August 25, 2025 • 67 mins
Ep 209 One World in a New World with Janice Edwards🕊️ What happens when a seasoned journalist brings her whole soul to the conversation?In this heart-centered episode of One World in a New World, Zen Benefiel sits down with Janice Edwards—Emmy-nominated host, executive producer, speaker, and CEO of Edwards Unlimited—to explore the often-overlooked space between what we do and who we are. Known for her brilliance in broadcast media and her spiritual authenticity, Janice reveals how her journey from child mystic to award-winning journalist has been guided by faith, inner listening, and divine synchronicity.From out-of-body experiences and telepathic gifts to navigating the worlds of Harvard, Hollywood, and heartfelt storytelling, this conversation weaves legacy, vulnerability, and wisdom into a radiant tapestry of truth.💡 How do we integrate spiritual gifts into professional life?💡 Can public platforms become sacred spaces for transformation?🎧 Tune in to discover how light, love, and legacy merge in the life of a true storyteller.Connect with Janice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejaniceedwards/Janice's Website: https://thejaniceedwards.com_______Assisting in harmony among people and planet: https://planetarycitizens.netConnect with Zen: https://linkedin.com/zenbenefielZen's books: https://amazon.com/author/zendorZen's Coaching: https://BeTheDream.com Zen's CV et al: https://zenbenefiel.comThe Octopus Movement (non-linear thinkers): https://theoctopusmovement.org Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement: https://liveandletlive.orgActivation Products: https://bit.ly/btdactivationJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZl_29zHxehqeL89KSCWFA/join
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Namaste and in La Ketch and welcome to this episode of One
World in a New World. I'm your host, Zen Benefiel.
And as always, please do like, subscribe, share profusely.
It benefits us all. And please do visit
planetarycitizens.net, home of our sponsor, and pick up your
free copy of Planetary Citizens Awakening the Heart of Humanity.
(00:24):
I guarantee you'll love it. It finds balance in between the
left and the right that you might not be aware of yet.
So get your book and find out now.
This week's guest is Janice Edwards.
She is a speaker. She's an Emmy nominated
executive producer and TV talk show host.
(00:47):
She's a CEO of Edwards Unlimited.
She really loves new media communication and video
production. She's also a graduate of
Harvard. Imagine that.
She's just a wonderful woman. You'll meet her in just a
moment. We're going to have a really
deep dive and find out how she bridged her in her and outer
worlds. Don't go away.
(01:07):
We'll be right back. Explore the thoughtmosphere.
Embark on a life changing journey of self discovery.
Embrace harmony with self, with other, with Earth, one world in
a new world. Zen Benefield skillfully ignites
conversations, guiding guests toreveal personal journeys and
perspectives. Listeners are inspired to seek
(01:30):
knowledge and find wisdom in their own lives.
Join this transformative journeyas we navigate the depth of
human experience. Janice, it's so great to have
you here with amongst all the kerfuffles we had coming in.
It's such a joy to have you. Zen, thank you so much for
having me. I am delighted to be here.
I'm very excited about the work that you're doing.
(01:53):
And thank you again for having me as a guest.
And hello to all of your viewers.
You're very welcome. And it's good to have a cohort
in the media, right? I haven't had the exposure you
have, and yet I've had, you know, 35 years off and on in it.
Now regarding where we're going to go today, most often we're
(02:17):
bereft of having conversations about what goes on inside of us.
And I think that's a detriment to society as a whole because we
live half inside and half outside.
And most of this internal thingsis our own questioning, our own
recursive function, if you will,that has us querying ourselves
(02:39):
for answers. Well, we're built that way,
right? So how do we move into that, and
if you would be so kind as to share when you first began
noticing that there was more interconnectivity to life than
just the outer world expression?I liken it to a Seminole moment
(03:04):
when I was four years old when Iwas in the bathtub at my home
and my great grandmother was visiting us and I heard her say,
girl, get out of the tub right now.
And so I yelled downstairs, OK, granny, I'm coming.
And she said I didn't say anything, but I was about to
tell you, get out of the tub right now.
(03:26):
And so that was the first momentwhen I recognized, I heard that
before it actually happened. And so that was something that
continued to inform me. And I, I was someone at a young
age, I, I had dreams sometimes. And when some of the things came
true that I had dreamed. And one was very disturbing
(03:49):
because sadly it was the passingof my mother's best friend.
And I remember at that time being aware of God.
I've been baptized in the church.
And just a sidebar, I that was when I had bangs and used to use
bang rollers. Baptized to experiencing
telepathy like that, right that that.
(04:10):
How does that fit in? Well, I, well, I believe that we
are all God's children and that God has created us all.
And so for me, it was an understanding that that was a
gift that I had, but I actually asked for it to be taken away
because I said if I can't changethings.
(04:32):
I was very upset when I seen that my mother's best friend was
going to die. And then it actually happened.
I was nine years old at the time.
Well, as kids, we have these this desire for everything to be
whole, to be happy, to be joyful.
I still have that desire. I do too.
(04:53):
But but yes, especially as children and like you said, and
then trying to make sense of it,we could the the way I was
connected, it didn't make it. It was painful to me and I and I
just thought, well, that was thebest way, which isn't always the
way, but I because I believe that God hears us and God.
(05:14):
Absolutely no. And all of that.
So when I asked that then it wastaken away, I didn't, I, I could
feel things, but I didn't see them coming as clearly as those
experiences that I had when I was 9/1 was the school that I
was going to attend. And that was fine.
You know, I saw the building, etcetera long before I'd ever
seen it in real life. But the other one was something
(05:35):
that became a Seminole moment for me, and probably if I had
felt like I could talk with other people about it in a
comfortable way with an understanding, I might not have
said that. Sure.
You know, I had a spiritual awakening at 18 and my parents,
it was really bizarre. I went into the light beyond,
got my mission orders, came back, realized that we're all
(05:58):
cosmic consciousness condensed into form, just unaware.
Now, as an 18 year old, that's kind of hard to explain to
adults, let alone, you know, people my age and wait, nuts,
right? So the first psychiatrist I saw
listened really well, asked a lot of questions, what a godsend
(06:20):
he was. And he said, you know, after the
third visit, he said, you know, you're not crazy.
You've had a spiritual awakening.
You've got all the signs that they're undeniable.
My advice to you is keep your mouth shut.
Nobody's going to understand you.
So the following year, now I wasin the pre Med program in
college at the time. And the following year I had
this, you know, brilliant idea. I was going to buy a couple of
(06:41):
sets of drums with my room and board money and put them in my
dorm room. I did had to move out during the
winter break because I'd spent my room and board money.
Now, that ended up having me, you know, approach a frat house
one night just trying to stay warm in the middle of the winter
in Indiana. And I got beat up there and
ended up in the emergency room. And my father shows up and he
(07:03):
says I, I tell him I'm ready to go home.
He says, no, I don't think so. I think you need to stay for a
bit. And I'm thinking, OK, blow to
the head. I had a nasty one.
That's why I went to the emergency room, Get stitched up.
He said, I think you need to stay for a bit.
So I'm thinking, OK, blow to thehead, possible concussion,
overnight observation. Cool, right?
Then two orderlies come up and escort me to the elevator up to
(07:26):
the 7th floor. Doors open up, this big black
guy gets up off the chair with the water keys and he pulls off
of it and he says I got another one for me.
Huh. And then I realized what was
happening. Well that particular
psychiatrist was ADSM 4 proponent Full tilt boogie and
(07:47):
he diagnosed me as an antidepressant paranoid
schizophrenic and put me on 2000micrograms of Thorazine a day.
Oh my. Gosh would not bother to listen
to me. He saw me from a diagnosis and
treatment perspective only. And yet that Thorazine, I should
have been a lump in the corner. I was up playing ping pong,
(08:07):
beating the male nurses. So there was something off in
that and nobody saw it except me.
And so I eventually had to tell the doc what he wanted to hear
and miracle cure happened. And then I eventually got out.
But did you tell him? I'm just curious, what did you
tell him that got you out? Well, I was trying to get him to
(08:27):
talk, to listen to my experiences first, to help me
understand and somehow integratewith him.
What he wanted to hear was that I've been using drugs and had,
you know, specifically psychedelics and that I was
(08:48):
addicted and blah, blah, blah, right?
And so here's this, you know, this is 1975, and so he is
probably approaching 60. So he's got a very old
traditionalist view that is so rigid and boxed in that he
couldn't hear anything outside of it.
(09:09):
So I had to speak to him inside the box, which he heard, and
then, Oh my gosh, you know, miracle cure, right?
Because I fit into his box instead of him opening the lid
and fitting into mine. I see.
Wow. 35 years later I got asked to present at the International
(09:30):
Association for Near Death Studies annual conference in
Denver and I spoke to a bunch ofsimilar clinicians and
practitioners that were listening from a different place
maybe. Well, well, gosh, how did you
come back from such a traumatic experience and begin to continue
(09:53):
to trust? Well, in.
The hearing and experiencing wasauthentic.
It was pretty easy actually. Internally extra, it was, I mean
excruciating at times. However, internally, when I had
my experience, I was told have faith and trust that I would
have. My life would be full of trials
and tribulations, but to have faith and trust and allow things
(10:18):
to happen and just know that everything would be there at its
appointed time. So I trusted that implicitly.
Why would you not when you're inthat?
I mean, you're in the light and then beyond.
And so you bring that back with full conscious awareness.
What do you do with it? Right.
So I've spent my year 50 years. That's what Planetary Citizens
(10:39):
is all about in activating that recursive function in us all to
really take a look at ourselves and realize, you know, there is
a design we're, you know, we can't think our way through a
system built on vibration. We have to sense our way
through. So that's a whole different
scenario. And instead of going from the
(11:01):
top down, you know, thinking with your head first and then
shove it through your body, well, you, you operate from your
intuition first, your gut. And it's an ancient philosophy,
It's an indigenous philosophy. 3brain philosophy is what's
called the gut's the first, the heart's the second, the head's
the 3rd. And you process in that way.
Well, scientifically, now we've got proof we're set up to do
(11:24):
that. There's more neurosensors in the
gut than there are in the. Vagus.
The vagus nerve exactly in all. That's part of it, yeah.
But there there's a whole, there's all kinds of systems.
I have another book called Zero to 1, Making Our Way Towards a
Conscious Civilization that I break down different systems
that are inside the body, such as the chakras, the medians, the
(11:47):
marmas and things of that nature, which were internal
systems that were built with. So there's a design beyond what
we think there is and like in the Vedas vases, the Bible are
really Jesus teaching. So I'll put it that way because
the Vedas say we're all divine threads Incarnate, connected to
(12:09):
source capable of God consciousness.
Let's individuated infinite intelligence available to each
one of us that we query internally, which is how you
were able to operate with that telepathy because you said, OK,
I'm going to shut this off for alittle bit.
You requested it, not realizing it was your own doing.
(12:32):
And then eventually you got comfortable with it again as you
grew, I would suspect professionally you got hints,
you got indicators. But let's talk about that with
in that reflection. I know I gave you a lot in a
real short amount of time. I love it.
I love it. Yeah, that was cool.
And thank you for allowing me toshare that.
(12:53):
It wasn't necessarily by intention to do so, but it came
up, so why not, Right, Exactly. And in that, so how did you
experience those kinds of thingsin your younger years?
How did you learn how to processthings to make sense, first of
(13:14):
all, and then help others make that sense?
Common between you as you got older.
The journey has been an interesting one.
It continues to be. I will say one of the
experiences I had at 13 was I'd read a book on Transcendental
(13:34):
Meditation and I remember reading that because I was
always searching for answers. The the hue pray there.
Why am I afraid to tell you who I am?
Why am I here? The road less traveled all of
those things litany books, right, right.
Yeah, exactly. And so when I was having an
(13:56):
experience of being able to see my body somewhere, but looking
down on it, it felt like from the ceiling, I recognized for me
that that was not that was not asafe experience in the sense
that I felt like I needed to getback and my body and be more
integrated. Well, it was an unknown, right?
When you when you leave the unknown, there's all kinds of
(14:18):
trepidations of what you're going to find.
And it it would be so uncomfortable that you would
just snap back to what's more comfortable.
Exactly. And so I mentioned that at the
age of four, I was baptized at the church.
And the thing about the bang roller was that they, my mom
forgot and I went up there with the bang roller and then we have
to take it out quickly. And then I was upset because I
(14:39):
sprinkled water on my bangs, right.
So that's so there's the inner feeling like, oh, this is a
spiritual experience. The outer is worried about the
packaging. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then when I was 11, I was reading about the age of
responsibility for Christ and I felt like I hope I get the call
God. And one day I was in church and
I got the call to go to the altar and and give my life to
(15:01):
Christ. And so those two experiences and
then when I was 13 having this, I start to understand a little
bit about spiritual warfare. And the reason I mention this is
because I came to an understanding because of that
and even a Ouija board experience that you can invite
spirits in, but not all spirits are good spirits.
And I unfortunately had a coupleof experiences like that.
(15:24):
And so I and in my growth, I later wound up doing the course
of miracles and also visiting with a friend who was Buddhist,
you know, the somewhere where they were chanting and all of
these questions and all of it came back to my rededicating my
life to Christ, July 11th of 1992.
(15:46):
The reason is. That the Namiyaho Renge kill.
Yes, exactly, exactly. Yes, yes.
And so the, the, the navigation has been something that
continues to be a an amazing experience and sometimes a
(16:07):
challenge. Kind of between an.
Outer right, because there are times, for example, I might pray
for someone and and what the Holy Spirit downloads to me is
something that I had no knowledge of with the person.
So that in that way that seeing or understanding has come back.
But it's, it's not Even so much that I might see it in a person
(16:34):
right there, But as we go into prayer, it comes forward or
sometimes when I'm, I've been on, you know, hosting a show and
I'll see something in someone and there it may be a question
that I wind up asking or it may be something I don't ask then,
but afterwards I might wound it wind up saying, do you have a
(16:54):
prayer request? Or sometimes it's, you know,
it's that kind of the experienceI I hadn't.
It's a bit more intimate than people are necessarily used to.
This is again where that inner awareness comes into the outer
world and you ask for permission.
Exactly. And then one of the things that
(17:14):
has been a challenge also is thestaying awake, staying awake in
the spirit to things. And I think about that old
Dionne Warwick, so. That has nothing to do with
being woke. That has with being a way.
Right, exactly. I mean it.
Well, I would say in a sense it might because it's criminal.
Space. Right.
(17:34):
Well, as you mentioned in your book too, that the understanding
that we are here and we are connected in a deeper way than
polarization allows for does have to do with being awake.
And some of what people have subscribed either correctly or
incorrectly to being woke is about being awake to that.
(17:55):
That no matter what we are or our skin color, like, you know,
when you were talking about whathappened to you and you
mentioned the big black guy, well whatever race he is, there
was a horrible experience that you had being there.
But is that related to the race or the action?
No, I was just describing the situation with.
(18:17):
Exactly. That's what I'm saying that you
were describing that and I know that because that's how you are.
Some people hearing that becauseof polarization might think
differently. Absolutely.
I make the distinct. Perspective, right.
Perception. It's not the other way around.
Right. And so that's why sometimes
being awake may also look like being woke as some people say
(18:40):
it. Very true.
But it's not necessarily that. But you know, there's a old
Dionne Warwick song Do You know the Way to San Jose?
And she talks about how weeks turn into years, how quick they
pass. And sometimes, I don't know if
you've had this experience. Probably not, because I can tell
you're very consciously focused that wait a minute, three months
(19:00):
ago I had this intention, or I remember this, or I'm
experiencing something now that is reminding me of the essence
of who I am. I'm called.
What do you call it? It's an experience of fractals.
Fractals, OK. Yeah, that's part of the
recursion, the ripple, right? And we experience, sometimes we
(19:22):
experience it as deja vu. Yes.
And sometimes we experience as precognitive, sometimes there's
the differentiation between thatfor lack of better, I'll call it
a negative and positive charge. Speaking of energies, right?
And yet, if I'm if you remember correctly, I think it was Jesus
(19:47):
that said in perfect love there is No Fear.
Yes, perfect love cast out. Yeah.
So where does one need to be internally in that unconditional
space to then not be affected bythat oscillation of energy?
(20:11):
Yes, that is one of the biggest questions.
You know, when I was interviewing Arianna Huffington,
we were talking. It must have been a real
pleasure. Yeah, it was, it was, it was
amazing. She had written a book.
And we were talking at one pointabout the inner critic.
And when I do media coaching, I work with this with people a
lot. And I said, So what is your
(20:33):
critic saying to you right now during this interview?
And she said, my critic is saying you have a funny voice
and you should never talk on TV.And so it's like that kind of
experience is, is. Self deprecation that.
That's right, but. 70,000 thoughts?
We have a day. How many of them are self
deprecating? Exactly.
And why and what is that conditioning?
(20:55):
And so all of those factors are related.
I mean, you mentioned Indiana. I was born in Chicago, grew up
in Atlanta. And I remember when I came to
Atlanta, at one point, I was around a lot of older people,
some relatives. And I said something, I don't
know what it was, I said, but someone said to me, children
should be seen and not heard. And I looked, I said, but I'm
(21:17):
right here. Why wouldn't you want to hear
from me? Exactly So.
But that is something that because of some cultural norms,
societal norms, expectations. You know, it's back to those
beliefs like belief system, the Christian belief system, you
know, and Jesus saying be he haslittle children.
OK, well what's that mean? That doesn't mean put you in a
(21:39):
box or a corner or a classroom and shut it off and program you.
That means to listen and engage and respond in love.
Yes, and see a being as a precious entity.
Yeah. And so, and that is something
that part of my mission in termsof sharing, in terms of creating
(22:04):
media for others, in terms of writing, in terms of praying, in
terms of media coaching for people to step into their
brilliance. It is, is it's about that.
And, and, and yet at the same time, I have to remind myself,
like you say, the inner and the outer.
One of the things that I told mymom, you mentioned college and
(22:26):
when I was 14, I was in the my troop at my school.
I was also the first African American class president there.
I was also president of Methodist Youth.
That's awesome. And I was thank you and I.
And I'm sure very challenging asa result too.
Yes, exactly. Yeah, I was also acting.
(22:46):
And I told my mom I don't want to go to college, I just want to
act. And she said you're going to
college, young lady, get over it.
And it turned out it was a good decision for me.
Sure, sure. But but that sense of and, and
for me, one of the reasons for that is that taking on other
characters sometimes can be amazing.
(23:07):
But again, when you have that inner knowing, you have the
outer and then you take on thosewords and words have power, it
can change your life. I mean, we know tragic stories.
I think one that stood out to meyears ago was Heath Ledger when
they saw that when he took on that last role mentally, he
wasn't able to come back from that.
(23:27):
And and so a lot of times when you see people who are very
sensitive and they're self medicating and I don't know
anything more about his life. I'm not trying to speak on that.
But what I'm saying is, is that serves as an example because
there's when you talk about all of the thoughts we have per day,
sometimes there's a gossamer thread between what's actually
you and those thoughts that are laid upon your brain and your
(23:51):
spirit. Great point.
That's the some call it, I believe, the imposter syndrome.
OK, yes. Inner critic, yeah.
Right. These are those compared
comparing and contrasting oneself to the suspected views
(24:14):
that one ought to have based on codependency toward others and
what they think you should be. Right.
Yes, exactly. And I think one of the reasons
people have different feelings about the Barbie movie.
But that song that Billie Eilishcreated, what was I made for?
That's something. I'm laughing.
(24:37):
I was doing front of house merchfor Barbie Live in Fairytopia
all over the country. It was what a Mattel.
Sounds like an amazing experience it.
Was, you know, I got to meet Barbie?
No. Which what?
Which version? Right.
Yeah. Exactly.
Well and there were 7 witches along with her as well.
(25:02):
Good witches, most of them. So the the whole story was
really interesting and you know,like I say, we got to travel the
country, we had four semis. So it was a huge production.
Oh, my God, You know, just seeing the people and the places
and dealing with all the people that, as, you know, interacting
with them gave me a good taste of where people were at in
(25:26):
America at the time. This was 2007, I think, so we've
gone through massive changes since then.
But, you know, I've had a chanceto wear many hats.
It was just a fluke, and I had the time and the space to do so.
And I thought, why not and played a lot of golf around the
(25:48):
country too. With my we travelled in a
minivan and the cast and crew travelled in a bus, so we had
the freedom to do whatever we wanted in between.
Right. I, I love that adventure.
I mean, one of the things that Imight not have had in the bio
that I sent you was that I also did ultimately earn my SAG and
AFTRA and Equity cards. I wound up doing acting later
(26:11):
and really enjoying that and doing a two woman show with Anna
Devira Smith as well as doing Joe Turner's Come and Gone with
the Sacramento Theatre Company. And a lot of LA actors were
there when it when it became oneof my best who's been one of my
best friends ever since then. And so but it and it was
interesting. I was cast to play an
(26:32):
evangelist. And so at that time, I think
sounds. Like a perfect part, right?
Well, you know what was interesting was I had not yet
rededicated my life to Christ, and so that reading the Bible
every day knock. Knock.
Right as part of as part of my role as Martha.
Pentecost was also a Seminole moment that led to that.
(26:52):
So, but it is interesting when you talk about the adventures
and having the opportunity to dothat.
But that's something that sometimes I felt, well, I didn't
have that road map at times thaton this way, the media or that
way, but. I don't want to argue, but I
would reflect that bread crumbs were there consistently.
(27:15):
It was your ability to pay attention with intention and
interaction that gave you the vacillation of experience.
Right, exactly. And that's where those inner
challenges come up. And, and for other people who
(27:36):
see that, it's like I, I remember once seeing someone, a
lady who might have been I thinkin her 80s and I was 14 and she
said blessing, right. And she said, you know,
sometimes I feel the same insideas I did when I was your age.
And I looked at her and thought,how is that possible?
But now I know how that is possible, you know, because your
(28:00):
spirit and, and your purpose andyour yearning and your essence
that are always calling you backto say, remember, remember who
you are. Remember that you are.
And especially in times when suppression of essence and what
(28:20):
makes us unique is, is being threatened in many ways, it's
like, how do you stay empowered?How do you stay connected?
And so when you were asking me about this inner and outer,
that's part of it. I mean, in one of the out of the
12,000 interviews, more than 12,000 that I've done, one of
(28:42):
the ones that really struck me very deeply was as I was
interviewing Deepak Dr. Deepak Chopra.
All of a sudden in the interview, I realized there was
no separation. It was very strange.
It's like those those dynamics like this is my body, this is
your body, We are here in this way.
All of a sudden it just melted away.
(29:03):
Soul to soul communication, doesn't that feel that it's
ineffable? Yes, it was incredible.
And at the same time, part of mein my body was saying stay
grounded, one, because I was on camera doing an interview, and
two, it's like, OK, this is veryinteresting, it's familiar.
(29:24):
And yet. Right, Artie?
Right, it's not common everyday experience.
I had this understanding of yourdissolution or your dissolving
into the nothingness that allowed you in Deepak to have
(29:46):
this intimate experience individually and yet
collectively as a unified field.Would you describe it kind of
that way? I know I said it was ineffable
earlier, right? You know, almost.
Except, you know, it's interesting.
You said dissolving into nothingness, and it felt more
like expanding into everything. Is it right?
(30:07):
It was. It was the barrier.
I think the two actually happened there.
There are two halves of that whole.
Interesting. OK, yeah.
But right. So it was just an expanded
awakening in that moment, a lot of which is similar to in times
(30:32):
of the prayer with the Holy Spirit revealing things, there's
an amplification and an awareness and awakening that's.
That infinite intelligence thread that's connected to you
from source, Whatever we want tocall it, you know, we call it
energy. We can call it God, We can call
it pure consciousness. Yeah, I definitely call it God.
(30:56):
No, that right, that connection.So and I and what was
interesting too, at that time, this was several years ago, it
was during a political election in 2012.
And I said what what does politics reflect about
Americans? And he said it reflects the
(31:16):
struggles and the conflicts of the soul that get played out on
a national platform. So it was really interesting.
He had at that time, his son hadjust done a movie called Finding
Deep Pox. This was back in 2012.
