Poema Podcast

My guest today is writer, speaker and advocate for racial equality, Austin Channing Brown. In this episode, we discuss Austin's story in more detail, and the experiences she had of endemic, cultural racism as she grew up, as described in her new book, 'I'm Still Here' - and how her story has shaped her.  Austin speaks with great honesty about her own experiences visiting cotton fields as a child,...

Today, author, broadcaster and LGBT equality campaigner Vicky Beeching is my guest. Today we talk about her new memoir, 'Undivided', and Vicky shares with us the experiences of growing up as an LGBT Christian, how keeping this a secret from even those closest to her had an impact on her emotional, physical and mental health, especially as she moved into public Christian ministry in her twenties. ...

Today I'm joined again by two members of the Blacksmiths' Daughters - Julida and Sean Alter. This husband and wife team have now collaborated to form their own band, simply called Julyda. They've just released their first EP together, 'Do You Hear Me'.  In this episode we talk about the creative journey behind the formation of Julyda, and the EP itself. It's a powerful story, about faith, social j...

Today I'm joined by David Andrews, a poet and author from New Zealand. Today he shares his story, a story of faith, doubt and creativity. We talk about how his faith journey led him into poetry and then explore how what we create is birthed deep inside of us.  David also does a beautiful reading of one of his poems, and we discuss the story and creative process behind this poem. Together we explor...

Today I'm joined by my friend, inspiring writer and podcaster Andy Mort. Andy's work focusses on encouraging, providing support and community for highly sensitive people and introverts - people he calls 'gentle rebels'. Just like myself, Andy is an introverted highly sensitive type, and knows all the challenges which come with it. Andy talks today about what it's like to be a highly sensitive intr...

Today my good friend Adam Baker joins me on the show. Adam is a singer-songwriter and former missionary, and today he shares his powerful and inspiring story with us. Adam tells us of his creative journey which led him and his wife Sarah into missionary work on the African continent. With great honesty, Adam shares how these dreams went sour, the pain this caused, and how it led him and his wife t...

Today I welcome my dear friend Brandan Robertson back to the show. Brandan Robertson is a pastor, speaker, author and LGBT activist from San Diego, US. Today we talk about his experiences as an LGBT pastor in the US, and about the release of a new book Brandan edited and compiled, 'Our Witness: The Unheard Stories of LGBT Christians'.  Brandan shares a few of the most powerful stories sent to him...

I'm delighted to welcome my dear friend Teresa Colón to the show today. Teresa is a writer, podcaster, and mental health advocate, who has a dignosis of Bipolar Disorder. Today Teresa shares her raw, honest and inspiring story with us.  Teresa talks about her long journey to diagnosis, and how being bipolar has impacted her day to day life. She shares how creativity, and in particular writing, hel...

Today the on-off series 'Questions We Don't Ask' continues with a discussion of hell. Which, obviously, means the question is 'What The Hell?'. So many people have so many different perspectives on hell, it's such an emotive and divisive topic in many ways. It's one that deserves examination and deeper reflection, because what we believe about hell has a huge bearing, indeed is usually born from,...

Author, speaker and coach Allison (Ally) Fallon joins me today. Ally has written several books and her latest, 'Indestructible:Leveraging Your Broken Heart to Become a Force of Love and Change in the World', is about to release. It's a memoir about the often painful and challenging journey she has been on in the last couple of years. Today, Ally shares her powerful testimony. It's a story of divor...

Today my dear friend Mariana Ruiz joins me on the podcast. Mariana is a certified business coach and consultant, who works with creative people, people launching their businesses and helps them gain confidence and focus, and find their true selves. Mariana is passionate about authenticity and helping people connect with their true selves and do the work they were made to do - and share their uniqu...

Today Dr Kate Thomas returns to the podcast to discuss her latest book, 'Bulletproofing The Psyche'. We explore the different strategies Kate has discovered in recent years for both preventing and treating mental illness. She shares about her work on implimenting these strategies in her work in the the military, and how we can each implement them in our own lives. We also talk about some best prac...

