The Edge of Everyday with Sandra Bargman

Asherah, Anat, and the Recovery of Goddess Traditions with Trista Hendren of Girl God Books | June 16, 2026Who – and what – is The Goddess?"The Great Goddess Asherah, the sacred tree, Mother-Goddess of all of the gods..."— Miriam Robbins Dexter, Preface to Asherah: Roots of the Mother TreeWe can all agree that we are living through a time of immense grief, polarization, and moral exhaustion.And beneath our political events we find deeper stories about power, sacredness, domination, and what we believe about human life.Today’s conversation explores one of those forgotten stories through the figure of Asherah and the recovery of goddess traditions.Today we are #LiveintheHIve with Trista Hendren, author, speaker, visionary founder of Girl God Books and ONE POWERFUL voice and leader in the dismantling of the patriarchal mindset and the remembrance and return to the wisdom and mystery of the Divine feminine, and to the ancient truth of kinship, reciprocity, and inter-being. I’ve had Trista on before for the episode What Will It Take to Know The Girl God – listen HERE for that episode.I wanted to have her back to speak about her anthology, Asherah: Roots of the Mother Tree, to expand on reclaiming the Goddess traditions, and share what is alive in her work today.We touch on…I met Trista at The Goddess Conference: The Crone (2023) in Glastonbury. The information got a bit lost in some technical glitches in our conversation. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI6PGa6n4Gg6l77LkruIJGXwpoT8LzQHiSpoiler alert: We talk about Dr Lynne Sedgemore and her upcoming book, "The Goddess Enneagram", endorsed by Trista, and to be published by ChangeMakers Books. Dr Lynne will be guesting in the fall.Whether a novice or a well-seasoned Goddess lover, this book, Asherah: Roots of the Mother Tree is for you, with academic research, creative writing, poetry and art.Trista shares who – and what – is the goddess, and how she discovered the goddess coming from a very devout Christian upbringing.Resource: author Burleigh Muten and her well-known book about the divine feminine, The Return of The Great Goddess.The story behind the creation of Girl God Books.Trista converted to Islam – the extraordinary story as to why?The power of art! Trista has a HUGE statue of the Venus of Willendorf on her property: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_WillendorfGirl God Books has produced over 50 books and anthologies, primarily by female authors.Spirituality and politics? Trista weighs in on abortion, female sensuality and Female RAGE (and who is the Goddess Anat).Resources: Women Who Run with The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and The Cosmic Mother by Monica Sjoo, Barbara Mor.Resource: Wizard Bisan | https://www.instagram.com/wizard_bisan1/?hl=enThe call to The Mother from the Palestinians.The Goddess Anat: The primal rage of the Mother. An upcoming anthology on ANAT, stay tuned.I LOVE THIS! Trista asks: Before Patriarchy did we NEED warrior goddesses?Trista is a PRO-Palestine activist. Her family is in Lebanon. The failings of our news.In honor of Father’s Day, Trista weighs in on Sacred Masculinity.Resource: Upcoming Girl God Book on Healing Spells and Rituals : https://www.facebook.com/thegirlgod/Perhaps Asherah's greatest gift is not simply that she was remembered, but that her roots remained alive beneath the surface all along waiting for us to remember that we, too, belong to the Mother Tree.Enjoy this episode.#TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast #TheEdgeofEveryday #ThePowerofStorytelling #Solstice #Juneteenth #FathersDay #TheGoddessMovesMe #AsherahFind Trista:ww.TheGirlGod.comFind Sandra:www.SandraBargman.com@SandraBargmanReview us in Apple Podcasts@ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-edge-of-everyday-with-sandra-bargman/id1740861679Mentioned in this episode:This show was brought to you in part by the Magic Thread Media Network. To learn more visit: https://magicthreadmedia.com/

What is Gratitude? How do we connect with Gratitude in challenging times?Today we are #LiveInTheHive with your host, Sandra Bargman, to share her thoughts on Gratitude and what the Thanksgiving holiday means to her. Hint: It’s her wedding anniversary!In this solo special episode, Sandra…Talks about the inherent paradoxes of Thanksgiving Day. The emotional nostalgia that edges up to the myth upon which the holiday is based.Reads a story written a few years back about her Thanksgiving wedding.Shares her understanding of gratitude and the practices she uses to ground herself in gratitude.Science and bioresearch of the frequency of gratitude.Power vs Force by Daniel R. Hawkins Gratitude is good for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.Concise summary: Focus on what you have, not what you lack.Closing prayer: This Land Belongs to No One by Hila Ratzabi Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

