What happens when a country is discussed constantly, but rarely understood?Bobak Kalhor brings a filmmaker’s eye, an Iranian-American life story, and a historian’s discipline to a conversation that moves from Iran’s revolutionary past to the unconscious forces shaping humanity’s future. Having left Iran as a child during the revolution, Bobak speaks from both personal memory and years of historical inquiry, including his documentary A Dying King: The Shah of Iran.This conversation does not reduce Iran to headlines, regimes, or slogans. It asks what the West often fails to understand: that Iranians may argue, divide, and oppose one another internally, but that external attacks can quickly transform division into unity.From there, the conversation turns inward. Bobak reflects on Dr. Bernard Bail’s dream work, the mother’s imprint, and the question of who we are before fear, anxiety, trauma, and history imprint themselves on us. He describes the search for the authentic self as difficult work — but the kind of work that opens more doors the deeper it goes.The episode ultimately returns to love: not as sentiment, but as the internal tool humanity has neglected. Technology may advance, wars may grow more sophisticated, and political systems may change, but Bobak argues that what we build inwardly may be the only thing we truly take with us.

Cynthia Marks of the And Now Love Podcast sits down with guests from Compton Junior Equestrians, a Richland Farms youth horse program dedicated to helping children grow through mentorship, education, responsibility, and connection with horses.

Founded by Maisha Akbar, the program gives young people a safe and meaningful place to learn discipline, emotional awareness, confidence, and care. In this episode, the guests share how horses can become powerful non-judgmental companions, helping children and adults calm their minds, process emotions, and reconnect with themselves.

The conversation explores the healing presence of horses, the importance of education, the use of tools like the feelings wheel, and the life-changing impact of mentorship. The guests also discuss the real cost of caring for horses, the need for community support, and how Compton Junior Equestrians continues to create opportunities for young people in Compton and beyond.

This episode highlights a program rooted in love, responsibility, and hope—showing how horses can help young people find purpose, stability, and a stronger sense of self.

Learn more or support the program: comptonjrequestrians.org

Cynthia Marks, host of And Now Love and head of the Holistic Psychoanalysis Foundation, speaks with Brandon Dean Johnson, CEO of Create Now, about the power of art to open doors for underserved youth across Los Angeles. Brandon shares how a love of animation began at age eight, how he pursued graphic design and fine arts at Elizabeth City State University despite early discouragement, and how his path took him from teaching art in Europe to rebuilding after a brief period of homelessness in Los Angeles.

He also reflects on his six years as a volunteer with Create Now before becoming CEO in 2021, and discusses how he continues to develop his own creative projects while leading the organization forward.

In this episode, Brandon explains the origins of Create Now under founder Jill Gurr and its mission since 1996 to provide free arts programming for young people up to age 24 through more than 150 partner schools, shelters, and community agencies across LA County. He also speaks about the realities of nonprofit work, including funding challenges and the impact of crises such as wildfires and ICE raids on the communities they serve.

From tailored classes and cultural field trips to career fairs and partnerships with organizations like Discovery Cube and the LA Clippers, this conversation highlights how Create Now is using creativity not just as expression, but as access, support, and possibility.

In this essential episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks sits down with Patti Giggans, longtime Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit founded in 1971 to support survivors through intervention, prevention, education, and advocacy. Patti shares the story behind Denim Day, the longest-running sexual violence prevention education campaign, inspired by a court ruling that treated “tight jeans” as consent—sparking a movement to challenge rape myths and stand with survivors. She explains why one of the most important skills society can learn is simply how to be a support person—to listen without judgment, without rushing, and without trying to “fix” the survivor’s timeline. The conversation highlights POV’s deep, practical work: 24/7 hotlines, counseling, legal services, courtroom accompaniment, and trauma-informed healing modalities that meet people on their worst days. Patti reflects on the ebb and flow of public attention—Me Too moments, headlines, backlash—and how organizations keep going even as prevention programs are often the first to lose funding. We also hear Patti’s personal origin story—how women’s self-defense and martial arts led her into violence prevention work, and why “practice” (not perfection) is the path toward nonviolence. The episode closes with a clear invitation: believe survivors, show up with love, and support the organizations keeping safety and healing alive.

0:00 — What Peace Over Violence Does + Why It Matters

6:30 — Denim Day Origins: The “Jeans Alibi” Case

14:00 — Support 101: Listening Without Fixing

21:30 — Patti’s Path: Martial Arts, Women’s Self-Defense, Empowerment

28:30 — Practicing Nonviolence (Not Perfection)

34:45 — Services: Hotline, Counseling, Legal Help, Court Advocacy

42:30 — Funding Cuts, Backlash, and “Waiting Lists”

52:45 — Believe Survivors + Youth Prevention + How to Get Involved

In this powerful episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks speaks with Dr. Niaz Kasravi, a national expert in criminal, racial, and social justice, about the often invisible crisis facing incarcerated women in the United States. Niaz explains that while women make up a smaller portion of the incarcerated population, they are the fastest growing—and the data, funding, and solutions remain largely centered on men. She describes the “trauma-to-prison pipeline,” noting that a staggering majority of incarcerated women have histories of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other adverse childhood experiences—often with PTSD rates higher than returning veterans. The conversation challenges “they made a choice” narratives and reframes incarceration as the criminalization of trauma responses—especially for marginalized communities. They explore how incarceration devastates families: most incarcerated women are mothers and primary caregivers, and removing them creates rippling generational harm. Niaz also highlights systemic inequities like women being jailed pre-trial simply because they can’t afford bail, and the elevated risks of abuse inside facilities. Ultimately, the episode is a call to center women’s lived experience in policy, invest in real rehabilitation, and rebuild systems with dignity, love, and equity at the core.

