Episodes
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Why does talking about gender feel complicated these days? Is there an imbalance between our Masculine and Feminine? Sumaya Holdijk, massage therapist, birthing doula and self-described space holder, shares her stories about sexual harassment in Egypt, and the practices she has learned over the years to come more into her power.
Join the conversation at findgumption.com
Show notes and links:
Chi Nei Tsung (Abdominal Massage)
Family Constellations Bert Hellinger
Victim hero villain triangle
Anima and Animus Carl Jung
The Multi Orgasmic Man Mantak Chia
Friday Jan 13, 2023
Friday Jan 13, 2023
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How much do you understand your national background? What is your relationship with your local environment? And what kind of ideologies move you without realizing?
We’re back! We start Season 2 with a deep and delicious discussion around our relationship to nations.
My guest Omar Dajani, is an American Palestinian law professor, and this is his story about how a college debate opened him up to explore his Middle Eastern origins, and took him on a journey to become part of the Negotiations Support Unit of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the late ninteis.
In this episode we tackle:
The experience of being a dual national, and how nations are intertwined with our imagination.
The complexities of nationalism and the many ways it shapes our world.
We ask: Is nationalism always bad? If not, can it actually propel us forward?
The Palestinian occupation, and the grim reality of how far we’ve come from the end of the nineties. Is there any hope? What does it look like?
White nationalism in America, and how a lonely world is driving people to look for more structure. Are we at risk of a fascism?
The power of the local, and why talking to those who trigger us is critical to humanity.
About Omar Dajani:
Omar lives in San Francisco and is a Professor of Law at the University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law. He grew up in Texas, and lived for a long time in Palestine where has been part of the Negotiations Support Unit
Things we mentioned (and further reading!)
What makes you Antifragile?
An Ode to Heartbreak: A book of poems and meditations, on losing relationships, nations and friendships.
The Palestinian First Intifadah
Imagined Communities:Â Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism by Benedict Anderson
What Makes a Nation? By Ernest Renan
Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
A Land for All: The Two States, One Homeland initiative
The Lonely Century: How to Restore Human Connection in a World That's Pulling Apart by Noreena Hertz
If you liked this, stay tuned for the upcoming weeks, we will release some more short soundbites from this episode!
On behalf of the Gumpcast team,
Thanks for listening!
Omar Shaker
Sunday Oct 17, 2021
Sunday Oct 17, 2021
Are emotions a distraction from the rational? Or is it really our superpower as humans?
On our season finale, we are joined by our friend and honorary grandfather (and Omar’s honorary grandson), Atta Pilram. Atta shares with us his own journey on learning about his emotions, through family, business, and especially in his art. Omar and Pilram take a deep dive into creativity and the importance of emotional intelligence in our ever-transforming world.
This episode covers:
How it felt growing up in Iran, and the many ups and downs of Atta’s life.
How feeling into your emotions can be a healing experience.
Creativity and its pursuit.
The limiting nature of making yourself a victim.
These are all covered through Atta's plethora of stories and imagery, as he reflects on his whole life from a 5 year old kid to a 68 year old grandpa.
Sit back, relax, and reflect. What is your relationship to this world of emotions?
Sunday Aug 29, 2021
Ep10. Finding Dad in Me w/ Dr. George Kist 🇪🇬 🇺🇸
Sunday Aug 29, 2021
Sunday Aug 29, 2021
Would you bring on one of your parents to be a guest on your podcast? Well, we did just that! Paul invites his dad, Dr. George Kist, to join him on a very special episode where they discuss their relationship.
In this episode they cover:
Immigration, and the risk of leaving it all behind
Assimilation and identity in the diaspora of ones’ homeland
The relationship between fathers and sons
And the experiences that helped mend their relationship
Have you ever thought you are more like your parents than you want to admit? Join us as our host discovers this very thing in conversation with the man that raised him. And pour yourself a glass of Trader Joe’s Secco, while you’re at it.
Sunday Aug 01, 2021
Ep09. Innocent Manifestations of Testosterone, w/ Anonymous
Sunday Aug 01, 2021
Sunday Aug 01, 2021
Have you ever had an experience of breaking out of your own status quo? Often times breaking free is met with resistance. How have you dealt with this kind of confrontation?
Our anonymous guest shares his own adventures with resisting convention and authority in order to carve his own path. He has had to confront the institutions of education, family and the law and through these experiences he forged a philosophy conflict: when it has a purpose, and when it’s fruitless.
