Episode 26: Knox Robinson—Running as Literature, Cultural Collaboration & Love, Devotion, Surrender

 

On episode 26 I sat down with runner, purveyor of culture and writer, Knox Robinson. He shares his experience growing up in America, being introduced to running and the civil rights movement by his father and asks, what do we make from running? We speak about his project in Mexico City, creating a training camp, the need for ownership amongst the black and brown creative community, as well as our love of print and publishing and the need to think outside the box. Knox shares some of the questions he’s been pondering around Love, Devotion, Surrender, what is powering our own spiritual drive and the more inclusive dialogue necessary to create the change our culture is craving. It’s a long conversation but one that weaves in important themes and ideas alongside Knox’s journey through youth and adulthood as a runner, a black man, a creative force and much more.

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When we do work with bigger brands, how do those brands anticipate and understand and accept that the new way of working is progressive, ecologically sustainable, sustainable on a business level and there is always, every step of the way, an element of giving back to the community...
— Knox Robinson

SHOW NOTES

• 3:20 Moving around America, learning about different cultures in the country

• 5:00 Introduced to running by father

• 14:00 Running culture, black culture and the intersection from the 70s

• 18:05 Running as literature, as a medium for healing, expression and communication

• 20:00 Importance of the whole body approach, beyond running

• 30:30 Learning civil rights, black power through parents and their humble beginnings

• 38:30 Learning from Dr. Maya Angelou, her young party days and her elder wisdom

• 55:00 The need for ownership in business; integrating the spiritual and the real world finances

• 68:45 The romanticism of print publishing, Knox’s near-magazine, First Run

• 78:00 Creating a training camp in Mexico City, serving others through creativity

• 80:00 What is Psychoblackology in 2020?

• 82:00 How are we creating a more inclusive dialogue? Including black and brown people and corporations…

• 86:10 How do we think outside of the invisible boxes we’ve created for ourselves?

• 90:00 Being clear about the line in the sand, our values and what we’re going to fight for

• 92:00 Image of a black person photographed by a black person vs. taken by a white person, power of the subconscious edit

• 104:00 Balancing peace and competitiveness

• 110:00 Love, Devotion, Surrender…

• 118:00 What is really driving us? A self-sustaining spiritual drive; to run, to heal, to grow

• 122:00 The potential of now