In today’s conversation on Mighty Forces, Amanda is joined by two extraordinary community builders: Maryam Banikarim, founder of The Longest Table, and Venu Gupta, who helped bring the concept to life in Chicago. Together, they explore what it takes to create belonging in a time when loneliness is on the rise—and why small, everyday actions still hold enormous power. Maryam shares the simple spark that launched The Longest Table during the pandemic which grew into an annual hyperlocal celebration where thousands gather to share a meal, meet their neighbors, and feel a renewed sense of agency. Venu reflects on what moved her from inspiration to action, the fears she had about hosting her own event in Chicago, and the moment of unexpected magic that happened during the first event. Their stories show how connection—real, human connection—still surprises us, delights us, and expands our sense of what’s possible. This episode is a reminder that community doesn’t require grand gestures—just a willingness to look up, reach out, and create space for one another.

Topics:

• Why some people act on inspiring ideas while others don’t
• How belonging is built through invitation rather than responsibility
• Why grace, curiosity, and trust matter more than perfection
• The quiet power of small, compassionate gestures
• The magic that happens when we stop treating each other like strangers

Episode Resources:

• The Longest Table Community on Instagram
• Tribe by Sebastian Junger

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

This week, Amanda brings together two wonderfully creative humans who also happen to be parents: writer and teacher Tim Manley, and artist and educator Stephanie Krauss. If you’ve ever wondered how to stay connected to your creative self while raising kids, navigating technology, and trying to be a decent human in this messy world… this conversation will feel like a deep, relieving exhale. The three talk about parenting, boundaries, doodling during Zoom calls, creative identity, technology’s grip on us, and the wildly surprising ways children end up becoming our own tour guides in life. And yes — Stephanie doodles through the entire episode (with Amanda’s full blessing), and she shares how doodling actually helps her listen better. We love a neurodivergent-friendly recording space. Whether you’re raising kids, raising creative work, or just raising yourself through another day — there’s a lot of heart, humor, and honesty here.

Topics:

• The creative worlds behind Tim and Stephanie — including rocket-ship bedrooms and walls full of doodles
• How each of them approached becoming a parent (and how different their stories are)
• The fear many creatives have about losing themselves after having kids
• The surprising ways children change (and expand) our creativity
• Why doodling is a powerful focus tool — not a distraction
• The complexities of screen time, technology, and media literacy
• Why adults struggle with technology just as much as kids
• The importance of “doing whatever works” when the world feels heavy
• How to put your own oxygen mask on first
• Tiny, doable micro-practices to replenish yourself
• Letting yourself be weird, honest, and creatively alive in everyday spaces — even beige cubicles

Episode Resources:

• Who Does She Think She Is? Documentary

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

In this special Thanksgiving-week solo episode, Amanda invites listeners into a more intimate corner of her story. She reads from her book Improvising Adulthood: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me and shares the origin story that shaped who she is, how she thinks, and why Mighty Forces exists at all. Through scenes from her college years—loneliness, questioning, creative sparks, depression, and ultimately a reclamation of agency—Amanda reflects on what it means to veer off script, listen to your inner “yes,” and carve a life that feels true. She also closes with reflective prompts to help listeners connect to their own internal signals of belonging, misalignment, and possibility. It’s warm, vulnerable, funny, and full of the signature mix of depth and silliness that draws the Mighty Forces community together.

Topics:

• Amanda’s unexpectedly rough transition from high school to college
• Feeling like an outsider at Penn and the loneliness of not finding her people
• The long-distance relationship that made sense to her (but maybe not to everyone else)
• How switching to an English major unlocked joy, creativity, and self-trust
• The plays she wrote that helped her find her voice (and fun!) again
• The independent study that planted lifelong themes: intentionality, agency, and service
• Being honored for doing things her own way and what that taught her
• Why following your inner “yes” is messy, meaningful, and freeing

Resources Mentioned:

• Buy my book, Improvising Adulthood
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

In this episode of Mighty Forces, Amanda reunites with longtime friends Kimberly Wilson and Michelle Hynes, two women whose lives embody creativity, compassion, and service. The three first met decades ago at Kimberly’s beloved Tranquil Space Yoga studio in Washington, D.C.—a place that sparked deep friendships, activism, and the founding of the Tranquil Space Foundation. Throughout the episode, they explore what it means to give a damn in a world that can feel overwhelming: how acts of service evolve over a lifetime, how creative expression and giving intersect, and why taking care of our nervous systems matters as much as caring for others. From Kimberly’s childhood obsession with turtles (and her $2-a-week donations to “the turtle lady”) to Michelle’s work with 99 Girlfriends—a women’s collective giving organization that’s donated over $3.6 million—the episode is a love letter to purposeful living, community, and the small acts that ripple outward.

Topics:

• The story of Tranquil Space Yoga and the deep friendships it sparked
• Michelle’s midlife move from D.C. to Portland and creating a more spacious life
• Kimberly’s creative connection to Paris and how place shapes identity
• Early awakenings to service—from saving turtles to serving communities
• Founding and growing Tranquil Space Foundation and Pigs & Pugs Project
• How 99 Girlfriends amplifies impact through collective giving
• Balancing activism with nervous system care
• The link between creativity, compassion, and service
• Why obsession and joy can guide meaningful contribution

Episode Resources:

• The Phillips Collection
• Teaism
• Ila Fox Loetscher (The Turtle Lady)
• Ninety-Nine Girlfriends
• The Pigs & Pugs Project
• Borneo Orangutan Survival
• The Jane Goodall Institute
• The Center for Great Apes
• The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

In this episode of Mighty Forces, Amanda Hirsch brings together two longtime friends, collaborators, and creative powerhouses: Lisa Gates and Jay Moon Fields. What begins with laughter over coffee mugs and shared birthdays unfolds into a layered conversation about what it means to belong—to ourselves, to one another, and to something larger. Amanda, Lisa, and Jay explore the tension between separateness and togetherness, and how both are necessary parts of being human. Through stories of art, ritual, and memory, they reflect on how we hold space for each other even when we drift apart, and how the work of coming home to ourselves is deeply connected to community. From Lisa’s insights on negotiation and story to Jay’s reflections on embodiment and presence, this conversation invites listeners to notice the threads that connect us, to soften into shared experience, and to lean into the collective “we” that holds us all.

