BewilderedTM

with martha beck
and rowan mangan

What if we stopped listening to the controlling voice of the culture around us, and instead learned to reconnect with our own true nature? 

Sometimes we aren’t even sure why we feel so bewildered… and discontented… and even downright miserable. Often it’s because we have let the forces of society replace our own instinctive knowledge of what is right for us. 

Now, it’s time for us to find that voice again—before it’s too late.

For Martha and Rowan, Job One is to live according to our deepest truths, making the commitment to feeling good even when it means looking weird. We believe that this is how we will reinvent our world—from the inside out— to create a society that’s kinder, more equitable, and more ecologically sustainable than the one we see around us right now. 

This is the vision that we laugh and stumble and chat and feel our way towards here on this podcast.  Did we mention LAUGH? We want no part of personal and global transformation if it isn’t fun!

So if you struggle to find a place where people who are as idealistic and brokenhearted, as silly and deeply sincere, as bewildered as you are—you might have just arrived. 

Welcome!

Latest Podcast Episodes

Image for Episode #62 Best of Bewildered: Making the Right Choice for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

It’s THE BEST OF BEWILDERED, and this week we’re revisiting another favorite episode from the vault: Making the Right Choice.

The culture believes there’s always a single right choice and that choosing wrong means you’ve wasted your entire life. So [...]

Image for Episode #61 Best of Bewildered: Elizabeth Gilbert gets Bewildered! for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

In case you missed out the first time around, Martha and Ro are sharing some of their all-time favorite episodes in a series called The Best of Bewildered.

First up, Elizabeth Gilbert Gets Bewildered! In this encore episode, Liz joined [...]

Episode #60

Wild Horses

Image for Episode #60 Wild Horses for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Have you ever felt driven to do specific excruciating tasks, and you couldn’t explain why? 

While the culture mindlessly tells us we should always work hard, there’s also a place in our true nature for dogged, determined work. In this [...]

Episode #59

Bug Soup

Image for Episode #59 Bug Soup for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Do you know what happens to a caterpillar inside its cocoon? 

It disintegrates into a gooey mass before its cells reform into a butterfly. Martha calls this state “bug soup.” It’s not pretty, but it’s an essential part of change—including [...]

Image for Episode #58 Dream Dashers and Way Stations for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

You know those big, magical dreams you can’t seem to let go of, the ones that could change the whole course of your life? 

Martha and Ro call these wild yearnings “way station dreams,” and you better believe the culture [...]

Image for Episode #57 The Deep, Slow River of Creativity for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

On this episode of BEWILDERED® Martha and Ro answer a question from listener Laurel, who’s struggling to focus on a big creative project in a world full of distractions.

The culture tells us that we can be successful at our [...]

Episode #56

When to Leave

Image for Episode #56 When to Leave for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

“Should I stay, or should I go?”

In this BeWild Files episode of BEWILDERED®, Martha and Ro dive into this question—and they say that the first step is to question our thoughts.

Why?

Because problems often come from our thoughts about our [...]

Episode #55

The Pull

Image for Episode #55 The Pull for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Have you ever had the sense of being pulled towards something…but you had no idea why?

Martha and Ro call this mysterious feeling “the pull,” and they’re talking all about it in Episode 55 of BEWILDERED®. They share examples of [...]

Image for Episode #54 The Anxiety Files, Vol. 2: A Tiny Crunch of Fear for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Anxiety in the culture—what exactly is going on there? 

That’s what Martha and Ro are trying to figure out in this special Anxiety Files episode of Bewildered.

As a society we create structures to control things and keep us safe so [...]

Image for Episode #53 The Anxiety Files, Vol. 1: Courage and Avoidance for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Anxiety is like breathing for Martha and Rowan…maybe it is for you too?

If so, you are sooo not alone! All over the world, anxiety is skyrocketing, and Martha and Ro are exploring this subject in depth over a series [...]

Image for Episode #52 Not Getting Enough Done for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Most of us are plagued with the fear that we’re not doing enough—it’s practically the fuel our culture runs on. We’re pressured to constantly do more and more, and we’re taught that suffering is necessary for success. 

But where is [...]

Episode #51

In Pursuit of Balance

Image for Episode #51 In Pursuit of Balance for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

In this BeWild Files episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro answer a question from listener Kathryn about how to live a balanced life each day instead of bouncing between extremes.

While our culture demands high-level productivity all year round, the [...]

Image for Episode #50 Living Without a Script (Special episode!) for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Martha and Ro are doing something completely different for this episode of Bewildered, teaming up with their friends Eric Zimmer and Ginny Gay from The One You Feed podcast. 

Tune in as they talk about what drags you into the [...]

Image for Episode #49 Nice Work If You Can Get It for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

When it comes to the topic of jobs, the culture has a lot to say—and all of it is scary. There’s a strict path we’re expected to follow, which we’ve been led to believe is the only logical way.

In [...]

Episode #48

How to Get Started

Image for Episode #48 How to Get Started for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro answer a question from listener Josephine, who’s trying to understand and overcome her resistance to doing things that are good for her.

The culture tells us that if something is good for [...]

Episode #47

Drift Patterns

Image for Episode #47 Drift Patterns for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro talk about drift patterns, the cultural currents we can get stuck in that could be carrying us far away from our true nature.

One function of cultural patterns is to “save” us [...]

Image for Episode #46 The Upside of Necessary Evils for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

It’s another BeWild Files episode of Bewildered, and Martha and Ro are answering a question from listener Gazit, who’s trying to co-parent with a difficult ex, and the experience does not feel joyful or authentic.

Martha says when trying to [...]

Image for Episode #45 Getting Through the Tough Stuff for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

There will always be hard things we have to do in life. That’s just a given. So how do we go about doing them without suffering? 

Martha and Rowan say the key is freedom, and in this episode of Bewildered [...]

Episode #44

Wild Energy

Image for Episode #44 Wild Energy for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Rowan are talking all about emotional energy—the moods, feelings, or intentions that come across without any words or physical action.

This kind of energy can be a powerful teacher and director of the [...]

Image for Episode #43 Vulnerability Hangovers for the Bewildered Podcast with Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Have you ever bravely shared your authentic self, only to agonize over it later thinking you shared too much?

We’ve all been there. It’s what Brené Brown calls a ‘vulnerability hangover,” and Martha and Ro are taking a deep dive [...]

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