The Human Challenge

Lama Cynthia Jurs' commitment to healing Mother Earth began in the 1990s in the Himalayas, visiting a a 106 year-old Tibetan Buddhist in the Himalayas where she was told to bury Earth Treasure Vases. Since then, Cynthia has buried almost 100 vases across the world, including Libya, Congo, Australia, New Mexico, and more! The journey is meticulously documented in her new book, "Summoned by Earth", released in March 2024. Her commitment to this mission resulted in her being officially ordained as an honourary lama. In this episode of The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST Indie Podcast Amplifier 2023, Cynthia talks to Vanessa about her journey; her training with well-known Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh; being accepted into The Order of Interbeing; and her 8 year journey in writing the book, "Summoned by Earth". Weaving her experiences and topics of sacred activism, the book also highlights major issues with climate change, violence against women, and Indigenous rights.Be welcome to follow Cynthia on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cynthiajurs/ and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/earthtreasurevase.org. Be welcome to learn more about her mission at http://GaiaMandala.net and SummonedbytheEarth.org.Cynthia is also hosting the below session:Tues Sept 17th: Tibet House, 6 pm — Talk on Summoned by the Earth; Becoming a Holy Vessel for Healing Our World with Full Moon Meditation & Book Signing. Fri Sept 20th: The Village Zendo, 7 pm — Talk on A Dharma Path for Our Times; Introduction to the Practice of the Earth Treasure VasesSat Sept 21st: Daylong Earth Treasure Vase Pilgrimage to the World Trade Center & Inwood ParkFri—Sun Sept 27th–29th: Refuge & Renewal in the Sublime Mother Gaia; Finding Support on the Path of Sacred Activism at Menla Retreat Center in Phoenicia, NYRegistration links below:https://events.thus.org/programs/summoned-by-the-earth-becoming-a-holy-vessel-for-healing-our-world-with-cynthia-jurs/https://menla.org/retreat/refuge-and-renewal-in-the-sublime-mother-gaia-finding-support-on-the-path-of-sacred-activism/?mc_cid=ce3e54dd31https://www.dharma-gates.org/nyc-earth-treasure-vasehttps://www.dharma-gates.org/sacred-activismBe welcome to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.comWatch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

They're baaaaack! On this episode of The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST "Indie Podcast Amplifier 2023", Leanna Carriere and Timm Döbert are back to talk about their recent cycling trip across Canada to support the 30x30 initiative, a United Nations goal of protecting 30% of land and water by 2030.You might remember them (how could you forget this dynamic duo, Canada's First Woman Decathlete and a Global Change Ecologist?) from previous episodes where they spoke about their Wings of Survival expedition to support restoration efforts of the Pacific Americas Flyway. The Cross-Canada trek served as a warm-up to their Wings of Survival trip next year.In this casual conversation, Leanna and Timm share the conservation sites they visited across the country, the animals they came across, and how they prepared for the 30 days trek. Being plant-based athletes, they also highlight their partnership with University of Alberta to research the effects of a plant-based diet on a long-term extreme expedition.Be welcome to support them directly at their GoFundMe here.Be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.comWatch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

It took 6 years for Petra Molnar to write "The Walls Have Eyes", a book showcasing the use of technology in immigration and migrant affairs. As a lawyer and anthropology specializing in human rights, the book documents both research and true stories of people on the move that she herself has supported in their own journeys to freedom. Petra joins Vanessa on The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST "Indie Podcast Amplifier 2023" to talk about the use of technology along US-Mexico and in Greece to facilitate pushback operations;in refugee camps used as digital prisons (Kenya); that is tested in the Occupied Palestinian territories. She also discusses how all of this has created the "border industrial complex", largely driven by both the private and public sector, and certain resistance strategies, including hope, in a society that continues to push more technology as an only solution. One such strategy includes her work founding The Migration Technology Monitor. Ultimately, she invites us to ask ourselves questions around the use of technology, who gets a seat at the table in deciding what technology to use and how, and how we can co-create technologies with people on the move. The biggest human challenge to Petra? Dehumanization. "We all hold such complexity with the way we move through the world," she says, "we need to hold that same complexity for people on the move."Be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.com; and Petra Molnar on Twitter @_PMolnar or https://www.petramolnar.com/ or https://www.migrationtechmonitor.com/Watch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

