How People Grow: Finding Wisdom in Every Season

In the late 1960's John Perkins nearly died in the Amazonian Jungle of Ecuador... he was saved by a traditional healer and it changed his life. In this season finale episode, he shares his story. John Perkins is a New York Times bestselling author, international speaker, and activist best known for his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man and other works including The World Is As You Dream It....

Can plants really teach?  In this episode, I speak with Francisca Santibáñez, founder of Plant Spirit Talk, about plant communication, and her own journey of healing that reshaped her life. Raised across Brazil, Chile, and California, Francisca traces her lineage to the Tupi-Guarani people of Brazil and has spent over a decade studying plant healing with Shipibo teachers in the Peruvian Amazon, al...

Leonard “Casey” Church is a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, of the Bear and Crane clans. A former U.S. Marine, he is a cultural practitioner, teacher, and spiritual leader who has spent decades working to restore Indigenous ceremony and identity in contemporary life. He’s the author of Holy Smoke and Native American Rites of Passage , and his work explores how ritual and ceremony...

Lorena Saavedra Smith is the author of the new book, Awaken Your Roots: Reclaim Your Ancestry and Sovereignty by Heeding the Jaguar’s Call. Lorena is a Pacha Philosopher, an Eco-Psychologist, and a wellness consultant dedicated to helping individuals heal through ancestral wisdom, nature reconnection, and holistic well-being. She joins the podcast to share Pacha Philosophy, and her ideas on how to...

Dr. Damian Costello joins us this week to talk about the role of visions in an indigenous worldview. Dr. Costello is an international expert on Nicholas Black Elk, a Lakota Medicine Man. Damian is the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism , and holds a Ph. D. in theological studies from the University of Dayton. Currently serving as the Director of Postgraduate Studies at NAIITS:...

Dr. Stephanie Goins joins the show this week to share what it means to "Walk in a Good Way." Stephanie calls on her research working with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone, her work as a Psychologist, teacher, and more.  Dr. Goins helps us understand in this episode some of the factors that come into play when we think about living in a good relationship with ourselves, the earth, and others. ...

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley, Ph. D., is a farmer, activist/scholar, distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith/spirituality, justice, race/diversity, regenerative farming, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. In this episode, he talks with us about the Harmony Way of native cultures and how that impacts how...

In this episode, David Achata interviews Danny Zacharias & Chris Hoklotubbe's about their new book, Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation.  Their book explores the historical and systemic dismissal of Indigenous worldviews within Western Christian circles, specifically how colonial practices labeled these cultures as "problematic" and str...

Welcome back to Season 6 of the How People Grow Podcast.  This season focuses on what indigenous wisdom could teach us today. In this introductory episode, David Achata overviews for us why this conversation is important and what the word "indigenous" means. David takes us on his own journey of embracing his native roots. He'll take us on a journey to the Andes Mountains, we'll learn from a Lakota...

Father Len Cowan is a retired priest in the Anglican and Episcopal Churches. Today he runs the Abbey of the Way, a retreat center in Worcester, MA. Learn more about the Abbey here: https://www.abbeyoftheway.us/ In this season five bonus episode, Len shares with us his fascination with the Irish and how he returns to Ireland regularly to learn of the life of St. Patrick and the unique form of Chris...

In this bonus episode, David Achata challenges us to look at the Holiday Season as a time to remember "The Religion of Jesus" vs. "The Religion about Jesus." Who were the Magi that came from a distance of 1600 miles? Why did they go to Jerusalem? What do their beliefs about power, wisdom and authority show us for our time today in 2025?  As we finish 2025 and look ahead to 2026 - here's a Christma...

In our season finale, David Achata sits down with legendary author Parker Palmer to explore what it means to live a rooted life. Discover the wisdom of prioritizing faithfulness to your true values over the pressure of external effectiveness, and how integrity deepens as we grow old. In this episode, Parker Palmer quotes a poem by William Stafford.  A Ritual to Read to Each Other If you don't know...

Jeff Vanderstelt is the Executive Director of http://saturatetheworld.com/ an organization committed to equipping the church to live out of its identity in every space and place. He also helped found the Soma Family of Churches and lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife Jayne, and their family.  In this interview, Jeff shares his story of learning to be himself. After many years of personal...

