A Year of Listening

It's the last episode of 2019 and Colleen is sharing what she learned this year from listening to all her guests. This year provided so much food for thought as she listened and learned from a variety of people. Find out what were the most popular episodes and which ones have stuck with Colleen long after the microphone was turned off.   Colleen also announced her future project, The Medium Talk Podcast with Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan. It drops in January and she'd love for you to be a part of the launch team. You can join the team here.   Also mentioned in this episode: Episodes 47, 54, and 59: Sexual Orientation and the Church part One, Two and Three Episode 48 :Parenting in an Age of Judgement Episode 50: Separating Church and State, God and Politics Episode 60: Reclaiming the Singular Narrative  Episodes 46: Post Incarceration Rehabilitation and Employment and Episode 55: Mass Incarceration and Prison Reform Episode 69: White Supremacy and the Church Episode 72: Listening Across Differences Episode 74: A Conversation About Outrage Culture Episode 79: A Conversation About the Role of Government #ListenFirst Living Room Conversations Pantsuit Politics The Medium Talk Podcast  Medium Talk Instagram

Happy Holidays! Today Colleen chats all things holiday with her friend Shannon. They are tackling all the most polarizing of holiday issues: Elf on a Shelf, appropriate times for decorations, how much glory Santa should get and whether or not Love Actually is a great Christmas movie. This lighthearted discussion will get you into the holiday spirit and perhaps disagreeing vehemently with our opinions. Grab a Mall Santa (the drink invented by Colleen's siblings: whiskey and hot cocoa) and get ready to have some holiday opinions!

In this episode we talk Enneagram, or rather the pros and cons of this ancient self-knowledge tool.  Colleen chats with two friends, Jenn Batchelor and Anna Jordan (from episode 77), about why they love the Enneagram, how its current popularity has effected its use, and what can be problematic about the Enneagram.  Whether you've been doing a deep dive into the Enneagram for months, or you've just started wondering what the heck it is, this conversation will help you to understand the highest and best uses of the Enneagram. If you are new to the Enneagram you can find information at the Enneagram Institute.  Check out The Liturgists Enneagram episode (episode 37) for a great overview of each of the nine types.  Annie F. Downs EnneaSummer is another great introductory series.  Suzanne Stabile is our favorite Enneagram Wizard.   Connect with Anna and Jenn!  They are both writers for the very popular Coffee + Crumbs website. You can find Anna on Instagram or at her website.  You can find Jenn on Instagram or her website.

This week we've got another special conversation.  Colleen sits down with her long time friend, Mike Lindberg, to discuss the role of government.  Mike and Colleen have spent many an hour discussing all the things they disagree about and over time they've come to realize their differences of opinion may root in what they each believe about the truest and best role of government.  So with a few microphones between them they hashed it out, dialoguing about government overreach, who to trust to solve problems and provide aid, and whether the government or the private sector would be more effective.      Also mentioned in the episode: Thomas Sowell Milton Freedman Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

What happens when you use the technology of Match.com to do its opposite? Instead of connecting people in common you try to connect people across differences. And then what would happen if you took that technology into classrooms and allowed students to video conference other students from vastly different socioeconomic, regional, and cultural places? And then helped the students to hold conversations where they discuss issues like immigration and free speech with these other students like them, but not like them. You'd have Mismatch. Mismatch is helping teachers connect their students with classrooms across the country and giving students opportunities for discourse and dialogue about the issues that are polarizing our country. On this episode Colleen learns about how Mismatch technology works with its founder Kristin Hansen and then speaks with educator Kent Lenci about his experience using the technology in the classroom. Kent and Colleen discuss what his students took away from their experience and why he pushes his students to pay attention to the differences in order to foster the skills to work with people who think differently than themselves. Check out Mismatch and its partner All Sides for Schools. If you are an educator or know an educator, be sure to spread the word about this program. It could be incredibly powerful in schools. And if you'd like to connect with Kent about his experience or the work he is doing you can email him at kent.lenci@gmail.com.

