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

Topics:

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

Episode Resources:

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

Resources:

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

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