Tim Ross is a Cherokee teacher, retired pastor, missionary and current seminary teacher. In this episode Tim shares with us native ways of praying, as well as the concept of becoming a "Sticker" - meaning, someone who stays and invests in a community. Tim's teaching work can be found at NAIITS, an an indigenous seminary. To learn more about Tim and his work, check out https://naiits.com/ If this p...

Lisa Sharon Harper is an author, theologan, teacher, and consultant. She is the founder of https://freedomroad.us/ and gives her life to helping others learn to do justice in just ways.  This is Lisa's second appearance on this podcast. To listen to her first interview, go back to Season 2 and check out our season finale.  In this episode, Lisa shares about a recent trip to Brazil to work with an...

Dr. Donna Burske serves as a Hospital Chaplain Manager in Orlando, Florida. She is a mother, teacher, contemplative, and a cancer survivor. In this episode Donna shares what it was like growing up adopted and eventually finding her biological family.  She shares what it means to her to live a rooted life in this thought-provoking episode. To contact donna email her at dburske@gmail.com   To suppor...

Joe Steinke is a Spiritual Director, a former pastor, lifelong musician and co-founder of 24/7 Prayer USA. In this interview he shares what it was like to grow up in community in the midst of the Jesus Movement of the 1970's. He also shares practices people can engage in to find their rooting. Joe shares what it means to be a mystic and encourages us to find a "greater grace from a deeper well." ...

Ron Pickell is a retired pastor and chaplain. His most recent position was serving on the University Campus of UC Berkeley, California for 25 years.  In this episode Ron talks with us about how being rooted means knowing what you’re about, where you’re going, and what’s most important. For Ron, that means understanding the presence and power of God among us right now. Ron shares his conversion sto...

What does it mean to be a rooted person in a world that leaves so many of us feeling lost? To be rooted is to be connected — to God, to others, and to the larger story we’re part of. This season, David Achata, author, leadership consultant, coach, and former pastor, takes listeners on a journey of listening, learning, and connecting with mentors and community. In this episode, he draws from the wi...

Andrew Holley was once a pastor and church planter. But then his house burned down. After picking up the pieces, he and his wife tried to keep going the way they always had, but something had changed.  Some time later, at the urging of his friends, he entered a singer/songwriter contest. From there, he kept playing. Today, Andrew has embraced the music life and writes music that's full of soul, bl...

Tommy Rutledge began his career as an Engineer, but later in life felt the call to serve in pastoral work as a Church Planter. Tommy shares how it changed him and helped birth the most unusual kind of work. To learn more about Tommy check out http://somaasheville.com/ and https://www.mountcarmelgoats.com/   To support this podcast go to http://davidachata.substack.com/   To join the Leadership ren...

Daniel Kasambira is the CEO of the United Way in Madison County, Alabama. After a successful career in non-profit work Daniel moved to the for-profit sector. But after being laid off, he faced the question: how do I navigate this season of unknowns? Finding himself delivering pizzas, he got an opportunity that changed everything. Today he shares his story as a way to encourage people to not give u...

Ashi Alison is a Yoga and Breathwork teacher currently living near Chattanooga, Tennessee. In this special interview, she talks with us from a courtyard in Ireland. Ashi describes why she left a successful career at the North Face, selling all her possessions, and moving to a shack in Costa Rica for 10 years.  Ashi walks us through what she learned during a season by the Ocean and encourages us to...

Brooke Lark is the founder of Lark & Co. She is the world's most downloaded food photographer and one of the world's most interesting women.  After leaving the Mormon faith, she embarked on a journey she could never have predicted. To listen to her first interview on this show, click here .  What happens after you leave your faith and your marriage? For Brooke, a call with a U.S. Senator chang...

Tim Ross is a lifelong pastor, missionary and teacher. He's also a Native Cherokee related to Chief John Ross. In this episode Tim shares his story, his life with the Maasai People for ten years and most recently, his work with NAIITS, the North American Indigenous Institute for Theological Studies.  Tim walks us through what it means to step into your ancestry and take the simple steps the Creato...