Bewildered

Hosted by Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Entrepreneurship Education

Website RSS feed

Episodes

138

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

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!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 21, 20261 hr 9 min

When Hard Work Works

Most of us would probably agree: We wish to work less, but not get paid less. Is that countercultural, or just common sense—or both? On this episode of Bewildered, we’re looking at the distinction between working hard for the culture and working hard for our own true nature—and how to tell if you’re spinning on a hamster wheel or actually getting some traction. We also talk about trust, chickens, and the difference between clumping as culture and clumping as community. Tune in and let’s figure it out! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 7, 202657 min

Blessed Are the Wigglers

In the face of the unprecedented complexity of today’s world, how do we navigate our days? On this episode of Bewildered, we explore why five-year plans and rigid schedules no longer work, and how to trust the unexpected pockets of beauty in our days instead. Join us for the full conversation to hear how to ditch cultural expectations, go up and down with the water, and find the magic hiding inside your wiggle room. Tune in, lean into the present moment, and learn why “blessed are the wigglers”! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

September 23, 202655 min

Are We There Yet?

We’re all chasing a destination—that big promotion, that perfect relationship, that hundred million dollars—convinced that once we arrive there, life will finally stop life-ing and everything will fall into place. This time on Bewildered, we dig into why relationships, body, and money are “the biggies,” why the place we want to go always recedes like a desert mirage, and how coming to our senses means realizing we’ve already reached our destination: this exact moment, right here, right now. Join us! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

September 9, 202658 min

Hadestown and the Mythology of Work

This time on Bewildered, we’re doing something kind of interesting… Using the brilliant Broadway musical Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell, we explore how we feel about work, money, “the man,” patriarchy, capitalism, and the grind that feels like hell. But as Anaïs Mitchell points out so beautifully—and as we’re discovering for ourselves—there’s a crack in the wall of hell. We’re looking for that crack in expectancy theory, pattern interrupts, and the transcendent enchantment of art. Join us to hear more! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 26, 202659 min

Why is This Always Happening to Me?

Trying to figure out why something always happens to you? In this episode of Bewildered, we’re talking about recognizing patterns that repeat in our lives, what causes them, and how they feed the culture (and the culture feeds them). By shifting the story from “Why is this happening to me?” to “Why is this happening to me?”, we become curious detectives of our own psychology. Join us to learn how you can shift your patterns, change your story, and become more free and joyful in your life. CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 12, 202652 min

Playing Without Performing

Do you ever feel like there are invisible people in your head criticizing your every move, even when you’re by yourself? We’ve found that a lot of people have this experience, us included. The good news is we don’t have to be stuck with it. In this episode of Bewildered, we’re talking about how to recognize the critical voice of the culture, how to free yourself from it, and how to turn towards an imaginary (or real!) group of people who are loving, accepting, approving…and wilder. Join us! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 29, 20261 hr 6 min

Enriching Your Enclosure

We all need more hobbies…and we’re not joking. In this episode of Bewildered, we dig into why the culture dismisses hobbies, pushing them to the margins, when really they can be radical forms of rebellion. We talk about how to “enrich your own enclosure” rather than waiting for someone else to do it, how money can kill creativity (but doesn’t have to), and why interdependence is better than self-sufficiency. This episode will help you see hobbies in a whole new light. Tune in and join our revolution! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 15, 202655 min

Afraid to Thaw

This time on Bewildered, we’re talking about the human tendency to brace against good things happening—to freeze in place, even in the middle of a summer day. The culture teaches us that if we let go of our pessimism and caution for a second, something will get in through the chinks. So we look at the greenest landscape and our vibe is still: “Winter is coming.” But the ultimate suffering isn’t the cold itself…it’s refusing to thaw. Join us for the full episode and let’s figure it out together! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 1, 20261 hr 0 min

Following Your Inner Pull

Have you ever kept pushing toward something that keeps pushing back? We’ve all been there. In this episode of Bewildered, we’re talking about the “push” and the “pull” and what it means to “jump into the river.” Many of us spend our lives pushing toward things that repel us, just because the culture tells us to. But when we stop pushing, we become susceptible to the pull—when we’re drawn toward the things we yearn for, and they’re drawn toward us. It’s mutual and it’s magical... Tune in to hear more! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

June 17, 20261 hr 22 min

How to Open a Closed Mind

For this episode of Bewildered, we’re bringing back something we haven’t done in ages—the BeWild Files! This time we’re answering an excellent question from listener Jaison about whether true discernment is possible when our amygdalas are running the show. Spoiler: probably not. But being out in nature really helps, as does shared endeavor in community (and the occasional luxury retreat in Costa Rica). If you want to learn ways to calm your mind and find common ground with others, this one’s for you. CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Bewildered Show Notes Follow Ro on Instagram Follow Bewildered on Instagram CREDITS Wandering The Path by Punch Deck | https://soundcloud.com/punch-deck Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.