Embodied Holiness

Send us Fan Mail When Michelle Cowan's husband is killed by a drunk driver, she is forced to figure out how to move forward with a grieving teenage daughter. Susan talks with Michelle Cowan Schroeder, author of Better Not Bitter (which is being made into a feature film), about how she and her daughter faced the difficult task of trying to change a political system and an industry in need of r...

Send us Fan Mail Are you running on empty? Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from what once brought you joy? You may be experiencing burnout. Susan sits down with Mike Maxwell, founder of Side Porch, a rest-and-renewal ministry for Christian leaders, for an honest, hope-filled conversation about recognizing, preventing, and recovering from burnout. Drawing from his own experience, Mi...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to truly accept someone who is different from us? In this episode, Susan sits down with Tony and Emily Lymon and their daughter, Colette, for an honest and thought-provoking conversation about race, identity, faith, and belonging.  The Lymons share their personal experiences with racism, acceptance, and rejection, including the unspoken conditions that sometimes...

Send us Fan Mail Susan sits down with brother-and-sister duo Josh Burris and Zoe Burris, who share a passion for leading the people of God into wholehearted worship. In this fun and dynamic conversation, they explore what worship really is, why it matters, and how worship shapes us as followers of Jesus. Whether you lead worship or simply want to better understand the heart behind it, this convers...

Send us Fan Mail In an era of widespread theological misinformation, Christians need clear, practical tools to identify and address distortions of the faith. Susan Eaton and Smith Lilley speak with Michael Adam Beck about his new curriculum, Distortions , which gives pastors, church leaders, and laity an accessible visual guide to understanding and responding to false representations of Christiani...

Send us Fan Mail What does it really mean to live a whole and holy life? Susan talks with Grace Hamman, author of Ask of Old Paths: Medieval Virtues and Vices for a Whole and Holy Life , to discuss how the medieval language of virtues and vices can inspire us to deeper self-reflection and greater faithfulness that leads to transformation.  GRACE HAMMAN, Ph. D. (Duke University) is a writer and ind...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Susan talks with author and spiritual director Deborah Svec-Carstens about her new book, Toward the Light , a coming-of-age memoir about trauma, resilience, healing, and the courage it sometimes takes simply to stay. Deborah shares her story of navigating the aftermath of sexual assault far from home and the journey toward reclaiming her life and her faith. Purcha...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, Susan and Cliff talk with Christy and Ainsley Richardson as they share the remarkable story of Ddembe mission, a ministry founded by Christy's late husband, Rodney Richardson. “Ddembe” means “freedom” in the native Luganda language, and it reflects the desire to see tangible love generously given, to see hope restored, and to see those the mission ser...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever looked at your life and wondered how you ended up here? The diagnosis came. The relationship fractured. The dream died. The future you imagined disappeared. Suddenly, you're living in unfamiliar territory—an exile of the soul. In this episode, Cliff Burris and Anna Valentine talk with Embodied Holiness host Susan Eaton about her latest book: Even in Exile – Redi...

Send us Fan Mail What on earth are we to do with the troubling passages we come across in scripture? The Old Testament is especially rife with narratives and sentences that can make God sound cruel and unloving at times. I asked Dr. Sandra Richter, the Robert H. Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA to discuss how sincere biblical readers can approach difficult...

Send us Fan Mail Thomas Michael Reed is a Mississippi Circuit Court Judge for the 12th District, serving Forrest and Perry Counties. He brings over 27 years of experience in criminal defense, personal injury, and municipal law. He’s also a follower of Jesus and an active member of Parkway Heights UMC in Hattiesburg, MS. Susan and her colleague, Rev. Julie Collins, sat down with Judge Reed to discu...

Send us Fan Mail Life is hard. We live in a time riddled with political, emotional, economic, and spiritual crises. Deb Engle helps her readers stay true to their spiritual principles and find peace amid chaos. Susan spoke with Deb about her book, Be the Light That You Are , which provides a course of action for people who want to make a difference.  Learn more on Deb's website .  DEBRA ENGLE...

Send us Fan Mail Susan sits down with Anna Valentine, PhD, LPC, to discuss how we can bring wholeness, healing, and rest into our lives by calming our nervous systems. This practical and spirit-filled conversation will leave you feeling refreshed.  Visit Anna’s website.   Listen to Anna’s podcast .  Anna Valentine is based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she works at March Holistic Christian Co...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 100 feels like a good time to pause and take a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. Susan is joined by original co-hosts Lyerly Christensen and Lindsey Lewis for a rich and meaningful conversation about how life has changed over the past four years. Along the way, they dive into topics that hit close to home: navigating compassion fatigue in a nonstop news cycle...

Send us Fan Mail Grammy-nominated jazz musician and Hattiesburg native Steve Wiest joins Susan for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, creativity, mentorship, and making the most of the one life we’ve been given. Steve reflects on his formative years in the church, the mentors who “saved his life” during a difficult season, and how those roots shaped both his faith and his wildly creative car...

Send us Fan Mail Conversations around addiction and recovery are too often avoided, even in the church. In this episode, Matt Johnson, National Director of Faith-Based Initiatives for the Fletcher Group, discusses why recovery and substance use disorder are something churches and Christians should care deeply about. Whether you’re walking your own recovery journey, loving someone who is, or wonder...

Send us Fan Mail In 1982, at the age of 19, Lonny Schrader was struck with a change in his storyline he did not see coming. His testimony of choosing forgiveness and thriving after tragedy is one we all need to hear and learn from. I hope you enjoy getting to know Lonny as much as I have.  Thanks for listening to the Embodied Holiness Podcast.  We invite you to join the community on Facebook and I...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Season 8! How do I know when it's God speaking to me? In this episode, Susan and Cliff share their personal experiences of hearing and discerning the voice of God, recommend books that have helped them grow in hearing God, and offer encouragement for your own journey to hearing and knowing God's voice.  Resources Mentioned: Hearing God , by Dallas Willard How...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Susan and Cliff sit down with spiritual director Anne-Russell Bradley for a rich conversation about the practice of spiritual direction. Together, they explore what spiritual direction is (and isn’t), how it creates sacred space for listening to God, and why this ancient practice can be such a life-giving companion on our faith journey. If you’ve ever wondered wha...

Send us Fan Mail How do we faithfully weave our life with God into the work we do every day? In this episode, Susan and co-host Rev. Smith Lilley talk with authors and businessmen Al Erisman and Randy Pope about what it means to view our work as a calling to serve the Lord. Together, they explore how the hours we spend in offices, classrooms, homes, and communities can become places of formation,...

Send us Fan Mail Spiritual warfare can be confusing, even intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. In this conversation, Susan Eaton, Cliff Burris, and Dr. Stephen Seamands discuss what spiritual warfare is, why it shows up in our lives, and how we can discern when it’s happening. Dr. Seamands offers practical wisdom from years of ministry, emphasizing the importance of helping people heal instead...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wished you had superpowers? Maybe we actually do! We may not be able to fly or shoot lasers out of our eyes, but what if we were made for more than that? In this episode, Susan talks with Rev. Smith Lilley about what it means to be human and how the life of Christ within us empowers us to live supernaturally in our everyday lives.  ABOUT SMITH: Smith Lilley is an ord...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Rev. Chad Bowen joins us to unpack a big question from one of our church kids: “How are we made in God’s image when we can’t see God?” Together, we explore what it means to “image” God in the world—not by what we look like, but by how we live. From creativity and innovation to stewardship and community, we discover the many ways God’s character is reflected throug...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever wrestled with questions about purpose—why you’re here, what you’re made for, or how to uncover it—you won’t want to miss this episode with the always dynamic Dr. Bev Smallwood. Learn how God can use even seasons of adversity to reveal your unique purpose and calling. Contact Beverly: bev@drbevsmallwood.com ABOUT BEV: Dr. Bev Smallwood is a licensed psychologist who,...

Send us Fan Mail Susan and her friend, Dr. Jamie McNally, explore what it means to see all of creation as a sacred trust and how the well-being of humans and animals overlaps. Together, they reflect on the biblical call to steward the earth with care. With both theological and psychological insight, this conversation invites us to consider how loving God also means tending His creation. ABOUT JAMI...