Her Story Speaks

Liz Childs Kelly is a writer, award-winning researcher, educator, community builder, and host of the popular Home to Her podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of the Sacred Feminine. She is also the author of Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine, a 2023 Nautilus Gold award winner, and the founder of Home to Her Academy. In this episode, Liz shares her story of her path to the sacred feminine and how she has dedicated her life to amplifying all aspects of Her. In honor of Women's History Month, we talk about the ancient history of the sacred feminine, how She shows up today, and how She drives our social justice work.  Liz's writing has been featured in a variety of online publications, including Forbes, Mashable, Rebelle Society, Human Parts (a Medium publication), and Braided Way, as well as the Girl God Books anthology Just As I Am: Hymns Affirming the Divine Female. An initiated priestess in the 13 Moon lineage, she also holds certifications in Reiki and Vinyasa and Yin Yoga. Liz lives in rural Virginia with her family and can often be found exploring the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains or wandering in the woods behind her home. 

Rozella Kennedy is a thought-leader, author and content creator specializing in equity, intersectional women's history and storytelling as a tool for change. She founded Brave Sis Project in 2019, publishing the world's only guided journal and day planner honoring BIPOC women in US history and creating events and facilitations supporting authentic allyship. She is also the author of the acclaimed book Our Brave Foremothers: Celebrating 100 Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History (Workman, 2023). Her publications and social media platforms have reached thousands of readers and engagers in over a dozen countries on six continents. Rozie also serves as Director of Impact and Equity for global strategic advisory firm Camber Collective, helping support equitable practices within the humanitarian, development, philanthropic, and social impact sectors.

Samantha Salem is a proud Palestinian mother of three, currently living in the Kansas City area. Having lived ten years in Gaza and with most of her family still living there but currently displaced, she knows firsthand the devastating effects of Israel's occupation of the land of her ancestors. With a passion for educating others about Palestine and committed to ensuring Palestinian voices are not silenced, she advocates for keeping important Palestinian and humanitarian conversations alive.  As a realtor in the Kansas City area with Reece Nichols, she blends her love for real estate and entrepreneurship to empower others to create passive income while honoring diversity and culture. Outside of work, Samantha engages in activism, enjoys bookstore visits, dreams of travel, and captures life through her lens.

For this episode, I am joined by Dr. Paige Rawson (she/they). Paige is a writer, speaker, life coach, epistimactivist and a biblical scholar with a doctorate in religious studies. Having survived five years of reparative therapy, Paige knows firsthand the trauma inflicted by exclusivist ideologies and toxic theologies, including those of white Christian nationalism and (Christian) Zionism, which have been especially instrumental in the genocide in Palestine. Their personal experience of discrimination and dehumanization motivated them to self-acceptance, personal healing, and social action, as well as the pursuit of an MDiv, an MA, and a PhD. Paige now focuses their energy on teaching, preaching, coaching, consulting, and counseling, educating people about (the use and abuse of) privilege, empowering minoritized people to advocate for themselves, and encouraging solidarity among marginalized communities. They have published essays and articles in multiple anthologies, wherein they cross several disciplinary and discursive boundaries to resist Western European epistemological hegemony and inspire interpretation in honor of the various “others,” who have historically been excluded in traditional biblical interpretation and “othered” within the text itself. Paige is particularly interested in educating people about the Hebrew Bible and New Testament in light of their historical relevance and deployment in representations of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, American values, and the justification of colonialism and US diplomacy.

The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis (she/her) uses her gifts as author, activist, preacher, and public theologian toward creating an antiracist, just, gun violence free, fully welcoming, gender affirming society in which everyone has enough. Jacqui is the Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church-preaching Fierce Love throughout the year. She is the first African American and first woman to serve as a senior minister in the Collegiate Church, which was founded in New York City in 1628 and is the oldest continuous Protestant Church in North America. A womanist theologian, Jacqui has preached at the Festival of Homiletics, the Wild Goose Festival, The Children's Defense Fund's Haley Farm, and was a featured speaker on the Together national tour with best-selling author, Glennon Doyle. She has been featured on the The Today Show, All In with Chris Hayes, AM Joy, The Melissa Harris Perry Show, NY1, ABC, NBC, PBS, CBS. Her writing has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, USA Today, Vox, The Huffington Post and more. Her newest book, Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World, was released in 2021 and is the subject of much of our conversation. Inspired by the Ubuntu philosophy “I am who I am because we are who we are”, Dr. Lewis shares practices necessary for transforming ourselves, our communities, and our world at large. Her Fierce Love is a manifesto for all generations, a universalist's vision for mending our broken hearts and fractured world.

Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber: an award-winning author, artist, and founder of Tehom Center Publishing. Her newest book, Queering the American Dream, is the subject of our conversation where Angela shares the radical journey of her queer family who left it all and the revolutionary women who taught them how. With five of her eight books listed in QSpirit's Top LGBTQ+ Religion Books, Dr. Yarber started Tehom Center Publishing, an imprint publishing feminist and queer authors, with a commitment to elevate BIPOC writers. She holds a Ph.D. in Art and Religion and is an Affiliate Professor for Women in Religious Leadership at Drew University. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Ms. Magazine, HuffPo, The Independent, NPR, Maya Angelou's memorial celebration, the television show Tiny House Nation, and more; to see her folk-feminist art, purchase a book, or learn more about Tehom Center Publishing, visit www.tehomcenter.org

In this episode, my guest and I talk about the healing benefits of psilocybin. We share our personal journeys about the healing we experienced on psilocybin as well as medical facts that support the healing. My guest, Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has  appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill, and she currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University. Find her work at jennferchesak.com. And follow her on socials @jenchesak.

Lyvonne Briggs, MDiv, ThM, Emmy Award winner, is a body- and sex-positive womanist preacher. She is an author, pastor, spiritual life coach, and highly sought-after transformational speaker and seminar leader. A TEDx speaker, she has been featured in Essence, Cosmopolitan, and The Washington Post, and Sojourners named her one of "11 Women Shaping the Church.” Lyvonne is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School, Seton Hall University, Yale Divinity School,and Columbia Theological Seminary. She is currently based in New Orleans, LA. Her new book, "Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body" is the topic of our conversation. Lyvonne shares her story of breaking free from body and sex shame and invites women to discover a healthier approach to spirituality and sexuality that centers on pleasure rather than shame.

Marcie Alvis-Walker is an author and curator of the popular Instagram handle @blackcoffeewithwhitefriends, which focuses on race, theology, and current events with a companion blog of the same name. She is also the writer and creator of Black-Eyed Bible Stories, a Substack newsletter and podcast focused on Black Womanist readings of the Bible.  In her debut book,  Everybody Come Alive: A Memoir In Essays, Marcie explores intersectionality, diversity, and inclusion in our spiritual lives. In her coming-of-age journey, Marcie touches on the bittersweet pain and joy of what it takes to become a person who embraces being Black, a woman, and holy in America. In this vulnerable conversation Marcie shares more of her deeply personal story with her own mother's journey with mental illness and its imprint on her life now. 

Tina Strawn (she/they) is a joy and liberation advocate, activist, author of "Are We Free Yet? The Black, Queer Guide to Divorcing America," and the owner and host of the Speaking of Racism podcast. The heart of her work is founding and leading Legacy Trips, immersive antiracism experiences where participants visit historic locations such as Montgomery and Selma, AL, and utilize spiritual practices as tools to affect personal and collective change. Most recently Tina is the co-founder of Here4TheKIds, a national movement to ban guns and buy them back.

Sara Cunningham is an author, activist, and founder of the non-profit organization Free Mom Hugs. Her journey is a surprising one that began in conservative Oklahoma when her son, Parker, came out as gay. As a woman of faith, Sara wrestled with the news until she began to study, research, and reconcile the two worlds. This journey resulted in her book How We Sleep at Night. She found herself on a journey “from the church to the Pride parade,” falling in love with the LGBTQIA+ community. The mission of Free Mom Hugs began in the wake of beautiful glitter-covered hugs and heart-breaking horror stories. Simple acts of love and acceptance turned into a viral sensation, and Sara knew she had the opportunity to lead impactful change. Free Mom Hugs is now a movement across the country and the world. Sara goes Beyond the Hug to educate and advocate organizations of all types, including schools and businesses striving for safe and protected spaces. She has often appeared with her son Parker, on the Today Show and The RuPaul Show and spoke at the 2019 GLAAD Awards. She also has been featured in many national publications, including The Washington Post, Woman's Day magazine, and People magazine. Sara is currently in partnership with Jamie Lee Curtis, who has purchased the rights to her book and will release a movie based on her story. An upcoming documentary about the Mama Bears movement by award-winning director Daresha Kyi also features Sara and the Free Mom Hugs movement. Sara's passion is to change the perspective of the outside world toward this beautiful part of our community so that we, as a society, not only learn to affirm but, more importantly, celebrate. Her goal is to help parents, and children have authentic relationships and understanding for each other using her own experience and education as a guide. Sara is passionate about connecting with faith, civic, and business leaders in efforts to make the world a kinder, safer place for our LGBTQIA+ family. She is gifted at inspiring others to join her in this movement that is sweeping the nation and the world.