0:00 — Women Are Overlooked

8:30 — Trauma Pipeline

16:30 — Context & Compassion

24:30 — Mothers & Generational Harm

32:30 — Bail & Pretrial Jail

40:30 — Gendered Punishment

48:00 — Programs & Reentry

56:00 — What You Can Do

In this powerful episode, Cynthia Marks and Dr. Loren Weiner name what most of us feel but rarely say out loud: the world doesn’t have a “politics problem” so much as a love problem. Loren defines love as the experience of being supported, nurtured, respected, and emotionally held—and explains that wherever love is absent, pathology takes over. They connect this to the earliest imprint: a baby unconsciously takes on the mother’s distress to survive and can walk away believing “I’m bad,” which later limits our ability to receive love (and therefore give it). The heart of the episode is a sequence of patient dreams showing how healing progresses—and how the internal saboteur fights back when someone gets closer to their true self. You’ll hear vivid symbols: bright colors that feel “creepy,” the feminine being “arrested,” a speech that can’t be found, a self put “on ice” behind closed doors, and finally a transcendent dream of being welcomed into love and growing taller. The takeaway is both confronting and hopeful: the outer world reflects inner turmoil, and the most radical change starts inside—by reclaiming feeling, learning what love actually is, and allowing yourself to receive it.0:00 — Love vs Pathology: Naming the Real Problem

7:50 — Imprint + Survival: Why We Think We’re “Bad”

15:10 — The Missing Feminine: Learning to Receive Love

22:05 — Spirit vs Religion: Pure Love vs Manmade Rules

28:55 — Why Dreams: A Direct Line Past the Intellect

34:25 — Dream #1: Bright Colors That Feel “Creepy” (Saboteur Shows Up)

42:10 — Dreams #2–4: Arrested Feminine, Lost Speech, Put on Ice

52:45 — Dream #5: Welcomed into Love (A Dream for All of Us)

In this quick bonus episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks and Dr. Loren Weiner tackle the most common therapy myths that keep people stuck, ashamed, or misinformed. Loren starts by dismantling the idea that “therapy is only for crazy people,” reframing therapy as a place to get in touch with your deepest feelings and build resiliency for a complicated world. Next, she addresses the myth that “my therapist will just tell me what to do,” explaining that real therapy helps you grow into someone who can make clear choices for yourself. They also unpack the unrealistic expectation that you can resolve everything in one or two sessions—because trust, safety, and meaningful transformation take time. Finally, Loren explains why “all therapy is the same” is simply false: modalities differ, and the right fit includes both method and the therapist’s personality. The takeaway is empowering and practical: therapy isn’t a last resort—it’s a growth tool, and you’re allowed to choose what serves you best.0:00 — Bonus: Therapy Myths with Dr. Loren Weiner

0:20 — Myth #1: “Therapy Is Only for Crazy People”

1:59 — Myth #2: “My Therapist Will Just Tell Me What to Do”

3:16 — Myth #3: “I Can Fix Everything in 1–2 Sessions”

4:54 — Myth #4: “All Therapy Is the Same”

In this special bonus episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks sits down with Dr. Loren Weiner for a focused Q&A on dreams, the unconscious, and how inner life shapes the world we live in. Loren defines the unconscious as a deep well that holds everything we’ve experienced—pain, joy, memory, and meaning—and even our potential connection to the divine. She explains why you can’t “prove” the unconscious like a lab result, but you can experience it through dreamwork and free association, where hidden connections become undeniable. They address a common fear: “What if my dreams open floodgates?”—and Loren reassures listeners that what’s buried is already impacting us; looking simply helps us place it correctly and choose wisely. Loren also outlines how life begins in utero in an “unconscious-to-unconscious” emotional conversation with the mother (and the father’s unconscious as well), shaping the baby’s sense of entitlement to love, safety, and success. The conversation turns toward responsibility and culture: treating women well, giving them a seat at the table, and building a society where love—not money and power—becomes the main goal. Cynthia closes with a personal story about her childhood love of new shoes, which later clicked as an unconscious echo of her mother’s poverty—showing how the unconscious reveals itself even outside dreams.

0:26 — Bonus Q&A: What Is the Unconscious?

3:06 — How do you know the unconscious exists?

5:14 — Why should I look to my dreams to heal?

6:57 — Significance of the Mother-Child Relationship

13:41 — What can men do to bring more love?

17:41— Do signs of our unconscious show up in our conscious, waking lives?