The Ignite Institute : CHANGE HAPPENS NOW!

In this deeply moving Season 7 finale episode, we honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Dorsey Odell Blake, beloved faculty member, mentor, tireless advocate for justice, and prophetic voice in the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) community and beyond, who passed away in March 2025. Dr. Blake first came to PSR in 1968, during a time of national upheaval that he often compared to our own. Inspired...

In this inspiring episode, we continue our exploration of Kwaray’s development by welcoming a dynamic and deeply knowledgeable voice: Tiffany Bluhm, Executive Director of PAX—an organization dedicated to mentoring and vocational development for emerging Christians of color—and a contributor to Kwaray. With over 16 years in ministry and nonprofit leadership, Tiffany’s insights blend practical wisdo...

In this episode, we sat down with Jonathon Murillo, our Director of Content and Strategy at Ignite Institute at PSR. Jonathon introduces the concept of a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world and the need for a new way to lead, which led to the development of Ignite's hallmark program, Wisdom-Based Leadership. He shares how this leadership framework goes beyond traditional...

In this episode, we dive into an inspiring conversation with Cindy Liu, a visionary strategist dedicated to redefining the future of education through Kwaray, a groundbreaking community-based learning platform. Cindy takes us on her journey, sharing insights on why fostering a sense of community is essential for transformative education and personal growth and how Kwaray’s unique model is setting...

Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy , President of Pacific School of Religion, discusses the origin story of Kwaray , a new community-based learning platform dedicated to equipping rising faith leaders as they navigate an era of profound spiritual and cultural upheaval. Kwaray aims to address the pressing needs of accessible theological education and challenge the notion of excellence by exclusion in high...

As the first female principals at Bora Architecture, Amy Donohoe and Jeanie Lai champion justice-oriented design, making educational spaces innovative, inclusive, and inspirational. They sat down with us to talk about their personal and professional journeys and the importance of design justice, equity, and community engagement in architecture. We hear about the challenges of a male-dominated indu...

In this inspiring episode, we welcome Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil , a pastor, dynamic speaker, award-winning author, professor, and thought leader. Dr. Salter McNeil is recognized internationally as one of the foremost leaders of reconciliation and was featured as one of the 50 most influential women to watch by Christianity Today in 2012. A trailblazer with a loving and prophetic approach, her...

In this conversation, we sat down with Lauren Snelling and Dori King to discuss their experiences as parents and educators and the importance of storytelling in their respective fields. Lauren is child trauma psychotherapist/counselor, committed to disrupting systems in an effort to support Black children, and Dori is a children's picture book writer, educator, and mindfulness practitioner. W...

Join us in this enlightening episode as our host, Mo King, delves into the intricate landscape of Christian ethics with esteemed scholars Dr. Traci West   and Dr. Lisa Asedillo . Dr. West is an author and Professor of Christian Ethics and African American Studies at Drew University Theological School. She offers profound insights into gender-based violence, intertwining race and religion, and the...

On our Season premiere, host Mo King sits down with spiritual leaders Rev. Adriene Thorne , Senior Minister of the historic Riverside Church in NYC, and Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy , President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, as they delve into their experiences leading dynamic communities, their challenges, and the resources they use to overcome them. From navigating vulnerability i...

In a global culture that has perpetuated sexual violence, and a recent shift to more people talking about it than ever before, how can we as leaders truly be in community with survivors of this kind of abuse? In our Season Finale, we sat down with Lydia Matioli, Program & Partnerships Director of Freely in Hope in Kenya and Zambia, to talk about her own story and how this shift in mindset is h...

Co-designing is an ancient practice, and the world is experiencing a paradigm shift from designing for people to designing with people. We sat down with Dave Dawkins, communication design lead at IDEO.org, to talk about this change and the importance of summoning radical imagination in this time. For so many on the margins, it's an act of resistance to dream. Dave shares the importance of loo...

With everything happening in the world today in politics, cancel culture, and extreme barriers of division, Leland Melvin is helping to transform these ills by using his life story as an athlete, astronaut, scientist, engineer, photographer, and musician, to help inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue S.T.E.A.M. careers. Leland is the only person drafted into the NFL to have flown in s...