This was a while ago. And he talked about the
experience of every day going asa as the monks do with a bowl to
(31:41):
people's homes to see what they put into the bowl.
And that provided their sustenance for the day.
So that that whole experience and the expansion of that and
other things lead me to the question many times that I think
a lot of us ask, why am I havingthe experience that I'm having
(32:02):
right now? Is there something to learn from
this? What is the best decision I can
make in this? Perfect questions that.
That's a recursive function there.
Oh, OK, yes. That's a perfect example of it,
because you're asking the question.
You don't know what you don't know, right?
(32:23):
So you ask the question and you go inside and and you shut up.
You. Hear the answers right, right.
Yes, you know one of the. That's the.
Interesting point. You know the the shutting up.
I was orphaned, adopted, and when my parents told me I was
adopted, when they brought me adopted sister home 4 1/2, I was
(32:45):
left with the question of if I have a father and mother in
heaven, can I talk to them? Right.
Nothing else mattered other thanthat bigger picture to me at
that time. And so I eventually heard a
voice and and it startled me, didn't frighten me.
I spun around, asked mom if she could hear it, not didn't.
(33:06):
So I knew it was there. I didn't question that.
So what I did, Dad worked night so he'd have a nap between 8930.
Mom would be in the kitchen, I'dbe in the living room by myself.
I'd open the curtains up and I'dlook outside and put the the
window with lights on right so you can't see out.
And I would stand there and I would project this voice that I
heard in its words and tone and I would wait.
(33:31):
And of course the kids mind is just racing, wondering if it's
going to come back or not. Well one night I found silence.
I shut up for just a moment and the voice came and I was just
amazed. So I learned, I didn't even
realize it at the time. You know, I got older and
(33:54):
started practicing meditation, talking to people and going to
classes and workshops and all that, and eventually even
offering them. It was that initial experience
of finding that silence inside that opens the door to that
communication. Right, yes.
(34:16):
And have you noticed these days,because it's wonderful what we
have in technology. Technology is connecting us
right now. What the noise?
The AI has got great emotional intelligence too.
Yes, yes. You know, years ago my mom was
getting her PhD and she was doing some studies about
(34:36):
Pavlovian responses. You know the dogs would salivate
when the bell. Bell.
Right. So first they got food when the
bell rang, then after a while nofood came.
But as soon as the bell rang, they salivated.
And then they've talked about how now our brains are wired,
you know, that same way you get a peeing on your phone like it
used to be like being in a pinball machine, you know, when
(34:58):
you feel like, yeah, that kind of experience and babies brains
now are why are being wired differently because they're
exposed to so much of that. But at every level to stay.
If you look at it. They focus.
Is it possible that this is an aspect of a design feature that
(35:19):
we aren't seeing yet, and instead supplant that view for
something more sinister? Interesting, Because we're
taught to do that right? We're taught to be critical,
suspicious, suspect, full of motivations and intent, right?
(35:43):
Because everybody just wants what they want and and they're
really selfish and self-centered, right?
This is what we're being taught and often times is what we find
out because we've been taught that and people act like that.
Well, how do we shift that to where we recognize that
possibility? We don't discount it because it
(36:06):
is kind of dumb. And yet how do we rise above
that into a transcendent space where we're free of that
attitude and could be more open to something that is a bit more
connected? Maybe not a lot, but just a
(36:27):
little. You know it, that is
interesting. It's a great postulation too,
because after Harvard, that whatbrought me to California was
going to the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley for
the pastor's work. And so as a journalist, I mean,
I was always that little child saying, well, I have something
to say. Why wouldn't you want to hear it
too, as as a journalist when yousay?
(36:50):
You got to figure out, OK, wheredo I put, where do I plug this
in, where's the pause, and how can.
I do it right exactly, and the both sides, which sometimes is
sadly lacking. Now that's one of the things I
do decry that you don't hear. We tried to speak with the
other, you know, it's like is being thrown at you and it's
like and what about the other part of that?
The opposite. It's like silent sometimes
(37:11):
that's frightening. OK, From a journalistic
perspective, especially journalism is the 4th estate.
So I agree with there's some amazing things that are
happening with AI. And at the same time, when we
think about programming and we think about what AI is taught to
recognize, who AI is taught to recognize, like when we think
(37:34):
about robots being trained for police work, all of these things
that it's is important to say, how is this truly beneficial,
right? How?
How do you plug in the the net program programming of Do no
harm? Right.
And do you plug it in? Because that's the whole thing.
(37:56):
And what I loved in your book was about that.
It's about the intention. It's about this new.
When we talk about new world order, a lot of people think a
lot of different things. What you're talking about is a
consciousness and I've. Got a great interview with
Jeffrey Mishlove that he first time his 28 year dream come
true. When I first started One World
1990, I wanted to emulate him. And who was a graduate of
(38:20):
Berkeley, by the way, and the Moyers, and I hoped someday to
be worthy of an interview with one of them. 2018 rolls around.
The serendipitous moment Jeffreyreached out to me on another
topic out of the blue ended up that That was in June, and in
August we did three conversations at his home in
(38:43):
Albuquerque. The first one was titled A New
World Order and it was based on my understanding of frequency
and vibration rather than the facade on the old order.
Wow, that's amazing. And and see that's what you were
talking about and what you're standing for.
(39:05):
It's something I'm. Sitting presently, but thank.
You sitting, right, Exactly. But taking a stance, see that's
that in my media coaching, I sayeven if you're sitting in an
interview, you can take a stance.
Absolutely. So you're doing that.
But but so, but what you are sitting for, standing for here
for present for is something where there is empowerment and
(39:28):
and understanding and unity. One of the things that you said
in your book was about diversityand unity being important as
part of just continuing to well.Consider the tapestry right?
Let's look at it from a tapestryperspective and just imagine
that the world is a tapestry. It's got all kinds of threads.
(39:52):
Exactly. That tapestry, and the tapestry
itself is absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I mean, you think about it
like you think about how people are introduced to foods like you
think about a baby, right, And then a child growing up at first
broccoli is not maybe that is not the great thing.
I remember interviewing Jerry Seinfeld.
He talked about his. How his wife Jessica Seinfeld,
wrote the book where she startedputting broccoli puree in the
(40:15):
brownies. And so because the kids at first
said I don't want broccoli, but then they liked it in the
brownies. The palettes that we have as we
expand and you tell a child well.
There's other things in browniesnow, right?
That depends on whose brownies you have right?
But it's like that. But it's but that same thing of,
well, they only want chicken Nuggets and fries, right?
(40:37):
When you say maybe you'd like something else and then later
become becomes sushi or it becomes Curry or, you know, just
all of those things. In that same way, we there are
good things to learn from the diverse opportunities and the
rich tapestry of life woven together in humanity and
(41:00):
humanity get recognized. Where does humanity continue to
be embraced? Where can we continue to stand
for that and to be seen? Whether you're dealing with
something personally or medically or in love, like I
love your love stories, like there's a song by Al Jarreau and
Randy Crawford from jazz at Montreux says, sure enough, you
(41:24):
struck me just like lightning. Lord, it was almost frightening,
the. Absolutely.
That's what, when you have thosetwin flame connections, that's
what it's like. It's like, holy shit, right?
And you never knew before love could be like that until you had
an expansion and. It doesn't make it any easier,
(41:44):
right? Because the more you're
challenged to step up to be yourbest self, that's what a twin
flame is going to do for you. And it's going to make you grow
right or run. Yes.
And I choose to grow right. I've always chosen that.
I've never run from anything right.
(42:04):
Well, from your experience at 18, yes, exactly.
And you know, you were talking about people you'd interviewed.
My second show of One World in 1990 was with a guy that you may
recognize his name, Kai Alex D He he was in the Manchurian
(42:25):
Candidate. He played the original Wolfat.
Oh, OK, I do. Right.
I do know the characters he's. A friend mentor, he was he had a
doctorate in theology and was rector of a Dallas sanctuary
here in Tempe really and the theDean of continuing education at
ASU at the time. Obadiah Harris became a dear
(42:47):
friend and and we were working on some things together.
He introduced me to Cai at a teaceremony and I just a beautiful
human being. Now two years later, he passed
away. And I'm at my desk early in the
morning and pausing for a moment, you know, put my just
kind of struck the pose right and closed my eyes and I was off
(43:10):
and just and nothing for a moment.
And then I'm having a conversation with Kai.
And about 1520 seconds in, I'm thinking, you know, Kai, do you
have more, you know, better appointed duties.
You got to be busy over there way.
I hope I'm not interrupting anything.
(43:31):
And then this big booming voice similar to what I heard as a
kid, only much deeper and loudersays there are many worlds.
And on that my guest house shook.
Now it was a cement slab foundation block construction
(43:52):
and the thing shook and I'm likewhoa, what's going on?
Well, a couple of days later I'mreading the I'm over my
girlfriends in Scottsdale and Scottsdale Progress Newspapers
site on her table. And I never read the newspaper
but I always had the impression,OK, open it up inside cover.
FAA announced that Sonic Boom was a headline, so I'm reading
(44:14):
the article. Sure enough, no, this was on
Thursday morning, Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM or at 10 AM,
the FAA office was flooded with calls wondering about this boom.
Whatever it was, I didn't hear anything.
I felt it. And so he said.
But, you know, they had eventually decided to announce
(44:35):
the signing boom that occurred second paragraph.
However, Luke Air Force Base, Sky Harbor Airport and Williams
S Air Force Base, which is stillin operation at the time, could
not identify its source. Now, what do you do with that,
right? It's just a moment.
(44:55):
It's out of this world, literally.
And yet here's the evidence thatsomething happened at that same
time. So that synchronicity might lead
to an expansion of understandingof how worlds interact and that
(45:16):
there is a multi dimensional aspect that we aren't
particularly aware of most of the time.
And yet we have those micro moments, if you will, of
interconnectedness to that degree.
And that wasn't my first. I've had others and I'm sure you
have too. With that, with that story, what
(45:39):
did that trigger in you? What did?
What memory came up for you thatyou connected with it?
It's interesting. Well, there are two things.
One, my mother used to make these bird sounds and after she
passed sometimes I'll hear a bird making the exact sound that
she made and it's just like hi mommy, I feel you.
(46:01):
But what was triggered by what you said is that in 2013, my mom
passed July 2nd at 11151 PM. July 2nd of 2011 and 2013 I was
receiving an award, the Trailblazer Award from 100 Black
women in San Francisco at the Fairmont.
(46:22):
And it was a tea and you know, it's like hats and gloves.
Fancy nice lunch? Great honor and prestige.
Yeah, yeah. I went up to accept the award.
I'd written some words because I, I believe anatomy.
I always leave room for amplification and improv.
Love improv too, but I also usually have so I had what I was
(46:46):
going to. Say, life's kind of an improv,
right? Exactly.
And all of a sudden I felt my mother's spirit so intently,
like she was just hugging me saying I'm so proud of you.
And all of a sudden I'm sobbing.I wasn't, you know, as I was
receiving the award, I just had to explain what it was like.
I'm so honored. And I have to share this as well
(47:06):
because I, it was such, I, I believe, I believe in heaven.
I know that there are other dimensions beyond this one, but
in that moment it was such a completely sensory experience
(47:28):
that. And.
Around. You bridged.
Right. And she ended.
I, I, you know, my mom was typing personnel.
He's like, she's like, I just got to hug my baby.
That's what it felt like. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But yeah. That did the same thing the the
morning he passed. He'd had Parkinson's for a while
(47:50):
and had passed and I knew it. My son had called me that that
morning. And of course he was 2000 miles
away, right? And I'm standing in the kitchen
and I literally feel him hug me.And you know, he used to say,
and this is a very astute man, 32nd degree Mason, tool and die
(48:14):
maker, master machinist. He could, you know, build things
that hold me in 7 inch tolerances.
And he used to say to me, God damn it, Bruce, I don't want to
hear any of your spiritual bullshit, right?
And that seems so incongruent with what I knew him to be.
And yet here was this hug that was that felt like I really do
(48:39):
get it and I love you. How beautiful.
And I just broke down. I, I couldn't handle it like you
on stage. I, I just, you know, and do we
allow ourselves those moments tofully feel and embody whatever
(49:02):
it is that's emerging? And how do we, how do you handle
that? Do you see that or notice that
you know most people are so stoic and unwilling to share the
(49:23):
depth of their feeling and sensing for fear of whatever?
