Tag Archives: atheist

The MWS Podcast: Episode 17, Rich Flanagan

In this latest member profile, Rich Flanagan talks to us about why he joined the society, what the Middle Way means to him and to what extent he applies it in his job as an operating department practitioner in the NHS and as a dad. We’ll discuss the importance for him of meditation, his interest in science. He’ll also talk about why he sees that for him there is no conflict in being an atheist and a practitioner of the Middle Way. We touch on religious ethics, navel gazing and one particular reservation he has about the society.


MWS Podcast 17: Rich Flanagan as audio only:
Download audio: MWS_Podcast_17_Rich_Flanagan

Previous podcasts:

Episode 16: The broadcaster and writer Vishvapani on mindfulness and the Middle Way
Episode 15: Lesley Jeffries and Jim O’Driscoll, the founders of Language in Conflict
Episode 14: The writer and journalist Mark Vernon on agnosticism.
Episode 13: Robert M. Ellis on his life and why he formed the Middle Way Society.
Episode 12: Paul Gilbert on Compassion Focused Therapy
Episode 11: Monica Garvey on Family Mediation
Episode 10: Emilie Åberg on horticultural therapy, agnosticism, the Quakers and awe.
Episode 9: T’ai Chi instructor John Bolwell gives an overview of this popular martial art.
Episode 8: Peter Goble on his career as a nurse and his work as a Buddhist Chaplain.
Episode 7: The author Stephen Batchelor on his work with photography and collage.
Episode 6: Iain McGilchrist, author of the Master and his Emissary.
Episode 5: Julian Adkins on introducing MWP to his meditation group in Edinburgh
Episode 4: Daren Dewitt on Nonviolent communiction.
Episode 3: Vidyamala Burch on her new book “Mindfulness for Health”.
Episode 2: Norma Smith on why she joined the society, art, agnosticism and metaphor.
Earlier podcasts

The MWS Podcast: Episode 5, Julian Adkins

In this second of our member profiles, Julian Adkins talks about his life, why he joined the society and his experiences with the Christian, Buddhist and Atheist traditions. He goes on to say how these experiences partly informed his decisions to become a classical ballet dancer, an engineer, a nurse and now a CBT therapist. He explains the impact, Stephen Batchelor, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris have had on his life. He also talks about how he’s getting on introducing Middle Way Philosophy to the meditation group he runs in Edinburgh.