On this episode of The Human Challenge, Leah Rampy, award-winning author of "Earth & Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos", talks about the story of separation and "otherness" we have a society have been living in a predominant Western culture. To her, the biggest human challenge is that "being human is not about being separate... being human is about being part of that incredibly family tree... we are a leaf on it, but we are not the tree." Leah offers wise words about attention and intention to invite us to be more human to ourselves navigating a separated society."Earth & Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos" was awarded 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards & 2024 National Indie Excellence Awards. Get yours now here!Pls be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.comWatch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

Jessica Gonzalez is one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in New Jersey. Jessica was EY Entrepreneur of the year award runner up 2019 + 2021, 50 Best Women in Business NJ, Women, Minority, & Small Business Enterprise Certified, NGLCC® LGBTBE® Certified, and has been published over 100 times in Forbes, Huffington Post, and INC. Magazine. Jessica is the CEO of Happen Ventures, a latina-owned social enterprise that supports organizations in adopting "reuse" principles by finding expired or damaged goods/products a new home with people in-need through local community and non-profit partnerships. Did you know that "reuse" is actually more affordable economically? Did you know that "reuse" can be adopted at the municipality level?Did you know that it is easier to have greater impact adopting "reuse" principles?Weaving in her experiences of being a latina businesswoman, she shares wisdom for those of us navigating this journey, too. "No one knows less or more than you, " she says. "We're all human."-----Be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino , LinkedIn or vanessaferlaino.comConnect with Jessica on LinkedIn at and happenventures.comWatch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

There are two main narratives we are told about welcoming immigrants into our countries: that they harm society by taking jobs or that it is our "moral responsibility" to support immigrants. But are these truly representative of the value immigrants offer our society?Is there a third narrative that tells us otherwise?Zeke Hernandez, Professor at Wharton School of Business and author of "The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers", joins Vanessa on The Human Challenge to share more about this third narrative, the data behind it, and his own personal story about immigrating into the USA. "The Truth About Immigration" is available now where all books are sold. Check it out on Amazon here.Be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.comWatch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

Have you ever felt so passionate about a cause that it made you swim the English channel?Well, Poppy Mason-Watts, Chief Growth and Impact Officer of WaterBear, has! What is WaterBear? It is more than a streaming platform; it is a community! WaterBear is the home of captivating films and thought-provoking series that empower you to lead a meaningful life. You can watch this powerful social good content for free (always!) and without ads.Poppy joins The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST "Indie Podcast Amplifier" and shares all about WaterBear's impact in diversity, film, media, and technology from both their content and business operations; their first time at Sundance.Poppy also gets personal, divulging the challenges of being a woman in tech, media, and impact; the project that inspired her to swim the English channel to bring awareness to refugees; and some of her other favourite female protagonistShe is most excited about the upcoming series from United Nations Women called “Unsilenced” - a docu-series (3x20') about gender based violence that will be exclusively released on WaterBear!Be welcome to review the trailer about Unsilenced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNLvecL6vVkLearn more about Waterbear here: https://www.waterbear.com/Be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.com and Poppy at https://www.linkedin.com/in/poppy-mason-watts-b7753219/Watch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino/featured

On this episode of The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST "Indie Podcast Amplifier" 2023, Vanessa speaks with producer, author, activist, Frank Barat; Yara Jamal, co-founder of Free Palestine Halifax; and Paula Sahyoun, founder of the Palestine Impact Collective to learn about how we can move toward collective liberation. Touching on their own endeavours to support the Palestinian cause, they also discuss the lack of accountability of the media, human rights vs political agenda, how fear has played a huge role in suppressing the voices of Gaza, and most importantly, how it is shifting -- and how YOU can be part of that shift! We live in a very important moment; Gaza serves as a litmus test for the rest of the world. "Palestinians were kicked out of Israel... they held onto their key," Frank reminds us. "It's a key through our activism and love and everything else this world could be... when you realize you have this key, it changes everything."Be invited to stay in touch with Vanessa on Instagram @vanessaferlaino or vanessaferlaino.com; Frank on Instagram @4frankbarat; Yara Jamal on Instagram @yarajamal._ or @freepalestinehalifax; or Paula Sahyoun at palestineimpactcollective.orgWatch this full episode on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@vanessaferlaino