This week's discussion deals with the topic of transracial adoption and parenting.  Guest Anna Jordan is a writer and educator as well as a mom to three, including a son who came to her family through adoption.  Anna and Colleen discuss Anna's family's story, the unique challenges that face transracial families, and how the conversation around transracial adoption has changed in the last 30 or so years.  They also delve into adoption ethics and what family's need to consider before diving into transracial adoption.   Follow Anna!  Find information about Anna on her website and follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  Also, if you are interested in more information about Anna and adoption check out her appearance on the Coffee and Crumbs podcast.   Also Mentioned in this Episode: No White Saviors instagram account Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Today we have two special guests.  Graham Bodie and Pearce Godwin are two colleagues who are doing good work to help our country listen across the divide.  Graham Bodie is a listening scholar, educator, and consultant. Pearce Godwin is Founder & CEO of Listen First Project, Executive Director of National Conversation Project, and leader of the #ListenFirst Coalition of ~250 partner organizations. Together the two have incredible experience helping people to listen across divides. Today we will discuss how people can move from listening to understand towards working together for change. This is a conversation about how we have productive conversations, what compromise is and isn't and the roles both good conversation and activism play in any social movement.   Connect with Graham and Pearce! Find Graham at his website and on Twitter and follow Pearce on Twitter! And be sure to check out the #ListenFirst Project. Find more here and follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Additionally take a look at the National Conversation Project. You can find information here and follow the movement on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.   Also mentioned in this episode: The Only Human Podcast: The Birth of Climate Change Denial Listen First Pledge

This week's episode features a discussion about the new film about the organization Preemptive Love. Jeremy and Jessica started Preemptive Love Coalition during the middle of the Iraq War in in 2008. Over the past decade they have been a non-profit on the front lines, providing relief and serving and working for peace in conflict rich areas of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Palestine and Israel, Korea and at the Mexico/U.S. border. Recently a short documentary was released that features their story and the work they do. My friend Charity hosted a viewing event to share this film with our community. We sat down to chat about what stood out to us about this documentary and to encourage you all to take a half an hour this week and watch it for yourself. Preemptive Love is doing some tremendous work and we want people to know about it.   First and foremost, watch this short film about Preemptive Love! And check out Preemptive Love's work, follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.   Also Mentioned in this Episode: Preemptive Love Podcast episode “The Enemy” about Sadiq's story of loving his enemy

This week's episode is a little different. Over the next few months we will be hosting a series of dialogues with friends and listeners around topics of disagreement. In an effort to practice what we preach about engaging polarizing topics with compassion, civility and nuance, we're going to be doing just that. This week I sat down with my husband Tommy to discuss the idea of “outrage culture.” We both have different reactions to the way our culture has responded to the consequences of former acts of indiscretion and it's a topic we've returned to again and again. We'll pick up this conversation again, this time with a microphone. This discussion wasn't perfect, by any means. And it ended up leading to another conversation the next night off mic. I'm sure we'll circle back to these things again and again. The point of this episode, and the others like it, are to practice engaging with people we disagree with, particularly our loved ones, on those points of disagreement. To practice listening for understanding and not argument, sharing to bring points of unity not just to prove a point and to refrain from demonizing others based on their differing opinions. It's easy to walk away from these kinds of conversations with our loved ones. But if you can stay in it you may open each other up to more nuanced and complex understandings of the issue.   Also mentioned in the episode: Clive Cussler books

This week we the Triad family is here to discuss polyamory and their family.  Katie, Luis and Raquel are a polyamorous family From Baltimore, Maryland.  We discuss the backlash they received for their choice to pursue this lifestyle, what challenges do they face and why they choose each other despite those challenges.  You may not agree with their unconventional family dynamic but it's worth listening if only  to challenge pre-conceived notions and judgements.     Connect with the Triad Family!  You can find them on Instagram or on their website.

Welcome back! Today is the International Day of Listening!  We have a special episode today with Tracy Hollister.  Tracy works for the organization Listening Room Conversations, an organization attempting to heal divides with a conversational model developed by dialogue experts in order to facilitate connection between people despite their differences, and even identify areas of common ground and shared understanding.  Tracy and I chat about her work with Living Room Conversations, the relationships she has developed across political and cultural divides, and why listening to people with whom we disagree requires great courage.   Check out Living Room Conversations!  Go to their website or follow them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  You can register for September 19th's International Day of Listening conversation here and September 20th's Weaving the Social Fabric here.  Over all, I'd encourage you to keep an eye out for Living Room Conversation Events here.  And you can always reach Tracy at tracy@livingroomconversations.org   Also Mentioned in this Episode One Love Equality Documentary Eating Hummus with the Enemy: from Aversion to Affection The Gift of Imperfections by Brene Brown    

This week we have a lighter contentious topic to hash out.  As the children have now gone back to school and the unofficial end of summer is just around the corner it's time to answer this most important question once and for all: Is fall the best or the worst?  Colleen joins her sister Ryann to debate the merits and drawbacks to this polarizing season.  Is autumn as amazing as everyone wants it to be?  Or is it an overrated garbage season?  We have some thoughts.   Also Mentioned in the Episode: Jamie B Golden of The Popcast Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle

Adversity is a common theme for everyone.  No one is exempt from dealing with adversity in some form or another and yet the universe does not dole out adversity equally.  Today's guest is Kenneth Cheadle, a speaker, certified life and career coach, a millennial leader, entrepreneur, and author. Ken's own story of success includes beating the odds and overcoming tremendous adversity. Ken shares this story as well as insight into overcoming adversity and whether the idea of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps is really all that's needed to rise up.   Connect with Ken!  Check out his website and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Be sure to listen to his podcast, The Adverse Effect and read his book, Millennial Takeover: A Clear Roadmap to Identifying Your Purpose, Enhancing your Skills and Building a Satisfying Career and Life.   Please continue to fill out the Listener Survey!  It is still open and we are so thankful for your feedback. Also mentioned on the episode Ask More by Frank Senso

This week addresses the topic of white supremacy and the church.  Does the church play a role in white supremacy?  What is theirs to do in dismantling it?  And what will the cost be if the church doesn't take on this work?  Guest Lenny Duncan helps answer these questions.  Lenny is a pastor and a mission developer, a queer black man and the author of Dear Church : A love letter from a black preacher to the whitest denomination in the U.S.  He also serves on the board of Reconciling Works.   Connect with Lenny!  Find him at his website and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Also, be sure to check out his book, Dear Church : A love letter from a black preacher to the whitest denomination in the U.S.   Also Mentioned in this Episode: Maus by Art Spiegleman

This week we are tackling free speech with a conversation with Freddy Weinberg about the Intellectual Dark Web.  Freddy is a thinker, a journalist and the host of the Live Learn Repeat Podcast.  Freddy and I discuss what, exactly, the IDW is, and whether or not free speech is at stake in our country.  Is political correctness a threat to our country or do words matter?     While the concept and definition of the Intellectual Dark Web is an ever shifting idea, Freddy insists that those interacting within it have two things in common: They don't buy into the orthodoxy of political ideology aka correctness. No matter which side. And, while peddling in ideas that need to be communicated, they are not beholden to the mainstream media.  Freddy gave us a few names of writers and thinkers that share these values. Right leaning thinkers: Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Christina Hoff Sommers Left leaning thinkers: Sam Harris, Brett Weinstein, Abby Martin, Debrah Soh Libertarian thinkers: Dave Rubin,Claire Lehman, Kmele Foster, Dave Smith Other names in the movement: Joe Rogan, Michael Malice Academics: Steven Pinker, Thaddeus Russell, Heather Heying, Douglas Murray,  Jonathan Haidt   Connect with Freddy!  Follow him on Instagram and Twitter and be sure to listen to his podcast, Live Learn Repeat.   Also mentioned in the episode: Joran & Sam's Intellectual Debates The New Right by Michael Malice A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

This week we're talking about sugar!  Is it as bad as some say?  Are we going to look back 100 years and be astonished we ever fed it to children?  Or is it not that big of a deal?  Today's guest, Michael Collins has been sugar free for 30 years.  He is the founder of ​SugarAddiction.com​ and  Chairman of the Board of the ​Food Addiction Institute​, and works closely with others to help them regain lives  ravaged by various substance use disorders. Today he'll talk to us about sugar addiction!   Check out the Sugar Addiction website and connect with Michael's work on Facebook.  You can find his book, The Last Resort Sugar Detox, on Amazon. Also mentioned in the episode: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Food Addiction Institute

What happens when the political ideologies you once believed don't hold the weight that they used to?  What does it look like to shift from one political party to the other.  Our guest today John Wood did just that.  At one time John campaigned passionately for Barak Obama.  Just a few years later he was running himself as a Republican for the Congressional seat in his area.  John explains how he went from a liberal to conservative worldview and how his ability to bridge the divide has made him better.   Connect with John!  Follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  And go check out the organization he works for Better Angels.  It will give you hope for politics.     Don't forget about the listener survey!  You have until August 1 (one week!) to be entered to win a $35 Amazon gift card.   Also mentioned in today's episode:  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

This week we are talking about Revolutionary Relationships.  Guest Rosella White is the author of the new book Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World which delves into this concept of revolutionary relationships as relationships that change ourselves and the world around us.  Rosella shares what she's learned about the most important revolutionary relationship you can foster in your life and the ripple effect it has around you.   Connect with Rozella!  Find her website and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  And don't forget to check out her new book, Love Big: The Power of Revolutionary Relationships to Heal the World.   Also, don't forget to fill out our first ever listener survey!  If you respond by July 31 you can be entered to win a $35 Amazon gift card! Also mentioned in today's episode: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister

This week we're talking about the foster care system, the good, the bad and the ugly. Guest Gwen Hicks is an educator, advocate and champion of kids in the foster care system.  As the Chief Dreamer of Amarillo Angels, a non-profit designed to support children in foster care and their foster families, she has served those on the front lines within the foster care system.  Gwen and Colleen discuss the challenges the foster care system is facing, what is most needed and why people should care about this system.     Check out the work that the National Angels Organization is doing and see if you could partner with them to serve your community!  And follow Amarillo Angels on Facebook and Instagram.  Also, connect with Gwen on Facebook and Instagram.   Don't forget about the listener survey!  You have until August 1 to be entered to win a $35 Amazon gift card.   Also mentioned in today's episode: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

We're back!!! This week's episodes includes a conversation with an old friend. Lyra Repplinger and Colleen discuss a few things that they've changed their opinions on over the years. You may remember Lyra from episode 39, a recap episode. This time Lyra and Colleen take turns sharing a few of the big and small things they've changed their minds about. We don't give ourselves a lot of freedom in our culture to change our mind about things.  It feels like a betrayal of our ideals or values sometimes to admit that maybe we've come to think differently about things.  And in our social media culture where it is painfully easy to pull up anything we ever said publicly about something 10 years ago, it becomes even harder to be able to say, I thought that, but now I think this.  So this will be the first of hopefully a number of conversations, with a number of people who will be willing to share a few things they changed their minds about and how they managed to do that. Connect with Lyra! Come find her over on Instagram! Have you heard about the  listener survey?? For the month of July we are begging, pleading and even bribing you all to take a moment to fill out our listener survey.  Your answers to these questions will be so helpful to me as we begin to think about what is next for A Year of Listening. To express her gratitude Colleen will be drawing one responder at random to win an Amazon gift card on August 1. Find the survey here.

We've got another special episode!   Every once in a while we take a break from all of our serious conversations for something a little more lighthearted.  Last weekend was Memorial Day weekend which is the unofficial start of summer and so we are going to discuss polarizing summer opinions.  Our “fun” polarizing opinion episodes can be some of our most contentious, so buckle up kids, you may have some strong feelings about these polarizing summer opinions.     Joining Colleen for this fiery conversation is her long-time friend and fellow pop culture junkie, Marty Finn!  Marty and Colleen both do not have any shortage of strong opinions and this episode will be no exception.  They share their most polarizing opinions about all things summer.   Go follow Marty on Instagram! He's a good follow. His #TBT posts are worth their weight in gold.   Also mentioned in the episode: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

This week we have a recap episode!  Every eight or nine episodes we pause to think about what we've learned from our guests.  This week it's just Colleen behind the mic sharing what she's learned from this set of conversations.  We'll be looking at episodes 52-60.  This includes Pornography Addiction with Mark Macdonald, Depolarizing Politics with David Lapp, Sexual Orientation in the Church (part 2) with B.T. Harman, Mass Incarceration and Prison Reform with Dominique Gilliard, Trans Identity and the Church with Ellie Dote, The Reality of the American Dream and Upward Mobility with Lindsy Wallace, Non-Binary Gender Identity with Mason Aid, Sexual Orientation and the Church (part 3) with David Bennett and Reframing the Singular Narrative with Jonathan Brooks.  

    This week's conversation covers a multitude of topics.  My guest, Jonathan Brooks and I discuss the damaging effects of a singular narrative, what happens when escaping from your neighborhood becomes the definition of success and how falling in love with the place you live is the best hope for effecting change in your community.  Jonathan is a lifelong resident of Chicago, IL. He currently serves as Senior Pastor at Canaan Community Church in the West Englewood neighborhood.As a firm believer in investing in your local community, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on all who will listen.  This is a conversation for everyone whether your community's narrative is positive or negative.   Connect with Jonathan!  Find Pastah J on his website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  And go get his book Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods.  Our year of action call this week is simple.  I challenge you to consider the pervasive singular narrative in your own community and then find ways to bring out the other sides of the narrative.  If your community is one primarily known for its brokenness seek out and share the beauty.  Post it on social media, tag myself and Pastah J (or use #ayearofaction).  And if your community is one known for its beauty, could you bravely speak about your own brokenness?  Share it with a friend, or a family member.  Or even on social media.  Let's all challenge our own place's singular narratives.  And finally, consider how you can fall more in love with your place so that you can impact your community. Also mentioned in this episode: Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman

