Listen Now

Today on The Hardcore Humanism Podcast, we are talking with musician, vocalist and songwriter Nancy Wilson - founding member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted band Heart. Heart gave us such amazing songs as “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” “Crazy On You,” “Never,” “Alone” and “These Dreams.” And now Nancy is coming out with her first solo album titled You And Me.

The title track on the album, “You and Me,” is Nancy’s tribute to her late mother, Lois, who struggled with Alzheimer’s. During our conversation, Nancy recalled her family's wartime experiences and drew similarities between this past year with the pandemic and life during a war. She spoke with great admiration and love for her mother. In one story, she shares how her mother took Nancy, at age 2, and her siblings, both 4 years old, on a ship to Taiwan where her father was stationed as a Marine. She described how the ship had no rails and this became a metaphor for Nancy in understanding the strength of her mother and the safety she always provided. One of the most difficult things about life is that at times it feels like there are no rails. And when we feel that vulnerability, we often turn to people we love to provide that comfort and security as they help us pursue our purpose in life. 

A core principle of humanistic psychology is that to find fulfillment we must seek to self-actualize or become the best version of ourselves as we pursue our purpose. Albert Maslow hypothesized that in order to reach self-actualization, we must first satisfy our “love and belonging” needs. Ironically, as we build connections to gain that sense of love and belonging, we must also simultaneously risk losing them whether through breakup, distance or death. 

However, in this album, Nancy shares with us how her relationship with her mother is still something that comforts her and drives her in her life, music and purpose. During our conversation, Nancy describes how she still feels her mother’s presence in her life. She talks about how a loved one’s energy never stops and is not gone, but rather continues like “ripples on the water.” And those ripples reverberate throughout time and our lives, still providing us that comfort in a life with no rails.

*****
Newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/GBmf0iU/HardcoreHumanismSignUp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardcorehumanism/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreHumanism/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardcorhumanism

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardcore-humanism