PODCAST · religion
Pop Conscious
by Malayna Dawn
Pop Conscious: Connecting Entertainment and Enlightenment! **These are archived episodes that were shared on the former Unity Online Radio, also known as Unity.FM.** We talk about how we can find inspiration, spiritual themes and a deeper meaning in television, films, music, books, comic books, the internet and the arts. We look at how it affects our culture, ways our lives are enriched by all of it. Pop culture is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “modern popular culture transmitted via mass media and aimed particularly at younger people.” But can it be meaningful? Spiritual, even? The hosts of “Pop Conscious” think it can be, and that it can be fun to explore too! Malayna Dawn and Stacy Macris Ros will be your amateur cultural anthropologists, examining pop culture and spirituality. Where Pop Culture & Spirituality Unite!
Episodes
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How to be Pop Conscious
In this episode, we celebrate the completion of 100 episodes! HOORAY! So we’ll look at what it means to be Pop Conscious and how one might go about attempting to live a Pop Conscious existence every day. We’ll take a look back throughout two years of shows to find the recurring themes, the...
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Your Heart Is a Muscle - Guest Sunil Yapa
In this episode, Malayna and Stacy talk with Sunil Yapa, author of the novel Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist. Set in the midst of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, his book squeezes global issues into a handful of passionate characters that took their stand at this...
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In the Space Between
What happens in the space between two people in an interaction? Between several people? In the space between thoughts, breaths, heartbeats, or in the gap between here and there, Spirit is moving, and all things are possible. In between our plans and what actually happens, there is space for magic...
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To Leap or Not to Leap
Today is Leap Year Day, so Malayna and Michele will be looking at lessons they've learned from leaping too soon as well as from taking leaps of faith. There are times, like the calendar day, when we have no choice but to leap, but others when the attempt to subvert divine order can backfire. Of...
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Questioning How We Place Value
How do we know what we truly value in our lives? One way is to look at where and how we spend our money. When we put our money on something, we are investing in it. Another way is to look at how we spend our time. Are we watching TV that enriches us and mand makes us feel like better people? Are…
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Prosperity Perspectives Illustrated
We get a lot of our ideas about how prosperity is supposed to look from TV and movies, but we can also find great metaphors that illustrate the prosperity principles that make our lives richer now. Join Malayna and Michele as they talk about their studies in prosperity from a spiritual…
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Pub Theology Is A Thing - Guest Ogun Holder
Pub Theology is a thing, really! Beyond just a concept, it's something people all over the place are really doing. Books have even been written about it, which only goes to show it's totally real. Our Pop Conscious pal Rev. Ogun Holder has tried it, so we’ll talk about how it is done and why it’s...
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Life Is a Circus
Is it just us, or does life feel like managing a three-ring circus? If you're ever thought of running away to join the circus, perhaps you don't have far to run. Malayna has found the circus metaphor has helped her reduce stress and offered cheer, even if only from imagining the background music....
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Finding Ourselves Through Media Images
As kids, we learn from media images about what's possible for us, and everything seems possible! Superheroes, space travel, inventions, whatever we can imagine. As we get older, we get a glimpse of how society functions, and as teens, we learn to emulate and identify with images that reflect how…
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Living Into the Vision of MLK - Guest Dr. Scott Bowman
To celebrate the vision of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malayna and Stacy have invited a friend from our well-spent youths in Unity as a guest expert! We'll talk with Dr. Scott Bowman, criminal justice professor and social justice advocate, about how we can depict MLK’s vision in…
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Changing Seasons in Nature and Television
As human beings, we are attuned to the changing of nature's seasons, but the seasons seem to be behaving differently than we have come to expect. And as we deal with this unexpected change, we find the predictable schedule of television seasons has changed drastically. The few fall season and...
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Christmas Evolution in Film and Song
From tales in print to today, storytelling has evolved into modern media that continues to find new ways to evoke the feelings associated with the holiday season for each era and generation. Many of our most beloved songs today came from movie soundtracks. Really! Join us as we celebrate the...