Right. I I do see that a lot, and not
only in others. I see it in myself at times.
Oh. Absolutely.
And so, you know, it's that thing when you start talking
(49:45):
with someone and you connect on that deeper level and you can
see things open up and then you can see them close now, because
maybe it's why. Don't you see it?
You feel it. But you feel it, you feel it.
And I think that a lot of times it's it is that challenge of how
(50:08):
does this fit? Maybe it doesn't.
Sometimes connecting with someone on a deep level, it's
like, what boundaries do you have to have there?
And you know, one of my favoritestories is in Fourth Dimension
Part 1 and 2, Doctor Cho, who runs one of the biggest churches
in the world in Korea. He tells the story of a man who
(50:31):
was coming home 1 Christmas Eve and he gets hit by a taxi.
And so the taxi driver puts themin the car, puts them in the
back, actually hoping he will die.
Because according to the story, at that time, if someone hit
someone and they died, you just have to pay the funeral bill.
But if they survived, you have to pay the hospital bill.
So the taxi driver was, as the story, as Doctor Cho relates,
(50:54):
this was driving around and somehow a police officer saw the
man in the back said, hey, get him to a hospital right now.
So they took the man to the hospital.
By the time they got him there, his intestines had been filled
with dirt. I don't know, you know, just
from the impact or whatever. And they thought he was going to
die very soon. Someone from the hospital knew,
Doctor Cho said. One of the members of your
(51:16):
congregation is ill. Can you come?
He said. I'll be there as soon as I can,
as soon as I finish the Christmas Eve service.
He got there and he told the man, he said he saw him.
He said, Holy Spirit, give me 5 minutes if you give me 5
minutes. And so the nurses in the room
kind of laughed at him. But all of a sudden they felt
this warmth and they said, is itgetting warm in here?
(51:36):
And he knew it was the Holy Spirit.
The man opened his eyes and he said, oh, Guster Cho, I'm dying.
And he said, no, you must not say that.
You must say that you will live.I want you to see yourself going
home on Christmas Eve. You have the presents.
Because the man, I've been excited about the presents.
That's why I didn't see the taxicoming.
You go into the house, your wifegives you a big hug and kiss,
(51:57):
your children greet you and you have a wonderful Christmas Eve
and wake up Christmas Day. And he said, do you see that
man? He said, I want to be that man.
He said you are that man. And so he said, you just
concentrate on that and I'll do the praying well with intention.
Intention interaction. I just tossed that in before I
(52:18):
forget. Exactly, exactly.
Within a week the man had gone home.
He was fine, a miracle. And then whenever he, Doctor Cho
thinks about that, he said, I think about the Holy Spirit and
the Holy Spirit saying yes. And the importance of the whole
book is about. The are you giving permission?
(52:39):
Right, exactly because. That's the whole crux of it.
You got to give yourself permission to behold, to be
healed, to be. Unified yes exactly and and deal
with the challenges of experiences you know there's
things we'd rather not go through right do I and it's like
but. There's things that had we not
(53:00):
gone through and we wouldn't learn much.
Right. There's those trials and
tribulations that add. To right and how do we go in and
saying, OK, if this is what I must do, then my goal, my
desire, my belief is to come outa certain way and and and to go
fully for that, you know, and praying for other people and
(53:21):
people declaring what they want.I mean, I had someone who
actually talked me out of doing affirmations for a while,
unfortunately, because I was laughed at.
But The thing is, is that. There's that point about our
perspective and codependency. Exact codependency.
And that's why people, we were talking about, people are
afraid. You know how sometimes you can
have the most profound discussion with someone,
(53:42):
strangers on a plane or strangers on a train, but in
your own life it's like, that's too much.
I remember. What was it?
A profits not known in his own home or town or something like
that. And then because even while we
might have this understanding inone area, we're the areas where
we don't have mastery, where people can say, well, sure, you
(54:02):
can understand this, but how come this doesn't work in your
life? And so how do you reconcile
those? And that's where a lot of people
get stuck. I mean, it's easy to say, OK,
well, maybe I won't talk about that so much, but.
They had coaches like me to helpthem work through that.
That's more the. Recursive function.
(54:22):
Exactly, exactly, which is why the work that you do is so
important then and, and all of the opportunities that you
provide for people to remember and hearken to home in that
sense of within and connection with the divine and, and
declarations and intentions. Like, like you knew enough at
(54:44):
that time to get off of the Thorazine trip that they were
taking you on and say, OK, this is what I need to be able to go
on. I'll turn this key.
They'll say, oh. Well, here, here's what actually
happened. I didn't go into the full story.
So midnight the night before, I'm up reading the Bible and
(55:09):
there's a black woman sitting next to me.
It's probably 10, maybe 15 yearsmy senior.
She's got a book on Wicca that she's reading.
And so we get into this conversation and, and part way
through, she, you know, kind of sits up a little bit, says, you
know, I feel like you need a blessing.
Would you mind if I give you 1? And I'm like, sure, right.
(55:33):
So she gets up, goes into her room, comes back.
Now this is one of the the fellow inmates, right?
And she goes up and oh, OK. So she was a patient there, too.
Yeah, she was a patient too. And so she gets her, gets a vial
of oil, brings out a little small one and puts dab on her
fingertip, makes a cross on my forehead, does some kind of
(55:53):
incantation prayer, and and thenwe, you know, go back to the
conversation. And the following morning, I had
no desire to try to get the doc to understand me.
I understood him and blurted outwhat he wanted me to say for
three weeks. Well, interesting.
(56:14):
So that was a prompting that I acquiesced to rather than try
and force my will. Right.
Well. So those are the kinds of bread
crumbs I'm talking about that happened that you don't suspect,
don't expect, and yet they happen and, and how often do we
(56:38):
miss them or not pay attention to them?
And then what happens when we doand the difference in our
internal and external experienceas a result.
See, those are the things that we have to compare and contrast
to, to find that if you know if our mind's going to work right
(57:02):
and it's going to be critical, then give it something that has
some substance for it to be critical about.
That doesn't go. It doesn't take you on that
downward spiral. It takes you on the upward
spiral of being able to assimilate your experience,
offer a way to transcend from it, and then take action toward
(57:23):
it. Yes, exactly.
You know, when I'm coaching people and preparing them for
media appearance, one of the things that I say is make a deal
with your inner critic. If you're going to be on a Zoom
or some other platform, if there's a drawer nearby, open
the drawer. Tell your critic I'm putting you
here. I'll be back for you later.
Because you know the crit needs to know there'll be some time to
(57:45):
be heard, but you don't. You can be self replacing
without being so critical, right?
Right, exactly. But and, and just put, put it
containing it or if you're driving somewhere, either leave
it at home or leave it in the car like before an interview or
something saying, OK, I'm leaving you here, I'll be back
for you later. So that you can then come
through and shine in that way that you shine without that.
(58:07):
In the South they would say don't get the big head or
whatever it is that is designed.It's not just the South.
I heard that a lot in Indiana. Too, did you?
OK, OK, well, I guess because I heard it in the South and I was
a person the. Mid, right.
You know, that whole region north to South was kind of that
way. East Coast, different.
West Coast is quite a bit different.
(58:27):
Exactly and the but. And the point is that it was
designed with a good reason, just like the ego.
Ego trying to keep you safe. The critics trying to say keep.
You in check. Right, Remember that didn't work
last time. Don't do it again.
But the and and they want to make sure that you're humble.
Like, like, talk about the humble brag now, No.
It's about failing forward. Interesting.
Yeah. It's recognized.
(58:48):
Oops. OK, how can I do that better?
Right, Because you had the impetus to do it.
You just didn't have enough. No with, no with wherewithal.
Wherewithal. To make it fit in that moment.
Exactly, exactly so true. Wonderful.
(59:13):
It's just amazing stuff. So what was your most dynamic in
your professional life? Now that we're we've moved into
these areas of professionalism and careers and things like
that. What do you find has been the
most advantageous to your own inner work and you're sharing of
(59:36):
that with others? I think discernment is really
key, meaning that there are different platforms in which
certain things are to be shared,like this wonderful experience,
but it's not on every platform that this happens.
(59:57):
I remember when I started working.
On camera and I was working witha coach and she said people want
to see Janice Edwards, but they don't want to see the Janice
Edwards who gets up with something in her eye in the
morning and has to do this. They want to see Janice Edwards.
So it's not a, it's like a compartmentalization, but to the
(01:00:20):
degree of integration that is possible to do that meaning that
I do when I work with people, I do inner child work.
I've done so on my own as well, which has but.
You've got a great pause and reflect button that that
operates in micro moments. Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Yeah. So it's that it's that
(01:00:41):
understanding that you need all of you at least at peace or
integrated to be able to show upin the best way possible.
And it can be that you tell yourinner child to go take a nap and
then you'll be back. But if you need your inner child
to come and perform, it's like offer a treat afterwards or
(01:01:01):
something. It's like do something that.
Get some ice cream. You're right, exactly.
Or blow bubbles in the park or whatever there.
But at the same time so that youcan go and do the speech or or
minister to people. And then having an opportunity
to know that when you are going to be public and putting things
(01:01:21):
forward, you also have time to retreat and practice self-care
and that balance. Because then it's like even
though sometimes, especially with social media and especially
for people who are popular, who are super popular, it's a
different dynamic. But still, even with what people
who are wise choose to share, there's a time when you are
(01:01:43):
visible fully and there's a timewhen you have a chance to
retreat to to what is most important that allows you to
show up there and also to have your private time.
I tell one story that I was at, I was in LA at Roscoe's Chicken
and Waffles, and one of the people I always thought that I
(01:02:03):
would interview or watch record in the studio was Luther
Vandross. Did not happen, but all of a
sudden I'm not. Well, Roscoe's with my friend
and there's Luther, and he sees me and he sees, oh, because I'll
curse my eyes and it was an asshole.
And he puts his hand in front ofhis plate of his chicken and
waffles and looks at me like, don't you dare come over here.
(01:02:29):
And I didn't. I got it.
But I say so boundaries. Forever.
Sure, sure. Well, it's an important thing
too. You got to learn to create and
respect. Right, exactly.
And I gave him mass respect and so anyway, but it's about those
boundaries. We are winding down on time.
I want to ask one final question.
(01:02:50):
And how do you see, having read my book, how do you see that
being effectual in this evolutionary leap that humanity
is in the process of taking? Great question.
It's something that I was thinking about as I was
(01:03:13):
listening to your, I was listening to the audio book.
It the question becomes why withsuch light, like you talk about
the light and the people who understand that, are we seeing
such darkness in the world? And how do how do you
(01:03:34):
effectively deal with that? And so I think your book is so
valuable because it reminds people that there are
communities who believe in the fullness of expression,
connected to spirit, connected to divine, connected to God,
(01:03:54):
that it isn't something that belongs to one particular people
who might be manipulating that, but that what you're talking
about is human being to human being.
With divine understanding of many dimensions.
(01:04:15):
We have the ability to come together and to continue to make
a difference in the world. Strategies clearly need to be
different because of what we're seeing in terms of suppression.
The reminder that you provide inyour book is something that then
(01:04:41):
inspires others to say, where can we take that action?
You say, where can you take one small action?
Then maybe there's another step.But I but I think it also speaks
to there has to be wisdom. There's a scripture wise as
serpent, gentle as doves, wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove.
(01:05:01):
And in these times when we're seeing what looks like poisonous
snakes trying to choke the life out of many people, it is
important to figure out how do we sustain and feed into life
and feed into the best of who weare and not kowtow to the worst.
(01:05:25):
Thank you that that was so eloquently and heartfelt in your
expression. I, I and I hope that our
audience gets that too. And, and the the practical and
pragmatic stuff is on planetarycitizens.net.
(01:05:45):
We take the spiral dynamics model, the Co creation wheel.
We break it down into the 12 sectors who's doing what in
each. Our strategic plan is to have
panel discussions on with this, excuse me, I get it all choked
up over it. We have panel discussions with
various sector members to talk about mitigating the silos
(01:06:09):
between them and actually helping to facilitate a holistic
system that can emerge by doing so.