Topics:

• How Lisa and Jay first met (and why their memories don’t quite match)
• The lessons of Into the Woods and Greater Mysteries
• The dance between separateness and togetherness
• What it means to be “behind your own eyes”
• How art and ritual bring us back to community
• The evolution of creative and professional roles
• Why belonging shapes the work we do
• The wisdom of separating “the problem” from “the person”
• Remembering the collective intelligence that connects us all

Episode Resources:

• Episode 1: Giving a Damn Quietly, Loudly, and Together with My Friends Neda and Mollie
• Tagliaferro Ceramics (Lisa loves their mugs!)
• Into the Woods
• hey, wait Podcast with Jay Moon Fields
• The Overstory by Richard Powers
• The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
• The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

In this warm and honest episode of Mighty Forces, Amanda brings together two women she’s long admired — Suzanne Ehlers, CEO of USA for UNHCR, and Johanna, a leadership coach and consultant — for a reflection on curiosity, competence, ownership, and what it means to give a damn in complex times. The three explore how curiosity fuels good leadership, how competence breeds confidence, and why giving people (and ourselves) the space to try, fail, and draft again is essential in both work and life. They talk about parenting as a mirror for leadership, redefining competence with compassion, and making peace with boredom, discomfort, and imperfection. This is an episode about spaciousness, integrity, and the courage to put the first draft out there on the page, in the world, and in our lives.

Topics:

• How curiosity shapes leadership and creativity
• The connection between competence and confidence
• Redefining what it means to be “competent” in a post–hustle culture
• Teaching ownership and responsibility through parenting and community
• Why boredom matters — and what it reveals about energy and self-awareness
• Embracing the “draft” as an act of courage and integrity
• Balancing agency with surrender and the art of sitting in discomfort
• “Making the red”: the power of slowing down and disrupting old patterns
• Finding joy and meaning even in pain and uncertainty

Episode Resources:

• The Proust Questionnaire
• Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

In the newest episode of Mighty Forces, Amanda Hirsch brings together two creative community builders from New York’s Hudson Valley — Vanessa Van Burek, co-founder of Zena Democratic School, and Jean Michel David, founder of Megabrain Comics — to explore what it really means to nurture curiosity, community, and care. From reimagining education without hierarchy to building a comic book store that doubles as a safe haven for queer and neurodivergent kids, Vanessa and Jean-Michel reveal how their work helps people of all ages feel seen and empowered. Together, they reflect on how we raise our kids, the lessons schools teach (and don’t), the power of creative spaces, and how we can each make change by starting small, within our own communities. The episode closes with two powerful messages: your life matters and you have to find your own bubble of safety so that you feel like you have the power to make small changes that amount to something bigger.

Topics Discussed:

• What democratic education really looks like and why hierarchy harms learning
• How play, autonomy, and curiosity shape true education
• Parenting as a Gen X-er: overthinking, grace, and guilt
• Why most schools still operate like we’re in the Industrial Revolution
• The link between schools, workaholism, and loss of creativity
• How comic books foster literacy, imagination, and empathy
• Building inclusive, neurodiverse-friendly community spaces
• Finding agency and power in small acts of care and connection

Resources Mentioned:

• Sudbury Schools
• Zena Democratic School

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.

In this special episode, Amanda welcomes her husband, Jordan Hirsch, to the Mighty Forces podcast. Together, they trace the winding path of their relationship—from high school drama club crushes and early fandom litmus tests (The Simpsons! Robert Altman’s The Player!) to co-parenting, co-creating, and supporting each other’s creative lives. Jordan shares how horror movies, improv, and music have shaped his identity, how creativity energizes him, and why February Album Writing Month (FAWM) has been a lifeline. He and Amanda reflect on the tension between finding meaning in work versus relationships, and how their different perspectives have influenced each other. The conversation closes with Jordan’s powerful reminder about naming what’s true—and an unlikely recommendation for one of the “best worst” horror films ever made. It’s a warm, funny, and deeply human conversation between two people who know each other best—and who both give a damn.

Topics:

• Amanda and Jordan’s origin story: from drama club to marriage
• Early crushes, fandoms, and the near-dealbreaker of The Simpsons
• Pop culture as identity and friendship filter vs. Amanda’s different approach
• Soap operas, Santa Barbara, and Amanda’s lifelong obsession with story
• The improv years in DC and New York, including Gas Station Horror and Vox Pop
• Collaborating on music across states and decades-long friendships
• Balancing paid work, parenting, and creativity
• Differing views on meaningful work and how those perspectives have shifted
• Jordan’s closing wisdom: the power of naming what’s true

Resources:

• Mighty Forces
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
• Follow Amanda on Instagram

Mighty Forces is produced by Amanda Hirsch and Heart Centered Podcasting. The music of Mighty Forces was written and performed by Jordan Hirsch, aka my wonderful husband.