Down to Earth Conversations

A content warning right from the beginning here...the episode contains discussion around self-harm a.k.a. non-suicidal self injury (NSSI), and suicide is therefore also mentioned. So please take all the precautions you need to keep yourself safe, and skip the episode if you need to. Please also access support if you need to. You can find a large range of support services at thevoicesofhope.org/pag...

Back on Episode 33 we talked about James' time working with refugees in Ngaru, and then what he was up to in the Australian outback. This time we talk to him about his involvement in the formation of the Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimages that began before easter and are continuing around the world. We talk about how and why they started, how it's going, and what they are hoping to accomplish. We talk abo...

Bridie Boyd is, among other things, a chaplain at Hillmorton hospital, a psychiatric care facility in Ōtautahi (Christchurch). She is also involved in advocating for, and supporting, women in the Anglican environment in Aotearoa, New Zealand.  We talk about both of these roles. What drives her in her advocating for others? What draws her to love those others neglect or even despise?  We discuss wh...

Caz and Em are the hosts of the fantastic podcast, the Bloody Bible.  Outside of the podcast they are Dr Carolyn Blyth and Dr Emily Colgan - academics in the world of theology who have found ways to share their research so that it is digestible for the general public. On the Bloody Bible, Caz and Em explore some of the more violent passages in the Bible, linking them to modern true crimes, and beh...

Dr Pauline Stewart is an educator, a psychologist, an Anglican Priest, and when she was an age when many would be hanging up their work clothes, she was starting up a charity to support the family and friends of people with alcohol or other drug habits. We talk about her time as a teacher and why she moved into psychology. We discuss her time working for the Ministry of Education as a psychologist...

Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) are an organisation working with Christians in places where being Christian is dangerous. Where either there are restrictive laws, or simply open hostility towards those who follow Jesus.  I am joined in this conversation by Voice of the Martyrs NZ National Directors and their Events Coordinator.  We hear about how Voice of the Martyrs work with endangered Christians aro...

This time we are Catching Up With episode 7 guest, Jeremy Faumuinā. Jeremy talked last time about trusting his intuition, about serving neglected and abused children in Samoa, his social work with youth and the family based approach he takes to that, and about how his son coming out as gay shifted his world from anti to ally when it comes to the rainbow community. It's definitely worth a listen if...

Ruth Schmidt (she/her) is a pastor pursuing ordination with the United Church of Christ in the USA. She was also a senior director at Fuller Theological Seminary, California, until she was fired in January 2024 for refusing to sign Fuller's statement of beliefs. Just two weeks after she was fired for standing up for what she believed in, we recorded this conversation. In the weeks afterwards Ruth...

Sophie Fasi-Mohenoa is part of a small but growing group called Christians for Peace in Palestine Aotearoa that has arisen in the midst of the Israeli war on Gaza. Our conversation is grounded in her time living in the West Bank, working with Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians looking to drive peace in the region.  We talk about how Christians for Peace Aotearoa came about, what they are in...

Donna Dyson is a fantastic human with a beautiful story. Her life has changed significantly on several occasions, yet she has managed to pivot, and to keep finding ways to move forward, bringing life to others as she does it. She is an educator, an author, an award winning song writer, and much, much more.  We talk about teaching, literacy, health conditions and disability. We talk about music and...

It's a busy, crazy time of year for many but it's also a time that can be really hard for those already doing it tough. For those living on the streets or those who have accommodation but can't afford the necessities of life, without support life simply isn't manageable, especially in a season where they are often forgotten. Orange Sky is an organisation based out of Australia that, through a huge...

Julia Grace talked to us last time about her journey with mental health, the work she was doing speaking into that space, and her recognition that there isn't a line separating well and unwell, but that we're all on a continuum of mental health.  It's a profound and fun kōrero and definitely worth a listen. Julia joins me on Catching Up With to talk about how the journey of speaking in the mental...

Steff Fenton (they/them) is a trans Christian speaker, writer, educator, and advocate who publicly shares the intersections of queerness and faith. Steff is passionate about creating safe spiritual spaces for LGBTIQA+ people and helping others cultivate a more equitable and expansive faith.   I asked Steff on the podcast because they get in the way of all the prejudice I was taught in the faith cu...

Lisa Maathuis is the General Manager of Dignity - an organisation whose mission is to make period products accessible to everyone who needs them, so no one misses out on work, education, sport, or anything else in life. You may have never thought about that, but the more I've learned about period poverty and period equity, the more I have realised this needs to be something that we are talking abo...

Sarah Page is the founder and Executive Director of the Kindness Collective Foundation.  When events in life led her to see the inequalities of life clearly for the first time Sarah knew it was time to do something about it. So she started by getting friends to donate things for those she was connected to who were in need.  Ten years on and the Kindness Collective is a thriving network of thousand...

'Catching Up With' is the new side project here on Down to Earth Conversations.  These are short episodes with former Down to Earth Conversations guest about new and interesting things they've been up to since I last talked to them.  In this first episode we are Catching up with Te Karere Whitiao Scarborough who featured way back on episode 10.  Te Karere joins me on Catching Up With to talk about...

Bruce Pilbrow is a CEO who has worked across business and not-for-profits. He loves working in spaces that have a positive impact on the world, and he has become a bit of a transformation specialist, helping organisations change and adapt to better fulfil their mission.  We talk about disrupting the status quo, building culture, and doing it with empathy. We hear how Bruce's role as a CEO is about...

Liz Cooledge Jenkins and I follow each other on Instagram, and neither of us remember how she and I connected, but when she let me know about a book she has coming out this December I had to get her on the podcast. The book is called Nice Churchy Patriarchy, and is a combination of Liz's experiences in, and working for, various American evangelical churches, and her deep thinking and research arou...

Meg Cowan is a sex and intimacy coach.  After sex became a problem part of her own marriage, Meg and her husband sought help. Through that experience Meg opened up to her friends and found that the need to be talking about this was great. So she set about doing some study and now helps hundreds of people heal from hurts, and progress to loving themselves and having a more fulfilling sex life.   We...

Recently I was privileged, along with former guest Michael Frost, to be on a panel at a workshop about rethinking our beliefs regarding sexuality and gender. The main speaker that day was Amanda Pilbrow from Already Enough, and we took the opportunity to sit down together afterwards to debrief the day.   It doesn't matter if you weren't there. We give a brief overview of what was covered in the wo...

Bethel Church is a charismatic evangelical church in Redding, California. It is famous for the church music it pumps out prolifically, and it has a Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry which hosts over 2,000 students annually from over 60 countries. Mike Maeshiro worked for Bethel coordinating events (which they do on a huge scale and frequency), travelled the world preaching, and was a teacher...

I met Amelie Coggan at Voices of Hope's (featured on episode 46) event, 'It's Not Weak to Speak'. When I found out she had her own mental health challenges but that she was also, as a teenager, the owner of a business making products to support the mental health of others, I knew I had to get her on the podcast.   Amelie Coggan is the founder of Little Joys - a business creating products to suppor...

Nick Allwright is a funeral director.  It is his job to walk alongside grieving family members and friends as they deal with the loss of their loved one.  As we will hear from Nick, sometimes this is a glorious time, and sometimes it is anything but.  Sometimes it is a celebration, and sometimes it is a symbol of all that is wrong with the world.   Nick shares about how he got into this profession...

Cathy and Steven of The Changes Ahead take over the episode putting me in the hot seat.  This interview originally appeared on The Changes Ahead podcast back in March.  We talk about creativity, being right, being just, and the shifting of our faith as we grow.    If you enjoy this check out the many other fantastic conversations on The Changes Ahead - here's how they describe the heart of their p...

James Beck, is a speaker, facilitator, pastor, podcaster, author and eco-warrior.  We talk about the years James spent working with Attitude, helping shape the wellbeing of teenagers throughout Aotearoa, and his time at the Parenting Place. We also talk about James' passion for the environment and how that is impacting his work, his church, and his spirituality, as well as his own Podcast, Ngā Her...