Happy Anniversary to #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast!This month marks the 4th ANNIVERSARY of when I started this podcast at TalkRadio.NYC and the 2nd year Anniversary of moving the podcast to MaximizeU.Life. Of course, also streaming on all your favorite podcast platforms.Happy Halloween – Happy Samhain - Happy Witches New Year!On this night, in the place between the old and the new, all is possible. It is in this place of paradox where transformation lives. And that place is the edge, the edge of everyday.Today’s episode is a replay of one of my MOST favorite episodes, my special Halloween and Anniversary episode from last year, featuring my dear friend, Leslie Ellis, grammy award winning singer/songwriter and actor. I share a bit about the history of Samhein, and about my own spiritual journey and pagan leanings. This episode was recorded right before the 2024 presidential elections - so it’s fascinating to revisit that headspace now that we are a year into this new regime.And my conversation with my uber talented friend, Leslie, is absolutely divine. Let’s dive in.Again, thanks for listening.What is Halloween based on? What is witchcraft? What is the witch archetype? My own spiritual journey and pagan leanings... AND our special GUEST - Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter - and one of my best friends - LESLIE ELLIS! Her journey playing Grizabella on Broadway in CATS, arguably a witch archetype in her own right.We share Leslie’s song, We ARE WARRIORS. What does it mean to be a warrior for truth, for freedom?https://music.apple.com/ca/album/we-are-warriors/1631590513?i=1631590514All this and SO much more...#TheEdgeofEveryday #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast #TheFeminineRises #WitchesAreTheVeil #HalloweenGrammy® Award winning vocalist Leslie Ellis performs live across the USA and Europe with hit songwriter Casey Kelly in duo Kelly&Ellis. Leslie has sung with many artists including Celine Dion on “My Heart will Go On” – from the movie “Titanic” (for which Leslie won the Grammy) and Thomas Dolby on his latest album “Forty” (featured on “Hyperactive”). She sang the original soundtrack song, “Six Times Around the Sun” for the CBS mini-series, "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" and she’s done countless TV/radio jingles and song demos for SONY Music.In 2007 her self-penned “Flyer Song” was adopted by the US Navy and made into a video as a tribute to the troops and their families. She’s also written songs, dozens of which have been cut by artists including The Bellamy Brothers and NYC based recording artist David Ippolito.Leslie has appeared on television and the Broadway stage - CATS, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES and CITY OF ANGELS, among others - and in the films "The New True Charlie Wu" , "Happy New Year Mr. Kates" and the feature film "Unconditional" In 2007 she starred in an independent film called, “My Name Is Wallace” which was invited to the Cannes Film Festival.Leslie also has a successful career as a voice over artist and a book narrator.Watch on YouTube: https://app.maximizeu.life/podcast/edgeofeverydayFind Leslie:www.LeslieEllis.com | @asongliveshereConnect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

I’m very happy to be back in front of my mic, having been away from #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast for 6 weeks. I didn’t plan to take a break. But because of a slew of unforeseen conflicts and guest scheduling issues, and because I was off doing a play…it just happened.Happy Fall!Today we are #LIVEintheHIVE with two special guests, multi-award-winning guitarist and singer/songwriter, Sean Harkness - and Liz Picolli, SDC director/choreographer, and founder/artistic director of Queen of Rogues Arts Space in Woodstock, NY.Sean is returning to The Plum at Traver Hollow House (www.ThePlumTH2.com) on Saturday October 18 th with his SOLO show, Just Me: Solos, Songs, and Stories. He will also be performing at Queen of Rogues Arts Space in Woodstock on Friday, October 17 th .Today’s episode is of course, about plugging these upcoming shows, but more