Currents: the Big Ocean Women Podcast

Trigger warning: sexual abuse and suicide     Host Shannon Russell opens Currents framing the episode around the Epstein case as a symbol of systemic injustice and the need for a cultural shift toward healing and accountability. Guests Grace Raje and Big Ocean Women founder Carolina Allen discuss survivor dignity, prevention, and recovery, with Grace sharing her childhood sexual abuse and the last...

Big Ocean Women on Global Sisterhood, the Maternal Economy, and Upcoming Summits   Carolina Allen, founder and director of Big Ocean Women, and Shelli Spotts introduce our new monthly podcast series that applies the group’s tenets to current issues, beginning with “working side by side in the global sisterhood." They also celebrate our Big Ocean Women CSW team’s successful, safe return from sharin...

Dana is joined by Fatima as they discuss the violence that has been plaguing Nigeria for over 20 years. As Dana said, “Our purpose today is not to sensationalize the suffering or assign political blame or leave us feeling overwhelmed, but we want to listen, understand, and know how as an interfaith community, we can come together and support the Nigerians in this suffering.”   “We just have to be...

Carolina Allen, Dana Robb, and Shelli Spotts talk Christmas traditions, how to have an abundant holiday, and how to decide what really matters with your family during the holiday season.   “The world around us is so rich in natural abundance, and yet we’re so distracted from it by the abundance of worry and the abundance of tasks.” - Shelli Spotts   “Gift giving is a beautiful expression of love a...

Your Internal Compass: A Beacon for Faith and Action   Shannon and Dana are joined by Shandra Madson to discuss following our Internal Compass which is our ability to hear from God and be inspired and directed in our lives.   Shandra Madson started a campus of the Columbus Adult Education Center in her community which teaches English to refugees and immigrants. Shandra had become aware that about...

In this episode of the Big Ocean Women Podcast, hosts Shelli Spotts, Carolina Allen, and guest Darrin Gates engage in a comprehensive discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various facets of life. Shelli, a professor of persuasive writing, sets the stage by emphasizing the importance of understanding different types of literacies. Darrin, a philosophy professor specializing...

Following the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, Shannon Russell, who was at the event, Natalie Perry, Grace Raje, a student at UVU, and Kimball Call discuss the effects of the internet and polarization, how we can help each other and our families, and how we deal with these issues we’re facing by recognizing and following our internal compass.   00:00 Introduction and Host...

Susan Roylance and Carolina Allen discuss what advocacy for family looks like at the UN.  00:00 Introduction to Gender Issues 00:24 Welcome to Currents Podcast 01:01 Introducing Susan Roylance 02:08 Susan's Journey and Book 03:29 The Beijing Conference 04:56 Defining Gender and Family Advocacy 06:48 Challenges and Advocacy at the UN 11:35 The Importance of Maternal Feminism 18:50 Susan's Mentorshi...

Dana Robb is joined by Kawika Allen and Nathan Ormsby to dispute the notion that men are unnecessary and promote the truth that men are truly valuable and we need to build interdependent relationships to support one another.   “I think all men and husbands should strive to be more nurturing as well. I think it's just helpful for our children to see that modeling of a nurturing father.” - Kawika Al...

Shelli Spotts, Carolina Allen, and Alma Olaveson discuss what it means to work in the advocacy space as mothers referencing Alice Walker’s book, We are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Light in a Time of Darkness and her daughter, Rebecca Walker’s book, Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence .   “Advocacy is such an innate maternal thing to do, to advocate for other peopl...

Carolina Allen shares the op-ed she wrote for the Deseret News, Published May 10, 2025. https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2025/05/10/what-is-maternal-feminism/ including some parts that were not included in the published article.   “Creating life is not only about giving birth, however miraculous that truly is. And when we say ‘maternal,’ we are not only referring to women with children. We’re also...

Carolina Allen discusses motherhood with Erica Komisar, LCSW and Madeline Wallin from FEFAF and Haro    “Free women. Free women from feeling terrorized and imprisoned by the narrative that unless they are a hard driving career woman, making lots of money competing with men out in the world, that they have no value. Free women, and give them permission to embrace instincts that they feel, but socie...

Shannon is joined by Big Ocean Women members Diane and Alina Fisher to discuss promoting life culture in the womb, the home, and our ecological environment. The WAVE that Diane and Alina run throws baby showers for women who have unplanned pregnancies. Connect with us at our Virtual Wave Meeting. Find out more at bigoceanwomen.org “Some people believe motherhood starts when you have the baby. Moth...

Carolina Allen is joined by Maddi Cheers to discuss Life Culture. *Trigger warnings for abortion and abuse.   “I'm a big proponent of the divine feminine and where that intersects with the divine masculine. And that. . . when you start, it doesn't matter what culture you're looking at, I do a lot of looking at Celtic culture, you can look at Native American culture, the Mother Earth, that the womb...

Dana and Shannon are joined by Susana Lopes and Laura Uplinger from the Prenatal Alliance. They are preparing for their upcoming virtual summit on prenatal wellness, March 21-23, 2025 and the celebration of World Pregnancy Day March 22.   “There’s no frontiers for what human beings can do when we are together and we value and cherish humankind.” - Susana Lopes   “Mothers are nurturers; they are te...

  Dana Robb is joined by Proviah Tutoreinwe from Uganda as they discuss inherent worth, the value of loving and serving those around you, and the importance of education for mothers and empowering women.   “I am worthy of respect because of how unique I am with the gifts and the talents that Heavenly Father has given me. And this is the time to act.” - Proviah Tutoreinwe   “That was a time when I...

Carolina Allen discusses Innate Worth with Jeremy Boberg, LCSW, who specializes in treating trauma and unmet needs and addictions.    *Trigger warning for discussion of suicide, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and human trafficking.   Carolina and Jeremy discuss the value of seeking help if you’ve been the victim of abuse or trauma. Help is available in many forms. Everyone is of worth, regardless o...

Dana and Shannon are joined by Karola de la Cuesta, whose story is told in the book, Faith, Love, and Human Trafficking: The Story of Karola de la Cuesta by Raquel Caspi. They discuss Karola’s experiences and how faith has helped her to heal and become an advocate for survivors and human rights. Karola expresses that it is vital to be aware, as parents and friends, of signs of abuse, and to also b...

A Heart to Heart Conversation About Faith   “I think that my faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ, has really anchored me and given me hope amidst a lot of heartache and in navigating different relationships.” - Carolina Allen   “I'm really grateful that I can go to the Lord in prayer, and that I am loved unconditionally. You know, I think that that feeling of unconditional love sets me up for hope in...

Carolina Allen interviews Dana Robb, our usual host, about her visit to the CESE summit to address ways to protect our children online.    We need to start and, and be very, very basic with parents. What is extortion? Because I think that sometimes we as parents, we just can't fathom that this is happening and that it's as prevalent as it is. —Carolina Allen   TikTok's safety investigation team ac...

In this episode of Currents, special guest Grace Rajay, who heads up the global strategy committee at Big Ocean Women, discusses her experiences attending the UN hosted Nairobi Civil Society Conference and the upcoming Summit of the Future. The conversation delves into the true happenings at the UN, the relevance of grassroots perspectives, and the importance of self-reliance and family-oriented s...

Exposing Social Engineering in Media and Protecting Family Values   In this episode of the Currents Podcast by Big Ocean Women, Carol delves into a conversation with Andrew Young about the troubling admissions from major animation studios like Disney that their storytelling has been tarnished by social engineering and political agendas. They discuss the widespread acknowledgment of this issue, pee...

The Importance of Fathers: A Conversation with Tim Rarick In this episode of Currents, hosts Dana and Shannon engage in a thought-provoking discussion with Tim Rarick,a professor at BYU Idaho specializing in marriage, family, and human development.    The conversation centers around the critical role of fathers in both parenting and society.  Tim discusses his experiences speaking at the United Na...

Dana and Shannon meet with Celeste Mergens, founder of Days for Girls and author of the book, The Power of Days to discuss how we are empowered by our feminine nature and honoring our procreative power. “Today, Days for Girls has reached 145 countries. . . including the USA. And in fact, I guarantee right where everyone listening to this is, it's happening in our backyard because anywhere where yo...

Andrew Young has worked for XBox, DreamWorks, and other kids entertainment companies. He has seen firsthand how deliberate decisions to insert specific scenes and vocabulary take place. He talks about his experiences with what he found out about social engineering when he worked as an animator at DreamWorks, the effects we see in our society, and what we can do to counteract it as we stand for fai...