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Lessons From Scrooge and Grinch
The busyness of the holiday season may cause us to feel Scroogey, Grinchy, or just overwhelmed and grumpy. We've got ideas to keep us all focused on what's really important. Using the Advent theme of faith, we'll look at some ways to keep the season fun, authentic, imaginative, treasured, and...
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Extending Invitations to Family Celebrations
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we'll take the traditional tale-being welcomed by neighbors of a different culture and faith to cooperate, create, and celebrate abundance-and find ways that shows up in our lives and in entertainment. Malayna and Stacy are grateful for their extended families…
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Forgiveness and Gratitude for Health
Malayna's back went out, so while laying down for a few days, she meditated upon the Unity Twelve Powers and saw how lessons of strength might help her heal. She used Myrtle Fillmore's technique of offering and asking for forgiveness from her body. This reminded her of the Hawaiian forgiveness...
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Dedication to Something Bigger
Today we remember those whose dedication to a cause was so complete that they gave their lives to change the world. This includes war veterans as well as spiritual leaders like Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr., but there are also those who gave themselves to something bigger and found the impact...
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All Souls' Day the Pop Conscious Way - Guest Kelly Isola
Malayna is at Unity Village and so is special guest Rev. Kelly Isola who will join with team member Michele Coles to talk about the metaphysics of the Great Pumpkin! They'll also touch on the celebration of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and All So uls' Day from a pop culture and Unity...
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Halloween Brings Light to Darkness
Halloween celebrations help us make light of dark concepts, so that maybe we're not so afraid of the dark. In this episode, we'll focus on the most lighthearted fun: cartoons, funny commercials, and comedic expressions of things like monsters, the undead, and things that go bump in the night.…
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Halloween Life Lessons
As we approach Halloween, we are surrounded by images that bring up thoughts of mortality. Interestingly, October 19 marks a little-known holiday called Evaluate Your Life Day. So we're going to use these in combination, along with our Youth of Unity Fall Rally theme of The Cycle of Self-Love:...
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Pumpkin Spice Pop Conscious
What is it about pumpkin spice that makes us feel like it's time to celebrate a change of seasons? If that doesn't do it for you, what does? Seasonal shifts have been marked in different ways throughout history. Join Malayna and Stacy as they look at the things that make them feel a fondness for...
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Games Make Us Better, Even Super!
A listener suggested this topic, which makes it even more fun and interactive! Video games are often blamed for negative changes in youth and society, but what if they could be used for good? What if they could help us become better? Dr. Jane McGonigal is a video game developer and champion who…
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Spiritual Educators and Fairy Godmothers
As Stacy returns from the Spiritual Educator's Retreat for the Unity Southwest Region, Malayna has been celebrating ways of being a godmother. Join them as they explore similar roles and archetypes in fiction, and in life, that can offer kids a wider support system. Whether you’re a “Sparent” or...
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Disney Animator Shares Creative Alchemy- Guest Dave Zaboski
Where does one go from Disney? Malayna and Stacy welcome former Disney animator Dave Zaboski to learn about creative living! A classically trained painter and illustrator, he has cocreated several national children's books including one with Deepak Chopra. He has created concept art for film and...
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Loving Thy Northerly Neighbor: CANADA!
In celebration of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, second only to Cannes, and known for launching Oscar hopefuls, we're discovering there's plenty to love about Canada. Canadians are much like us, many of them with similar accents, so we don'notice when they show up in our favorite…
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Sacred Celebrations Around the World
If you had to learn everything you knew about the world and its people from movies and TV, what would you know about prayer, ritual, and sacred celebrations in other cultures and lands? What could you learn from their depictions? And would they be accuratte? These are the questions we’ll try to...
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The School of Life
We are all in the school of life, so as summer ends, we're beginning to gear up for getting down to business! Whether in school, work, or just life, our business may include classes, writing assignments, deadlines, and tests to determine if we've "made the grade.” In so many ways, school never...
