The culture says it's a given that the people who love you will understand you. But very often, the people who love you don't understand you at all—yet they can have the strongest ideas about who you should be. Martha and Ro are opening up the BeWild Files to talk about how to stay committed to your purpose when your loved ones don't understand it. Listen to the full episode to learn how to let go of the longing for consensus, disentangle love from understanding, and find the people who...

Martha and Ro are coming “full square” on this episode of BEWILDERED® to talk about Square Four in Martha’s Change Cycle. The culture tells us that whenever we achieve a goal, we're supposed to stay there: “Now you're a butterfly. The End.” Yet Nature, which we're all part of, is constantly changing. Eventually, you'll be sent back to Square One and the cycle will start anew. To find out how to enjoy Square Four without gripping it too tightly—and welcome the next change into your...

The hinges have come off, folks—Martha and Rowan have jet lag (and they're not afraid to use it!) in this episode of Bewildered: Zen and the Art of Traveling with Toddlers.  On two recent international trips, Martha and Ro's toddler got sick, and things were challenging to say the least... Now Ro wants to figure out if all the suffering was worth it, or if they sacrificed their child's wellbeing for the sake of culture. The answer they arrived at may surprise you, so don't miss the full...

Have you ever bravely shared your authentic self, only to agonize over it later thinking you shared too much? This is something Brené Brown calls a "vulnerability hangover”—and we've all been there. In this episode from THE BEST OF BEWILDERED, Martha and Ro share their own experiences with vulnerability hangovers and reveal the "culture work" that’s brought them massive liberation. Feeling hungover from vulnerability? Then be sure to tune in for the full episode—it's one of Martha and...

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 is it any wonder a lot of us freeze in panic when faced with making a decision? Martha and Ro talk about how we can move past this "decision paralysis" and they offer a wild new way to view decision-making. It's an insightful conversation worth...

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 Martha and Ro to discuss why the culture is so hostile toward women who are childless by choice. Don't miss their engrossing conversation about resisting the patriarchy, the saving grace of oversensitivity, and how to trust the wisdom of the body to guide us...

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 Bewildered, Martha and Ro talk about the “wild horses feeling” that's present whenever you’re working toward your heart’s desire. To learn the difference between culture and nature when it comes to hard work, and how you can find strength in the struggle, be...

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 our own! In this episode of BEWILDERED®, Martha and Ro talk about how to allow yourself to dissolve, even though the culture teaches us to resist it like crazy. If you've been struggling with change and the process of letting go, this is an episode you...

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 will try to crush them with everything it’s got. Tune in for this episode of BEWILDERED, Episode 58: Dream Dashers and Way Stations, to learn how you can discover what your own way station dreams are, overcome the culture’s inevitable objections, and make your wildest...

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 long-term projects if we just work harder. But since we’re human beings and not robots, Martha and Ro recommend a different approach. For their insights on how to commit to the flow of creativity, value surrender, and stake your claim to a creative life, tune in for the...

"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 circumstances rather than the circumstances themselves. And our thoughts can be shifted once we get to a place of peace. To learn how to ground yourself, shift your thoughts, and use peace as a compass to make the best decisions for you, tune in for the...

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 following the pull in their own lives and how it led to some truly beautiful outcomes. Listen to the full episode to find out what the pull is, why our culture doesn't recognize or value it, and how you can learn to trust that it's leading you toward your soul's...

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 we don't have to feel afraid. The irony is it doesn't work—because being controlled is also scary! Join Martha and Ro for the full episode to learn how to use your right brain to stop the spin of anxiety, break free from the culture's control, and return to...

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 of special Bewildered episodes they’re calling The Anxiety Files. While the culture's "solution" to anxiety is to avoid discomfort, avoidance only shrinks our world, not our anxiety. But by using courage we can expand our comfort zones—and our lives. To learn how, don't miss...

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 the finish line? And does "enough" exist? Tune in for this episode of Bewildered to learn why doing enough is NOT the way out of the fear of not doing enough—and the wisdom from nature that Martha and Ro rely on instead. There's even some impromptu coaching, so...

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 rhythm of nature flows between extremes—and we're meant to follow a similar rhythm. If you're ready to let go of the cultural model of regularity in your own life—and find the magic in occasionally going to extremes—be sure to listen to the full...

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 path of least resistance versus what pulls you toward becoming your best self, how to reject negative cultural influences to find your true nature, and how to navigate a constantly changing world when there are no scripts to follow.  It's a special episode that's not...

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 this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro talk about different ways to earn a living, and how what we often think of as "logic" is just cultural messaging in disguise. If the traditional job path doesn't feel right for you, and you're struggling to find your own way, don't miss this inspiring...

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 us, we should just do it! Otherwise, we need to punish ourselves. There's only one problem with that: Punishments don't work. To learn how Martha and Ro use kindness and creativity to get past inertia and move through transitions, be sure to listen to the full...

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 from having to make choices. If you do what the culture says, you might feel safe for a while—but at what cost to your soul? To find out if you're drifting in a current that's wrong for you—and what you can do about it—be sure to catch this very practical (and entertaining)...

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 navigate any painful situation, the first step is to stop pretending it's going to be easy. By staying in your integrity, you can observe a difficult situation and work through your feelings to get to a place of peace. Listen to the full conversation to...

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 they explore ways you can do difficult things while still feeling like you have a choice. While the culture encourages us to push beyond our limits into genuine suffering, Martha and Ro look to Nature for ways we can do what needs to be done—with kindness instead of force. Don't miss this...

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 decisions we make, but our culture doesn't teach us how to understand what we're sensing. (In fact, it rejects the whole idea.) To find out more about emotional energy and how to interpret it impeccably, be sure to join Martha and Ro for the full...

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 into the subject in this episode of Bewildered. With insightfulness and humor, Martha and Ro share their experiences with vulnerability hangovers and reveal the "culture work" that’s brought them massive liberation. Feeling hungover from vulnerability? Don't miss...

Our culture teaches us that we should jam as many things as possible into our days, and many of us learn to equate success with how many things we've checked off our to-do lists or how much stuff we've acquired. In this episode of Bewildered, Martha and Ro discuss our culture’s fixation on counting and hoarding—and how this cuts us off from experiencing true abundance and joy. To hear Martha and Ro's reframe of how to measure your life through the experiences you value, don't miss the full...