It's just going to take effort and some years to do it, but
we've got a 10 year plan and it's also resident on
planetarycitizens.net as well. So Janice, I've just, this has
(01:06:30):
been an amazing conversation. I loved it and I, I can tell you
really enjoyed it too. I did.
Thank you so much. For the invitation, I appreciate
it so much and thank you, Zen. Thank you for inviting me and
thank you to your viewers for joining us for this.
Oh, you're very welcome. It's just it's amazing what
random invites can happen. Yes.
(01:06:55):
Exactly. All right, so again, thank you
and namaste and in La Cage, thanks for sticking with us for
this episode of One World in a New World.
I'm Zen Benefil, your host, and thanks to Janice Edwards and I
will see you next time.
Namaste and in La Ketch and welcome to this episode of One
World in a New World. I'm your host, Zen Benefiel.
And as always, please do like, subscribe, share profusely.
It benefits us all. And please do visit
planetarycitizens.net, home of our sponsor, and pick up your
free copy of Planetary Citizens Awakening the Heart of Humanity.
(00:24):
I guarantee you'll love it. It finds balance in between the
left and the right that you might not be aware of yet.
So get your book and find out now.
This week's guest is Janice Edwards.
She is a speaker. She's an Emmy nominated
executive producer and TV talk show host.
(00:47):
She's a CEO of Edwards Unlimited.
She really loves new media communication and video
production. She's also a graduate of
Harvard. Imagine that.
She's just a wonderful woman. You'll meet her in just a
moment. We're going to have a really
deep dive and find out how she bridged her in her and outer
worlds. Don't go away.
(01:07):
We'll be right back. Explore the thoughtmosphere.
Embark on a life changing journey of self discovery.
Embrace harmony with self, with other, with Earth, one world in
a new world. Zen Benefield skillfully ignites
conversations, guiding guests toreveal personal journeys and
perspectives. Listeners are inspired to seek
(01:30):
knowledge and find wisdom in their own lives.
Join this transformative journeyas we navigate the depth of
human experience. Janice, it's so great to have
you here with amongst all the kerfuffles we had coming in.
It's such a joy to have you. Zen, thank you so much for
having me. I am delighted to be here.
I'm very excited about the work that you're doing.
(01:53):
And thank you again for having me as a guest.
And hello to all of your viewers.
You're very welcome. And it's good to have a cohort
in the media, right? I haven't had the exposure you
have, and yet I've had, you know, 35 years off and on in it.
Now regarding where we're going to go today, most often we're
(02:17):
bereft of having conversations about what goes on inside of us.
And I think that's a detriment to society as a whole because we
live half inside and half outside.
And most of this internal thingsis our own questioning, our own
recursive function, if you will,that has us querying ourselves
(02:39):
for answers. Well, we're built that way,
right? So how do we move into that, and
if you would be so kind as to share when you first began
noticing that there was more interconnectivity to life than
just the outer world expression?I liken it to a Seminole moment
(03:04):
when I was four years old when Iwas in the bathtub at my home
and my great grandmother was visiting us and I heard her say,
girl, get out of the tub right now.
And so I yelled downstairs, OK, granny, I'm coming.
And she said I didn't say anything, but I was about to
tell you, get out of the tub right now.
(03:26):
And so that was the first momentwhen I recognized, I heard that
before it actually happened. And so that was something that
continued to inform me. And I, I was someone at a young
age, I, I had dreams sometimes. And when some of the things came
true that I had dreamed. And one was very disturbing
(03:49):
because sadly it was the passingof my mother's best friend.
And I remember at that time being aware of God.
I've been baptized in the church.
And just a sidebar, I that was when I had bangs and used to use
bang rollers. Baptized to experiencing
telepathy like that, right that that.
(04:10):
How does that fit in? Well, I, well, I believe that we
are all God's children and that God has created us all.
And so for me, it was an understanding that that was a
gift that I had, but I actually asked for it to be taken away
because I said if I can't changethings.
(04:32):
I was very upset when I seen that my mother's best friend was
going to die. And then it actually happened.
I was nine years old at the time.
Well, as kids, we have these this desire for everything to be
whole, to be happy, to be joyful.
I still have that desire. I do too.
(04:53):
But but yes, especially as children and like you said, and
then trying to make sense of it,we could the the way I was
connected, it didn't make it. It was painful to me and I and I
just thought, well, that was thebest way, which isn't always the
way, but I because I believe that God hears us and God.
(05:14):
Absolutely no. And all of that.
So when I asked that then it wastaken away, I didn't, I, I could
feel things, but I didn't see them coming as clearly as those
experiences that I had when I was 9/1 was the school that I
was going to attend. And that was fine.
You know, I saw the building, etcetera long before I'd ever
seen it in real life. But the other one was something
(05:35):
that became a Seminole moment for me, and probably if I had
felt like I could talk with other people about it in a
comfortable way with an understanding, I might not have
said that. Sure.
You know, I had a spiritual awakening at 18 and my parents,
it was really bizarre. I went into the light beyond,
got my mission orders, came back, realized that we're all
(05:58):
cosmic consciousness condensed into form, just unaware.
Now, as an 18 year old, that's kind of hard to explain to
adults, let alone, you know, people my age and wait, nuts,
right? So the first psychiatrist I saw
listened really well, asked a lot of questions, what a godsend
(06:20):
he was. And he said, you know, after the
third visit, he said, you know, you're not crazy.
You've had a spiritual awakening.
You've got all the signs that they're undeniable.
My advice to you is keep your mouth shut.
Nobody's going to understand you.
So the following year, now I wasin the pre Med program in
college at the time. And the following year I had
this, you know, brilliant idea. I was going to buy a couple of
(06:41):
sets of drums with my room and board money and put them in my
dorm room. I did had to move out during the
winter break because I'd spent my room and board money.
Now, that ended up having me, you know, approach a frat house
one night just trying to stay warm in the middle of the winter
in Indiana. And I got beat up there and
ended up in the emergency room. And my father shows up and he
(07:03):
says I, I tell him I'm ready to go home.
He says, no, I don't think so. I think you need to stay for a
bit. And I'm thinking, OK, blow to
the head. I had a nasty one.
That's why I went to the emergency room, Get stitched up.
He said, I think you need to stay for a bit.
So I'm thinking, OK, blow to thehead, possible concussion,
overnight observation. Cool, right?
Then two orderlies come up and escort me to the elevator up to
(07:26):
the 7th floor. Doors open up, this big black
guy gets up off the chair with the water keys and he pulls off
of it and he says I got another one for me.
Huh. And then I realized what was
happening. Well that particular
psychiatrist was ADSM 4 proponent Full tilt boogie and
(07:47):
he diagnosed me as an antidepressant paranoid
schizophrenic and put me on 2000micrograms of Thorazine a day.
Oh my. Gosh would not bother to listen
to me. He saw me from a diagnosis and
treatment perspective only. And yet that Thorazine, I should
have been a lump in the corner. I was up playing ping pong,
(08:07):
beating the male nurses. So there was something off in
that and nobody saw it except me.
And so I eventually had to tell the doc what he wanted to hear
and miracle cure happened. And then I eventually got out.
But did you tell him? I'm just curious, what did you
tell him that got you out? Well, I was trying to get him to
(08:27):
talk, to listen to my experiences first, to help me
understand and somehow integratewith him.
What he wanted to hear was that I've been using drugs and had,
you know, specifically psychedelics and that I was
(08:48):
addicted and blah, blah, blah, right?
And so here's this, you know, this is 1975, and so he is
probably approaching 60. So he's got a very old
traditionalist view that is so rigid and boxed in that he
couldn't hear anything outside of it.
(09:09):
So I had to speak to him inside the box, which he heard, and
then, Oh my gosh, you know, miracle cure, right?
Because I fit into his box instead of him opening the lid
and fitting into mine. I see.
Wow. 35 years later I got asked to present at the International
(09:30):
Association for Near Death Studies annual conference in
Denver and I spoke to a bunch ofsimilar clinicians and
practitioners that were listening from a different place
maybe. Well, well, gosh, how did you
come back from such a traumatic experience and begin to continue
(09:53):
to trust? Well, in.
The hearing and experiencing wasauthentic.
It was pretty easy actually. Internally extra, it was, I mean
excruciating at times. However, internally, when I had
my experience, I was told have faith and trust that I would
have. My life would be full of trials
and tribulations, but to have faith and trust and allow things
(10:18):
to happen and just know that everything would be there at its
appointed time. So I trusted that implicitly.
Why would you not when you're inthat?
I mean, you're in the light and then beyond.
And so you bring that back with full conscious awareness.
What do you do with it? Right.
So I've spent my year 50 years. That's what Planetary Citizens
(10:39):
is all about in activating that recursive function in us all to
really take a look at ourselves and realize, you know, there is
a design we're, you know, we can't think our way through a
system built on vibration. We have to sense our way
through. So that's a whole different
scenario. And instead of going from the
(11:01):
top down, you know, thinking with your head first and then
shove it through your body, well, you, you operate from your
intuition first, your gut. And it's an ancient philosophy,
It's an indigenous philosophy. 3brain philosophy is what's
called the gut's the first, the heart's the second, the head's
the 3rd. And you process in that way.
Well, scientifically, now we've got proof we're set up to do
(11:24):
that. There's more neurosensors in the
gut than there are in the. Vagus.
The vagus nerve exactly in all. That's part of it, yeah.
But there there's a whole, there's all kinds of systems.
I have another book called Zero to 1, Making Our Way Towards a
Conscious Civilization that I break down different systems
that are inside the body, such as the chakras, the medians, the
(11:47):
marmas and things of that nature, which were internal
systems that were built with. So there's a design beyond what
we think there is and like in the Vedas vases, the Bible are
really Jesus teaching. So I'll put it that way because
the Vedas say we're all divine threads Incarnate, connected to
(12:09):
source capable of God consciousness.
Let's individuated infinite intelligence available to each
one of us that we query internally, which is how you
were able to operate with that telepathy because you said, OK,
I'm going to shut this off for alittle bit.
You requested it, not realizing it was your own doing.
(12:32):
And then eventually you got comfortable with it again as you
grew, I would suspect professionally you got hints,
you got indicators. But let's talk about that with
in that reflection. I know I gave you a lot in a
real short amount of time. I love it.
I love it. Yeah, that was cool.
And thank you for allowing me toshare that.
(12:53):
It wasn't necessarily by intention to do so, but it came
up, so why not, Right, Exactly. And in that, so how did you
experience those kinds of thingsin your younger years?
How did you learn how to processthings to make sense, first of
(13:14):
all, and then help others make that sense?
Common between you as you got older.
The journey has been an interesting one.
It continues to be. I will say one of the
experiences I had at 13 was I'd read a book on Transcendental
(13:34):
Meditation and I remember reading that because I was
always searching for answers. The the hue pray there.
Why am I afraid to tell you who I am?
Why am I here? The road less traveled all of
those things litany books, right, right.
Yeah, exactly. And so when I was having an
(13:56):
experience of being able to see my body somewhere, but looking
down on it, it felt like from the ceiling, I recognized for me
that that was not that was not asafe experience in the sense
that I felt like I needed to getback and my body and be more
integrated. Well, it was an unknown, right?
When you when you leave the unknown, there's all kinds of
(14:18):
trepidations of what you're going to find.
And it it would be so uncomfortable that you would
just snap back to what's more comfortable.
Exactly. And so I mentioned that at the
age of four, I was baptized at the church.
And the thing about the bang roller was that they, my mom
forgot and I went up there with the bang roller and then we have
to take it out quickly. And then I was upset because I
(14:39):
sprinkled water on my bangs, right.
So that's so there's the inner feeling like, oh, this is a
spiritual experience. The outer is worried about the
packaging. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And then when I was 11, I was reading about the age of
responsibility for Christ and I felt like I hope I get the call
God. And one day I was in church and
I got the call to go to the altar and and give my life to
(15:01):
Christ. And so those two experiences and
then when I was 13 having this, I start to understand a little
bit about spiritual warfare. And the reason I mention this is
because I came to an understanding because of that
and even a Ouija board experience that you can invite
spirits in, but not all spirits are good spirits.