Hillary Whittington is a mom, author, and advocate who has dedicated her life to her children and to raising awareness about the transgender community. After discovering her son was both deaf and transgender, Hillary began dedicating her efforts to raising awareness about the transgender community. Hillary created a viral YouTube video and co-authored a book titled "Raising Ryland: Our Story Of Parenting A Transgender Child With No Strings Attached." In this episode, Hilary shares her journey of parenting a transgender child, and what she learned along the way. From the earliest stages of deciphering Ryland through clothing choices to examining the difficult conversations that have marked every stage of Ryland's transition, she shares her experiences as a mother through it all.

When Breonna Taylor was killed, her police report was virtually blank. Feeling as if she was suffocating in the initial silence and lack of public outcry, anti-racism educator and activist Faitth Brooks wondered, “Would the world care about and remember me if I was killed?” In her new book, Remember Me Now, Faitth grapples with the answer, charting the story of her activist grandparents and ancestors, as well as chronicling her own journey as the first-generation suburbs kid who becomes an activist and organizer herself. In our conversation Faitth shares her story of how she has learned to celebrate the fullness of herself and invites other Black women to do the same in a world determined to silence Black voices. Faitth is a writer, speaker, social worker, activist, and co-host of the Melanated Faith podcast. Faitth has served as the director of programs and innovation for Be the Bridge and director of women's empowerment for Legacy Collective. 

Saira Rao grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Indian immigrants. For forty years, she wasted her precious time aspiring to be white and accepted by dominant white society, a futile task for anyone not born with white skin. Several years ago, Saira began the painful process of dismantling her own internalized oppression. In this episode Saira shares her story of how her eyes finally started to open to her own internalized oppression to start speaking up against white supremacy. Saira is the co-founder of Race2Dinner, co-author of New York Times Bestseller White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How To Do Better and Executive Producer of the documentary Deconstructing Karen.

In part four  of this bonus podcast series, paying tribute to Black motherhood, I am joined by Marcie Alvis-Walker, Cha Sears-Barefield, Patricia A. Taylor, Dr. Quintrilla Ard and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the theme “In Our Mother's Gardens.” In this episode the women share their experiences of being multidimensional Black women and how they have fought for dignity in a world that has tried to take it. They share personal stories from their own mothering journeys and talk about some of the hardest chapters where their own lives have been jeopardized . They also share about the legacy their ancestors have left for them and the soil they tend to daily to leave a bounty of dignity for the children that come after them.

In part three of this bonus podcast series where we are paying tribute to Black motherhood, I am joined by Marcie Alvis-Walker, Patricia Taylor and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the Black Motherhood in Media. Not only do they share their own experiences growing up and the Black mothers in media that influenced them but also share their passion for having more representation of Black women and girls in media today. They talk about raising daughters under the heavy influence of whiteness all around them and the very real struggle they face as Black mothers keeping their children's dignity fully intact. Book bans, censorship and teaching our children more accurate history is also discussed.

In this bonus podcast series we are paying tribute to Black Motherhood. For this episode I am joined by historian Lettie Gore, Marcie Alvis-Walker, and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the The Imprint of Black Mothers on our Country. The women discuss everything from our country's Founding Mothers, to Black domestics raising white children, to Black mothers shaping American Politics. (please note, some content may be triggering.)

In this bonus podcast series we are paying tribute to Black motherhood during the month of February in honor of Black History Month. I hand over the mic to a group of  phenomenal Black women as they bring their voices and expertise to talk about all aspects of Black motherhood. In this episode I am joined by historian Lettie Gore, Marcie Alvis-Walker, Cha Barefield, Nya Abernathy, and Dr. Quantrilla Ard as they discuss the History of the Black Womb. Please note that the content of this episode may be triggering for some and the language may not be for young ears. As always the goal with sharing these stories and true history is not to create more trauma but rather to acknowledge the trauma done to Black bodies in this country thus to bring more Black women's stories out of the darkness and into the light. 

In this episode, I sit down for a conversation with my 20 year-old daughter, Grace Kingsley Miller, for one of the most vulnerable conversations I have had to date.  Grace shares her story of struggling with mental illness starting at the age of 14. She shares about some of her childhood trauma that impacted her mental health as battled self harm and depression for many of her teenage years. At the age of 19, Grace was finally diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, and she shares openly about coming to terms with and accepting this difficult diagnosis. We talk about the stigma associated with mental illness and bi-polar disorder especially and the importance of having real conversations about it. Grace also shares her journey of finding effective treatment and help and just how challenging that can be. Finally she shares about her recent experience with ketamine assisted therapy and how promising and effective it has been for her treatment. This episode is for anyone who has struggled with mental health and for family members that love them through it or want to learn to do better in helping them. 

