Episode 9 - Sheela Alex

TeddyTalk Podcast

This one falls in the category of life more than leadership. And you'll soon hear why. Today you're going to hear a conversation with Sheela Alex, a friend and kindred spirit. One of the reasons I want to record a podcast with Sheela is that she was involved for many years with Osho, an Indian guru and teacher also known as Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh. Although not my teacher, I became aware of Osho through various friends. He preached of meditation love and celebration very prominently during the 1970s and 80s. Recently Netflix aired a documentary entitled Wild, Wild Country, now Emmy-nominated, that told a different side to the story. It was one of politics, conflict, and internecine warfare all behind the scenes. As his group of followers migrated from their ashram in Pune, India to a remote piece of land in eastern Oregon, they created a thriving self-contained city state from scratch. They were anything but welcomed by the handful of retirees who lived there, as well as the local and county governments that consistently fought with Sheela. Coincidentally given the same spiritual name as the documentary's protagonist, Sheela's four years in India and four years in Oregon parallel the story of the documentary. While at the same time revealing the more quiet and introspective path she took in the midst of it all.