Poema Podcast

**Spoiler Alert** This episode contains spoilers. This week friend of the show Jenna DeWitt returns as we "amaze amaze amaze" about the movie Project Hail Mary.  We share our reflections on the movie, the relationship between Grace and Rocky, the character arc of Grace, the spirituality of the movie and a lot more. We explore the the concept of the most reluctant hero who never wanted to go to spa...

* Trigger warning: Spiritual abuse, neglect, emotional/physical abuse *  This week I'm joined by my friend MJ to discuss the experience of living with both C-PTSD and autism, and the crossovers between them.  Both MJ and I have daily lived experience of both and we discuss that here.  We talk about the conditions themselves & what they look like, the differences and similarities, and how they...

Today I'm joined by Carolyn Kiel, who hosts the award winning podcast "Beyond 6 Seconds". For over 200 episodes Carolyn has heard people share their nuerodivergent stories, from people ADHD, to autistic people, those with physical and other kinds of disabilities and a lot more. In this episode, recorded in early 2025, she shares her experiences and what she's learned from these conversations &...

**Trigger Warning: Epstein Files** Trace Bell returns this week for a discussion on whats happening in the world right now, and the age of disclosure humanity is entering into. Trace shares his perspectives on the Epstein files having been released, with real life consequences all over the world, and the upcoming release of government files on UFOs & aliens. We also talk about the harm of unfo...

This week sees the first of consecutive episodes with my friend Trace Bell. In this episode, we discuss the idea that the seeds of transformation and change, are somehow embedded in the darkness we're experiencing. Trace and I look at the world as it is, at history both in terms of politics, culture, and consciousness, and explore how darkness is and always has been its own undoing. We also discus...

Becky Castle Miller joins me today to discuss and explore Jesus emotions. We focus in on several stories of Jesus where we see his his vulnerability and where he expresses the deepest of human emotion. We talk about how he expresses grief, fear, anxiety and love during the course of his life, and his darkest moments. Becky and I also explore how he turns the power of grief to perform his biggest s...

The podcast returns with one half the musical duo JulyDa joining me to talk about their upcoming album Refuge, and the creative and spiritual journey behind it.  We delve into the connections between creativity and spirituality, how art connects us with the divine and ourselves, creative risk & how making art can heal us & help us grow.  Plus, there's also a small exclusive clip of the fir...

(Trigger Warning: Spiritual Abuse) Today is the 400th episode of the Poema Podcast! In September 2015 I began this show out of pure curiosity to explore a new creative medium. 10 years and a name change later, I've interviewed many many people on all sorts of topics ranging from grief, movies, music, death, mental health, spirituality, demisexuality and more. Today, in an extended anniversary epis...

Trigger Warning: Narcissistic abuse.   This week, qualified counsellor and therapist Aly Rae joins me to discuss behaviours related to autism, and to narcissism. From their own lived experience of narcissistic abuse, and professional experience of working with autistic people, they share what the lived experience of autism can be like, and how some autistic traits can be confused with narcissism. ...

Author Alice Hewson returns to the podcast today to go deeper into exploring and discussing our lived experiences as autistic people and with rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD). Today we go deeper into RSD, something common in autistic people. We talk about what it is, and our lived experiences of it, and how we have learned to live with it, and even find joy in the midst of all the challenges it...

This week my friend Jenna returns to the show and in this episode we discuss the most recent series of Doctor Who, and the show as a whole. Jenna and I explore the themes of grief, fear and power which come up in the recent series and the 15th Doctor's journey.  We also talk about how we've seen these themes come up in the show with previous Doctors and how they impact the Doctor's overall story....

This week we're talking James Gunn's "Superman" with my friend, podcaster Mario Francesco Robles, host of the "Superman on Film" podcast. We talk about the themes of hope, identity, and being human which Superman embodies and are explored in the movie. We also discuss our own experiences of the movie, how it inspired us & where it stands in the echelon of Superman movies. This was such good fu...

