David Pearl is a true Renaissance man. A self-title “experience engineer,” David has done it all—from writing books and starting a nonprofit to advocating for social change and even working as an opera star. Our current reality may seem anything but magical, that’s far from the truth in David’s eyes. 

On this episode of The Sidewalk Talk podcast, Traci gets the chance to sit down with one of her new favorite European friends to talk about his nonprofit Street Wisdom, doing soul-work in the paradox of the here and now, and why simplicity is at the heart of what David and Traci are both doing with Street Wisdom and Sidewalk Talk. This is a playful and fun conversation between two people with an urgency to see our society, and the world at large, become a more inclusive, and magical, place. Come along for the ride and discover your own version of magic, today!  

Episode Milestones

[00:07] Intro 

[03:34] Meet David 

[11:09] David’s time on the street and what it taught him

[15:00] Street Wisdom and serendipity 

[19:37] Making connections with perfect strangers on the street 

[23:30] How Street Wisdom is finding its future 

[27:42] Finding the magic in the everyday 

[35:25] Play and breaking the rules 

[39:23] Doing work in the paradox  

[45:14] The urgency to grow Street Wisdom and Sidewalk Talk 

[47:25] Embodied intelligence 

[49:40] Simplicity and a shared sense of being seen 

[57:49] David’s word and song for you 

[1:03:02] Outro 

Resources Mentioned

Street Wisdom 

Wanderful: Find wonder in the every day. Every day.

Standout Quotes from the Episode

“For me, the brushes I had with mental breakdown were the wellspring of why I’m here today.” —David Pearl 

“Serendipity is only surprising if you think you’re a separate human being who ends at your skin.”—David Pearl 

“How could you be the perfect stranger for those strangers?” —David Pearl 

“As soon as we take the problems to be real, they become heavy and difficult to move.”—David Pearl 

“People don’t always see the work behind the apparent spontaneity.” —David Pearl 

“The wandering is the new straight and narrow. When the world is as wobbly as ours, you’d have to be nuts to go in a straight line—you’d end up in the wrong place.”—David Pearl 

“The way we change things is through a million simple things.”—David Pearl 

“If you’re prepared to see the magic in the ordinary you can have a conversation, you can have a dialogue. And we need a dialogue because the one inside your head isn’t great.”—David Pearl 

“There’s a certain urgency, and yet we can enjoy everything that happens.”—David Pearl 

“Being lost and feeling lost are not the same thing.”—David Pearl 

Connect:

Find | Sidewalk Talk Podcast

At sidewalk-talk.org

On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg

On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg

Find | Traci Ruble

At Traciruble.com

On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT

On Twitter: @TraciRubleMFT

On Facebook: @TraciRubleMFT

Find | David Pearl  

At DavidPearl.net 

On Twitter: @DavidPearlHere

On LinkedIn: David Pearl  

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