importantly, it’s a conversation about the power of ART – theatre, music, visual art, storytelling– to uplift and inspire – not only an audience, but also the performers themselves – in these challenging times.It’s a conversation about building new performance and gathering spaces, creating and sharing safe, supportive and inclusive communities, and about RESISTANCE to authoritarianism through art, music, truth-telling, and storytelling.We touch on…As you know, I always ask my guests, “What identity do you lead with”? And Sean and Liz have unexpected and wonderful answers to kick off this delicious and rich conversation.What inspired Liz to create and run Queen of Rogues Art Space.The importance of building community and being a part of many communities.Sean is most known for being a collaborator with other musicians and singers. What inspired him to create a solo show? And why now? Sean shares his goals, and the obstacles he overcame in sharing his own voice in a solo show.How creating/performing/artistry is keeping us sane and connected to joy in these challenging times.All this and SO MUCH MORE.Sean Harkness in Just Me: Solos, Songs and StoriesFriday, October 17 | 7pm | Queen of Rogues | Woodstock NYFor more info and tickets: www.QueenofRogues.comSaturday, October 18 | 4pm Doors Open | 5pm Show | The Plum @ TH2For more information + receive an invitation to the Salon:www.ThePlumTH2.comFull bios, schedules, events, etc.:www.SeanHarkness.com@harksongswww.LizPiccoli.com@queen.of.roguesConnect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

Hello listeners. This is a potent episode and I am so grateful to my guests.We are #LIVEintheHIVE with Betsy Gaines Quammen, historian and award-winning author of American Zion + True West – and Tasha Adams, the ex-wife of Oath Keeper’s founder, Stewart Rhodes.Betsy has previously been a guest on #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcast in June of 2022 and in that episode, we talked about both of her powerful and increasingly relevant books and the significant need to have difficult conversations across polarizing political views and differing cultural perspectives. You can find that episode at TalkRadio.NYC and on my YouTube channel, Sandra Bargman on The Edge of Everyday. Betsy brings wisdom + engaging storytelling to her important work, and in these increasingly turbulent times under a clearly authoritarian administration, I knew I needed to have her on the show again. When I reached out, Betsy suggested that I also ask her good friend, Tasha Adams, to join us. Tasha’s ex-husband, Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the right-wing militia, The Oath Keepers, had just been released from jail, having had his sentence of 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan 6th insurrection commuted. Tasha’s story is deeply moving, a life lived under the thumb of an abusive, manipulative man, and finding the courage to plan an escape for herself and her 6 children. I could only imagine how she must be feeling upon hearing the news of his release.This episode is NOT about the Oath Keepers, or Tasha’s role in it. There are podcasts and interviews and two documentaries in which to explore that information. This episode explores the relationship between open spaces and toxic masculinity.“What I knew then and feel more deeply now is that open lands inspire open minds. This is the open space of democracy”. - Terry Tempest Williams in NYTBetsy and Tasha shared how they met while Betsy was researching the BUNDY family and publicly owned federal lands for her first book. It’s all documented in her book, American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God, and Public Lands in the West.Then researching Western mythologies that create TOXIC MASCULINITY. Researched in True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America.The power of WOMEN friendships.The takeover of OPEN spaces of land out west and the open spaces of a closet – and of the mind – the complete MACRO + MICRO of toxic masculinity.Both women weigh on the abuse, vitriol and the TACTIC of DISORIENTATION for control by Toxic men.The very IMPORTANT exploration – that question that Tasha has received – that every trapped and abused woman has received – “WHY didn’t you leave?” Both Tasha and Betsy weigh in with extraordinary insight and information.“The tyranny over the weak” that toxic masculinity employs today.How is Tasha rebuilding and reclaiming today? She’s writing a MEMOIR!Betsy is working on a non-fiction book, DEAD RECKONING, that explores ancestral relations to haunted landscape, haunted houses and epigenetic trauma.All this - and much more.Resources:www.BetsyGainesQuammen.com @betsygainesquammen www.ThatGirlTasha.com @thatgirlTashahttps://www.nbc.com/king-of-the-apocalypse@slim.vampire#MaximizeU #TheEdgeofEveryday #TheEdgeofEverydayPodcastConnect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

