Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker

Why would a Christian author immerse her stories in darkness? Why would she use violent imagery that directly relates to Christianity, race, class, disability, and illness? And how can this darkness guide us toward the importance of love in the flesh, of personal connection and vulnerability? In this conversation, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson, author of Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do the Heathen Rage? A...

Is blindness an incidental characteristic, like hair color? Or is it an identity? What language should we use to talk about disability, and why does it matter? Andrew Leland, author of The Country of the Blind , joins Amy Julia Becker on the podcast for a conversation examining: Blindness and identity The importance of language and the use of metaphors in relation to disability How the experience...

This podcast has a new name: Reimagining the Good Life. If you’re asking, “Why a name change?” and “Why now?”—I have answers! Author and teacher Patricia Clarke talks with me about: How disability challenges assumptions about the good life Accepting limitations and finding freedom within them How faith and culture shape our understanding of the good life The power of reimagining what’s possible Wh...

Is faith something that should always stay the same? Or is it something that evolves by necessity? Sarah Bessey, author of Field Notes for the Wilderness , talks with Amy Julia Becker about: Her evolving faith journey How to adapt and thrive in an evolving faith Making room for change , in ourselves and others Navigating the intersection of anger and joy How to discover what we're hoping for,...

Holiday culture wars and consumerism bring more chaos than joy to the world. But there’s hope. The countercultural season of Advent offers a different way to prepare for Christmas. Tish Harrison Warren, former New York Times columnist and author, talks with Amy Julia Becker about: How the practices of Advent disarm the culture wars Ways that Advent helps us grieve and hope Why waiting to celebrate...

Anxious parents. Anxious families. Anxiety is contagious. How do I know if I’m an anxious parent? And if I am one, how is that affecting my kids? What can I do about it—for their sake and for mine? Therapist and author Sissy Goff, LPC-MHSP, joins Amy Julia Becker on the podcast to talk about: How to identify and stop anxiety loops Why failure is good for parents and kids Common parenting strategie...

How do we show up for each other in the midst of pain? Is it possible to hope when we’re suffering? Psychiatrist Curt Thompson, author of The Deepest Place , joins Amy Julia Becker to talk about: How to identify the denial and shame we’ve connected to suffering How to form durable hope in the darkest places How to help a friend in the midst of suffering __ Guest Bio: “Inspired by deep compassion f...

What happens when women receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome? How does that diagnosis affect those women and their families? How does it affect our whole society?  Stephanie Meredith joins Amy Julia Becker for a conversation about her new report on the bias doctors have when giving a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, including: The landscape of prenatal testing How doctors approach it...

Have you watched the new show on Netflix called Down for Love ? It’s a reality dating show for people with Down syndrome, and we’re celebrating the start of Down Syndrome Awareness month with a conversation with the producer of Down for Love , Robyn Paterson. We talk about: How the show was created The diversity of the Down syndrome community The universal desire for love, relationships, and conne...

Do you wrestle with anxiety? Are you plagued with worries? Do you think you’ve conquered anxiety? Curtis Chang, author of The Anxiety Opportunity , joins Amy Julia Becker for a conversation that uncovers:  what anxiety really is all about spiritual practices for facing anxiety practical ways we can grow in the midst of anxiety __ Guest Bio: Curtis Chang is a theologian and consulting faculty membe...

“Whose stories matter?” Esau McCaulley, author of How Far to the Promised Land , joins Amy Julia Becker for an honest, hopeful conversation about: being Black in America honoring the messiness and complexity of our humanity holding on to hope in the goodness of God “How do the people whom we love, who hurt us, shape the kind of people we become? And how do we make peace with that?”  _ Guest Bio: “...

Love is stronger than fear. What if we really believed it? What if we lived into love and weren’t overcome by anxiety? What if, even in the midst of the harrowing realities of our global catastrophes and the mundane realities of our everyday lives—what if we could live in a way that deepens who we are, that connects us to ourselves, to God, to one another? I’m Amy Julia Becker, and this is a podca...

Is racism baked into our nation’s DNA? Is there any hope for change? John Blake, a CNN journalist and author of More Than I Imagined , explores the personal and social aspects of race as he shares: his own experience as a biracial kid growing up in West Baltimore time at Howard University and working for CNN understanding of race and faith in America experience of learning about his own white fami...

How do we prepare now to die well? Can we reimagine care of the dying in all of its messiness as a gift?  Dr. Lydia Dugdale, a medical ethicist, internal medicine doctor, professor, and author of The Lost Art of Dying , talks with Amy Julia Becker about: Disability Death Medical assistance in dying Honoring all human life as the gift it is without idolizing life __ Guest Bio: “Lydia Dugdale MD, MA...

Do you feel like you have to stay strong to survive? Aundi Kolber, a licensed professional counselor and author, talks with Amy Julia Becker about her latest book, Strong Like Water . They discuss how to: become strong in new ways receive and participate in healing live with compassion towards ourselves and carry love in our bodies __ Guest Bio “Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (M...

In an environment of deconstruction, how do we identify what needs to be torn down? And in the midst of the rubble, what are we rebuilding? Dr. Yolanda Pierce, author of In My Grandmother’s House , joins Amy Julia Becker for a conversation about: grandmother theology deconstructing Christian faith Black Jesus and unlearning racial hierarchies hope that something true and good and beautiful can be...

How do we step into the good work of kingdom justice? In this episode:  hear the story of Michelle Ferrigno Warren, a faith-rooted justice advocate and activist learn how to be a faithful ally in this life-giving, transformative justice work __ Guest Bio: Michelle is the president and CEO of Virago Strategies, a consulting group that provides strategic direction and project management for civic en...

What should you hope for? What’s worth investing your life in? How do you define and create a flourishing life? Matt Croasmun, coauthor of Life Worth Living , joins me to discuss: How to ask life’s big questions Why pursuing those questions matters  How to disagree with respect, friendship, and kindness in the midst of those questions “Matt Croasmun is an Associate Research Scholar and the Directo...

In an anxious, rational world, is there a place for enchantment? Katherine May, New York Times bestselling author of Wintering and Enchantment , talks with Amy Julia Becker about awakening wonder, relearning enchantment, connecting to the natural world, and living every day with a continual sense of the presence of God. __ Guest Bio: “Katherine May is an internationally bestselling author and podc...

On World Down Syndrome Day, Jillian Benfield, author of The Gift of the Unexpected , talks with me about whether it is hard to be the parent of a child with a disability, how our perspective on ourselves, faith, and the world has changed through our experiences as parents, and about the gift of the unexpected. __ Guest Bio: “Jillian Benfield is a former journalist and news anchor. She holds a broa...

What do our bodies tell us about ourselves and our world? And how do we listen? Lyndsey Medford, author of My Body and Other Crumbling Empires , talks with Amy Julia Becker about physical and social healing and the beauty of limitations and interdependence. They discuss how healing connects to slowing down, technology, food banks, capitalism, and more. ___ Guest Bio: “Lyndsey Medford lives with a...

What is casual racism? And how did a non-fiction writer end up writing a mystery series? Author Patricia Raybon talks with Amy Julia Becker about faith and “casual racism,” Black history month, and the beauty and truth that emerge from creative storytelling. __ Giveaway :  Share this episode on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter by February 26th and tag me when you share. You’ll be entered for a chan...

In the wake of Tyre Nichols’ death in Memphis, David M. Bailey, founder of Arrabon, talks with Amy Julia Becker about the long, deep, painful, hopeful work of healing in a world that is often filled instead with quick reactions. __ Guest Bio: David M. Bailey is the founder and chief vision officer of Arrabon , which “cultivates Christian communities to pursue healing and reconciliation in a racial...

Pain is more than a physical sensation; it has cultural, relational, and spiritual dimensions as well. Dr. Haider Warraich, a cardiologist and the author of The Song of Our Scars , talks with Amy Julia Becker about these dimensions, the opioid epidemic, and ways we can be a part of the story of healing, for ourselves and others. __ Guest Bio: “Haider Warraich is a doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hos...

Does anxiety characterize your relationship with time? Author Jen Pollock Michel talks with Amy Julia Becker about our posture toward time and her new book In Good Time .   She offers gentle reflections on learning new habits of being and of receiving the lives we have been given. __ Guest Bio: “Jen Pollock Michel is a writer, speaker, coach, and podcast host. She is the author of five books . Her...