And I unfortunately had a coupleof experiences like that.
(15:24):
And so I and in my growth, I later wound up doing the course
of miracles and also visiting with a friend who was Buddhist,
you know, the somewhere where they were chanting and all of
these questions and all of it came back to my rededicating my
life to Christ, July 11th of 1992.
(15:46):
The reason is. That the Namiyaho Renge kill.
Yes, exactly, exactly. Yes, yes.
And so the, the, the navigation has been something that
continues to be a an amazing experience and sometimes a
(16:07):
challenge. Kind of between an.
Outer right, because there are times, for example, I might pray
for someone and and what the Holy Spirit downloads to me is
something that I had no knowledge of with the person.
So that in that way that seeing or understanding has come back.
But it's, it's not Even so much that I might see it in a person
(16:34):
right there, But as we go into prayer, it comes forward or
sometimes when I'm, I've been on, you know, hosting a show and
I'll see something in someone and there it may be a question
that I wind up asking or it may be something I don't ask then,
but afterwards I might wound it wind up saying, do you have a
(16:54):
prayer request? Or sometimes it's, you know,
it's that kind of the experienceI I hadn't.
It's a bit more intimate than people are necessarily used to.
This is again where that inner awareness comes into the outer
world and you ask for permission.
Exactly. And then one of the things that
(17:14):
has been a challenge also is thestaying awake, staying awake in
the spirit to things. And I think about that old
Dionne Warwick, so. That has nothing to do with
being woke. That has with being a way.
Right, exactly. I mean it.
Well, I would say in a sense it might because it's criminal.
Space. Right.
(17:34):
Well, as you mentioned in your book too, that the understanding
that we are here and we are connected in a deeper way than
polarization allows for does have to do with being awake.
And some of what people have subscribed either correctly or
incorrectly to being woke is about being awake to that.
(17:55):
That no matter what we are or our skin color, like, you know,
when you were talking about whathappened to you and you
mentioned the big black guy, well whatever race he is, there
was a horrible experience that you had being there.
But is that related to the race or the action?
No, I was just describing the situation with.
(18:17):
Exactly. That's what I'm saying that you
were describing that and I know that because that's how you are.
Some people hearing that becauseof polarization might think
differently. Absolutely.
I make the distinct. Perspective, right.
Perception. It's not the other way around.
Right. And so that's why sometimes
being awake may also look like being woke as some people say
(18:40):
it. Very true.
But it's not necessarily that. But you know, there's a old
Dionne Warwick song Do You know the Way to San Jose?
And she talks about how weeks turn into years, how quick they
pass. And sometimes, I don't know if
you've had this experience. Probably not, because I can tell
you're very consciously focused that wait a minute, three months
(19:00):
ago I had this intention, or I remember this, or I'm
experiencing something now that is reminding me of the essence
of who I am. I'm called.
What do you call it? It's an experience of fractals.
Fractals, OK. Yeah, that's part of the
recursion, the ripple, right? And we experience, sometimes we
(19:22):
experience it as deja vu. Yes.
And sometimes we experience as precognitive, sometimes there's
the differentiation between thatfor lack of better, I'll call it
a negative and positive charge. Speaking of energies, right?
And yet, if I'm if you remember correctly, I think it was Jesus
(19:47):
that said in perfect love there is No Fear.
Yes, perfect love cast out. Yeah.
So where does one need to be internally in that unconditional
space to then not be affected bythat oscillation of energy?
(20:11):
Yes, that is one of the biggest questions.
You know, when I was interviewing Arianna Huffington,
we were talking. It must have been a real
pleasure. Yeah, it was, it was, it was
amazing. She had written a book.
And we were talking at one pointabout the inner critic.
And when I do media coaching, I work with this with people a
lot. And I said, So what is your
(20:33):
critic saying to you right now during this interview?
And she said, my critic is saying you have a funny voice
and you should never talk on TV.And so it's like that kind of
experience is, is. Self deprecation that.
That's right, but. 70,000 thoughts?
We have a day. How many of them are self
deprecating? Exactly.
And why and what is that conditioning?
(20:55):
And so all of those factors are related.
I mean, you mentioned Indiana. I was born in Chicago, grew up
in Atlanta. And I remember when I came to
Atlanta, at one point, I was around a lot of older people,
some relatives. And I said something, I don't
know what it was, I said, but someone said to me, children
should be seen and not heard. And I looked, I said, but I'm
(21:17):
right here. Why wouldn't you want to hear
from me? Exactly So.
But that is something that because of some cultural norms,
societal norms, expectations. You know, it's back to those
beliefs like belief system, the Christian belief system, you
know, and Jesus saying be he haslittle children.
OK, well what's that mean? That doesn't mean put you in a
(21:39):
box or a corner or a classroom and shut it off and program you.
That means to listen and engage and respond in love.
Yes, and see a being as a precious entity.
Yeah. And so, and that is something
that part of my mission in termsof sharing, in terms of creating
(22:04):
media for others, in terms of writing, in terms of praying, in
terms of media coaching for people to step into their
brilliance. It is, is it's about that.
And, and, and yet at the same time, I have to remind myself,
like you say, the inner and the outer.
One of the things that I told mymom, you mentioned college and
(22:26):
when I was 14, I was in the my troop at my school.
I was also the first African American class president there.
I was also president of Methodist Youth.
That's awesome. And I was thank you and I.
And I'm sure very challenging asa result too.
Yes, exactly. Yeah, I was also acting.
(22:46):
And I told my mom I don't want to go to college, I just want to
act. And she said you're going to
college, young lady, get over it.
And it turned out it was a good decision for me.
Sure, sure. But but that sense of and, and
for me, one of the reasons for that is that taking on other
characters sometimes can be amazing.
(23:07):
But again, when you have that inner knowing, you have the
outer and then you take on thosewords and words have power, it
can change your life. I mean, we know tragic stories.
I think one that stood out to meyears ago was Heath Ledger when
they saw that when he took on that last role mentally, he
wasn't able to come back from that.
(23:27):
And and so a lot of times when you see people who are very
sensitive and they're self medicating and I don't know
anything more about his life. I'm not trying to speak on that.
But what I'm saying is, is that serves as an example because
there's when you talk about all of the thoughts we have per day,
sometimes there's a gossamer thread between what's actually
you and those thoughts that are laid upon your brain and your
(23:51):
spirit. Great point.
That's the some call it, I believe, the imposter syndrome.
OK, yes. Inner critic, yeah.
Right. These are those compared
comparing and contrasting oneself to the suspected views
(24:14):
that one ought to have based on codependency toward others and
what they think you should be. Right.
Yes, exactly. And I think one of the reasons
people have different feelings about the Barbie movie.
But that song that Billie Eilishcreated, what was I made for?
That's something. I'm laughing.
(24:37):
I was doing front of house merchfor Barbie Live in Fairytopia
all over the country. It was what a Mattel.
Sounds like an amazing experience it.
Was, you know, I got to meet Barbie?
No. Which what?
Which version? Right.
Yeah. Exactly.
Well and there were 7 witches along with her as well.
(25:02):
Good witches, most of them. So the the whole story was
really interesting and you know,like I say, we got to travel the
country, we had four semis. So it was a huge production.
Oh, my God, You know, just seeing the people and the places
and dealing with all the people that, as, you know, interacting
with them gave me a good taste of where people were at in
(25:26):
America at the time. This was 2007, I think, so we've
gone through massive changes since then.
But, you know, I've had a chanceto wear many hats.
It was just a fluke, and I had the time and the space to do so.
And I thought, why not and played a lot of golf around the
(25:48):
country too. With my we travelled in a
minivan and the cast and crew travelled in a bus, so we had
the freedom to do whatever we wanted in between.
Right. I, I love that adventure.
I mean, one of the things that Imight not have had in the bio
that I sent you was that I also did ultimately earn my SAG and
AFTRA and Equity cards. I wound up doing acting later
(26:11):
and really enjoying that and doing a two woman show with Anna
Devira Smith as well as doing Joe Turner's Come and Gone with
the Sacramento Theatre Company. And a lot of LA actors were
there when it when it became oneof my best who's been one of my
best friends ever since then. And so but it and it was
interesting. I was cast to play an
(26:32):
evangelist. And so at that time, I think
sounds. Like a perfect part, right?
Well, you know what was interesting was I had not yet
rededicated my life to Christ, and so that reading the Bible
every day knock. Knock.
Right as part of as part of my role as Martha.
Pentecost was also a Seminole moment that led to that.
(26:52):
So, but it is interesting when you talk about the adventures
and having the opportunity to dothat.
But that's something that sometimes I felt, well, I didn't
have that road map at times thaton this way, the media or that
way, but. I don't want to argue, but I
would reflect that bread crumbs were there consistently.
(27:15):
It was your ability to pay attention with intention and
interaction that gave you the vacillation of experience.
Right, exactly. And that's where those inner
challenges come up. And, and for other people who
(27:36):
see that, it's like I, I remember once seeing someone, a
lady who might have been I thinkin her 80s and I was 14 and she
said blessing, right. And she said, you know,
sometimes I feel the same insideas I did when I was your age.
And I looked at her and thought,how is that possible?
But now I know how that is possible, you know, because your
(28:00):
spirit and, and your purpose andyour yearning and your essence
that are always calling you backto say, remember, remember who
you are. Remember that you are.
And especially in times when suppression of essence and what
(28:20):
makes us unique is, is being threatened in many ways, it's
like, how do you stay empowered?How do you stay connected?
And so when you were asking me about this inner and outer,
that's part of it. I mean, in one of the out of the
12,000 interviews, more than 12,000 that I've done, one of
(28:42):
the ones that really struck me very deeply was as I was
interviewing Deepak Dr. Deepak Chopra.
All of a sudden in the interview, I realized there was
no separation. It was very strange.
It's like those those dynamics like this is my body, this is
your body, We are here in this way.
All of a sudden it just melted away.
(29:03):
Soul to soul communication, doesn't that feel that it's
ineffable? Yes, it was incredible.
And at the same time, part of mein my body was saying stay
grounded, one, because I was on camera doing an interview, and
two, it's like, OK, this is veryinteresting, it's familiar.
(29:24):
And yet. Right, Artie?
Right, it's not common everyday experience.
I had this understanding of yourdissolution or your dissolving
into the nothingness that allowed you in Deepak to have
(29:46):
this intimate experience individually and yet
collectively as a unified field.Would you describe it kind of
that way? I know I said it was ineffable
earlier, right? You know, almost.
Except, you know, it's interesting.
You said dissolving into nothingness, and it felt more
like expanding into everything. Is it right?
(30:07):
It was. It was the barrier.
I think the two actually happened there.
There are two halves of that whole.
Interesting. OK, yeah.
But right. So it was just an expanded
awakening in that moment, a lot of which is similar to in times
(30:32):
of the prayer with the Holy Spirit revealing things, there's
an amplification and an awareness and awakening that's.
That infinite intelligence thread that's connected to you
from source, Whatever we want tocall it, you know, we call it
energy. We can call it God, We can call
it pure consciousness. Yeah, I definitely call it God.
(30:56):
No, that right, that connection.So and I and what was
interesting too, at that time, this was several years ago, it
was during a political election in 2012.
And I said what what does politics reflect about
Americans? And he said it reflects the
(31:16):
struggles and the conflicts of the soul that get played out on
a national platform. So it was really interesting.
He had at that time, his son hadjust done a movie called Finding
Deep Pox. This was back in 2012.
This was a while ago. And he talked about the
experience of every day going asa as the monks do with a bowl to
(31:41):
people's homes to see what they put into the bowl.
And that provided their sustenance for the day.
So that that whole experience and the expansion of that and
other things lead me to the question many times that I think
a lot of us ask, why am I havingthe experience that I'm having
(32:02):
right now? Is there something to learn from
this? What is the best decision I can
make in this? Perfect questions that.
That's a recursive function there.
Oh, OK, yes. That's a perfect example of it,
because you're asking the question.
You don't know what you don't know, right?
(32:23):
So you ask the question and you go inside and and you shut up.
You. Hear the answers right, right.
Yes, you know one of the. That's the.
Interesting point. You know the the shutting up.