Karen González is seeking to see and love her neighbors as God does. She is a speaker, writer, public theologian, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. Karen is a former public school teacher and attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology. For the last 15 years, she has been a non-profit professional, currently working for an organization that serves asylum seekers. She wrote a book about her own immigration story and the many immigrants found in the Bible: The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong (2019). Her second book Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration seeks to elevate the discourse in the church beyond just hospitality to immigrants. In our conversation we talk about her new book and why the traditional approach to immigration ministries and activism is at best incomplete and at worst harmful. Karen lives in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland, where she enjoys cooking Guatemalan food, traveling, watching baseball, studying the Mayan language Kaqchikel, and writing while her tabby cat Oscar naps beside her.

Rev. Aurelia Dávila Pratt is an imago dei enthusiast, sacred space maker and paradigm shifter with a passion for liberation. She's the lead pastor of Peace of Christ Church, a radically loving community in Round Rock, Texas. Named by Sojourners as one of “Ten Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2022”, Aurelia is also the author of A Brown Girl's Epiphany: Reclaim Your Intuition and Step into Your Power and the co-host of the Nuance Tea Podcast.  In this episode Aurelia shares her story of growing up as a brown girl in mostly white spaces.  She talks about overcoming people pleasing, perfectionism and imposter syndrome on her journey to liberation. 

Rev. Kyndall Rae Rothaus (she/her) is an award winnng preacher, spoken word artist, feminist theologian, spiritual director, and preaching coach. She is the author of Thy Queendom Come: Breaking Free from Patriarchy to Save Your Soul (2021) and Preacher Breath (2015). She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Nevertheless She Preached, a national, ecumenical preaching conference designed to elevate the voices of folx on the margins. Kyndall also spent eight years as a Senior Pastor at a Baptist church in Texas, where, among other things, she left a legacy of fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church before leaving institutional church work to start her own business, Kindle Your Soul Fire, working with individuals to heal from religious trauma and re-imagine their spirituality. Kyndall is a queer woman and the single mom of two adopted children who are the biggest joys of her life.  In this conversation Kyndall shares her story of growing up in a conservative Christian home in Oklahoma. Despite being taught to believe that women could not be pastors, she followed her calling and went to seminary to become a pastor.  She shares about her experience in seminary, what led her to create "Nevertheless She Preached" and her passion for helping others who are deconstructing their faith and healing from religious trauma.  

Myisha T Hill is a mental health activist, speaker, and entrepreneur passionate about mental wellness and empowerment for all.  Myisha runs the advocacy site Check Your Privilege with over 700K followers on Instagram. Her newest book, “Heal Your Way Forward”, is the book her followers have been waiting for—a marriage of her personal story, antiracist handbook, and an emotional plea for all people to start healing themselves today so we can heal the world of tomorrow.  In this episode Myisha shares her own story with mental illness and how her biggest breakdown led to her greatest breakthrough. We also talk about the value of white tears and grief and coming back to the work after the great white awakening. 

Quantrilla Ard, PhD, is a recent transplant to the Atlanta area along with her husband and three littles. A passionate creative at heart, she has answered the call to encourage women in all stages of life and of various backgrounds through empathy, transparency, and love. Quantrilla is a faith-based personal and spiritual development writer, dynamic speaker, and people-connector who believes in the power of collective strength, community, and fellowship. She recently graduated from Walden University with a PhD in Health Psychology and is an advocate for social justice with a focus on Black maternal and infant health and mortality. She currently shepherds stories as a literary agent for Embolden Media Group. In this episode Quantrilla shares her story of her first pregnancy that nearly resulted in tragedy, but instead propelled her journey forward to be an advocate for Black women's maternal health. She talks about her view on the recent Roe v Wade decision as a Black woman, Christian, and advocate for women's health. You can find her sharing stories of triumph at www.thephdmamma.com.

Mindy Corporon was the CEO of a successful wealth management firm, when an unimaginable tragedy struck. Mindy's father and oldest son were murdered by a white-supremacist intent on killing Jewish people.  In a split second, Mindy's life purpose changed from guiding people financially to helping people find space to learn about their differences and discover commonalities.  With compassion and forgiveness Mindy shares her experience of loss as a daughter and a mother, a wife and co-worker both nationally and internationally. Mindy's endeavors include writing her memoir, Healing a Shattered Soul (2021), where she takes readers inside her family's struggle and her commitment to courageous kindness. In addition, along with her family, Mindy started SevenDays® Inc., a foundation dedicated to overcoming hate by promoting kindness and understanding through education and dialogue.