Today I'm delighted to be joined by filmaker Andrew Morgan. Andrew has just released his new movie, a documentary on Rob Bell called 'The Heretic'. The movie tells Rob's story, and gives an insider look into his work. Andrew travelled with Rob on a couple of tours over the course of two years and recorded several of his onversations with him, as well as many of his speaking events. Andrew also spo...

Today my dear friend, writer, podcaster and mental health advocate Sarah Fader, joins me on the show. Sarah, who herself faces mental health challenges, has become a strong and occasionally outspoken adovcate for mental health awareness. Sarah began the well known hashtag #ThisIsWhatAnxietyFeelsLike, and founded Stigma Fighters, a website for those with mental health challenges to share their stor...

Today “Science Mike”, otherwise known as author, speaker and podcaster Mike McHargue, returns to the show. On today’s episode Mike shares his thoughts on the impact of social media on mental illness, and how regulating our social media time — as he does - can improve our mental health.  He also shares about his own recent spiritual journey, we touch on the recent shootings in Florida and talk abou...

Today my dear friend and longtime friend of the show Alexander Shaia returns to the podcast. This time we talk about the benefits & challenges of community & how this led directly to the creation of what we now call Lent, and Ash Wednesday.  Alexander shares more of the history of Ash Wednesday - and the true symbolism behind the use of ashes.  Finally, we look at the pre-atonement concept of Chri...

My dear friend Sarah Heath returns to the podcast today. Laat summer, challenged by her best friend, Sarah embarked on a journey into herself, going out of her comfort zone, trying to create the life she'd been running from. To find her 'Sonderlust'. (Or, you could say, find her Poema....) Sarah is in the midst of this challenge now - to step back out into the world of dating after hiding away for...

Today I'm joined once more by my dear friend Laura Parrott Perry, who has just released her first book 'She Wrote It Down'. Today she returns to the show and we discuss the book, the powerful and painful stories shared in it, and power of sharing our stories.  Laura shares with great wisdom, insight and honesty, about how our stories will always tell themselves one way or another and about the cho...

The Poema Podcast returns for a new series today as I interview writer & speaker Caroline McGraw. Caroline shares her powerful story about how she learned the damage perfectionism can do to our lives. Caroline talks movingly about how she learned to break through the trappings of perfectionism and find a thriving joyful love beyond it - and how we can all do this too.  Caroline speaks with such ho...

Today, with the last episode of 2017, we continue with our series on those difficult questions of our spiritual journey. My friend and recurring guest Charles Porter rejoins me to discuss the challenging question of what we do when we begin to outgrow our spiritual community, feel like it's time for us to move on, feel rejected or excluded from the community, or don't agree with the leadership and...

The "Questions We Don't Ask" series continues today with arguably one of the biggest questions of all - why do we believe? My friend Daniel Skillman joins me for a fascinating discussion about the very reasons we choose to believe - why we believe what we believe, why we change our beliefs, and why we believe in anything at all. And what believing can do to us. Daniel has lots of profound wisdom a...

Today our we return to our series “Questions We Don’t Ask”, as myself and my friend Abi Lloyd discuss the challenging question of “What Kind of Life Am I Being Drawn Into?”. As ever, this question takes us to some interesting and unexpected places, sharing our own stories and challenges, and draws out further, deeper questions about our faith, spirituality and church.   It also raises more questio...

My dear friend, author and speaker Claire Musters, joins me on the show today. Claire shares her powerful and challenging testimony of how she had to confront the masks she was wearing, the darkness in her life, and how through the love and grace of friends, her devoted husband and God, she found a way to healing and transformation - and in the process discovered her authentic self.  Claire also t...

Kaitlin Curtice joins me on the podcast today. Kaitlin is a Native American Christian author, speaker and worship leader. As an enrolled member of the Potawatomi Citizen Band and someone who has grown up in the Christian faith, Kaitlin writes on the intersection of Native American spirituality, mystic faith in everyday life, and the church. Kaitlin and I discuss her new book, 'Glory Happening', re...

I’m delighted to welcome author and speaker Matt Bays to the podcast today.  Matt begins by sharing the powerful and moving story behind his book “Finding God In The Ruins”, his painful childhood which led to struggles with alcohol addiction, and how in the midst of his recovery he faced yet more challenges as his sister tragically lost her life to cancer. We talk about dealing with grief, addicti...