This week we are finishing our series around sexual orientation and the Church.  My guest is David Bennett.  David hails from Sydney, Australia, lives in Oxford, where he is reading for his PhD in theological ethics, and works as an international speaker and research fellow for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and RZIM. He holds postgraduates degrees from Oxford University and St Andrews in Theology, and recently published his first book, A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus.   David and I chat about how his activism changed when he discovered Jesus, how he feels about his personal calling towards celibacy and whether or not this is an issue in which faithful Christians can disagree.   Connect with David!  Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!  And check out his book, A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus.   My Action challenge this week is an extension of what I said after chatting with B.T.  Continue to do the work but this time be very intentional about following and listening to gay Christians whom you would disagree with.  If you are affirming, listen to Side B Christians.  If you are not affirming, follow and engage with some Side A Christians.     Also discussed in the episode: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

  This week we are tackling a topic many may be unfamiliar or uneducated about.  Mason Aid is here to talk about non-binary gender identity. Mason is an LGBTQ educator and advocate who helps educators and mental health professionals know how to better support teens as they come out and/or deal with mental health issues.  Mason and I discuss what it means to be non-binary, how this identity has implications beyond just pronoun use and how people can be good allies for those who identify as non-binary.   Connect with Mason!  Check out Mason's website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.   Year of Action: Consider, as Mason said, what your next step is.  For you is it using non-binary pronouns when appropriate?  Is it getting curious, asking more questions, doing more research?  I encourage you to follow Mason and other non-binary individuals, do some learning and see what you discover.  Figure out that next step and move towards it.   Also discussed in this episode: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

  This week we are talking about the American Dream.  What is the American Dream?  Is it accessible to everyone? My guest is Lindsy Wallace, a wife and mother who has followed Jesus to the margins of society.  We talk about the concept of the American Dream as well as downward and upward mobility, the ways in which our systems are designed with some inherent injustice, and what is necessary to begin to affect that.   Follow Lindsy on Instagram.  Check out her podcast and follow it on Facebook and Instagram.   Year of Action: Spend some time researching and considering the American Dream.  What do you think it is?  Do you think it's accessible to everyone?  What does the American Dream actually look like and how does it play out for ALL people?  Spend some time coming to you own understanding of the American Dream and it's possible limitations.  If you want to go further perhaps check out some of the resources Lindsy mentioned.   Also mentioned on this show: The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein Rethinking Incarceration by Dominique Gilliard Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle

This week the topic is the intersection of trans identity and faith.  The guest, Ellie Dote, is a deeply faithful Christian who has transitioned from male to female.  She is on a mission to start the conversation about how and where trans people can belong in faith communities.  Ellie and Colleen chat about her story, theology and the role she sees her presence play in faith communities.   Connect with Ellie!  Find her personal website and business page or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.   The Year of Action challenge is the same no matter how you feel about what Ellie said.  Seek out the stories of trans people, particularly trans Christians.  Consider whether you need to see the human people in this issue more clearly and how you can do that.  And if you are a person in a community of faith who would like to see your church more open and accepting of the trans community consider asking your pastor, “would my trans friend be welcome here?” Start these conversations.   Also mentioned in the episode: The Reformation Project Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

In this episode we are continuing with a topic we first explored in episode 46: Post Incarceration Employment and Rehabilitation. Dominique Gilliard and Colleen discuss mass incarceration and prison reform.  Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores.  Dominique and Colleen discuss the many different aspects at play when it comes to issues in our prison system, solutions that can chip away at these injustices and some countries that are having success at restorative justice.   Connect with Dominique!  Check out his website and his book!  Find him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.     Year of Action Challenge: If you found yourself skeptical of what Dominique was saying I encourage you to head over to the show notes for today's episode and check out his resource from the Walk Towards Love website as well as any of the resources listed from our conversation today.  There's a lot of really great research happening right now in that field. And it's worth researching yourself.   And if you feel spurred to action after this conversation I think a great first step is doing a little research into what banks and companies profit off of our current prison system.  Can you write a letter to your bank?  Choose different brands to avoid contributing to this system?  Or, even better start a campaign to encourage those companies to use the profits they make to help the formerly incarcerated return to society and to employ the formerly incarcerated.  It seems like there are a lot of different solutions to these issues.   Also discussed in this episode: Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores by Dominique Gilliard Washington Post: Five Myths about Incarceration  Walking Towards Love curriculum The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B DeBois

We are continuing our conversation this week around sexual orientation and the church with B.T. Harman.  B.T. is the creator and author of the website Blue Babies Pink: A Southern Coming Out Story in 44 episodes.  First as a blog, and then later in podcast form, BBP details B.T.'s story as a young man growing up in the church and coming to terms with his sexual orientation as a gay man.  B.T. is a freelance content-creator for millennials and the brands that serve them. His consulting work focuses on brand strategy, design, marketing, social media, leadership, and more.    B.T. and Colleen chat about how he went from denying his orientation, to a commitment to celibacy to finally taking an affirming stance and getting married himself. They also discuss whether this is an issue in which faithful Christians can disagree and how you can love and support affirming brothers and sisters whether or not you agree with them.   Connect with B.T.  Listen to the Blue Babies Pink podcast or read the blog.  You can also find B.T. on his website or follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. He's a great follow!   Year of Action Do, as B.T. says, the work on this issue.  Regardless of where you stand on the issue of sexual orientation in the church, whether you are affirming of gay marriage or not, seek out the story of a gay christian.  Seek out many stories, as it is all deeply personal and nuanced.  Suspend your opinion on the issue and seek out the story of someone who maybe falls on the opposite side of you theologically.  Try to understand where they are coming from and the path they've walked. As BT said, do everything you possibly can to empathize from a human connection.   Also discussed in the episode: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

This week's guest will give you hope for the state of politics in this country.  David Lapp is the co-founder of Better Angles, an organization determined to depolarize politics in our country.  Better Angels hosts Red and Blue workshops around the country with the goal of promoting respectful dialogue and better understanding between the two political parties.  David and Colleen talked about what is needed to depolarize politics today, surprising things that have happened in his workshops and why it's worth it to stay in these conversations even when they are messy.   To learn more about David and Better Angels head to his website Better Angels USA and follow the organization on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.     Year of Action Charge:  Find someone who is on the other side of the aisle politically from you and have a conversation.  Work towards respect and connection and stay in it as best you can.  Don't try to change each other's mind, just try to hear each other well.    Also mentioned in this episode: Pantsuit Politics podcast and I Think You're Wrong But I'm Listening by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers Video of BLM leader speaking at Trump rally Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis

This week we are tackling a very taboo topic.  Licensed clinical social worker Mark MacDonald and I sit down to talk about pornography.  Mark began his private practice about 20 years ago just as high speed internet was coming into homes and he saw his business immediately boom as people struggled to get out from under pornography addiction.  Mark and I discuss the science behind porn use, common myths about pornography and some ways to protect your kids from inadvertently accessing it.   For more information about Mark and his work, check out his website.   Also mentioned in this episode: Psychology Today Article The Great Porn Debate Resources to safeguard your internet: Circle Mobicip Covenant Eyes Teen Safe Books to help talk to kids about porn: Good Pictures Bad Pictures by Kristen Jensen   The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

It's a recap week!  This time we've crowdsources responses from the Year of Listening community!  Listeners sent in voice memos or emails with their thoughts on episodes 43-50.  It was interesting to see which episodes struck a nerve and what inspired you all.  Keep the conversation going!  Head over to the episode show notes page to leave a comment about what landed with you this in this set of conversations.  Or comment on an instagram post or in the facebook group.  We love hearing from our listeners!    

Colleen is talking faith and politics today!  Whether or not faith plays a role in your politics, it is impossible to escape the role the Christian faith has played in politics in recent years.  And if you've never contemplated to what degrees church and state are and should be separated, it's worth considering.  The guest is Cody Cook.  Cody is a theology graduate student living in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the author of three books and the host of the podcast Cantus Firmus which explores theological questions as they relate to the wider culture.  Cody and Colleen discuss what the Bible says about the role the Church plays within the state, the lenses each side tends to view the world through, and how we can be political but not partisan with our faith.    Connect with Cody!  You can find him and info about his podcast on his website and check out his books!   Year of Action steps: If you are a person of faith, regardless of your political leanings consider this week the ways in which your politics may only be of benefit a specific group of people rather than the whole, particularly if those people are people who agree with and think like you?  How might your politics expand to benefit people who are different from you?  How can we hold more loosely to our partisan politics in the name of speaking truth to power?    If you are not a person of faith and you want to understand more how faith influences politics on both sides of the aisle, consider listening to The Pantsuit Politics ladies.  Both are Christian women whose faith informs their politics even though they ascribe to different parties.  They give a good picture of how faith can influence politics in the best ways. Also mentioned in this episode: Focus on the Family article about Biblical Citizenship ERLC article Four reasons Christians Should Care about Politics Christian Century article Do Politics Belong in Church? Autobiography of Malcolm X

This week's guest is Heather Vickery.  Heather Vickery is an award-winning entrepreneur, business owner, and coach.  She is also a mother of four and host of the Brave Files podcast.  Heather shares her story of coming out later in life as a married mother of four.  We talk about sexual orientation, marriage, divorce, and how sexuality is about so much more than just sex.   Connect with Heather!  Check out her website and podcast The Brave Files.  Follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.   Year of Action steps: Seek out stories of people who have come out, whether they were later in life like Heather or as a young person.  There are countless books, articles, websites and even TV shows that focus on this experience.       Also mentioned in the episode: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This week we are tackling parenting.  While on the surface this may not seem like a hot button issue, anyone who has bumped up against a conflict in parenting methods knows that there are big feelings involved.  The guest is Meg Tietz, creator and producer of The Sorta Awesome podcast and writer and creator of the former blog Sorta Crunchy.  She is also the co-author of the book “Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby's First Year.”  Meg and Colleen talk about trusting your parenting intuition, the abundance of fear and judgement we seem to have today around the art of raising kids, and why we wish “Mommy Wars” would just be put to death already.   Connect with Meg!  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook and be sure to check out her podcast, The Sorta Awesome Podcast.  It's such a good show!  (You can find the show on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as well.)   Also discussed on the show: NYTimes piece “Motherhood in the Age of Fear” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This week Colleen is sitting down with Dr. Nate Collins. Dr. Nate Collins is the president and founder of Revoice, an evangelical organization that supports, encourages, and empowers gay, lesbian, and same-sex attracted Christians so they can flourish while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.  Nate and Colleen talk about his story as a gay man in a mixed orientation marriage, the ways the church can do better with regard to this issue and how to support gay Christians who also observe the traditional Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.   Connect with Nate!  Check out his organization ReVoice.  Follow Nate and ReVoice on twitter.  And take a look at his book All But Invisible, out now!   Year of Action: If you agreed with Nate: How can you encourage or support kinship for gay brothers and sisters who feel called to celibacy?  What are ways you can open your lives and homes to these men and women to provide the kinship that we are all created for?   If you disagreed with Nate- Follow and listen to some voices of gay Christian men and women that are not affirming of same-sex marriage like Nate.  This would include Nate.  Check out his book, All But Invisible.  Wesely Hill is another great person to follow (twitter) and learn from.  You can read his book Washed and Waiting. Finally, think of how you can support your gay brothers and sisters by being, as Nate discussed, mindful of their conscious.    Also mentioned in this episode: Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead

This week Colleen sits down with a dear friend and his friend to talk about incarceration, rehabilitation post-incarceration and the employment and mentoring of the formerly incarcerated.  Ricky Staub launched Neighborhood Film Co from a homeless shelter in Philadelphia with a mission to mentor and employ men returning home from prison. Marvin is a former apprentice of this program.  In the conversation they talk about what led Ricky to this kind of work, the nuts and bolts of the program and we hear from Marvin about how his involvement as an apprentice changed his life and why we should care about this kind of work.   Find out more about Neighborhood Film Co and the apprenticeship program on their website.  Colleen highly encourages you to listen to Ricky's TED talk and read Marvin's article about his experience (which was featured in Variety and Rolling Stone!)  You can follow Neighborhood Film Co. on Facebook and Instagram.   Also discussed in the episode: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson

Money, power and gender are all pretty taboo cocktail party topics and this week Bethany Bayless and Colleen tackle them all.   They talk about why women have a hard time leaning into personal finances and advocating for themselves when it comes to compensation for their work.  Bethany Bayless is a professional speaker and emcee. She has a podcast called The Money Millhouse where she and her mom, Ellie Kay, discuss personal finances over a cup of coffee each week.   Connect with Bethany on social media!  Follow her on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and check out her podcast The Money Millhouse.   Also mentioned in the episode: The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

Today we're talking to Shannon Underwood about immigration. Shannon and Colleen talk about why the immigration issue is so complicated, we tackle some of the common arguments against immigration and dive into the issue of immigration and jobs.  Shannon's expertise and common sense wisdom on this topic will really help you wrap your mind around this complex and controversial topic. Find out more about Shannon's work with the Global Justice Law Group on their website. Also discussed in this episode: 14 Most Common Arguments Against Immigration George J. Borjas article on Immigration and American Workers We Wanted Workers: Unraveling the Immigration Narrative by George J. Borjas Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

We're back!  This week's guest is Chris Tatem.  By day, Chris works in the criminal justice system and gets to watch lawyers ply their trade in the courtroom. By night, Chris is a podcast host who uses the skills he learns by observing others in the courtroom to improve the way we disagree with one another.  Chris hosts the podcast the Cross Examined Life, a podcast designed to “elevate the art of disagreement through cross exams of controversial topics.”  This week he shares what he's learned about improving how we disagree with each other through his work playing the devil's advocate on his show.   Check out Chris' show the Cross Examined Life podcast.  For information on the show go here.  Follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.  Chris does an incredible job leaning into these tough topics.

