In honor of International Women’s Day, we bring you a special episode of the Beyond Listening Podcast . Today, we celebrate the power, resilience, and wisdom of women by hosting five extraordinary guests who have courageously walked their unique paths in the world. Each of these women brings a powerful story of leadership, perseverance, and strength. Guests: Dr. Mona Armijo (Florida, USA) – A trailblazer working with Military SEALs, one of the few women among these honorable men. Mossy Kilcher (...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Miriam Jones and Adam Rumack dive into why they have chosen to do women and men focused leadership work this year. From examining the dynamics of power and the challenges women face in leadership to the necessity of self-reflection and personal growth, this conversation sheds light on how both retreats foster personal development and empowerment. This conversation however isn’t just about retreats—it’s about embracing who you are, overcoming societal norms, and connecting with o...
Feb 20, 2025•43 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast In this chat around the fireside, Atz Kilcher shares his deep connection to music, nature, and the journey of self-acceptance. Reflecting on his childhood, he explores how the wilderness shaped his understanding of himself and the world around him. Atz reveals the therapeutic power of music and how returning to nature can help veterans and others find peace, purpose, and personal growth. Weaving stories of his time in Fox Canyon at the head of the Kachemak Bay in Alaska and the art of basket wea...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast In this heartfelt episode of Beyond Listening, we sit down with veteran and musician Andrew to explore his journey from the military to a powerful career in songwriting. Andrew shares his early roots in punk rock and country music, how music helped him cope with the aftermath of his military service, and the transformative experiences he’s had through the Heroes Healing Homestead initiative, co-hosted by Atz Kilcher and Operation Encore. Andrew opens up about his time in the military, his strugg...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Adam and Miriam, co founders of Open Circle, dive deep into the complexities of guiding change, offering practical insights into both horizontal and vertical transformations. They emphasize the critical need for understanding and accepting change, while also exploring the common resistance humans face, often rooted in our fear of loss. Throughout the conversation, they address the challenges individuals and organizations encounter when guiding change, from managing resistance to...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast Kiersten McCartney, “Coach K”, the program director and co-founder of Arena Adaptive, shares her journey and passion for engaging people with disabilities in exercise, fitness, and sport. She discusses the origins of her passion and the intentional community-building approach she takes in her work. The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to adaptive fitness, healthcare challenges for people with disabilities, and the importance of inclusion and understanding. Coach K shares insigh...
Jul 17, 2024•59 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of nature and its profound effects on the brain with Amy McDonnell, a research fellow at the University of Utah Applied Cognition Lab. Meet Our Guest: Amy McDonnell Amy McDonnell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her background in neuroscience and environmental psychology. Her research at the University of Utah Applied Cognition Lab focuses on the intersection of wilderness therapy, neuroscience, and environmental neur...
Jun 06, 2024•50 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast Deciding how to Decide This conversation between Open Circle Founders, Miriam Jones and Adam Rumack, explores the topic of decision-making and challenges the assumptions we have about how and why decisions are made. It discusses the definition of decisions and power, both at an individual and group level. The conversation encourages questioning the structures and methods of decision-making and provides a framework for deciding how to decide. It explores different types of decision-making methods...
Jun 04, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Purpose and values. These simple words hold huge meaning, and potential impact, for how we act in the world. Welcoming a kindred spirit this week, Adam and Brandon are joined by fellow wilderness expedition leader and founder of leadership development organization StoneWater, Phil Kornachuk. Phil’s work is rooted in purpose and values, recognising its importance for his own development and his work mentoring, coaching and inspiring growth in individuals, leaders, sports teams and elite military ...
Feb 02, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast How do we become optimistic about uncertainty? The modern world can be scary. AI is making its mark, anxiety levels are rising, and leaders are faced with more uncertainty than ever. Enter John Sanei: futures strategist, bestselling author, international keynote speaker, adviser to Fortune 100 companies, global expert at Singularity University and much more. A tireless educator, John is passionate about using practical neuroscience to elevate consciousness and build a brighter tomorrow. In the d...