I was orphaned, adopted, and when my parents told me I was
adopted, when they brought me adopted sister home 4 1/2, I was
(32:45):
left with the question of if I have a father and mother in
heaven, can I talk to them? Right.
Nothing else mattered other thanthat bigger picture to me at
that time. And so I eventually heard a
voice and and it startled me, didn't frighten me.
I spun around, asked mom if she could hear it, not didn't.
(33:06):
So I knew it was there. I didn't question that.
So what I did, Dad worked night so he'd have a nap between 8930.
Mom would be in the kitchen, I'dbe in the living room by myself.
I'd open the curtains up and I'dlook outside and put the the
window with lights on right so you can't see out.
And I would stand there and I would project this voice that I
heard in its words and tone and I would wait.
(33:31):
And of course the kids mind is just racing, wondering if it's
going to come back or not. Well one night I found silence.
I shut up for just a moment and the voice came and I was just
amazed. So I learned, I didn't even
realize it at the time. You know, I got older and
(33:54):
started practicing meditation, talking to people and going to
classes and workshops and all that, and eventually even
offering them. It was that initial experience
of finding that silence inside that opens the door to that
communication. Right, yes.
(34:16):
And have you noticed these days,because it's wonderful what we
have in technology. Technology is connecting us
right now. What the noise?
The AI has got great emotional intelligence too.
Yes, yes. You know, years ago my mom was
getting her PhD and she was doing some studies about
(34:36):
Pavlovian responses. You know the dogs would salivate
when the bell. Bell.
Right. So first they got food when the
bell rang, then after a while nofood came.
But as soon as the bell rang, they salivated.
And then they've talked about how now our brains are wired,
you know, that same way you get a peeing on your phone like it
used to be like being in a pinball machine, you know, when
(34:58):
you feel like, yeah, that kind of experience and babies brains
now are why are being wired differently because they're
exposed to so much of that. But at every level to stay.
If you look at it. They focus.
Is it possible that this is an aspect of a design feature that
(35:19):
we aren't seeing yet, and instead supplant that view for
something more sinister? Interesting, Because we're
taught to do that right? We're taught to be critical,
suspicious, suspect, full of motivations and intent, right?
(35:43):
Because everybody just wants what they want and and they're
really selfish and self-centered, right?
This is what we're being taught and often times is what we find
out because we've been taught that and people act like that.
Well, how do we shift that to where we recognize that
possibility? We don't discount it because it
(36:06):
is kind of dumb. And yet how do we rise above
that into a transcendent space where we're free of that
attitude and could be more open to something that is a bit more
connected? Maybe not a lot, but just a
(36:27):
little. You know it, that is
interesting. It's a great postulation too,
because after Harvard, that whatbrought me to California was
going to the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley for
the pastor's work. And so as a journalist, I mean,
I was always that little child saying, well, I have something
to say. Why wouldn't you want to hear it
too, as as a journalist when yousay?
(36:50):
You got to figure out, OK, wheredo I put, where do I plug this
in, where's the pause, and how can.
I do it right exactly, and the both sides, which sometimes is
sadly lacking. Now that's one of the things I
do decry that you don't hear. We tried to speak with the
other, you know, it's like is being thrown at you and it's
like and what about the other part of that?
The opposite. It's like silent sometimes
(37:11):
that's frightening. OK, From a journalistic
perspective, especially journalism is the 4th estate.
So I agree with there's some amazing things that are
happening with AI. And at the same time, when we
think about programming and we think about what AI is taught to
recognize, who AI is taught to recognize, like when we think
(37:34):
about robots being trained for police work, all of these things
that it's is important to say, how is this truly beneficial,
right? How?
How do you plug in the the net program programming of Do no
harm? Right.
And do you plug it in? Because that's the whole thing.
(37:56):
And what I loved in your book was about that.
It's about the intention. It's about this new.
When we talk about new world order, a lot of people think a
lot of different things. What you're talking about is a
consciousness and I've. Got a great interview with
Jeffrey Mishlove that he first time his 28 year dream come
true. When I first started One World
1990, I wanted to emulate him. And who was a graduate of
(38:20):
Berkeley, by the way, and the Moyers, and I hoped someday to
be worthy of an interview with one of them. 2018 rolls around.
The serendipitous moment Jeffreyreached out to me on another
topic out of the blue ended up that That was in June, and in
August we did three conversations at his home in
(38:43):
Albuquerque. The first one was titled A New
World Order and it was based on my understanding of frequency
and vibration rather than the facade on the old order.
Wow, that's amazing. And and see that's what you were
talking about and what you're standing for.
(39:05):
It's something I'm. Sitting presently, but thank.
You sitting, right, Exactly. But taking a stance, see that's
that in my media coaching, I sayeven if you're sitting in an
interview, you can take a stance.
Absolutely. So you're doing that.
But but so, but what you are sitting for, standing for here
for present for is something where there is empowerment and
(39:28):
and understanding and unity. One of the things that you said
in your book was about diversityand unity being important as
part of just continuing to well.Consider the tapestry right?
Let's look at it from a tapestryperspective and just imagine
that the world is a tapestry. It's got all kinds of threads.
(39:52):
Exactly. That tapestry, and the tapestry
itself is absolutely gorgeous. Yes, I mean, you think about it
like you think about how people are introduced to foods like you
think about a baby, right, And then a child growing up at first
broccoli is not maybe that is not the great thing.
I remember interviewing Jerry Seinfeld.
He talked about his. How his wife Jessica Seinfeld,
wrote the book where she startedputting broccoli puree in the
(40:15):
brownies. And so because the kids at first
said I don't want broccoli, but then they liked it in the
brownies. The palettes that we have as we
expand and you tell a child well.
There's other things in browniesnow, right?
That depends on whose brownies you have right?
But it's like that. But it's but that same thing of,
well, they only want chicken Nuggets and fries, right?
(40:37):
When you say maybe you'd like something else and then later
become becomes sushi or it becomes Curry or, you know, just
all of those things. In that same way, we there are
good things to learn from the diverse opportunities and the
rich tapestry of life woven together in humanity and
(41:00):
humanity get recognized. Where does humanity continue to
be embraced? Where can we continue to stand
for that and to be seen? Whether you're dealing with
something personally or medically or in love, like I
love your love stories, like there's a song by Al Jarreau and
Randy Crawford from jazz at Montreux says, sure enough, you
(41:24):
struck me just like lightning. Lord, it was almost frightening,
the. Absolutely.
That's what, when you have thosetwin flame connections, that's
what it's like. It's like, holy shit, right?
And you never knew before love could be like that until you had
an expansion and. It doesn't make it any easier,
(41:44):
right? Because the more you're
challenged to step up to be yourbest self, that's what a twin
flame is going to do for you. And it's going to make you grow
right or run. Yes.
And I choose to grow right. I've always chosen that.
I've never run from anything right.
(42:04):
Well, from your experience at 18, yes, exactly.
And you know, you were talking about people you'd interviewed.
My second show of One World in 1990 was with a guy that you may
recognize his name, Kai Alex D He he was in the Manchurian
(42:25):
Candidate. He played the original Wolfat.
Oh, OK, I do. Right.
I do know the characters he's. A friend mentor, he was he had a
doctorate in theology and was rector of a Dallas sanctuary
here in Tempe really and the theDean of continuing education at
ASU at the time. Obadiah Harris became a dear
(42:47):
friend and and we were working on some things together.
He introduced me to Cai at a teaceremony and I just a beautiful
human being. Now two years later, he passed
away. And I'm at my desk early in the
morning and pausing for a moment, you know, put my just
kind of struck the pose right and closed my eyes and I was off
(43:10):
and just and nothing for a moment.
And then I'm having a conversation with Kai.
And about 1520 seconds in, I'm thinking, you know, Kai, do you
have more, you know, better appointed duties.
You got to be busy over there way.
I hope I'm not interrupting anything.
(43:31):
And then this big booming voice similar to what I heard as a
kid, only much deeper and loudersays there are many worlds.
And on that my guest house shook.
Now it was a cement slab foundation block construction
(43:52):
and the thing shook and I'm likewhoa, what's going on?
Well, a couple of days later I'mreading the I'm over my
girlfriends in Scottsdale and Scottsdale Progress Newspapers
site on her table. And I never read the newspaper
but I always had the impression,OK, open it up inside cover.
FAA announced that Sonic Boom was a headline, so I'm reading
(44:14):
the article. Sure enough, no, this was on
Thursday morning, Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM or at 10 AM,
the FAA office was flooded with calls wondering about this boom.
Whatever it was, I didn't hear anything.
I felt it. And so he said.
But, you know, they had eventually decided to announce
(44:35):
the signing boom that occurred second paragraph.
However, Luke Air Force Base, Sky Harbor Airport and Williams
S Air Force Base, which is stillin operation at the time, could
not identify its source. Now, what do you do with that,
right? It's just a moment.
(44:55):
It's out of this world, literally.
And yet here's the evidence thatsomething happened at that same
time. So that synchronicity might lead
to an expansion of understandingof how worlds interact and that
(45:16):
there is a multi dimensional aspect that we aren't
particularly aware of most of the time.
And yet we have those micro moments, if you will, of
interconnectedness to that degree.
And that wasn't my first. I've had others and I'm sure you
have too. With that, with that story, what
(45:39):
did that trigger in you? What did?
What memory came up for you thatyou connected with it?
It's interesting. Well, there are two things.
One, my mother used to make these bird sounds and after she
passed sometimes I'll hear a bird making the exact sound that
she made and it's just like hi mommy, I feel you.
(46:01):
But what was triggered by what you said is that in 2013, my mom
passed July 2nd at 11151 PM. July 2nd of 2011 and 2013 I was
receiving an award, the Trailblazer Award from 100 Black
women in San Francisco at the Fairmont.
(46:22):
And it was a tea and you know, it's like hats and gloves.
Fancy nice lunch? Great honor and prestige.
Yeah, yeah. I went up to accept the award.
I'd written some words because I, I believe anatomy.
I always leave room for amplification and improv.
Love improv too, but I also usually have so I had what I was
(46:46):
going to. Say, life's kind of an improv,
right? Exactly.
And all of a sudden I felt my mother's spirit so intently,
like she was just hugging me saying I'm so proud of you.
And all of a sudden I'm sobbing.I wasn't, you know, as I was
receiving the award, I just had to explain what it was like.
I'm so honored. And I have to share this as well
(47:06):
because I, it was such, I, I believe, I believe in heaven.
I know that there are other dimensions beyond this one, but
in that moment it was such a completely sensory experience
(47:28):
that. And.
Around. You bridged.
Right. And she ended.
I, I, you know, my mom was typing personnel.
He's like, she's like, I just got to hug my baby.
That's what it felt like. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But yeah. That did the same thing the the
morning he passed. He'd had Parkinson's for a while
(47:50):
and had passed and I knew it. My son had called me that that
morning. And of course he was 2000 miles
away, right? And I'm standing in the kitchen
and I literally feel him hug me.And you know, he used to say,
and this is a very astute man, 32nd degree Mason, tool and die
(48:14):
maker, master machinist. He could, you know, build things
that hold me in 7 inch tolerances.
And he used to say to me, God damn it, Bruce, I don't want to
hear any of your spiritual bullshit, right?
And that seems so incongruent with what I knew him to be.
And yet here was this hug that was that felt like I really do
(48:39):
get it and I love you. How beautiful.
And I just broke down. I, I couldn't handle it like you
on stage. I, I just, you know, and do we
allow ourselves those moments tofully feel and embody whatever
(49:02):
it is that's emerging? And how do we, how do you handle
that? Do you see that or notice that
you know most people are so stoic and unwilling to share the
(49:23):
depth of their feeling and sensing for fear of whatever?
Right. I I do see that a lot, and not
only in others. I see it in myself at times.
Oh. Absolutely.
And so, you know, it's that thing when you start talking
(49:45):
with someone and you connect on that deeper level and you can
see things open up and then you can see them close now, because
maybe it's why. Don't you see it?
You feel it. But you feel it, you feel it.
And I think that a lot of times it's it is that challenge of how
(50:08):
does this fit? Maybe it doesn't.
Sometimes connecting with someone on a deep level, it's
like, what boundaries do you have to have there?