In this episode we cover:
Our guest’s experiences and adventures through his life
Psychedelics and its role in the altering of perception
A look at the current state of affairs, and the impact of greed and unchecked power on our world
How can we break free from what binds us in purposeful, life affirming ways? What makes conflict virtuous?
Sit back, pour your favorite beverage, and join us for this very important and candid conversation!
Monday Jul 12, 2021
Monday Jul 12, 2021
Every hero’s journey has a dragon. Have you met yours yet? Sometimes our dragons do not appear in places we expect. How about our own genomes?
In this episode we are joined by Jean Marie Stratigos, PhD. Jean Marie is a Social Anthropologist and until very recently has worked for the UN as a humanitarian officer.
In this episode we cover:
Jean Marie’s foray into the world of Etioanalysis.
We traverse the topic of generational trauma and epigenetics
And we touch upon an untouchable topic: our own shame
This is the dragon in every hero’s journey. Spoiler alert: That Dragon is You.
You learn more at www.etioanalysis.com or contact Jean Marie Stratigos PhD at jmstratigos@etioanalysis.com.
Monday Jun 28, 2021
Ep07. The Shadow w/ Ryan Ginn
Monday Jun 28, 2021
Monday Jun 28, 2021
Do you have a dark side? Have you ever acted in ways that surprised you, that seemed out of your own control?
The truth is, we all have these shadowy parts of ourselves, that we try to ignore or repress. It’s that part of us, as Carl Jung describes, that is not in our own awareness, but shows up in certain circumstances. Usually leading to sticky situations.
In this episode we are joined by Relationship Educator and Coach, Ryan Ginn. In the episode:
Ryan shares his expertise on the topic of the shadow.
He introduces to us a healing modality called Internal Family Systems (or IFS), as a way to help individuals understand and reclaim their own shadows.
And we do a live demo with one of our hosts!
Things get very real in this episode, so sit back, relax, and see if you can find yourself in this conversation. If you were to lift the veil of your own psyche, what would you find?
Sunday Jun 20, 2021
Ep06. The Takeover w/ Omar Shaker [Part 2/2]
Sunday Jun 20, 2021
Sunday Jun 20, 2021
Is revenge a dish best served cold? Are there other ways to restore power?
Hello everyone, this is Paul Kist again, I decided to hold onto the reins for one more show, to continue the conversation we started last time in Part 1 of this conversation. Omar reluctantly but graciously allowed this stunt to continue, and I so appreciate what came out of it.
Revenge is a tricky thing. There's a certain amount that serves only to injure and perpetuate toxic cycles. But there's also the lack of it, which also allows a violation to go unvindicated.
There's no doubt, we are elated to our very core when our movie heroes get the bloody revenge they've been seeking. We also can't deny the depth of healing that can come from more restorative ways to bring the scales back into balance.
"But sometimes, you just want that bastard to pay."
We go further into Maskat's world, as he wrestles with the aftermath of his own revenge story, and we discuss these really complex topics.
Sunday Jun 13, 2021
Ep06. The Takeover [Part 1/2] w/ Omar Shaker
Sunday Jun 13, 2021
Sunday Jun 13, 2021
Have you ever had a bully? Have you ever bullied someone? Have you ever gotten revenge on your bullies?
Bullying is something almost all of us have experienced in some way growing up, either as the bully or the bullied. This topic has gotten a lot of attention in the public discourse over the last few years. The weapons are not just fists and physical intimidation anymore. With the internet comes more ways a bully can try to assert dominance or inflict shame upon another. And the impacts can be devastating, and in some cases the damage is permanent.
In this episode we talk about:
The origin story of Maskat’s bullying experience
How Omar reclaimed power after an experience with his own bully
We introduce the topic of revenge and its purpose when it comes to bullies
Looking back whether you were bullied, or were a bully, how have you processed these experiences years later?
Sunday May 09, 2021
Ep05. Experiencing God w/ Sherin Wafaai
Sunday May 09, 2021
Sunday May 09, 2021
Were you brought up in a religious family? How did your relationship to religion change as you grew up?
It is Sunday and I am back! This time with my wife, who had and continues to have a very interesting relationship with religion and the different ways we get to experience God.
In this episode:
Her story from trying to please God by getting veiled to rebelling after someone tried to shame her in acting a certain way.
How she found God in a way that is more meaningful for her.
The basics of self-love, self-compassion, and healing!
Why chapter 5 is so important for the story, and why I chose to create so much tension around the protagonist’s relationship with religion
How far did you make it in the book?
The Gumpcast
Thoughtful conversations about what keeps us going when times get tough.
Join the conversation at findgumption.com