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OQ20: Open voice, open heart, open mind with Ellen Bakker
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In this episode I speak with Ellen Bakker, a singer and vocal coach from the Netherlands, who has been coaching for over 20 years. Ellen’s mission is to contribute to healthy, effective and ‘happy’ vocal habits, for singers and speakers (f.i. teachers) alike. Being able to express ourselves well in the way of our choosing has a positive effect on confidence and self-esteem and Ellen loves being part of that.
Ellen shares with us some of the simple, effective, healthy and happy techniques of using our voice. She also debunks some of the popular myths about how we can take care of our vocal cords, especially during the cold season, and shares some of the “throaty wisdoms” that actually can make a difference for our vocal cords. She emphasizes the importance of enthusiasm and presence, whether we stand in front of an audience or are speaking to someone on the phone.
We also talk about singing as a communal act that brings people together and makes us feel included and accepted. Ellen demonstrates the imaginary technique of projecting the voice into the back of our head, that results in a bigger and warmer sound, both in speaking and in singing. She also talks about the advantages of attending a vocal festival and the upcoming The Real Group Festival in Sweden in August 2012.
Featured track:
I close the episode with the recording of Ellen’s live performance of the famous tango Jacinto Chiclana.
Music: Astor Piazzolla. Lyrics: Jorge Luis Borges.
Episode related resources:
OQ19: Leif Lindh and his moose park
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In this episode I speak with Leif Lindh, the founder of Gårdsjö Elkpark, a place where everyone is guaranteed a chance to come close to a moose. We discuss the charm of these magnificent animals, how Leif first came up with the idea of starting an animal park and what it takes to make something like this happen.
I close the episode with the track Golden Chasene by the Swedish band Den Flygande Bokrullen from their latest album Shuff! It carries the same energy that I felt was emanating from Leif as he was talking about his passion and has the same sense of presence. The track makes me think about diving into what matters and giving yourself fully to this sometimes chaotic dance of life.
Episode related resources:
Den Flygande Bokrullen homepage
OQ18: Lonely with Emily White
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Is there a person who has never known the eerie distance of isolation and separation, who has never suffered the pain of rejection or the loss of love? Loneliness is an aching void in the center of our being, a deep longing to love and to be loved, to be fully known and accepted by at least one other person.
- James Park
In this episode I speak with Emily White about her memoir Lonely: Learning to Live With Solitude, in which Emily recounts her struggle to comprehend and overcome her chronic loneliness.
In the conversation Emily discusses some of the roots of loneliness and how the existing in the Western societies stigma around the state makes it harder for lonely people to batter loneliness. She also talks about the core differences between loneliness and depression, the difficulty of transitioning from loneliness and how it can be helped and touches upon how experience of loneliness day after day can influence our physiology and behavior.
I close the episode with the track Your Are My Applepie by Northern Safari, which I dedicated to my special friend Andy, who’s always been there for me, even if “there” is a place somewhere in rural England.
The lyrics are written by my friend, a talented writer and an amazingly warm person Anette Skåhlberg.
Episode related resources:
Interactive version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale
Lonely: Learning to Love With Solitude by Emily White
Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by John Cacioppo
Loneliness: The Experience of Emotional and Social Isolation by Robert Weiss
Professor John Cacioppo on Loneliness (video, Cornell University)
My two favourate lonely tracks:
Lonely Lonely by Feist from Let It Die, 2004
Lonely town by fLako (feat. Dirg Gerner), From Carving Away the Clay– EP, 2011
OQ17: A life of dreams with Dr Dave, Part Three
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Dreams were never designed to be remembered, but they are keys to who we are.
- Jonathan Winson
Episode description:
I continue my conversation with psychologist and podcaster Dr David Van Nuys on dreams and how they can inform our waking life. In this episode Dr Dave and I discuss pre-cognitive and psychic dreams, synchronicities and simple but effective techniques to improve our dream recall.
Dr Dave, host of Shrink Rap Radio Psychology Podcast and Wise Council Podcast, also talks about his podcasting career, its challenges and its rewards.
After the interview I talk about some of the findings of content analysis research, a scientific method for accurately describing what we dream about, conducted by Calvin Hall and Bill Domhoff.
Featured track:
In this episode I play Da Vinci – an ambient track by Mr Marx from his 2006 album Mallorca Charm. Mr Marx, songwriter and producer, moved between the music scenes of Germany and Spain and has now settled in Sweden. His first release after a break of 8 years, a Nu-Jazz styled instrumental, will come out on Stereolovers.com in Feb/Mar 2012.
Episode related resources:
The Mind at Night: The New Science of How and Why We Dream by Andrea Rock
Dream Bank Search Engine








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