It's the last episode of the year and this time it's just Colleen behind the mic, sharing what she's learned this year by having polarizing conversations on the podcast.  She also shares some of her episode superlatives and what's ahead for A Year of Listening.

It's another special (fun) episode!  This week my dear friend and fellow pop culture enthusiast, Whitney Hudson, and I grabbed a glass of wine (or a G&T in my case) and shared our most polarizing pop culture opinions.  Tune in to hear us discuss the movies we hate (that everyone else loves), the celebrities we don't find attractive, and the ones we don't get the hype about.  You may have strong feelings about our feelings and we'd love to hear about it! Also mentioned in the show: Sex and the City podcast Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes Ava Luna by Isabelle Allende

Hold on to your hats kids, this may be the most contentious conversation we've had on the show yet… It's the holiday season and we're going to lighten it up around here with a few fun conversations as we wrap up the year. This week I sat down with two friends, Casey Raevsky and Kurt Holt to have a chat about the Harry Potter series. Kurt thinks the books are generally terrible and Casey and I are die-hard Potterheads. We discuss what we loved about the books, what we didn't, and what makes us nervous about the future of the Potter universe. If you aren't into the Harry Potter books this may not be the episode for you, but if, like us, you have strong feelings about this beloved series (good or bad) this will be right up your ally.

It's a recap week!  This week I sat down with my friend Lyra Repplinger to recap episodes 31-38!  We chatted about what we agreed with, what we disagreed with and everything in between. Lyra had great insight and thoughts about these conversations! Connect with Lyra! Come find her on Instagram! Also mentioned in the episode: Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss Calypso by David Sedaris

Today Colleen sits down with her friend Jason Anderson to talk about a little known polarizing issue!  Jason Anderson is a disability services counselor at large university (focus on deaf and hard of hearing students). His personal relationship with deafness, hearing loss, and disability allow him the unique opportunity to see multiple perspectives when working with students and staff of all backgrounds. He also founded and directed a non-profit resource center for 6 years geared towards improving employment outcomes for people that are deaf and hard of hearing, and did a Ted Talk titled The Art Of Self Accommodation. Jason and Colleen talk about a little known polarizing issue, that of Cochlear Implants and the Deaf Culture.  They talk about why many deaf people rejected cochlear implants, lowercase “d” deaf culture and capital “D” Deaf culture, and how Jason is working to bridge the gap between the two. Information about cochlear implants. Check out Jason's TedTalk!!  

This week Colleen sits down with Alison Donaghey. Alison is a radio host of The Alison Donaghey Show,  and author of an international best-selling book, Think Opposite: Using the Domino Effect to Change Your Business, Change the World.  Alison is exploring the intersection of feminism and men's rights and the conversation today will really make you think!  They also get into the recent Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, a topic that certainly seems to sit in that intersection.   Connect with Alison!  Find her at her website, or on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Linkedin.  You can also email her directly at alison@dominothinking.com

This week Colleen finishes her conversation with speaker and author Neen James about technology and social media, our addiction and dependency. Part two gets into the nitty gritty- tips to help us curb our own use, and how to have conversations in our community to cultivate a better atmosphere with regards to technology.

Technology, social media and attention. These are hot button issues that we all struggle with to some extent. This week Colleen chatted with speaker and author Neen James, who wrote the book on attention, about our dependency and in some cases addiction to technology and social media, how we can break the cycle and the graceful reminders we can all use with this topic. Neen and Colleen had so much to chat about that this is just part one of the conversation! Tune in next week to hear the rest. Connect with Neen! Find her at her website, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! And check out her books, including her newest, Attention Pays.   For more info go to the show notes page.

This week Colleen and author and speaker Jessica Pettitt talk about Trans issues.  They tackle everything from how to talk about the topic, definitions and terms, trans kids, legislation affecting the trans community and Jess shares her experience as a lesbian woman married to a transman. 

Do you live to work or work to live?  On today's episode work place culture guru Mike Ganino and Colleen sit down to discuss these two philosophies and how work place culture affects all of our lives. 

On today's episode Colleen is chatting with former physics teacher Terry Quain about climate change and an organization she is a part of that has a brilliant, achievable plan to help turn the boat around with regards to the damage climate change is doing to our world. You will learn a lot from today's conversation.