AwokenWord

#028: Matt Hoh - "The Fight for Peace"

April 4th, 2025  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 47 mins

conversation, empire, gaza, history, human, humanity, love, peace, politics, russia, society, ukraine, war, world

Anuj sits down with Captain Matthew Hoh, former US Marine and now Fellow with the Eisenhower Media Network. Matt's personal journey has literally moved through war, to trying to take on the machine of war making. While Matt is prominent as a writer, podcast and media guest for sharing his informed perspectives on current affairs, this conversation is a deeper look into Matt the man, and the personal journey that led him to be who he is today.

#026: Dr. Yasser Khan - "Humanitarian in Gaza"

February 5th, 2024  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 48 mins

conversation, gaza, healing, history, human, humanitarian, humanity, interview, israel, khan yunis, love, palestine, society, war, world

Anuj sits down with Dr. Yasser Khan - a Canadian ophthalmologist who was among the first in the world to visit Gaza in the midst of the recent Israel-Hamas war, to help injured civilians and see the dire conditions first hand. Yasser shares his humbling experiences and perspectives on being a humanitarian, in one of the most important conversations yet on AwokenWord.

#024: "Analog Intelligence"

December 31st, 2023  |  Season 2  |  37 mins 27 secs

childhood, conversation, culture, fatherhood, gaza, history, human, humanity, interview, israel, love, no war, palestine, peace, politics, science, society, war, world

A special episode where Anuj shares his reflections on 2023, ahead of another impromptu conversation with his son about AI ethics, and the struggle between good and bad.

#023: Martin Ryan - "Artificial Intelligence. Real Ethics"

November 23rd, 2023  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 41 mins

ai, artificial intelligence, capitalism, chat gpt, conversation, culture, humanity, interview, open ai, science, social media

Anuj sits down with Martin Ryan to discuss the moment in time we find ourselves in on the rapidly evolving landscape of AI. They discuss the recent advancements in AI, and the sheer challenge of trying to regulate and govern a technology that is scaling in complexity beyond the pace we can handle. They explore the questions of shared values, the impact of break-neck paced technological advancement, the interplay with capitalism, and the coming shift of society as we give more and more of our intimate selves to technology.

#022: My Son - "No War"

November 1st, 2023  |  Season 2  |  13 mins 21 secs

childhood, conversation, culture, fatherhood, gaza, history, human, humanity, interview, israel, love, no war, palestine, peace, politics, science, society, war, world

A very special & humbling episode. This morning, Anuj cuddled in bed with his 9-year old son, and had the most human, humbling and honest conversation about the situation in that has broken out in Gaza & Israel since October 7, 2023, and what he wants for the world of tomorrow.

#021: Mugabi Byenka - "Beyond Skin"

October 4th, 2023  |  Season 2  |  2 hrs

africa, art, author, conversation, culture, health, history, human, humanity, interview, love, poetry, politics, race, society, travel, world

Anuj sat down with poet & author, Mugabi Byenkya. Audio of this conversation was thought lost, however resurrected in the end to share this wide sweeping dialogue.

#020: Shree Paradkar - "Casting Light"

May 10th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 24 secs

canada, conversation, culture, feminism, history, human, humanity, interview, journalism, love, news, politics, race, racism, society, world

Anuj and Shree Paradkar sit down for an unflinching conversation about race and self refection. Shree is a Toronto Star race and gender columnist, and the 2018-2019 recipient of the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy. Shree's writing takes on charged issues with a critical and unwaivering approach. Shree shares the role of Black feminism in her own journey, and the debt that we all owe to indigenous and black communities. Shree also raises the question of who defines the "norm" in society, and sheds light on how these challenging forces come into her world as a mother.

#019: G Yamazawa - "Way of The Shogun"

June 23rd, 2020  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 12 secs

art, buddhism, conversation, covid19, culture, hip hop, human, humanity, interview, music, politics, rap, society, world

Anuj is joined by G Yamazawa, in this conversation deep into the COVID19 pandemic. G Yamazawa is an innovative rapper, spoken word poet and hip hop artist. Originally out of Durham, North Carolina, G is now based in Los Angeles.

G shares a lot about his life growing up, how hip hop entered his life, and the path that spoken word poetry opened up for him to find his own voice in the world of hip hop. Anuj and G unpack life in the US at the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic, as well as the worlds of artistry, social media, creativity and evolving as an artist. This is a fresh glimpse into the mind of a prolific artist.

#018: Jeff Teravainen - "Acting Human"

March 18th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 38 mins

acting, actor, art, children, conversation, culture, daughter, family, fatherhood, film, hollywood, humanity, love, movies, music, science, society, world

Today, Anuj sits , Jeff Teravainen for an inspiring, and organic conversation. Jeff is a well-loved actor, Voiceover Artist, and Musician. He's played the role of Lieutenant Anders on SYFY's hit "Dark Matter", as well as roles in SYFY's "12 Monkeys" in Season 2 along with movies such as the 2019 Netflix hit, "Christmas Chronicles". Jeff has also given his likeness and voice to characters in popular animation and video games such as "Far Cry", "Splinter Cell" and "Resident Evil". Most recently, you can find Jeff as the recurring character Gerald on the new HULU / CBC series "Utopia Falls" which debuted in 2020.

#012: Ali A. Rizvi - "Of Myth & Legends"

July 25th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  2 hrs 10 mins

art, conversation, culture, death, democrats, evolution, fatherhood, history, humanity, joe rogan, love, metoo, politics, religion, science, society, world

Anuj sits down with Ali A. Rizvi back in the AwokenWord studio. Ali is an author, speaker, and musician who grew up in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan before moving to the US and eventually Canada at the age of 24. Anuj and Ali discuss his background, life experiences growing up, the insights Ali gleaned in working with the dead, science, and religion. They dive deep into the challenges and questions unanswered by religion, the history and impact of religion on human cultural evolution, and the role that spirituality may or may not play in our lives, as well as the beauty of wonder and fatherhood and everyday life. The conversation turns to the current US Democratic primaries and the role of politics, identity, populism and social forces shaping the world today.