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Destinations, Departures, and Arrivals
These terms are familiar to anyone who has traveled, as both Malayna and Stacy have recently, but they are also ideas that can be used in connection with summer's end. Whether it means beginning a new school term or reflecting upon your career and life goals, we’ll examine pop culture depictions…
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Pop Culture’s Connective Transcendence - Guest Sezin Devi Koehler
Malayna welcomes Sezín Koehler to discuss cultural identity and the pop culture transcending it. Sezín is of mixed descent and is a Huffington Post blogger, novelist, and Third Culture Kid who has lived in 13 countries and 18 different cities. Her pop culture fandom ranges from mermaids to...
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Sci-Fi Spirituality of Firefly and Serenity - Guest Dr. Tanya Cochran
When you're a fan, you have a passionate reverence for the subject of your fandom that is not unlike a spiritual experience. We welcome back our favorite scholar-fan, Dr. Tanya Cochran, to share insights found in the TV series Firefly and it's follow-up film, Serenity. We'll look at the resonance...
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Busting the Lone Hero Myth
There is a certain individualistic ideal which seems to tell us that it is possible, maybe even preferable, to do it on your own-whatever it may be. But if we look closely at our favorite heroes, most of them have backup-sidekicks, family, love interests, butlers, and the like. Even the Lone…
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Unity Youth and Rewriting History
Throughout the past few weeks, Stacy has been busy in her role as the Southwest Unity Region's Teen Consultant, overseeing Uniteens Camp and then accompanying our older teens to the International Youth of Unity event at Unity Village. Malayna has been reminiscing about her own youth in Unity, and...
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Spirited Advertising and Pop Culture
Looking at advertising with a critical eye can tell us about our culture today and help us experience nostalgia of days past. But looking at ads with your third eye, or through a lens of spiritual awareness, can help you see what's important to you and and what isn’t, and maybe even understand...
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Exploring Reel Transformation - Guest Cindy Wright
It's the book we wish WE had written! Reel Transformation was actually written by Unity minister Cindy B. Wright, who does a great job of tying together some of our favorite things: The Hero's Journey, movies, transformation, spirituality, and Unity. Returning Pop Conscious team member Michele...
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How to Build Your Dream - Guest Tracy Williams
Our special guest is Tracy Williams, a Certified DreamBuilder Coach, who helps turn dreams into reality. Malayna, with returning Pop Conscious team member Michele Coles, will look at how films depict dreams and the power of our minds to create our realities. What dream would you create? Join us…
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Big Bang Theory Insights - Guest Tara Hernandez
Our special guest is Tara Hernandez, joining us during summer hiatus from her job as a writer for the show The Big Bang Theory! A fellow alumnus of Youth of Unity, we'll be talking about where Unity principles and her job intersect, what inspired her to pursue this work, and get a sense of what a...
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Channeling the Devotion of Fandom - Guest Dr. Tanya Cochran
When people are fans, they are passionate, devoted, and engaged. It makes fandom the perfect vehicle for riding a wave of devotion to create a more engaged life-one in which passion informs all the choices we make. We welcome author and scholar Tanya R. Cochran, who will tell us how she has...
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In Dog We Trust
Stacy's been struck by puppy love, having just adopted an adorable dog from a shelter. Malayna knows the joys of puppy parenthood, too, so together they will look at how canine companions have impacted not only all of our lives, but but pop culture as well. We're Pup Conscious! (Original air date...
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Muppet Theology, With Kelly Isola
We want to learn more about Rev. Kelly Isola's recently published article titled "Muppet Theology" and build on it! The Muppets were part of our early education, but we learned more than how to count and spell. Along with learning more about all the things Rev. Kelly does to spark our spirits,...
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Star Wars Day, Disney Way
May the fourth be with you! Things have changed since the originally-released, history-making, Star Wars Trilogy. A prequel trilogy came out, and in 2012 the brainchild of George Lucas was adopted by Disney. Disney is known for magic, fantasy, and imagination. Stacy and Malayna will talk about…
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Youth-Inspired Faith Walks
With Malayna's excitement about the release of the inspiring film Little Boy in theaters, and Stacy's return from a Faith Walk-themed Youth of Unity event, we are reminded that "a little child shall lead them" ... or rather, us. How can we let our inner child lead the way in our own lives? Pop...
