, deadlines, and tests to determine if we've "made the grade.” In so many ways, school never ends. So join us as we look at pop culture expressions of schooling, and find fun ways to keep learning about ourselves! (Original air date: Aug 24, 2015)

These terms are familiar to anyone who has traveled, as both Malayna and Stacy have recently, but they are also ideas that can be used in connection with summer's end. Whether it means beginning a new school term or reflecting upon your career and life goals, we’ll examine pop culture depictions of these concepts. Join us in looking at the destinations we choose, how we make departures from our routines to get there, and how to know if we’ve arrived. Travel outward and inward with Pop Conscious! (Original air date: Aug 17, 2015)

Malayna welcomes Sezín Koehler to discuss cultural identity and the pop culture transcending it. Sezín is of mixed descent and is a Huffington Post blogger, novelist, and Third Culture Kid who has lived in 13 countries and 18 different cities. Her pop culture fandom ranges from mermaids to Maleficent, Gilmore Girls to Guardians of the Galaxy, Labyrinth to Love, Actually, and Hannibal to Harry Potter. Her spiritual beliefs are just as diverse and expressive. Join us as we explore pop culture’s global influence and how it inspires our lives, whatever our cultural influences may be! (Original air date Aug 3, 2015)

Processing personal stuff.

Can't get pets for parents without influencing the choice.

When you're a fan, you have a passionate reverence for the subject of your fandom that is not unlike a spiritual experience. We welcome back our favorite scholar-fan, Dr. Tanya Cochran, to share insights found in the TV series Firefly and it's follow-up film, Serenity. We'll look at the resonance we find in the archetypes of the crew members and how belief plays a huge role in this space cowboy adventure by Joss Whedon. And we can't forget the fans. There's not a power in the 'verse that can stop us! (Original air date July 27, 2015)

There is a certain individualistic ideal which seems to tell us that it is possible, maybe even preferable, to do it on your own-whatever it may be. But if we look closely at our favorite heroes, most of them have backup-sidekicks, family, love interests, butlers, and the like. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto! He wasn’t alone after all! Join Malayna and team member Michele Coles as they scan pop culture for supposed heroic loners and their sidekicks or support teams. Then we’ll bust the myth and refine the ideal of individual empowerment to include supportive connections, because we k...