The New Constructivist

What happens to your career when you start to make a stronger commitment to your values? How does a spiritual practice manifest in how you approach work or the professional choices you make? What does Buddhist practice look like in modern-day America? This and more comes up in episode 3 with Karen Maezen Miller (dharma name: Maezen), a Zen Buddhist priest and writer. Maezen used to run her own successful PR business in Texas. She had a nice house, a nice car, and led a life dedicated to her self-image. She now writes about Zen and everyday life, cares for her family, tends to an old Japanese garden in Sierra Madre, and travels around the country teaching others how to sit zazen. She describes the details of such a drastic change that wasn't so much a conscious choice or a force of will - but gradually letting go of the unsustainable, seeing things as they are, dealing with what comes up, and sometimes just coasting.

For episode 2 we hear from Vyki Englert, a data strategist and product manager working in Civic Tech. Civic Tech at the most basic level is about building technology for government - two worlds with a lot to feel pessimistic about lately. However, Vyki goes into the unique spirit of the space in which people are trying to bring out the best in both to serve those most in need.Vyki talks about the realities of those working in, with, or for government. She urges us not to think of government as an "other" but part of a common community. She discusses why civic work cannot always be run with the same efficiencies as for-profit startups but also offers innovative ways to streamline civic processes, notably with her Policy Club project.From the Zuckerberg hearings to creepy headlines about the latest AI software, one starts to wonder if there are people who can understand code AND its social ramifications. Vyki is one of those who gets it and is building better tech that truly has "service" in mind.

For the very first episode, we hear from artist Maura Brewer & fashion designer Abigail Glaum Lathbury, collectively known as the Rational Dress Society. They discuss Jumpsuit, their clothing production line that addresses the biggest ethical dilemmas in fashion and demonstrate that alternatives are possible. As "the open-source monogarment for everyday wear to replace all clothes in perpetuity", it is made entirely in the U.S. in 248 sizes and available for purchase or as an open source pattern to sew yourself. They also speak frankly about how they sustain themselves and their work and finish by discussing their offshoot Make America Rational Again project and the current state of textile recycling. Aside from an in-depth explanation and critique of how fashion works, they talk about challenges common for small businesses and how they straddle the worlds of art, academia and business - the nexus from which new structures can come.