And you know, one of my favoritestories is in Fourth Dimension
Part 1 and 2, Doctor Cho, who runs one of the biggest churches
in the world in Korea. He tells the story of a man who
(50:31):
was coming home 1 Christmas Eve and he gets hit by a taxi.
And so the taxi driver puts themin the car, puts them in the
back, actually hoping he will die.
Because according to the story, at that time, if someone hit
someone and they died, you just have to pay the funeral bill.
But if they survived, you have to pay the hospital bill.
So the taxi driver was, as the story, as Doctor Cho relates,
(50:54):
this was driving around and somehow a police officer saw the
man in the back said, hey, get him to a hospital right now.
So they took the man to the hospital.
By the time they got him there, his intestines had been filled
with dirt. I don't know, you know, just
from the impact or whatever. And they thought he was going to
die very soon. Someone from the hospital knew,
Doctor Cho said. One of the members of your
(51:16):
congregation is ill. Can you come?
He said. I'll be there as soon as I can,
as soon as I finish the Christmas Eve service.
He got there and he told the man, he said he saw him.
He said, Holy Spirit, give me 5 minutes if you give me 5
minutes. And so the nurses in the room
kind of laughed at him. But all of a sudden they felt
this warmth and they said, is itgetting warm in here?
(51:36):
And he knew it was the Holy Spirit.
The man opened his eyes and he said, oh, Guster Cho, I'm dying.
And he said, no, you must not say that.
You must say that you will live.I want you to see yourself going
home on Christmas Eve. You have the presents.
Because the man, I've been excited about the presents.
That's why I didn't see the taxicoming.
You go into the house, your wifegives you a big hug and kiss,
(51:57):
your children greet you and you have a wonderful Christmas Eve
and wake up Christmas Day. And he said, do you see that
man? He said, I want to be that man.
He said you are that man. And so he said, you just
concentrate on that and I'll do the praying well with intention.
Intention interaction. I just tossed that in before I
(52:18):
forget. Exactly, exactly.
Within a week the man had gone home.
He was fine, a miracle. And then whenever he, Doctor Cho
thinks about that, he said, I think about the Holy Spirit and
the Holy Spirit saying yes. And the importance of the whole
book is about. The are you giving permission?
(52:39):
Right, exactly because. That's the whole crux of it.
You got to give yourself permission to behold, to be
healed, to be. Unified yes exactly and and deal
with the challenges of experiences you know there's
things we'd rather not go through right do I and it's like
but. There's things that had we not
(53:00):
gone through and we wouldn't learn much.
Right. There's those trials and
tribulations that add. To right and how do we go in and
saying, OK, if this is what I must do, then my goal, my
desire, my belief is to come outa certain way and and and to go
fully for that, you know, and praying for other people and
(53:21):
people declaring what they want.I mean, I had someone who
actually talked me out of doing affirmations for a while,
unfortunately, because I was laughed at.
But The thing is, is that. There's that point about our
perspective and codependency. Exact codependency.
And that's why people, we were talking about, people are
afraid. You know how sometimes you can
have the most profound discussion with someone,
(53:42):
strangers on a plane or strangers on a train, but in
your own life it's like, that's too much.
I remember. What was it?
A profits not known in his own home or town or something like
that. And then because even while we
might have this understanding inone area, we're the areas where
we don't have mastery, where people can say, well, sure, you
(54:02):
can understand this, but how come this doesn't work in your
life? And so how do you reconcile
those? And that's where a lot of people
get stuck. I mean, it's easy to say, OK,
well, maybe I won't talk about that so much, but.
They had coaches like me to helpthem work through that.
That's more the. Recursive function.
(54:22):
Exactly, exactly, which is why the work that you do is so
important then and, and all of the opportunities that you
provide for people to remember and hearken to home in that
sense of within and connection with the divine and, and
declarations and intentions. Like, like you knew enough at
(54:44):
that time to get off of the Thorazine trip that they were
taking you on and say, OK, this is what I need to be able to go
on. I'll turn this key.
They'll say, oh. Well, here, here's what actually
happened. I didn't go into the full story.
So midnight the night before, I'm up reading the Bible and
(55:09):
there's a black woman sitting next to me.
It's probably 10, maybe 15 yearsmy senior.
She's got a book on Wicca that she's reading.
And so we get into this conversation and, and part way
through, she, you know, kind of sits up a little bit, says, you
know, I feel like you need a blessing.
Would you mind if I give you 1? And I'm like, sure, right.
(55:33):
So she gets up, goes into her room, comes back.
Now this is one of the the fellow inmates, right?
And she goes up and oh, OK. So she was a patient there, too.
Yeah, she was a patient too. And so she gets her, gets a vial
of oil, brings out a little small one and puts dab on her
fingertip, makes a cross on my forehead, does some kind of
(55:53):
incantation prayer, and and thenwe, you know, go back to the
conversation. And the following morning, I had
no desire to try to get the doc to understand me.
I understood him and blurted outwhat he wanted me to say for
three weeks. Well, interesting.
(56:14):
So that was a prompting that I acquiesced to rather than try
and force my will. Right.
Well. So those are the kinds of bread
crumbs I'm talking about that happened that you don't suspect,
don't expect, and yet they happen and, and how often do we
(56:38):
miss them or not pay attention to them?
And then what happens when we doand the difference in our
internal and external experienceas a result.
See, those are the things that we have to compare and contrast
to, to find that if you know if our mind's going to work right
(57:02):
and it's going to be critical, then give it something that has
some substance for it to be critical about.
That doesn't go. It doesn't take you on that
downward spiral. It takes you on the upward
spiral of being able to assimilate your experience,
offer a way to transcend from it, and then take action toward
(57:23):
it. Yes, exactly.
You know, when I'm coaching people and preparing them for
media appearance, one of the things that I say is make a deal
with your inner critic. If you're going to be on a Zoom
or some other platform, if there's a drawer nearby, open
the drawer. Tell your critic I'm putting you
here. I'll be back for you later.
Because you know the crit needs to know there'll be some time to
(57:45):
be heard, but you don't. You can be self replacing
without being so critical, right?
Right, exactly. But and, and just put, put it
containing it or if you're driving somewhere, either leave
it at home or leave it in the car like before an interview or
something saying, OK, I'm leaving you here, I'll be back
for you later. So that you can then come
through and shine in that way that you shine without that.
(58:07):
In the South they would say don't get the big head or
whatever it is that is designed.It's not just the South.
I heard that a lot in Indiana. Too, did you?
OK, OK, well, I guess because I heard it in the South and I was
a person the. Mid, right.
You know, that whole region north to South was kind of that
way. East Coast, different.
West Coast is quite a bit different.
(58:27):
Exactly and the but. And the point is that it was
designed with a good reason, just like the ego.
Ego trying to keep you safe. The critics trying to say keep.
You in check. Right, Remember that didn't work
last time. Don't do it again.
But the and and they want to make sure that you're humble.
Like, like, talk about the humble brag now, No.
It's about failing forward. Interesting.
Yeah. It's recognized.
(58:48):
Oops. OK, how can I do that better?
Right, Because you had the impetus to do it.
You just didn't have enough. No with, no with wherewithal.
Wherewithal. To make it fit in that moment.
Exactly, exactly so true. Wonderful.
(59:13):
It's just amazing stuff. So what was your most dynamic in
your professional life? Now that we're we've moved into
these areas of professionalism and careers and things like
that. What do you find has been the
most advantageous to your own inner work and you're sharing of
(59:36):
that with others? I think discernment is really
key, meaning that there are different platforms in which
certain things are to be shared,like this wonderful experience,
but it's not on every platform that this happens.
(59:57):
I remember when I started working.
On camera and I was working witha coach and she said people want
to see Janice Edwards, but they don't want to see the Janice
Edwards who gets up with something in her eye in the
morning and has to do this. They want to see Janice Edwards.
So it's not a, it's like a compartmentalization, but to the
(01:00:20):
degree of integration that is possible to do that meaning that
I do when I work with people, I do inner child work.
I've done so on my own as well, which has but.
You've got a great pause and reflect button that that
operates in micro moments. Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Yeah. So it's that it's that
(01:00:41):
understanding that you need all of you at least at peace or
integrated to be able to show upin the best way possible.
And it can be that you tell yourinner child to go take a nap and
then you'll be back. But if you need your inner child
to come and perform, it's like offer a treat afterwards or
(01:01:01):
something. It's like do something that.
Get some ice cream. You're right, exactly.
Or blow bubbles in the park or whatever there.
But at the same time so that youcan go and do the speech or or
minister to people. And then having an opportunity
to know that when you are going to be public and putting things
(01:01:21):
forward, you also have time to retreat and practice self-care
and that balance. Because then it's like even
though sometimes, especially with social media and especially
for people who are popular, who are super popular, it's a
different dynamic. But still, even with what people
who are wise choose to share, there's a time when you are
(01:01:43):
visible fully and there's a timewhen you have a chance to
retreat to to what is most important that allows you to
show up there and also to have your private time.
I tell one story that I was at, I was in LA at Roscoe's Chicken
and Waffles, and one of the people I always thought that I
(01:02:03):
would interview or watch record in the studio was Luther
Vandross. Did not happen, but all of a
sudden I'm not. Well, Roscoe's with my friend
and there's Luther, and he sees me and he sees, oh, because I'll
curse my eyes and it was an asshole.
And he puts his hand in front ofhis plate of his chicken and
waffles and looks at me like, don't you dare come over here.
(01:02:29):
And I didn't. I got it.
But I say so boundaries. Forever.
Sure, sure. Well, it's an important thing
too. You got to learn to create and
respect. Right, exactly.
And I gave him mass respect and so anyway, but it's about those
boundaries. We are winding down on time.
I want to ask one final question.
(01:02:50):
And how do you see, having read my book, how do you see that
being effectual in this evolutionary leap that humanity
is in the process of taking? Great question.
It's something that I was thinking about as I was
(01:03:13):
listening to your, I was listening to the audio book.
It the question becomes why withsuch light, like you talk about
the light and the people who understand that, are we seeing
such darkness in the world? And how do how do you
(01:03:34):
effectively deal with that? And so I think your book is so
valuable because it reminds people that there are
communities who believe in the fullness of expression,
connected to spirit, connected to divine, connected to God,
(01:03:54):
that it isn't something that belongs to one particular people
who might be manipulating that, but that what you're talking
about is human being to human being.
With divine understanding of many dimensions.
(01:04:15):
We have the ability to come together and to continue to make
a difference in the world. Strategies clearly need to be
different because of what we're seeing in terms of suppression.
The reminder that you provide inyour book is something that then
(01:04:41):
inspires others to say, where can we take that action?
You say, where can you take one small action?
Then maybe there's another step.But I but I think it also speaks
to there has to be wisdom. There's a scripture wise as
serpent, gentle as doves, wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove.
(01:05:01):
And in these times when we're seeing what looks like poisonous
snakes trying to choke the life out of many people, it is
important to figure out how do we sustain and feed into life
and feed into the best of who weare and not kowtow to the worst.
(01:05:25):
Thank you that that was so eloquently and heartfelt in your
expression. I, I and I hope that our
audience gets that too. And, and the the practical and
pragmatic stuff is on planetarycitizens.net.
(01:05:45):
We take the spiral dynamics model, the Co creation wheel.
We break it down into the 12 sectors who's doing what in
each. Our strategic plan is to have
panel discussions on with this, excuse me, I get it all choked
up over it. We have panel discussions with
various sector members to talk about mitigating the silos
(01:06:09):
between them and actually helping to facilitate a holistic
system that can emerge by doing so.
It's just going to take effort and some years to do it, but
we've got a 10 year plan and it's also resident on
planetarycitizens.net as well. So Janice, I've just, this has
(01:06:30):
been an amazing conversation. I loved it and I, I can tell you
really enjoyed it too. I did.
Thank you so much. For the invitation, I appreciate
it so much and thank you, Zen. Thank you for inviting me and
thank you to your viewers for joining us for this.
Oh, you're very welcome. It's just it's amazing what
random invites can happen. Yes.
(01:06:55):
Exactly. All right, so again, thank you
and namaste and in La Cage, thanks for sticking with us for
this episode of One World in a New World.
I'm Zen Benefil, your host, and thanks to Janice Edwards and I
will see you next time.
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