Moments with Marianne

Moments with Marianne is an interview show in which each conversation centres on one guest and one new piece of work. Usually that is a book. Sometimes it is a product. Marianne hosts, and in her introductions she marks ten years of conversations. Her openings follow a recognizable pattern. A 'what if' question sets up the subject, the guest's background is read aloud, and then the guest is welcomed. The result is polished and warm. Most of the subjects deal with inner life. Nicole J. Sachs, whose book is Mind Your Body, describes a practice she created called JournalSpeak. It is a way to release the emotion the body stores, calm the nervous system and feel what needs to be felt. Marianne's follow-up is practical: how does someone move past fear of their own symptoms? Dr. Elaine Aron comes on with Spirituality Through a Highly Sensitive Lens. Her episode opens on whether lasting inner peace is possible whatever is happening around you, and Marianne admits she could not put the book down. Meg Tuohey is introduced as a licensed psychotherapist whose work helps women reconnect with themselves during trauma, transition and identity fracture. Her episode opens on a reversal: what feels like low motivation may actually be disconnection. Ancestry comes up in more than one conversation. Lorena Saavedra Smith, introduced as a philosopher and eco-psychologist, says Awaken Your Roots began as a private act of survival after years of anxiety, depression and feeling that she did not belong. Joseph Bolton approaches roots through storytelling. His Old Grandmother's Tree series is introduced with a question about a forgotten ancestor, and he describes researching Quebec clothing and homes from the 1600s and early 1900s with an artist team. He also says his stories play like a film in his mind before he types them up. Then there is the outlier. Wy Livingston, founder of EcoBidet, presents a refillable, TSA-approved bidet-in-a-bottle with a plant-based formula, meant for daily errands and long trips. Part of the show's character is that a book on enlightenment and a travel hygiene product get the same welcome. Throughout, Marianne is warm and admiring, and the guests supply the detail. To start with the mind-body side, try Mind Your Body with Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW. For the ancestry conversations, try Awaken Your Roots with Lorena Saavedra Smith.