Episode 27: Shadi Toloui-Wallace

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm joined by my dear friend, Shadi Toloui-Wallace, a singer and songwriter who also hosts her own podcast called 'Cloud 9'. We talk about striving to be coherent in our everyday lives while trying to be a professional artist, and the creation of Baha'i-inspired music versus secular music. She tells me about the music she's been working on, the exciting things happening with the youth in her neighborhood, the importance of service, and she shares a little about her family and upbringing, plus some exciting news in her personal life. We talk about Baha'i Blog's Studio Sessions and the need for Baha'i-inspired grassroots music, and Shadi sings a beautiful song for us at the end of the podcast, so press 'play' and tune in to this fun conversation! To find out more about Shadi Toloui-Wallace, and some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links: * Shadi Toloui-Wallace official website: http://www.shaditolouiwallace.com/ * Shadi's podcast called 'Cloud 9' on BahaiTeachings.org can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/bahaiteachings/sets/cloud9 * Check out Shadi's band called 'Tiny Havoc' here: https://tinyhavoc.bandcamp.com/releases * You can read the following interviews with Shadi Toloui-Wallace here on Baha'i Blog: i) https://bit.ly/2laqfol ii) https://bit.ly/2LRfYsw * You can read this article by Shadi Toloui-Wallace here on Baha'i Blog: https://bit.ly/2sXAmRO * Shadi talks about her mother, Shidan Toloui-Wallace, whom we've also interviewed here on Baha'i Blog: https://bit.ly/2sWOxX8 * Shadi calls herself a 'Third Culture Kid', a term coined by this book: https://amzn.to/2sVXDUb * Shadi mentions Rainn's not-for-profit in Haiti called LIDÈ: https://www.lidehaiti.org/ * Shadi and Rainn talk about working with youth and the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program (JYSEP), which you can learn about from this short animation: https://bit.ly/2eiMF54 * Rainn shares this quote from the Writings of Baha'u'llah: "Let deeds not words be your adorning". * Rainn shares a quote about music from Abdu'l-Baha: "...although sounds are but vibrations in the air which affect the ear’s auditory nerve, and these vibrations are but chance phenomena carried along through the air, even so, see how they move the heart. A wondrous melody is wings for the spirit, and maketh the soul to tremble for joy." * Rainn shares quote about music from Shoghi Effendi: "It is the music which assists us to affect the human spirit; it is an important means which helps us to communicate with the soul." * Rainn and Shadi talk about the importance of grassroots music and Baha'i Blog's Studio Sessions series, which you can check out here: https://bit.ly/1LtjUx9 * You can view some of the Baha'i Blog Studio Sessions produced by Shadi in Vancouver, Canada below: i) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57E9OhLSUpo ii) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwn-oQZ6Hpc iii) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY_McHozqFk iv) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTmJImVPdi4 v) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=766WYsdOaYo * At the end of the podcast, Shadi sings the song 'Kindle' from her album 'Daughters of the Kingdom' (http://www.shaditolouiwallace.com/new-products/daughters-of-the-kingdom-digital), based on a prayer by Baha'u'llah. Be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on: *YouTube: https://bit.ly/2JTNmBO *iTunes: https://apple.co/2leHPHL *Soundcloud: @bahaiblogcast *Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/6EnTNdLBTeu4KrA9xFTgQw If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content check out BAHAIBLOG.NET. Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson