No Ordinary People

For our final episode of 2021, our guest is Amanda Hood. Amanda lives in Orange, CA and works as a Case Manager and Benefits Specialist for a homeless outreach services agency. She grew up in a small town in Louisiana, and we talk about what that was like and how her worldview has changed as her exposure to diversity expanded. Amanda gives us some great insights when it comes to people experiencing homelessness and how we can help support these neighbors in our communities. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

CONTENT WARNING: Suicidal ideation Zach Scott recently moved from Arkansas to Las Vegas, NV with his husband. He is the Head of Sales and Customer Success for The Dental A Team, a dental consulting company whose main goal is to increase profits, improve systems, and better everyone's involved in dental practices. On this episode, we talk about Zach's childhood growing up on a cattle ranch in the Bible Belt, his experience coming out to his family, and how his mental health was affected over the years. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

On this third and final episode of this series, April is joined by Jamie Corbin, Ben Cremer, Kelly Holder, and Elicia Zahm as they finish their discussion about equity versus equality, how people are created equal AND created in God's image, the dueling theologies of the Constitution and the Bible, how this is anti-CRT rhetoric is impacting students, and what we can do on a practical level. **Please note that this is a conversation among white community members specifically addressing how white people in their area are behaving and what needs to change; this is not intended to in any way center whiteness and/or speak on behalf of Black people about their experience. We acknowledge that no people group is a monolith, and we are are speaking from our own experiences and areas of knowledge. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

On this second episode of this series, April is joined by Jamie Corbin, Ben Cremer, Kelly Holder, and Elicia Zahm as they pick up the conversation discussing the Christian voice that's driving anti-CRT rhetoric and our personal struggles with church right now. Ben takes us to church as he shares about Jesus' first sermon, the history of evangelicalism, and the history of Idaho. We talk about indoctrination--what it is, what it isn't, and is it really showing up in our schools? **Please note that this is a conversation among white community members specifically addressing how white people in their area are behaving and what needs to change; this is not intended to in any way center whiteness and/or speak on behalf of Black people about their experience. We acknowledge that no people group is a monolith, and we are are speaking from our own experiences and areas of knowledge. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

After episode 14, we received quite a bit of feedback, most of it positive, but some of it was critical. The main complaint we got was that we should not have addressed Critical Race Theory without a Black person on the panel. In this episode, Jamie Corbin and April discuss how they responded to the feedback and ways to move forward in this anti-racism work when it feels like there are so many ways to get it wrong. This is a pretty raw, behind the scenes look as two friends who are committed to anti-racism work through criticism, discuss how to pause and process, and share ways they strive to maintain curiosity and humility. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

On this episode, April is joined by Jamie Corbin, Ben Cremer, Kelly Holder, and Elicia Zahm as they discuss Critical Race Theory through the lens of education, community, and faith. They also talk about power: who has it, who doesn't, and why. Please note that this is a conversation among white community members specifically addressing how white people in their area are behaving and what needs to change; this is not intended to in any way center whiteness and/or speak on behalf of Black people about their experience. We acknowledge that no people group is a monolith, and we are are speaking from our own experiences and areas of knowledge. This is the first episode in a series of 3 with this group discussing history, the Christian church, American education, racism, and the humility required to meaningfully address it all. "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." Dr. Maya Angelou Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

On today's episode, I have three of the best educators in the state of Idaho, and without any hint of hyperbole, the country. We spoke about what it's really been like in schools over the last 19 months, how teachers are coping and rising above, and what we can do as community members to support our teachers and schools. Stacie Christensen is a twenty-year educator teaching fifth grade in Boise, Idaho. A professional development junkie, Christensen has been awarded numerous grants to study American history throughout the nation and has served as a Civil War Washington Teacher's Fellow with Ford's Theatre. The state of Idaho awarded her Master Teacher status in 2020. Also in 2020, Christensen was awarded Gilder Lehrman Institute's Idaho History Teacher of the Year, where she was also one of twelve finalists for National History Teacher of the Year. She has since been asked to the Gilder Lehrman Institute to serve as a Master Teacher Fellow, and the National Humanities Center's Teacher Advisory Council where she is eager to work advancing the teaching and learning of history and the humanities. Angela Hagans started teaching in 2007. She has built her career around teaching special populations, spending eight years teaching students in a gifted and talented middle school program and then moving to an alternative high school, where she taught English for six years. Angela is now the Title I coordinator and runs the intervention program for Frank Church High School in Boise, Idaho. Learning about new ideas is what drives Angela. You can often find her reading books or talking about her favorite podcast episodes. Rick Jordan has been teaching and/or coaching for 34 years. He has taught PE/Health at Elementary and High Schools in Idaho and Montana, and coached basketball, track, and golf. In 2014, Rick became a vice principal is currently in his third year as principal. Rick enjoys dinner in downtown Boise, biking, running and golf. He has been married to Christy for 31 years and their daughter, Hayley, just began her Master's program at Boise State University. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Brad Bigford is a family nurse practitioner, certified in correctional healthcare, and is owner of Table Rock Mobile Medicine, a mobile urgent care service. He lives in Boise with his wife and two children. On this episode, we talk about Brad's heart for nursing, what drove him to start a house call practice, and some of the challenges he's faced along the way. We also talk a lot about Covid-19 and address some of the common misconceptions about vaccines and masks. Brad offers ideas about how we can keep our kids safe going into the school year and the best resources for staying informed. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Kate. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Kate King lives in a suburb just outside of Minneapolis with her husband of 12 years where she has been homeschooling her three kids ages 10, 9 and 6. She has spent the last couple of years writing about the unraveling of the Christianity she always called home, and now hopes to share her stories with the intent of connecting with others that are doing their best to make sense of their own spiritual lives. On this episode, we discuss how Kate's faith has changed over the course of her life, how she has wrestled with making sense of it all, and how she even considered walking away from God completely. She shares in such a raw way and I think so many of us can relate to and recognize ourselves in the things that she shares about how her religious experiences were at odds with her desire to find God in the difficult places. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Kate. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

We're back after a two month break! On this short episode, April addresses the reason for the break and how the Lazy Genius (Kendra Adachi) has helped her to process the overwhelm.