Today we are #LIVEintheHIVE with Karen Hinton, author of the bestselling book, Penis Politics: A Memoir of Women, Men, and Power – Karen was a guest on our show in January of 2023, for our episode entitled The Edge of Silence. What is the price of silence in Penis Politics? You can check out that phenomenal episode at TalkRadio.NYC or on my YouTube channel, Sandra Bargman on the Edge of Everyday. Her book, Penis Politics, is a compelling coming-of-age memoir, set both in small-town Mississippi and big-city New York, with a long layover in the nation's capital.The Kirkus review had this to say: “A timely, engaging political account about the consequences of saying nothing - and speaking up. Hinton’s prose is sharp and incisive. She is adept at setting a scene and bringing people to life on the page.”And one of those people was Andrew Cuomo, whom she has known for over 20 years and for whom she has worked for 5 years.Andrew Cuomo resigned as Governor of New York on August 24, 2021, amidst an overlapping cluster of ethics scandals, including accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct from 11 women.Penis Politics was released in December of 2021. Today, June 23, 2025, Andrew Cuomo is running for Mayor of New York City.This episode was recorded on the eve of the Mayoral primary, and, at that time, Cuomo was leading in first choice ballot polling, however, Zohran Mamdani, the virtual unknown, Democratic Socialist jumped to the lead in ranking polls.In a shocking victory, Cuomo conceded to Mamdani in the NYC Democratic Primary. Will Cuomo run as an Independent in November? We'll see. How has someone who resigned in scandal + shame able to lead in the polls? Why do we continue to choose misogynistic, scandal ridden men to be our political leaders? What has become of the #MeToo movement? With all our patriarchal systems in place, with an adjudicated rapist in the highest office in the US, is it possible to uncouple sex and sexual abuse from power and politics?In this episode, on the eve of the mayoral primary in New York City, Karen Hinton is uniquely qualified to explore these questions and to weigh in on why Andrew Cuomo is unfit to become the Mayor of NYC. Full bioWe touch on…The powerful story behind her decision to #SpeakUpNotShutUp and to write Penis Politics.What has happened to the #MeToo movement? The legal fees of Cuomo for 3 of his accusers are being paid for by NYS taxpayers – $19.4 million.She shares in her 2 op-eds – NY Daily News and on her Substack – the reasons why Cuomo is unfit for office. He doesn’t want to be Mayor; he wants to position himself for a presidential run.Trump and Cuomo would most likely align.Leveraging of donors vs care for the people. The immediacy of being Mayor is not his skill set.Weigh in on Zohran Mamdani and his ideas. Time for a new breed of Leaders. The Dem party must evolve.Watch video: https://maximizeu.life/the-edge-of-everyday/KarenHinton.com | Penis-Politics.com | @JKarenHinton LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhinton/ | https://substack.com/@karenhinton Connect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

Today we continue with Part II of our special 2-part series dedicated to Mothers. We are #LIVEintheHive with my special guests, 3 women I adore, to continue talking about the complexities and paradoxes of MOTHERHOOD, the complicated mother-daughter relationship, care-giving a parent, the joy of having children, the choice not to have children, the care taking of Mother Earth and the mentoring of young people.Meg Flather is a two-time Bistro Award winner and a four-time Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC) Award winner. Meg has released eight CDs of her original music, authored Home Shopping Diva. . . Lessons, Lyrics and Lipstick - and Hold On Tight . . . a love story. Her one-woman musical, Hold On Tight, partners her original songs and stories from her book of the same name about caring for a parent with dementia, for which she received the award for Best Storytelling Show from The United Solo Theatre Festival.https://megflather.com/https://www.youtube.com/@megflatherableAnn Kittredge has worked on and off Broadway, TV, concert