Jeannie Gainsburg is an award-winning educational trainer and consultant in the field of LGBTQ+ inclusion and effective allyship. Formerly the Education Director at the Out Alliance in Rochester, N.Y., she is now the founder of Savvy Ally Action and author of the book, The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ+ Advocate. Jeannie has a BA in psychology from Brown University and an MA in social work and social research from Bryn Mawr College. She was under the impression that a citation was the result of driving too fast until January of 2019, when she received one from the New York State Assembly for Distinguished Educational & Human Rights Services for her work in promoting LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion. Her encouraging, passionate, and warm-hearted approach will surely jumpstart even the most tentative ally. Visit her website and download free ally goodies at: www.savvyallyaction.com.

For this bonus episode I am joined by past guest, Mariah Humphries. Mariah is a Mvskoke Nation citizen, writer and educator. Through her experience navigating the tension between Native and White American culture, she brings Native awareness to non-Native spaces.  With over 20 years of vocational ministry service, she is focused on theology, racial literacy and reconciliation within the American Church. In this episode we discuss the often overlooked and under reported topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women. Mariah shares real stories of the women behind the statistics as well as reasons why Indigenous women and (girls +) are murdered ten times higher than all other ethnicities, yet this number often goes under reported.

Idelette McVicker describes herself as a creative soul and midwife for liberation. She was born and raised in South Africa during the apartheid era and spent half of her life living in a system created to benefit her white body. When she was 16, she read a book that cracked open her all-white world and shattered so many of her belief systems. Since then she spent her life leaving the construct of whiteness, unlearning so much of what she had internalized to learn a new way of being human. In this conversation we talk about Idelette's journey out of whiteness that she shares in her new book: *RECOVERING RACISTS  Dismantling White Supremacy and Reclaiming Our Humanity.”  Please note, 90% of proceeds from this book go directly to BIPOC communities who have been harmed by racist systems of oppression.

Leading Christian activist, author and founder of the consulting group Freedom Road, Lisa Sharon Harper has spent three decades researching ten generations of her family history through DNA research, oral histories, interviews and genealogy. In her new book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World—and How to Repair It All, Harper draws on her lifelong journey to know her family's history to recover the beauty of her heritage, expose the brokenness that race has wrought in America, and cast a vision for collective repair.

In this episode Tasha Hunter shares her journey with forgiveness, infertility, and mothering her bonus daughter. Tasha Hunter, MSW, LCSW is  Black, queer Internal Family Systems therapist and consultant. She is the owner of Ascension Growth Center, PLLC located in North Carolina. As a United States Air Force veteran, she primarily serves military, Black/BIPOC women, and LGBTQ+.  She is the author of her memoir, "What Children Remember" and host of the podcast " When We Speak". She is passionate about speaking about adult child trauma, suicide, and collective healing and liberation.

Did you know that women in this country continue to experience discrimination and disadvantage in nearly every sphere of life? A 2018 survey named the United States among the ten most dangerous countries in the world for women and the World Economic Forum recently ranked the United States 53rd out of 153 nations for gender parity. In this episode we talk about the  Equal Rights Amendment and who it is a crucial step toward greater gender justice in the U.S and ending gender discrimination in this country. Human rights lawyer and faith leader, Allyson McKinney, and author and Speaker Meghan Tschanz  talk about the history of the ERA, why it has still not been published as the 28th amendment, why it is desperately needed, some of the myths and opposition to it  and what you can do to help ratify the ERA to the U.S. Constitution

In part four  of this bonus podcast series, paying tribute to Black motherhood, I am joined by Marcie Alvis-Walker, Cha Sears-Barefield, Patricia A. Taylor, Dr. Quintrilla Ard and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the theme “In Our Mother's Gardens.” In this episode the women share their experiences of being multidimensional Black women and how they have fought for dignity in a world that has tried to take it. They share personal stories from their own mothering journeys and talk about some of the hardest chapters where their own lives have been jeopardized . They also share about the legacy their ancestors have left for them and the soil they tend to daily to leave a bounty of dignity for the children that come after them. Because Black women have a history of not getting paid for their time and work, we would like to honor each of the guests for this series and compensate them for their time. We are asking listeners to donate minimum $1 for each episode  they download and listen to in this series. Money can be given via Venmo to @herstoryspeaks and all money given in the month of February will be divided equally among the guests for this series. 

In part three of this bonus podcast series where we are paying tribute to Black motherhood, I am joined by Marcie Alvis-Walker, Patricia Taylor and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the Black Motherhood in Media. Not only do they share their own experiences growing up and the Black mothers in media that influenced them but also share their passion for having more representation of Black women and girls in media today. They talk about raising daughters under the heavy influence of whiteness all around them and the very real struggle they face as Black mothers keeping their children's dignity fully intact. Book bans, censorship and teaching our children more accurate history is also discussed. 

Christena Cleveland Ph.D. is a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist. She is the founder and director of the  Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk, which creates resources to stimulate people's spiritual imaginations and support their journeys toward liberation. A weaver of Black liberation and the sacred feminine, Dr. Cleveland integrates psychology, theology, storytelling, and art to stimulate our spiritual imaginations. She recently completed her third full-length book, God is a Black Woman (HarperOne), which details her 400-mile walking pilgrimage across central France in search of ancient Black Madonna statues, and examines the relationship among race, gender, and cultural perceptions of the Divine.  Dr. Cleveland holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara as well as an honorary doctorate from the Virginia Theological Seminary. An award-winning researcher and author, Christena is a Ford Foundation Fellow who has held faculty positions at several institutions of higher education — most recently at Duke University's Divinity School, where she led a research team investigating self-compassion as a buffer to racial stress. Though Dr. Cleveland loves scholarly inquiry, she is also a student of embodied wisdom. She recently completed the Art & Social Change intensive body wisdom training for millennial leaders, and is currently deepening her mind-body-spirit integration in a year-long life practice program for BIPOC.  A bona fide tea snob, lover of Black art, and Ólafur Arnalds superfan — Christena makes her home in Boston. https://www.christenacleveland.com/  https://www.patreon.com/cscleve IG@ christenacleveland

In this bonus podcast series we are paying tribute to Black Motherhood. For this episode I am joined by historian Lettie Gore, Marcie Alvis-Walker, and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the The Imprint of Black Mothers on our Country. The women discuss everything from our country's Founding Mothers, to Black domestics raising white children, to Black mothers shaping American Politics. (please note, some content may be triggering.)

In this bonus podcast series we are paying tribute to Black motherhood during the month of February in honor of Black History Month. I hand over the mic to a group of  phenomenal Black women as they bring their voices and expertise to talk about all aspects of Black motherhood. In this episode I am joined by historian Lettie Gore, Marcie Alvis-Walker, Cha Barefield, Nya Abernathy, and Dr. Quantrilla Ard as they discuss the History of the Black Womb. Please note that the content of this episode may be triggering for some and the language may not be for young ears. As always the goal with sharing these stories and true history is not to create more trauma but rather to acknowledge the trauma done to Black bodies in this country thus to bring more Black women's stories out of the darkness and into the light. 

Dr. Christy Bauman, Ph.D., MDFT, & LMHC is committed to helping women come into their true voice. Christy is an author, teacher, psychotherapist, and a mother of 4. As a fierce dreamer who is passionate about advocating for women, her work focuses on the female body, sexuality, and theology.

Staci Frenes is a Christian author, singer/songwriter and speaker. Her new book Love Makes Room is about the process by which her heart and faith grew when her daughter came out as gay. As someone with a conservative Christian background, When Staci Frenes learned her teenage daughter was gay, she found her dreams for the future—along with her lifelong faith—collapsing around her. Coming to terms with a new reality was a challenge, and an invitation, to make room for many things along the way: the inevitability of uncertainty, hope in the midst of loss, awkward and tough conversations, an expanding faith, and a greater understanding of how people are more the same than different. Staci and her husband live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Patricia Taylor is a wife, mom and California native turned Georgia peach. She believes in Jesus, loving all our neighbors, and having critical conversations around racial justice with grace and honesty. Her work is rooted in anti-racism education, and she currently  serves as the Director of Programs for Be The Bridge. Patricia is also a co-host for Upside Down Podcast, which is an ecumenical faith space that has unscripted conversations around justice, spirituality, and culture. Most recently she has done education-based course writing for Sesame Street in Communities at this link. In this conversation we talk about her most recent celebration of turning 40 and all that means to her. Patricia shares what she has learned about becoming fully who she was created to be as Black woman taking up space and owning her voice. We dive into topics like setting boundaries, being a “token” Black friend, and thoughts to her younger self. 

