Bewildered

Hosted by Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan

Entrepreneurship Education

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Episodes

134

Latest episode

Aug 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

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.

June 3, 202655 min

The Good Faith Footprint

On this episode of Bewildered, what starts as Ro's confession about late-night online shopping soon spirals into a story about our panicked late-night rescue mission for a box of creatures that weren't what we thought they were. In telling this story, we explore why panic and despair are the worst tools we have for saving the planet, and why good intentions are the most powerful footprint you can leave. Join us for the full conversation to find out more (and to learn how bees factor into the equation). 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.

May 20, 202652 min

You Can't Waste Time

Have you ever mastered something...and then felt the urge to throw it all away and start fresh? In this episode of Bewildered, we explore the rhythm of growth and why change is not failure—it’s our true nature. We talk about the sunk cost fallacy, the cultural pressure to never lose your spot at the top of the pyramid, and the radical idea that it’s actually impossible to waste time or money. If you’re feeling the itch to shed your skin and grow into something new, this episode is for you. 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.

May 6, 20261 hr 3 min

Going Off-Brand

When you hear “branding,” do you think of burning a hot iron into the side of a cow? Probably not, but that’s what a brand originally was. And metaphorically, it still is. A brand is a mark that defines where you belong, and our culture says it's never supposed to change. On this Bewildered, we start out in the world of branding culture and end up in the deep waters of impermanence and identity. We explore how the less you grip your brand, the more you find out who you actually are. 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.

April 22, 20261 hr 2 min

The End of the Hustle

What if you’re not burned out…you just don’t want to hustle anymore? In this episode of Bewildered, we talk about how hustle culture strives to make our lives sterile and abstract: from fluorescent lighting and spreadsheets to profit-and-loss statements and KPIs. We explore what gets lost in that way of life and how to reclaim our wild human power from a world that keeps turning us into pixels. If you're curious what life could look like beyond the endless grind, this episode is for you. 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.

April 8, 202651 min

Rewrite the Rules

Have you noticed how there seem to be “cheat codes” (as they’re called in video game world) that let certain people ignore reality and get away with outrageous things? What if we could use our own cheat codes to quietly change the world for good? In this episode of Bewildered, we look at how truth gets twisted, why consensus is shattering, and how we might discover new cheat codes by trusting our senses, our weirder ways of knowing, and the invisible web connecting us beneath the chaos. 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.