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Exploring Depression: Finding Our Way
The dark night of the soul-how can pop-conscious Unity people use practical, positive principles to navigate it? Our tools include comedy, music, and cartoons as ways to observe, connect, and understand the metaphors and metaphysics. Team member Michele Coles , who has been known to use spiritual...
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Inner Mean Girls Tea Party
We are so excited to welcome the authors of Reform Your Inner Mean Girl, Amy Ahlers and Christine Arylo to chat with us at Pop Conscious! They'll share steps to help us stop bullying ourselves and how to get to know our inner mean girls and what they want so we can bring them over from the dark...
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Boat People of Film and TV - Guest Evelyn Foreman
With the new show Fresh Off the Boat making waves on TV, we thought we'd talk with our favorite Asian-American, Unity Online Radio host Evelyn Foreman, from The Call of Spirit, about her experiences. In addition to issues of immigration and multiculturalism, we’ll look at boat journeys in film…
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Fiction or Faith?
What is it about a belief in magic, fairy tales, and the supernatural that has been so popular in society for the past several years? Your Pop Conscious pals, Malayna and Stacy, will look at several of the most popular TV shows, movies, books, and more that show our need to suspend our disbelief....
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Expectation and the Unexpected
Pop culture is where many of us get our ideas about how life should be, but many of the best-loved stories are based in the unexpected. Stacy and Malayna will take a look at the TV shows, films, and songs that informed their expectations, and some of the places they look for when those…
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Outlanders, Outliers, and Outcasts
Your hosts became intrepid reporters, getting in on a Q&A with the creators and stars of the OUTLANDER series on Showtime, and are always happy to find ways to make their obsessions useful for personal and spiritual growth for themselves and others. Since the one-word title refers to people from...
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To Live Long and Prosper
This week, as a tribute to the long and fruitful life of Leonard Nimoy, Pop Conscious will discuss the impact of one character, namely Spock, on pop culture, and on fandom. He taught so many of us about the importance of listening to both logic and the heart, and about the true meaning of...
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Grumpy Grumblings for Good
Is it just us, or does everyone seem grouchy these days? Curmudgeonly characters can offer comedic contrast and show us where society can be improved. Join us as we harness their powers for good, rather than getting stuck in a ranting rut! (Originally aired March 2, 2015)
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If We Gave Out Oscars
We're all caught up in Oscar Fever! Of course, if WE were in charge, things might look a little different. Your Pop Conscious pals, Malayna and Stacy, will not only discuss their Oscar-related opinions, but will also create their own categories and criteria, and dole out virtual awards of their…
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Loving Those Who Lead
This week, we aim to bridge the sentiments of both Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day by showing some love for our Commanders in Chief. With guest cohost and new Pop Conscious team member Michele Coles (who actually has a degree in pop culture!), we'll talk about the history of media coverage…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Pop Conscious: Connecting Entertainment and Enlightenment! **These are archived episodes that were shared on the former Unity Online Radio, also known as Unity.FM.**
We talk about how we can find inspiration, spiritual themes and a deeper meaning in television, films, music, books, comic books, the internet and the arts. We look at how it affects our culture, ways our lives are enriched by all of it.
Pop culture is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “modern popular culture transmitted via mass media and aimed particularly at younger people.” But can it be meaningful? Spiritual, even? The hosts of “Pop Conscious” think it can be, and that it can be fun to explore too! Malayna Dawn and Stacy Macris Ros will be your amateur cultural anthropologists, examining pop culture and spirituality.
Where Pop Culture & Spirituality Unite!
HOSTED BY
Malayna Dawn
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Pop Conscious have?
Pop Conscious currently has 97 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Pop Conscious about?
Pop Conscious: Connecting Entertainment and Enlightenment! **These are archived episodes that were shared on the former Unity Online Radio, also known as Unity.FM.** We talk about how we can find inspiration, spiritual themes and a deeper meaning in television, films, music, books, comic books, the...
How often does Pop Conscious release new episodes?
Pop Conscious has 97 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Pop Conscious?
You can listen to Pop Conscious on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Pop Conscious?
Pop Conscious is created and hosted by Malayna Dawn.
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