How do we support the writers, artists, and thinkers in our communities in times of profound change? Andrew Proctor, Executive Director of Literary Arts in Portland Oregon, sat down with us to answer this question and shared how he’s engaged the literary world for over twenty years in the governmental, for profit, and nonprofit sectors. Andrew also talks with us about the beauty of art as a medium...

How can Christian teachings, sacred text, and prophetic witness be brought to the issues calling for Love and Justice in our world today? Master educator, Rev. Tana Roseboro Marsh , Program Coordinator of Theological Education for Leadership (TEL) at PSR, sits down with us to answer that question through the lens of the TEL program. While actively working on issues concerning the LGBTQIA community...

How can we "sit on the porch" to help others slowly unfold what's on their hearts and minds? How can we be findable for intergenerational conversations? On this episode, Mo sits down with Phyllis Drennon King Hildreth, VP of Strategy and Chief of Staff at American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee, small business owner, community and civic leader, wife, mother, and his beloved...

What we consume, whether it's the movies that we watch, the books we read, or the short social media videos we scroll through, it all feeds our minds and souls and informs our sense of reality at a very subliminal level. To Payhuan Shiao, Founder and CEO of Immortal Studios, and lineage holder of the 1000-year-old martial arts fantasy genre of Wuxia , content creation is the artform of provid...

Former 76ers athletic trainer and author of the Red Rubber Ball series of books, Kevin Carroll, has turned his childhood passion for playing ball into a bestselling franchise. Since leaving Nike to create his own company, Katalyst , Kevin has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change and success. As an expert on creativity and innovation, and drawing wisdom fro...

On this episode, Mo King is joined by Dr. Jennifer Madden, the Dean of the School of Business at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon and the Author of Inter-Organizational Collaboration by Design that examines how collaborations can be designed and leveraged for innovation and rejuvenation, a concept she calls “Rejuvenative Innovation.” As a strategist, researcher, teacher, facilitator, and...

On our Season 6 Premiere, new Host, Mo King, talks with award-winning writer, editor, and heart centered nonprofit/social enterprise professional, Dorcas Cheng-Tozun .  Dorcas is the editorial director at Pax, a faith-based nonprofit that seeks to inspire people to be peacemakers and justice-seekers, and is the author of three books, the most recent being Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul, rel...

Belonging is a need essential to the human experience, and with the ongoing complex issues we're all navigating, the question of what “belonging” means in society is extending into our work as it never has before.  Grace So is Visiting Assistant Professor of New Testament and Rhetorical Studies at The Pacific School of Religion , and she has been wrestling with connecting and belonging throug...

On this episode we sat down with Leonard McMahon, doctoral candidate in theology at the Graduate Theological Union at UC Berkeley and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care at the Pacific School of Religion . Leonard works through his consultancy, Common Ground Dialogue , to bring divergent citizens into deeper conversation for the sake of our democracy, and is deeply invested in political theology,...

"How much would the world change if our leaders focused on community care first?" That's what Stephenie Wheeler-Smith's focus is in her social enterprise, We Deliver Care , that seeks to reimagine public safety in Seattle and widen the circle of human concern. As we sat down with Stephenie to hear more about her leadership approach, we learned it was the community she grew up w...

Lisa Asedillo is the co-founder of New Day Church in the Bronx, New York, a vibrant, queer, anti-racist and boundary-crossing faith community.  As an ethicist, liturgist, and the Assistant Professor of Worship and Liturgical Ethics at Pacific School of Religion , Lisa's leadership approach focuses heavily on personal introspection, community building, ritual, and creating safe spaces for marg...

On this episode, we sat down with Drew Jackson , published poet and President/Co-Founder of Pax , a partner of Ignite. Drew is deeply engaged in anti-racism work, primarily in church contexts, and is actively involved with the work of peacemaking and multi-faith coalition building for the common good, both nationally and internationally. He talks about how he got into doing justice work by way of...