Culture of Kinship

The staff have a conversation that they need to go back to regularly - how much do I really believe the gospel? Many students have familiarity with the gospel but may not have a true grasp of the goodness of it. How do you relate to and share truth with someone who wants nothing to do with God? Getting students to hear from the Lord on what He wants for their life, instead of trying to modify behavior, is the ultimate goal but the pain process of getting to that point brings struggle and longing in the staff and students.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The staff dive into one of the pivotal mindsets that has shifted culture at Kinwell: embracing the spirit of adventure instead of safety. When the school has embraced keeping things the same because of normalcy and consistency, students get stuck in rhythms and their perspectives cannot be shifted to see what's possible. Edwin Friedman calls this "imaginative gridlock" in his book, A Failure of Nerve. Instead, stepping into the unknown and taking risks, sometimes deeply personal, has led to a true change of culture in our school. Hear some of the great stories from school in this process!Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The conversation of volunteering and mentoring has been a frequent one with the Kinwell staff, and this episode we discuss the challenges of mentors connecting with our students. How do you connect with someone who doesn't want to change? What is actually my motivation for wanting to be a mentor to a younger person?Support the Show.www.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Javan Buchanan, at the time a sophomore on the Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball team, joins the podcast to discuss his coming into a pre-established culture of pursuing excellence, above all, Christ. He shares about what makes a great team and how following Christ changes how he approaches basketball.It was a blast to speak with Javan and watch him play for his two seasons at IWU. He was a 2023-24 NAIA 1st Team All-American and led the Wildcats to the national tournament. He has since had the opportunity to transfer to Boise State and will continue his basketball career with the Broncos. We wish Javan the best of luck! You can keep up with his career by following him on Twitter or Instagram.Support the Show.www.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Kristy Burk joins the show to discuss her time thus far volunteering at Kinwell for her undergraduate practicum. We talk about her resilience in the pursuit of relationships and how it's easy to fall into the trap of just wanting students to like you while being a person the students can trust.Support the Show.www.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The last episode of season 2 has one of our awesome students, Tyanna joining the podcast. Last summer she found out she had a baby on the way, so we hear her process of being behind academically and how things have changed for her. Then the staff, break down how we've watched Tyanna and other teen moms struggle and/or thrive and grow through school.This podcast was recorded while Tyanna was pregnant, and since then she has given birth to a healthy baby boy!Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The staff discuss the challenges of discipline at Kinwell and in relationships in general. It seems whenever we try to follow a clear cut line of discipline, things go poorly relationally, but when we adjust to each individual student and try to see what's going on inside of them, we see discipline as benefitting them as a whole person, not just for our convenience.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The staff settle their differences about when to go the extra mile to help students versus when to have higher expectations for their responsibility. At its core, we realize our selfishness tends to determine either way we go.*We mistakenly  discuss 1 Thessalonians as a pastoral epistle, while it is more accurate to say the book was written to the church at Thessalonica.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Our good friend and former co-worker, Will, joins the show to chat how good culture is built. We discuss the importance of fun, being with people, and why you always need a selection of wigs.To connect with Will, you can go to his website or subscribe to his newsletter: https://willseverns.com/Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The staff discuss the challenges they've faced with building a culture that runs counter-culture to what students have been used to.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

The staff recap their time with Dr. Keith Puffer (from the previous episode) and how we've processed our own compassion fatigue.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Dr. Keith Puffer joins us to discuss what he's observed in our students and in the staff over his last few years of researching their lives and seeing us in relationship with them. He challenges us in our walk with God and how we relate to others.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Joe Biddle joins the podcast to chat about his experiences of being a police officer, an army chaplain, and getting his M.Div. and how he has found himself doing his best to be hope to people who might never experience it themselves.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Greg Tonagel, head basketball coach of Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball, sits down with us to share his insight into building the "I Am Third" culture that has led to national championships and boys turning into men. His insight into shifting a culture to one that matures men in their faith, while being successful on the court, applies to every area of life.Support the showwww.kinwellacademy.orgSign up for newsletter

Today's episode is the last of Season 1, and we have current student, Aaliyah, on the podcast to talk about her struggles with academics, specifically related to the Covid-19 pandemic.Aaliyah was one of many students who were severely impacted and fell behind when schools were shut down, but she is now one of the few who have put in work to get back on the right track. The staff discuss some of the difficulties students faced and the ways to alleviate them, then we hear from Aaliyah about her experiencesSupport the show

The staff discuss how Kinwell started, the origin of our name, and how all of us found ourselves in our jobs despite not having it on our radars. It includes lots of God intervening in our lives and changing us and how we view other people.Mentioned in the podcast is the documentary, Last Year At the Crossing.Support the show

Today's episode features our guest, good friend, and former co-worker Will Severns. Will worked with us for a few years and continues to have an impact on current and former students. We talk about how creating awesome experiences helps build a great culture and pushes people to new things.Support the show

The Kinwell staff discuss their struggles with control and how Jesus guides us to see things from a different perspective.Support the show

Jaden Barber joins our podcast shortly before our graduation ceremony. She shares with us about the extreme adversity she had growing up, and how despite life taking a turn that she wasn't planning on, she overcame those obstacles and is better on the other side. We really believe in Jaden as a person and wish everyone could here her story to learn from her.Support the show

Erin Luthy, head volleyball coach at Taylor University joins us to talk about her personal transformation in coaching and how that's led to improved results on the volleyball court. From being severely underqualified as a coach to now bringing in top-level talent, she shares how one small change her in mindset got her and her team through a time where she may have previously lost control.Support the show

Today's guest, Michael Contreras, is a current Kinwell student with an incredible story of fighting through adversity and buying into the culture at Kinwell. Mike comes from a very different background than most, so we get to hear about his unique childhood and the tragedies that have shaped him. We learn from Mike what looks like to have kinship despite differences and learning how to be comfortable in your own skin.Donate to KinwellSign up for our newsletterkinwellacademy.orginstagram.com/kinwellacademyfacebook.com/kinwellacademySupport the show