Monica DiCristina is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over fifteen years of experience in mental health. She runs a private practice in Atlanta, GA serving individuals and couples in therapy. Monica walks with people as they process difficult experiences, helping to bring healing to their relationship with themselves and others. The intersection of her years of therapy experience, as well as her personal mental health journey, inform her perspective and work. Through her podcast, writing, speaking, and counseling work, Monica carries out her heartfelt mission to collaborate with others in their process of healing, hope, and becoming. In this episode Monica shares more about her story about her own walk with mental illness and what drives the work she does. We talk about "unbecoming" to become, being an HSP and setting boundaries. 

Mariah Humphries is a Mvskoke Nation citizen, writer and educator. Through her experience navigating the tension between Native and White American culture, she brings Native awareness to non-Native spaces.  With over 20 years of vocational ministry service, she is focused on theology, racial literacy and reconciliation within the American Church.  In our conversation Mariah shares her story of being raised by her Native American mother and her White father and learning to hold on to her Native American identity as she navigated a world of whiteness.  She shares about her own faith journey and how she embraces both her Christianity and identity as a Native American instead of either or. Finally we dive into the Native American historical stereotype of being a violent aggressor and take a look at the real history of Native Americans as peacemakers. We also talk about navigating thanksgiving and reclaiming the holiday with learning real history and the importance of land recognition. 

Emmy Kegler is a pastor, author, and speaker called to ministry at the margins of the church, especially among LGBTQ+ Christians. Emmy has a Master's in Divinity from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minn., and is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.   In this episode, Emmy shares herstory of walking with mental Illness for much of her life. We talk about her second book, All Who Are Weary: Easing the Burden on the Walk with Mental Illness,  which offers a pastoral and Scriptural accompaniment to those facing symptoms and diagnoses of mental illness along with those who walk alongside them. Find Emmy here: emmykegler.com Twitter: @emmykegler Instagram: emmykegler Facebook: facebook.com/emmy.kegler

In this episode Tasha Hunter and Andrea Miller talk about finding community in the wilderness. They discuss the invisible wilderness so many seem to be living in right now, and opening yourself up to relationships after experiencing hurt and loss. They share about their meeting one year ago on IG in Oct of 2020,  at a time when both felt to be living in an invisible wilderness with loss of community and an unraveling of their faith. Over the past year,  as their friendship has expanded, so has their desire to create a safe space for others to heal and find community.  They share their vision for the future to create a space where all can  be fully welcome to the table just as they are. 

As a former journalist, Kayla Craig is adamant about paying attention and embracing curiosity in her work as a writer and podcast producer. She writes nuanced, nurturing prayers at Liturgies for Parents on Instagram and co-founded the Upside Down Podcast, a place for ecumenical conversations on faith and justice. Professionally, she writes, produces, and edits prayers and podcasts for Christian spiritual formation.  In our conversation we talk about Kayla's newest book, To Light Their Way, and what led her to write it after a chapter in her life where she doubted it prayer even “worked.” Kayla shares how her view of prayer has evolved thru the years and what it means to her now. She also shares her adoption journey and how transracial adoption has changed how she views the world and her place in it.  Kayla and her pastor-husband, Jonny, live in Iowa, where they're raising four young kids who joined their family via birth and adoption. When she's not playing LEGOs with her sons or advocating for her daughter with disabilities, Kayla can be found sipping strong coffee. You can connect with Kayla at kaylacraig.com and on Instagram @kayla_craig and @liturgiesforparents.

Dr. Angela N. Parker is a Womanist New Testament scholar and an Assistant Professor of New Testament and Greek at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology. With an  M.T.S. from Duke Divinity School and a Ph.D. in Bible, Culture, & Hermeneutics from Chicago Theological Seminary she is a notably educated and accomplished author, speaker and theologian. However Angela Parker wasn't just trained to be a biblical scholar; she was trained to be a White male biblical scholar. Dr. Parker's experience of being taught to forsake her embodied identity in order to contort herself into the stifling construct of Whiteness is common among American Christians, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. In her latest book,  If God Still Breathes, Why Can't I: Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority, Dr. Parker draws from her perspective as a Womanist New Testament scholar. She shares how she learned to deconstruct one of White Christianity's most pernicious lies: the conflation of biblical authority with the doctrines of inerrancy and infallibility. In our conversation we talk about this and how historically, White males in positions of power have used Scripture to justify control over marginalized groups. 

In this episode I welcome back Emmy Kegler for a bonus conversation about raising kids beyond purity culture in an LGBTQ+ affirming home, we talk about what to do if and when a child comes out to you and how to best support them, setting up boundaries and the importance of teaching kids about body autonomy and consent. Emmy Kegler is a pastor, author, and speaker called to ministry at the margins of the church, especially among LGBTQIA+ Christians. She serves as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Northeast Minneapolis, a small servant-hearted neighborhood congregation focused on feeding the hungry and community outreach.

