Beautiful Gray Sponge https://beautifulgraysponge.com/ My own gray sponge has been saturated and shaped by so many unique thinkers. This is a podcast where I share the stories of those minds, their words, other ideas, and more. From philosophers, poets, musicians, artists, scientists, and others, I invite listeners to learn a bit more about seekers from the past. Along the way, consider and share personal reflections, questions, and challenges. Together, our beautiful gray sponges coalesce and continue to grow too.

]]> Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:17:51 -0400 https://podbean.com/?v=5.5 en Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Education 1440 episodic My own gray sponge has been saturated and shaped by so many unique thinkers. This is a podcast where I share the stories of those minds, their words, other ideas, and more. From philosophers, poets, musicians, artists, scientists, and others, I invite listeners to learn a bit more about seekers from the past. Along the way, consider and share personal reflections, questions, and challenges. Together, our beautiful gray sponges coalesce and continue to grow too. Lindsey Trostle Lindsey Trostle No false https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/4863075/Beautiful_Gray_Sponge_Logo_30006uk5e.jpg Beautiful Gray Sponge https://beautifulgraysponge.com/ 144 144 Hafez Hafez https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/hafez/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/hafez/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:17:51 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/42ade487-f0de-3708-a42b-d158b889051f “Even

After

All this time

The Sun never says to the Earth,

 

"You owe me."

 

Look

What happens

With a love like that,

It lights the whole sky.”

]]> “Even

After

All this time

The Sun never says to the Earth,

 

"You owe me."

 

Look

What happens

With a love like that,

It lights the whole sky.”

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 830 28 full Thinking About Shumacher Thinking About Shumacher https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/thinking-about-shumacher/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/thinking-about-shumacher/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:06:40 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/745429a2-39ce-3dee-ae84-a9b58f47ccbf Lindsey Trostle false No 1047 27 full E. F. Schumacher E. F. Schumacher https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/e-f-schumacher/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/e-f-schumacher/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2025 22:42:59 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/ee45d82d-ff1f-3eba-8989-e9f07f9734b5 “Virtually all real production has been turned into an inhuman chore which does not enrich a man but empties him.”

]]> “Virtually all real production has been turned into an inhuman chore which does not enrich a man but empties him.”

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1484 26 full Margaret Brown Margaret Brown https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/margaret-brown/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/margaret-brown/#comments Thu, 07 Nov 2024 21:59:51 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/c5b71d64-0a97-3864-80a3-52c2a5f179d3 “I am a daughter of adventure.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “I am a daughter of adventure.”



Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 2227 25 full Mikhail Bakhtin Mikhail Bakhtin https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/mikhail-bakhtin/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/mikhail-bakhtin/#comments Fri, 03 May 2024 07:42:36 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/d394956b-d885-359e-8591-788369be9712 “To be means to communicate.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “To be means to communicate.”



Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1830 24 full Martin Buber Martin Buber https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/martin-buber/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/martin-buber/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2024 02:58:40 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/01faa750-7d1f-3404-be43-621985c98a27 “All real living is meeting.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “All real living is meeting.”



Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1556 23 full John Dewey John Dewey https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/john-dewey/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/john-dewey/#comments Sun, 10 Dec 2023 15:23:49 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/1bb988de-7c6c-3c3b-a8ee-ef3ec7c065d0 "Of all affairs, communication is the most wonderful."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> "Of all affairs, communication is the most wonderful."


Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Peter Bille Larsen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1465 22 full Vincent Van Gogh & Yellow Vincent Van Gogh & Yellow https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/vincent-van-gogh-yellow/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/vincent-van-gogh-yellow/#comments Wed, 11 Oct 2023 09:43:42 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/cd2d9a7b-9d72-3b5a-bfe0-df0490fbe8c3 “How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun!”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Erik Satie

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun!”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Erik Satie

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 60 21 full Bessie Coleman Bessie Coleman https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/bessie-coleman/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/bessie-coleman/#comments Mon, 31 Jul 2023 17:35:53 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/3997a3f8-6e61-3ceb-9c95-4422cd97d91b “I want to find a bigger life… I want to amount to something…”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Eubie Blake

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “I want to find a bigger life… I want to amount to something…”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Eubie Blake