Dec 28, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome, for a fascinating insight into a truly singular human - international conflict mediator, college professor, senior consultant and facilitator for the Arbinger Institute, and NBA analyst for ESPN, Chad Ford. Chad has experienced a lot personally and professionally, and pours these experiences into his writing - fuelling a dedication for helping humanity overcome our differences and reconcile together. In the discussion with hosts Miriam and Brandon, we learn of his story, recounting the ...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Resiliency, compassion, community, safe haven, mentorship. These are just some of the fruits of a powerful conversation shared with two committed and inspiring individuals, Coach Ellis and Coach Moore of More Than Fitness. Founded in 2018, More Than Fitness seek to serve the young people of their local community through mindfulness and exercise - creating a program that pushes physical limits, shares meaningful discussion and forges positive life experiences. Having recently partnered with WeAre...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to a reflection on the process of change. Three years after the pandemic, it’s important to take a step back and take stock. What on earth just happened? And how can we move on? Adam and Miriam fly solo again this week, sharing a candid discussion on how to reintegrate after disruption to our routines, philosophies, organizations and in the world as a whole. They share their own experiences of evolution within We are Open Circle, and the key reintegration lessons of group wilderness retr...
Aug 04, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Integrity, capability, commitment. Welcome to a rounded reflection on the role of trust within our communities, organizations and in society as a whole. Trust is a practice, not a skill - a lifelong process of evaluation and maintenance. Sharing reflections on the ‘three kinds of trust’ and the cyclical parallels of our professional lives and the natural world, today’s discussion reveals the inner tenets of the We are Open Circle methodology. Join us, as hosts Adam and Miriam share experiences f...
Jun 22, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are all one human tribe, travelling on the journey of life together. This message reveals itself as central to today’s discussion between Adam, Brandon Harding and guest Mike Waldron, founder of 23rd Veteran. Speaking candidly on his own experiences as a young adult in the Marine Corps, Mike reveals the scale of the difficulty he experienced when re-integrating into society, his journey toward hope and the calling he answered in setting up the not-for-profit organisation and sharing his metho...
May 27, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Joining us for a moving discussion on race, class and the power of education is Roblin Webb, Founder and CEO at Freedom Prep School in Tennessee. Roblin J. Webb, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Prep Charter Schools, has dedicated her life’s work to striving for equality for all people. A passionate advocate for civil rights, Roblin outlines her definition of the movement - and reveals her inspiring journey from university graduate, to attorney, to becoming a tireless educator serv...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Outdoors is where the magic happens. Today we welcome Dustin Diefenderfer, the founder of MTNTough Fitness Labs. A passionate advocate for the power of the outdoors to renew and develop our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, our discussion with Dustin reveals a passion for transforming lives. He shares the life experiences that showed the path to founding the company in 2016, unveiling a consistent theme of entrepreneurship as a journey - one that often mimics the principles an...
Mar 20, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast “There is wellness to be found in the wild.” Our circle today sees hosts Adam and Miriam joined by Brandon Harding, our Wilderness program director. With a series of co-facilitated wilderness trips planned for 2023 and 2024, today’s conversation gives an insight into the topics, themes and discussion to be covered. Each of our speakers share candidly their own pivotal experiences in nature, comparing their experiences in military and non-military contexts - uncovering a shared theme of group con...
Feb 01, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Community is build on collaboration, creativity and trust. Our guest today is Mark Matzeldelaflor, a former Navy Seal and founder of Guardian Grange, a veteran-powered regenerative agriculture and healing network. He shares thoughts from his journey, unfolding a life which has navigated themes of organisation, disorder and trauma. Reflecting on how life in the military posed challenges for re-integrating with ‘reality’, he speaks candidly on the impact of trauma in his community - underlining hi...
Jan 17, 2023•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Intersectionality, nuance, integrity, compassion, presence. These key tenets rise to the surface in our conversation with dear friend Pranidhi Varshney. The founder of Yoga Shala West, a community-supported Ashtanga Yoga studio in West LA, Pranidhi shares experiences from her personal life, her yoga practice and her quest for creating more nuanced relationships with our lives and each other. Touching on motherhood, shared culture, the principles of Ashtanga, ‘resisting with compassion’ and being...
