Mind the Force

Sep 30, 2026 · 1h 9m

In Part Two of our Star Wars vs. Nolan’s The Odyssey series, Kristine and James explore what happens when survival changes you. From Odysseus returning home after war to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the clones carrying the effects of conflict, we look at trauma, control, isolation, and the challenge of reintegrating into ordinary life.At the center is one question: when the danger is over, how do you learn to live beyond the version of yourself built to survive?Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional, or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

Sep 9, 2026 · 50m

In Part One of our Star Wars vs. Nolan’s The Odyssey series, we explore how family stories shape identity long before we are old enough to question them.From Telemachus growing up in the shadow of Odysseus to Luke Skywalker discovering the truth about Anakin, we look at absent fathers, inherited expectations, family roles, and the fear of becoming the people who came before us.From intergenerational trauma to understanding vs excusing our parents, how much of who we are is truly ours and how much is a story we inherited?Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional, or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

Aug 19, 2026 · 50m

What makes us feel like we need to experience a movie in theaters?In this episode of Mind the Force, Kristine and James look at the psychology behind the theatrical experience and what it means for the future of Star Wars on the big screen. From nostalgia and fandom identity to spectacle, FOMO, and shared cultural moments, we explore why some movies become events while others struggle to pull audiences away from home.As Star Wars enters a new theatrical era, we ask what it will take to make the galaxy far, far away feel unmissable again.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional, or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

Jul 8, 2026 · 54m

For Pride Month, Kristine and James dive into Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra: rogue archaeologist, tech genius, walking red flag, and one of Star Wars’ most compelling queer characters.Through Aphra’s relationships, betrayals, family wounds, and moral grayness, we explore representation without perfection, survival without healing, and the freedom to be fully complicated.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional, or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

May 27, 2026 · 34m

Jar Jar Binks has spent decades as the butt of the joke, but there is more to him than that. This week on Mind the Force, we look at Jar Jar as an outsider, a disruptor, and an unexpectedly important part of The Phantom Menace. We also discuss the backlash to the prequel era, how that criticism spilled onto Ahmed Best, and what his experience tells us about the darker side of fandom. This episode is about reappraisal, empathy, and the cost of turning dislike into dehumanization.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this Podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

May 14, 2026 · 40m

In this Mother’s Day episode of Mind the Force, we reflect on the quiet power of Shmi Skywalker. Too often remembered only as Anakin’s mother, Shmi deserves to be seen on her own terms: as a woman of dignity, tenderness, and extraordinary strength.We explore what Shmi represents in the Star Wars saga, from motherhood under oppression to the sacred and mythic echoes surrounding her character. This episode is a tribute to the kind of maternal love that is selfless, enduring, and too often overlooked.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

Apr 29, 2026 · 1h 2m

In Ep. XXVI of Mind the Force, Kristine and James explore the clones not as individual fan-favorite characters but as a collective military body shaped by obedience, war, and disposability. They are joined by LCSW Stacy Pellettieri for a thoughtful conversation about identity, depersonalization, brotherhood, and what it means to be treated as function first and person second.Together, they examine how the clones were designed for sameness, yet still fought to assert individuality through names, bonds, and personal choice. They touch on thoughtful comparisons to our real-life military, reflecting on how soldiers can become abstractions during conflict and how support after service does not always match the sacrifices made. Through the lens of Star Wars, the conversation opens onto larger questions about personhood in war and what society owes the people it asks to serve.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

Apr 15, 2026 · 33m

In Ep XXV of Mind the Force, Kristine and James follow Count Dooku into the Clone Wars. They unpack how Dooku’s need for control turns into strategy, how “necessary” choices become routine, and what it costs when people become pieces on a galactic board. From his role as the calm face of the separatist cause to the brutal irony of how his story ends, this episode traces Dooku’s downfall—and the moment he learns he was never the one in control.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studioswww.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mindtheforce.bsky.socialSubstack: https://substack.com/@mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this Podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.

Apr 1, 2026 · 29m

In Ep XXIV of Mind the Force, Kristine and James explore Count Dooku’s life before the Clone Wars—starting with his childhood and tracing how he grows from a promising Jedi into someone convinced the system is beyond saving. They unpack the disillusionment that shapes him, the way moral clarity can harden into certainty, and how “necessary” choices quietly become a doorway to control.Hosts: Kristine Smith & James AbbateProduced by: Press Record Studios: www.pressrecordstudios.comMind the Force Website: ⁠https://mindtheforce.com/⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mindtheforce/⁠Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/mindtheforceMental Health DisclaimerWe are not medical or mental health professionals. Mind the Force podcast is intended for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this podcast do we diagnose or treat listeners with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist or licensed mental health professional.