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1522 20 full The Mustard Seed The Mustard Seed https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/the-mustard-seed/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/the-mustard-seed/#comments Sun, 11 Jun 2023 00:04:45 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e759a5e6-366e-3e59-ab58-ea96536b0c32 Wisdom from the mustard seed

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Wisdom from the mustard seed

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 748 19 full Sequoyah Sequoyah https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/sequoyah/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/sequoyah/#comments Sat, 18 Feb 2023 09:34:30 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/6fb66043-e652-3348-8f73-c0e71adfb009 “They did not cause me to begin, and they shall not cause me to stop.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music from Cameron Bailey (Table 9)

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “They did not cause me to begin, and they shall not cause me to stop.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music from Cameron Bailey (Table 9)

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 995 18 full Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/mary-wollstonecraft/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/mary-wollstonecraft/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2023 15:02:38 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/94666ef7-3a51-3abe-8d4e-5b67473468c3 "The beginning is always today."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music from Musopen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> "The beginning is always today."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music from Musopen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1327 17 full Major Taylor Major Taylor https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/major-taylor/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/major-taylor/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2023 11:11:19 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/9a887459-8d49-3e1a-9ac4-03f7767e2cb3 "Life is too short for a man to hold bitterness in his heart."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> "Life is too short for a man to hold bitterness in his heart."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1321 16 full Host - Lindsey Trostle Host - Lindsey Trostle https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/host-lindsey-trostle/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/host-lindsey-trostle/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2023 13:32:37 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/ef550ecc-23f6-3793-8e49-fc155a8b3687 "I want to live a simple, inexpensive life so I can read and write and think to my heart's content."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> "I want to live a simple, inexpensive life so I can read and write and think to my heart's content."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 600 15 full Elsie de Wolfe Elsie de Wolfe https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/elsie-de-wolfe/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/elsie-de-wolfe/#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2022 01:38:07 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/eaf00f61-44f2-396f-9b52-d6fa9935bacf "I am going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music from Pixabay

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

 

]]> "I am going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music from Pixabay

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

 

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1287 14 full Ralph Ellison Ralph Ellison https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/ralph-ellison/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/ralph-ellison/#comments Sat, 17 Sep 2022 23:12:30 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/b58e7420-cd37-3399-a371-1d132cdab66c “The understanding of art depends finally upon one’s willingness to extend one’s humanity and one’s knowledge of human life.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “The understanding of art depends finally upon one’s willingness to extend one’s humanity and one’s knowledge of human life.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1050 13 full Rainer Maria Rilke Rainer Maria Rilke https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/rainer-maria-rilke/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/rainer-maria-rilke/#comments Sun, 17 Jul 2022 17:18:41 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/29d1a01f-54b3-3c84-80ff-59c71287257f “Go to the limits of your longing… Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “Go to the limits of your longing… Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.”

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1397 12 full Barbara McClintock Barbara McClintock https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/barbara-mcclintock/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/barbara-mcclintock/#comments Tue, 24 May 2022 06:51:45 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/cda8e515-5718-3708-9b8c-c12645b2073f "If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> "If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say."

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 830 11 full Robert Schumann Robert Schumann https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/robert-schumann/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/robert-schumann/#comments Fri, 01 Apr 2022 09:33:43 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/39fe8150-aff1-3dcd-986e-8e47d97faf14 The poet sees better than other mortals. I do not see things as they are, but according to my own subjective impression, and this makes life easier and simpler. - Robert Schumann

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Schumann through Musopen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> The poet sees better than other mortals. I do not see things as they are, but according to my own subjective impression, and this makes life easier and simpler. - Robert Schumann

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Schumann through Musopen

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 1115 10 full Heraclitus Heraclitus https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/heraclitus/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/heraclitus/#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2022 14:26:44 -0400 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/576494a9-59d6-3d42-addb-4cab664c3b3d "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." - Heraclitus

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 480 9 full Simone Weil Simone Weil https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/simone-weil/ https://beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/e/simone-weil/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2022 23:27:43 -0500 beautifulgraysponge.podbean.com/dec49f05-20da-3ef4-8219-6a6503491953 “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” - Simone Weil

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” - Simone Weil

Art by Hailey Russell

Music by Emotiona

I’m super grateful to you for liking and sharing this podcast, but if you’d also like to support me with a no-gift-too-small donation, you can do that by visiting my personal page.

]]> Lindsey Trostle false No 574 8 full