halls, and regional theaters nationwide, hes been a parent advocate and leader in the NYC Public School System, and as a cabaret performer has won multiple awards, including a 2025 Bistro for her album, Romantic Notionshttps://www.annkittredge.com/https://www.youtube.com/@AnnKittredgeHarriet Shugarman is one of the leading voices in the global parent climate movement, the founder of ClimateMama, and the award-winning author of "How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate, Turning Angst into Action." Harriet is the chair of the Advisory Council for Our Kids Climate, an anchor organization connecting national and grassroots groups from more than 50 countries working on intergenerational organizing and engagement strategies. Harriet is a mentor and leader with the Climate Reality Project and the recipient of the prestigious Climate Reality Alfredo Sirkis Memorial Green Ring Award. https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrietshugarman/https://www.instagram.com/climatemama/?hl=en“Let us dedicate this new era to mothers around the world, and, also to the mother of all mothers — Mother Earth. It is up to us to keep building bridges to bring the world closer together and not destroy them to divide us further apart.” – Suzy KassemConnect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn

Happy May Day! This episode was recorded on Earth Day, April 22, and drops on May Day – some very potent energy! Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd, aimed at raising awareness and promoting environmental protection. It's a global movement where individuals, communities, and organizations unite to take action and address environmental and climate crisis issues. May Day's cultural significance is deeply intertwined with spring goddesses and pagan rituals… its roots lie in ancient celebrations of fertility, nature, and of spring at its peak, often linked to deities like Flora (the Roman goddess of flowers), and Maia (the Greek goddess of fertility), and to the Celtic holiday, Beltane. Here in the US, the government is rolling back every regulation and law they can to rape our environment, decimate our ecosystems, and dominate our Mother EARTH. The Patriarchal paradigm on parade for all to witness – a system built on separation. From body, from land, from lineage, from the sacred. What will it take to know the Girl God, the sacred feminine? Today we are #LiveintheHive with Trista Hendren, author, speaker, visionary founder of Girl God Books and ONE POWERFUL voice, mother, and leader in the dismantling of the patriarchal mindset and the remembrance and return to the wisdom and mystery of the Divine feminine, and to the ancient truth of kinship, reciprocity, and inter-being. I was very moved by our passionate conversation. With so little to be sure of in these challenging times, I took great comfort in the probing vulnerability that was shared. We touched on…Trista walks between many worlds. She was raised in a conservative Christian home and later wanted to become a pastor, only to realize there was no genuine leadership role for her in this denomination. She shares her story of her discovery of feminism, her Interfaith curiosity and conversion to Islam, and how living in Lebanon was life changing.The power of female sacred art and iconography, and the importance of the curated art she’s used on book covers for Girl God Books.She shares the story of how her daughter inspired her to write The Girl God, the subsequent trilogy, and the evolution to starting Girl God books.What presses most on Trista is the time we have left! Women must regain their inner knowing – and we must improve our education of young women. Leaders must be held accountable.The enormous need for self-care in these challenging times.Her leading edge is her focus on the Palestinian genocide.The need for and power of ceremony and ritual and the incredible creation of a 2-ton concrete sculpture of The Goddess of Willendorf by her beloved husband on her property in Norway. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Venus-of-WillendorfAll this and so much more…You can find more about Trista Hendren's projects at www.thegirlgod.comResources:https://www.instagram.com/grandmothersagainstgenocide/https://www.instagram.com/mothersagainstgenocide/https://mariannebergvall.substack.com/p/norways-prime-minister-accused-of-complicity-to-genocide?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=trueConnect with your host Sandra Bargman:WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedIn