The Allender Center Podcast

This week, Dr. Dan Allender invites us to look back at 2016 and reflect on everything the year has held: both the highs and lows, the glory and the heartache. After offering a few categories to guide us in this reflection, Dan shares from his own process of looking at the themes of this past year, wondering how particular moments and experiences shape the person he is becoming.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender and his wife, Becky Allender, conclude our Advent series by reflecting on the act of celebration. How does anticipating the coming of Jesus equip us to celebrate the scandalous nature of Christmas with deep, life-changing joy? And from all of us at The Allender Center and The Seattle School, a very merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by his wife Becky to continue our Advent series by reflecting on the theme of welcoming. Dan and Becky discuss the kind of playful, unexpected, profound acts of welcoming that the coming of Christ invites us into.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by Dr. Chelle Stearns, Associate Professor of Theology at The Seattle School, to continue our series on Advent by discussing the theme of preparation. Looking at the life of John the Baptist, Dan and Chelle invite us to consider what it means to prepare for our Lord's arrival.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by Dr. Angela Parker, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at The Seattle School, to welcome the Advent season and reflect on the theme of anticipation. Dan and Angela wrestle with what it means to anticipate the arrival of the Messiah who promises to invert our systems of power and restore everything that is broken.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by his wife, Becky Allender, to reflect on their experience of Thanksgiving and explore the nature of gratitude. Dan and Becky identify the comparison, entitlement, and envy that kill gratitude, inviting all of us to a posture of thankfulness that acknowledges our dependence on and love for each other.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender concludes a conversation with his friend and colleague Dr. Heather Mirous about how trauma and abuse affect our physical health and embodied reality. Heather, a psychologist and contributor to Healing the Wounded Heart, shares about her journey toward hope and the beautiful experience of seeing restoration physically embodied in her life.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender continues a conversation with his friend and colleague Dr. Heather Mirous about how trauma and abuse affect our physical health and embodied reality. Heather, a psychologist and contributor to Healing the Wounded Heart, shares what she has learned about the physiological effects of trauma and the ways our bodies cope with fragmentation, dysregulation, and deterioration.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by his friend and colleague Dr. Heather Mirous to launch a three-part conversation about how trauma and abuse affect our physical health and embodied reality. Heather, a psychologist and contributor to Healing the Wounded Heart , shares vulnerably from her own story of finally uncovering the connections between her ongoing physical suffering and her experience...

As we gathered listener feedback about the first 100 episodes of the Allender Center Podcast, one of the questions that stood out was about how we respond to dissociation in our relationships. So this week, Dan is joined by his wife, Becky Allender, to talk about how they have experienced the effects of dissociation in their marriage, ultimately choosing connection over isolation.

Last week marked our 100th episode, so this week we're taking a moment to look back, reflect, and celebrate. Dr. Dan Allender talks about how this podcast has evolved, some of his favorite parts of working on it, and where he hopes to go in the next 100 episodes. From all of us at The Allender Center, thank you for listening and for joining us on this journey.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender continues our series about what a therapist looks for in a client. Dan reflects on the categories of openness, trust, and the willingness to remain in the work of therapy even when it is messy and difficult. Though we will never find the perfect therapist or the perfect client, Dan says there are few things sweeter or holier than two people willing to engage therapy wit...

We recently concluded a series about what to consider when looking for a therapist. But there's another side to that question: What do therapists look for in clients? This week, Dan shares a few categories that he considers when determining if he is the right fit for pursuing meaningful, effective therapeutic work with potential clients.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by Rachael Clinton, Assistant Director of Program Development and Admissions for The Allender Center, as we continue a series about one of the most common questions we receive: What should I look for when I am picking a therapist? Rachael shares from her own recent experience of stepping back into therapy, and she and Dan reflect on what to look for and how to...

This week, Dr. Dan Allender wrestles with one of the most common questions we receive at The Allender Center: What should I look for when I am picking a therapist? Dan offers several categories for us to consider as we seek someone to join us in the deep places of heartache and hope in our stories.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender shares all about our first online course , Healing the Wounded Heart , coming later this fall, a series of nine dynamic sessions offering teaching by Dan, interviews with individuals engaging their stories of past harm, journaling prompts, and more. Dan talks about the heart behind this new offering, who it's intended for, and how we hope it will serve as a companion on...

This week, Dr. Dan Allender concludes a series engaging the sweeping, chaotic, sometimes tragic and sometimes glorious lives of four characters in the Old Testament: Jacob, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Jonah. Dan dives into the story of Jonah, which confronts us with the idea that the same forgiveness we receive is extended even to those who cause harm. Are we bold enough to follow the radical mercy of G...

This week, Dr. Dan Allender continues a series engaging the sweeping, chaotic, sometimes tragic and sometimes glorious stories of four characters in the Old Testament: Jacob, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Jonah. Dan dives into the life of Joseph, a story an epic story full of political intrigue, family division, betrayal, envy, and, ultimately, the bold hope that our own stories might join God's story of...

This week, Dr. Dan Allender returns to a series engaging the sweeping, chaotic, sometimes tragic and sometimes glorious stories of four characters in the Old Testament: Jacob, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Jonah. Dan invites us to consider the story of Jeremiah, whose life leads us to wonder what it means to be a prophet, to wrestle with a world of extreme complexity, and ultimately, to recognize the cost...

This week, Dr. Dan Allender continues a conversation with his friend Rick Maguire, who recently left a successful career at Microsoft to pursue work helping others as a life coach. Rick and Dan talk about what is required to walk with someone through significant moments and decisions in life, and what it means to move deeper into our calling and grow into who we were created to be.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by his friend Rick Maguire, who recently left a successful career at Microsoft to pursue work helping others as a life coach. Rick and Dan talk about what happens when you find new clarity about your life that leaves you facing a potentially foolish risk. What does it look like to live a big, bold, beautiful life?

This week, Dr. Dan Allender continues a series engaging the sweeping, chaotic, sometimes tragic and sometimes glorious stories of four characters in the Old Testament: Jacob, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Jonah. Dan invites us to consider the story of Jacob, a manipulative trickster who has much to teach us about the story of God and the nature of redemption.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender introduces a new series engaging the sweeping, chaotic, sometimes tragic and sometimes glorious stories of four characters in the Bible: Jacob, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Jonah. Dan invites us to let ourselves be swept up in the arc of a story, open to encountering what these characters reveal about our own stories and about the ongoing story of God.

This week, in the conclusion of the Spectrum of Trauma series, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by Dr. Angela Parker, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. Dan and Dr. Parker discuss a particular form of trauma that is often dismissed as insignificant: microaggressions that are born out of racism, bias, and prejudice toward others.