This is a recording of a live interview panel discussion all things Juneteenth. We discuss what Juneteenth is, why it's important, and how we can celebrate, especially those of us who are white and may be wondering how we can engage in an honest and respectful way. We also discuss patriotism, what it is, what it isn't, and what it might look like for people who are seeking to be honest about US history and present day circumstances. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Katya. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

CONTENT WARNING: Eating disorders Katya Baxter is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. When she was 16, she hopped on the plane, by herself, and flew over to Boise, Idaho to visit a friend. But instead of a two-week long trip, God had something else in store for her. She ended up staying in Boise and going to college, then moving to Toronto and finding her own faith, and then to San Francisco where instead of leaving her heart she found her soulmate. Today, 20 years later, she and her family are back in Boise. Katya's most recent adventure involves putting on a teacher's hat and becoming a self-taught, pandemic-induced homeschooling mom for her biracial daughter. When she is not teaching, she practices nutrition and helps turn picky eaters into kids who love to eat all kinds of food and stay healthy. On this episode, we discuss Katya's childhood in Russia, her experience as an immigrant to the US, mental health, finding faith, her battle with an eating disorder, and what she's learned about race since marrying a Black man and raising a biracial daughter. It is a full episode with so many important topics. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Katya. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Caleb Stanton is a caffeine-dependent husband and father of two young children. Even though he loves his job, he'd rather spend his days at the beach, strumming a guitar and pondering the human experience. When he's not looking for his keys, you might find Caleb writing a story he'll never post or composing a song he'll never perform. Most of all, Caleb loves his family, a dram of cheap Scotch, and thinking about the things that give life meaning. On this episode, we talk about navigating nuance and difficult conversations with loved ones. Caleb shares about his mental health journey and he offers a great explanation of ADHD. He shares about how he and his wife are trying to give their kids skills to care for their mental health, especially how to process the big emotions that kids have, and that we still have as adults too. In fact, we have a musical recording for the first time on the podcast, an original song written by Caleb and his son about Big Feelings. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Caleb. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Bekah Bowman is a coach's wife, a special needs mom, speaker, and author of Can't Steal My Joy. She is passionate about bridging the gap between churches and families with disabilities. On this episode, she shares her story raising two sons with terminal illnesses, how joy and grief can coexist, and her vision for how communities, especially those of faith, can be more inclusive for people of all abilities. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Bekah. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Jamie Corbin is an educator and storyteller who has been navigating whiteness and non-whiteness her entire life thanks to her own interracial adoption at birth and her interracial marriage to her best friend, Kelvin, in 2011. She is raising her three Afro-Latina daughters to change the world with love, by first loving themselves deeply and then sharing that love generously with others. She is passionate about using stories to build connection and empathy with others and supporting people as they learn to become better allies for one another. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Jamie. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

April Kolman is the host of the No Ordinary People podcast and while she prefers the conversations she has with other people on the show, in this episode, she gets to share about her own story. She shares how she went from staunch Republican with highly conservative values to writing in the name of social justice and racial reconciliation, all while pursuing a deeper faith. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with April. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Charity Lewis is the host of the podcast Charity Speaks, a candid conversation at the intersection of Christianity, Blackness and Womanhood. Charity has the heart of a shepherd, is a student of Torah, and has a passion to "act justly, love mercy, and live humbly." She is a community advocate with degrees in law and public affairs, but prefers the solace of being a bookworm, bicycler, and year-round birder. She also serves as a wife of a public servant, and an amazing autism, homeschool, and soccer mama. Charity is an amazing storyteller, and she really took me to church on this episode! She talks about the history of Black faith, slavery, religion, and how the God of the Bible is present in her experience and the experiences of African Americans today. We talk about her newfound love of holy feast days and what is needed for racial reconciliation. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Charity. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

Content warning: Mental illness, Suicide On today's episode, I talk with my friend Caitie about her bipolar disorder diagnosis, how we can better support our loved ones who battle mental illness, and the trauma we've all been experiencing this year. I think you'll find much to relate to as Caitie shares her story. We talk a lot about mental health ways to process stress and trauma, but to be clear, neither Caitie nor myself are medical professionals or experts in any way. We are speaking in a strictly non-professional way from our own experiences.  If you or someone you know are experiencing mental health issues or you have concerns, please call your doctor and reach out to someone you trust. You are loved and valuable. The world needs you.  You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at any time: 800-273-8255 Let's continue the conversation. You can find us on Facebook or Instagram @noordinarypeoplepodcast and online at noordinarypeoplepodcast.com. Thanks for listening!

Shawanda Bonner Morgan is a high school teacher in Lakeland, Florida. In this episode, she shares with us about her pandemic wedding, the importance of story, how she connects with her students, and the impact we have on one another. She opens up in a vulnerable way about her own story growing up in foster care and how that has influenced her identity. We talk about racial reconciliation and what that could look like, and Shawanda shares with me why she's hopeful about the direction our country is headed. Check out the show notes on the website for links to everything we talk about in the episode and how you can connect with Shawanda. You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram to keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening!

What is this podcast about anyway?  In this episode you'll hear:  Who April is How this podcast was born The inspiration behind the name Why you'll want to listen each week Thank you for joining me on this journey!