My friend Jonathan Bregel is a filmmaker and creator. He's recently shot a documentary on a retreat designed solely to help people grieve, which he's hoping to release soon. He's also made a short film about grief about 18 months ago. Today we discuss his experiences making these films, and his own experiences of grief. Jonathan shares what he has learned about grieving and death, and how its impa...

Author and friend Jim Woods returns to the podcast today, to discuss his latest work, the creative process, power of story and what he's learned as an author coach.  We talk about the challenges which every creative person faces, with Jim sharing some of his own story, why these happen, and how to overcome them. We also explore the dangers of pursuing our art and how we can keep our integrity whil...

Today my friend Justin return to the podcast. In this episode they talk about their advocacy and lived experiences as a bi and ace racialised person and how the developments in the USA have impacted their lived experience. We both share stories about how healthy community can help us survive through difficult times, in a world of prejudice and hate, and what healthy community should - and can - lo...

My beloved friend Brandan Robertson returns to the podcast today to talk about his latest book, "Queer & Christian: Reclaiming the Bible, Our Faith, and Our Place at the Table".  We talk about how Brandan revisited the scriptures and discovered there are several Queer saints within it, more than you'd expect. He also explored the usual "clobber" verses used against LGBTQIA community and unpack...

This week Jenna DeWitt is back on the podcast, this time we discuss the MCU movie "The Marvels", the sequel to Captain Marvel, the MCU's leading female superhero currently.  Jenna shares how this movie and the journey of the lead characters in it, have been really impact for her as a queer, asexual woman. She also talks about how the movie covers themes of grief and loss, something often found in...

This week my dear friend MJ joins us to share the story of her autism diagnosis, how she first realised she may be autistic, the process of getting her diagnosis, and how her life has changed since.  This is a powerful, challenging and encouraging story. 

Today I'm joined by author and speaker Alice Hewson to discuss autism in the work place. Alice talks about the challenges of being neurodivergent in the world we live in, which isn't set up for neurodivergent people, and how this can often translate into the work place.  She shares her own experiences and also offers some practical ideas for both employers and neurodivergent people themselves, for...

This week, as part of a new series, Dr Amy Maschall PsyD returns to the podcast to talk about people's lived experiences with autism and in particular the experience of justice sensitivity.  Dr Amy is autistic herself, and works with autistic people on a regular basis, and a qualified expert, so has a lot of both lived experience and academic knowledge of autism. She shares this with us, and talks...

**Trigger warning: Spiritual abuse, toxic evangelicalism, conversion therapy stories** This week I'm joined by author and activist Lucas Wilson, to discuss stories of conversion therapy, the damage done by it, and the toxic evangelical culture which gave rise to it. We talk about some of the stories shared by people in Lucas' new book  "Shame Sex Attraction", their grief, trauma and how they heale...

Today my beloved friend, embodiment coach, writer and podcaster Jamie Lee Finch returns to the show. We talk all sorts in this episode, from connectedness with our bodies, intuition and how this all connects to a wider spirituality, to grief and how we build healthy relationships with our bodies and build resilience. We also explore how the system we all rigged, in, is simply not built for the thr...

The podcast returns for 2025 with a new interview with the ever inspiring author and speaker Rob Bell.  Recorded just before the US election of 2024, Rob joins me to talk about his latest novel, "There's Only One Noon Yeah", the second in his new series of novels. We talk about the themes and inspirations behind the novel, how it shows us the world we live in a fresh way, and delve into grief, tra...

In this final episode of 2024, fellow Whovian Jenna DeWitt returns to the podcast to talk about a character we both love, The Doctor.  In particular, we talk about a recurring theme in the show, and on this show, grief. The grief of losing companions, of people he is trying to save sometimes dying or sacrificing themselves, and above all, of him having to grieve his own death, every time he regren...

Today my dear friend Cat Dean joins me to talk about astrological energy, and in particular the phenomenon of mercury retrogade, the most recent of which (at time of release) began November 25th, 2024.  Cat tells us exactly what mercury retrogade is, when it happens and why, and how it impact both us and our world. We both share our own experiences of mercury retrogade and Cat explains the power a...