Dec 17, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fostering community takes perseverance. Today we welcome Orion Kriegman, Executive Director with the Boston Food Forest Coalition. Orion’s journey in life has shown him the depth of global social inequity and instilled in him a desire to be the change. Recounting experiences volunteering as a graduate student to living in a newly post-apartheid South Africa, he now leads the non-profit BFFC in transforming and reanimating urban areas. He shares insights from his seven years in the role - emphasi...
Nov 17, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast How can we practically connect with our animating spirit ? Walking us through the process is today's guest and yogic thinker, James Boag. We discuss the restrictive quality of our school systems and habits, experiencing invention as discovery and the power of circle practice to foster soul-nourishing laughter, learning and fulfilment. His life journey - from English origins to Japanese and Indian teachings as yoga teacher and language scholar - reveals a spirit of discovery, communication and re...
Oct 10, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Conventional descriptions of leadership often miss a piece - the dual components of Soul and Sprit. Our hosts Adam Rumack and Miriam Jones dive into what they describe as one of the ‘most magical and mystical parts of their work’. Reflecting on their experiences of leadership in life, the discussion builds on recent episode, exploring enchantment and our animating spirit. With the next Leadership retreat planned for early November in Oregon, today’s conversation explores the importance of ...
Oct 03, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast What lives on the overlap of hard science, Jungian psychology and enchantment? Dr Joseph Cambray is the former Harvard Medical School faculty who has spent decades answering that question. With remarkable insight, Joseph breaks down enchantment, disruption and coincidence and takes us through how they have each in turn challenged and ultimately transformed him. The human experience is interconnected in the most real sense of the term. Here, we're invited to reconnect with our experiences - witho...
Sep 27, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Soulmates come in different shapes and sizes. Enter Josh Schwartzman and Jeremy Berman - business soulmates. Having met at Hackathon, the duo founded DreamSeeDo with a simple mission: to unlock human potential. Document the challenge of progressing a business while staying true to their values, they help us understand HOW to stay grounded; in moments of success and frustration. The best place to find DreamSeeDo is here...
Sep 14, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you train resilience? Today's episode features Raven Aäe; a hunter, ultra runner, meditator and founder of coaching school Magnetic North. Raven discusses her experience founding a coaching school, shattering societal expectations whilst pregnant and striving for solitude in the wilderness. Touching on working with Navy Seals and sharing the experiences that make her feel truly alive, we're challenged to consider our own levels of durability, resilience, and ultimately whether we are c...
Aug 31, 2022•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why is it that we hunt? And how does it interface with Conservation? Today we welcome Joel Strimling, board member of Oregon Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA). Joel spent his childhood outdoors but adopted a hunting lifestyle as an adult - experiencing initial trepidation grow into a fulfilling passion. We dive into the challenges of Joel's transition into a huge advocate of the hunting lifestyle and the conservation of natural spaces - and touch on encountering death, the comple...
Jul 08, 2022•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast What are the mechanics of gratitude? And how do we practically recognise abundance? Today we are thrilled to welcome Terces and Matthew Engelhart onto the show. Authors, co-founders of Café Gratitude and creators of The Abounding River Board Game, Terces and Matthew are fascinating examples of how to lead lives of spirituality, kindness and compassion - all while interfacing with the corporate world and managing the tension of growing a global brand. Covering abundance, systems of oppression and...
Jun 25, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why do we fail to achieve the most important high-stakes changes that our lives demand and that we desire? According to the Immunity to Change approach to human development, it is because we have a sub-conscious "immune system" of competing commitments and assumptions that make those changes nearly impossible; until we uncover and overturn them. In this episode, Deborah Helsing, the Director of Mind at Work , explores the psychological "Immunity to Change" and its roots in proven theories...
Jun 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast "Culture feels squishy to a lot of people. It is squishy and hard to quantify. When you look at visible and observable behaviors - how people show up - you start to get data that gives you an organizational diagnosis of where and why people are experiencing the organization. Culture is often defined by the worst behavior tolerated. How do people treat the lowest ranking member in your organization? That is the picture of culture that people experience." ~ Julie Diamond Julie Diamond, ...
Apr 29, 2022•47 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast 