For this bonus summer 2021 episode I am joined by writer and thinker Marcie Alvis-Walker, the creator of the IG account and blog “Black Coffee With White Friends.” Marcie is also the creator of Mockingbird History lessons for adults where she shares the missing narratives of history and her most recent project, Black Eyed Bible study, where she dives deeper into the Bible from a womanist perspective. Marcie has a passion for seeking truth and sharing real history that challenges folks to dig deeper and think critically.  In this episode Marcie and I talk all things Critical Race Theory and more. CRT continues to be a hot topic especially at school board meetings where many parents are objecting the possibility it be taught to their children. Why is this theory, that has been around for years, even at the forefront right now? Why is it so hotly debated and opposed by some parents? What is it exactly? Why does it matter and what does the Bible actually have to say about it? 

Dr. Paula Stone Williams is an internationally known speaker on gender equity, LGBTQ advocacy and religious tolerance. As a transgender woman, Paula brings a unique perspective to her work on gender equity.  She says, "The differences between living as a man and a woman are massive. There is no way an educated white male can understand how much the culture is tilted in his favor, because it is all he has ever known and all he ever will know." Paula's recently released memoir, As a Woman: What I Learned about Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned (Simon & Schuster), chronicles her transition journey and sheds light on the gendered landscape that impacts many in the LGBTQ+ community and women in the workplace and beyond. In addition to her public speaking and corporate consulting, she is also a Pastor and Pastoral Counselor in Boulder County, Colorado. Paula has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, TEDWomen, TEDSummit, TEDxMileHigh, Red Table Talk, National Public Radio, Good Morning America, ABC Primetime News, CNN, People Magazine, and many other media outlets. She has been a keynote speaker for hundreds of conferences, corporations, and universities around the world. Her TED Talks have had over six million views. Paula lives in Boulder County, Colorado, where she also serves as a pastor with Left Hand Church. 

Jamie Bruesehoff (she/her) is an award-winning writer, speaker, and advocate. She is an openly queer woman married to a Lutheran pastor and mom to three spirited children, including a 14 year old transgender daughter, Rebekah.  She is passionate about sharing her family's story, because she believes our stories are bridges to understanding, compassion, and celebration. Jamie works alongside her daughter Rebekah to spread a message of hope for LGBTQ people of all ages and show the world that transgender kids are just like other kids. She advocates for LGBTQ youth and adults creating opportunities for learning and conversation in schools, churches, workplaces, and beyond. She also works for legislative change in her home state of New Jersey and on a federal level. Jamie holds a Masters in Religion from the Lutheran Theological Seminary and previously worked in outdoor and youth ministry. She and her family have been featured by media outlets and advocacy organizations around the world including Human Rights Campaign, Good Morning Britain, Disney, Marvel, Good Morning America, NPR, and USA Today. Whether it's in front of ten people or more than thirty thousand, Jamie shares her experience in a way that touches hearts, changes minds, and inspires positive change.

Cha Sears-Barefield is a powerful speaker, entrepreneur and talk show host of The Cha Show. The Cha Show is committed to fostering meaningful conversations that bring people together, create a safe space to share our stories and inspire our hearts to be better, love better, and hope more. Cha believes in the power of pushing the needle towards love. She sees the extraordinary in the ordinary and causes us to see the same. The world needs what Cha seeks to amplify, now more than ever. Cha is committed to being an impactful presence in this world. She knows that we can all leave the world better. And, she's doing everything she can to do her part. In this episode Cha shares her story of fully becoming herself through a life of feeling like she was never enough. Cha lived her early childhood years in the Bahamas but moved to the US for elementary/boarding school. It was in the US when Cha felt ugly, fat, and undesirable for the first time as  her brown skin was surrounded by whiteness. As Cha says, the rest of her life was then spent trying to renegotiate and re-learn the essence of her brilliance and beauty that was broken when she was seven years old. 

Emmy Kegler is a pastor, author, and speaker called to ministry at the margins of the church, especially among LGBTQ+ Christians. She serves as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Northeast Minneapolis. Emmy has a Master's in Divinity from Luther Seminary and is an ordained pastor of the ELCA.  She is a co-leader of the Queer Grace Community, a group of LGBTQ+ Christians in the Twin Cities who meet for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. She is also the founder and editor of the Queer Grace Encyclopedia, a curated collection of online resources around LGBTQ life and faith. Emmy was a previous guest on the podcast where she shared her story.  In this episode  we dive into the clobber verses and talk about the Christian response to the LGBTQ community. Emmy answers questions and also shares resources and knowledge to help educate those wrestling with this topic.