A Bahá'í Perspective

Maggie Calder

Born in Glasgow Scotland, Maggie Calder grew up in Toronto Canada after her family moved there when she was about 7. She was brought up in a "motorcycle biker" family as she calls it. At about 12 she realized that she had to look at life in a different way, and at about 15 she left home, becoming a street kid. After a few years, she found out about Eckhart Tolle and realized that this could be someone that could help her spiritually, so she became his assistant and chef. While traveling the world with him, Maggie married and moved to Chicago. It was in Chicago that Maggie found the Bahai Faith. While in the throws of a divorce, Maggie went to Thailand for a 10-day holiday not realizing that it would become a 10-year life experience there. While in Thailand, Maggie meets master monk Bhasakornand and eventually becomes a nun-monk in his order and given the name Maytiwee. While there, she opened a secret sewing school that gave children who were in the Thai Sex Trade an alternative trade by sewing products for sale.

Mona Khademi

Mona works as an arts management consultant in Washington DC. Since the year 2000, Mona has researched about the life of Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney and has presented papers about her findings at Iranian and Middle Eastern study conferences, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Associates, and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, as well as other public venues. She published several papers based on years of research and then she published her biography of Laura Clifford Barney entitled ‘The Life of Laura Barney' in 2022. Songs played in the interview:
1. Plexiglass - Katharine Key from What the Fire Is
2. Rose Of Love - SKY from A Cycle of Divine Love Songs
3. That's Me - Steve Zaat from Not That Far
4. The Promise - Klare Ku Olga
5. You Are - Colby Jeffers from Created Noble
6. Create In Me a Pure_Heart (featuring Kelsey Bulkin)- Nabilinho
7. Remeber My Days - Corinne Padilla McLoughlin
8. The Update - Artist Unknown
9. 1 of a Kind - Artist Unknown

Mary Darling

Mary Darling is cofounder of the production company Westwind Pictures, a leading independent media production company dedicated to creating thought-provoking content for a global audience. From award-winning scripted series to lifestyle shows, documentaries, and children's media, their diverse productions have earned international acclaim. We talk about the films they've produced in the interview. The following songs are played at the end of the program:
1. Expectation - Music of the Baha'i World Congress New York 1992
2. Let All Associate - New Creation
3. Beauty - Luke Slott
4. For Mercy - Grant Hindin Miller

Navid Lancaster

Navíd is a musician, music producer and the owner of LANCAST Ltd, an independent company that creates music for film, animation, video games and mobile applications. Navid tells his story about learning the guitar as a teenager to working with Kenny Phillips and Proden Studio before striking it out on his own. He tells the incredible story of his start in the business by handing out a rudimentary business card to Steven Taylor and shortly after being asked to score his film Buck, the Man Spirit. I play scores that Navid has composed at the end of the interview.

Masud Olufani

Masud is an artist, writer, and an actor. He talks about his spiritual journey and his work in the interview. You can find his work at https://www.masud-olufani.com/. I caught Masud while heading out from his studio. As a result the voice quality is lacking and there is background noise. But please be patient. At about 12 minutes into the interview the sound quality improves significantly. Songs played: 1. Where There Is Love-Elika Mahoney - Album: Birds Of Love 2. Whither Can a Lover Go - Jody Cooper • "Whither Can a Lo... 3. Wilderness - Eric Dozier; 4. Prayer for the Departed - Yosi Mesbah - Album: Badasht Vol. III - Visionaries 5. Beautiful Soul - Shameem - Album: The Second City 6. Let All Associate - Creation

Llewellyn Drong

Llewellyn was raised in the Disciples of Christ church, its origins coming out of the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century in the US when protestant Christianity was spread through revivals. Llewellyn tells his story of how his spiritual journey led him to the Baha'i Faith, and then how being a Baha'i caused him to look back at milestone incidents in his life that led him on that path. The following songs are played at the end:
1. Truthfulness by Nabil Moghaddam
2. Unite by Ali Youssefi
3. Walk A Little Farther - Artists Unknown
4. Where there is love by Andy Grammer

Andrew Sperandeo

Andy is an experienced and well-versed musician in many disciplines of music including guitar, singing, composing, arranging, teaching, and music producing, and has been performing for over 25 years. He has selected a number of his musical compositions for the interview that feature his guitar virtuosity and his singer-songwriter abilities. We also talk about his pursuit of becoming a musical therapist. Visit Andy'sTube Channel to hear more of his music.

Olya Roohizadegan

Olya grew up in Iran under the severe persecution of the Iranian Islamic regime after the 1979 Revolution. She along with 10 other women were arrested soon after, for being Baha'is. All of her 10 women companions were eventually hanged and Olya believes she was spared so that she could share their story with the world. One of these women was a 16 year old, named Mona, who was arrested for being a teacher at Baha'i children's classes. She eventually escaped Iran and published Olya's Story: A Survivor's Dramatic Account of the Persecution of Baha'is in Revolutionary Iran. Since the release of the book in 1993, exactly 10 years after the execution of her 10 women companions, she has presented herself in over 1000 public venues telling this story. She wants to write a 2nd book demonstrating how the death of these women allowed her to spread their message of love and unity throughout the world.

Winnona Merritt

Winnie grew up as a poor northern girl who married into a well-to-do Southern family and started raising a family in the early 1960's. Before becoming a Baha'i, she was involved in promoting racial justice in her own small way. After becoming a Baha'i, her vision broadened, and she and her husband moved to Barbados and lived there for 12 years. Ironically it was her husband who studied agriculture in college, but it was Winnie that became the self-taught agriculturalist helping the agricultural efforts in the Caribean islands as well as in the States. She recently published a book, "Food, Farmer and Community: Agriculture and the Reconstruction of the World". She explains how agriculture is fundamental to a stable society.
Song List:
1. Toward The Sun - Amy Stephen Haghighi
2. Tree of Peace - by Jacqueline Odess-Gillett

Nadema Agard

Nadema is a Native American artist with her own business called Red Earth Studio Consulting / Productions. Before creating her own consulting and curating business, she had done important work by helping create the Southeastern Native Arts Directory and being the Repatriation Director for Standing Rock. Visit her website.

Song List:
1. The Photograph Music and words Alan McKay and Sonbol Taefi;
2. This Is The Day by Mana;
3. This Newborn Child by Ramine Yazhari;
4. Thou Art The Rich by Nabilinho;
5. Thy Love by Kelsey Bulkin;
6. Thy Name Is My Healing by JB Eckl;
7. To Be Close To You (Anis) by Tara Ellis