In this episode of Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, we’re joined by Dr. Lindsey Hardegree (DMin ’24) and The Rev. Jenelle Holmes (MDiv ’15) for an honest, practical, and deeply encouraging conversation about discernment, pivots, community building, lay leadership, and the many ways theological education shapes who we become.

Dr. Hardegree, Executive Director of the Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia, shares how her DMin research explored spirituality in secular spaces, the role of laypeople in God’s mission, and what the church can learn from the spiritual practices people are already embracing outside traditional congregations. She also reflects on the intentionality required in hybrid learning, discerning the “right time” for seminary, and how spiritual life must be nurtured beyond one’s job.

Rev. Holmes, organizing pastor of Ormwood Church in Southeast Atlanta, discusses her many life pivots—from MTS to MDiv, from academic interests to preaching, and eventually into church planting. She reflects on preaching politics in “spicy times,” the importance of imagination in ministry, practical skills pastors actually need, and how becoming grounded across multiple communities protected her identity and well‑being throughout seminary and beyond.

☕ In this episode, we explore:
• Pivoting into new vocational paths during seminary
• Spirituality beyond the four walls of the church
• Discernment, timing, finances, family, and intuition
• Church planting, nonprofit leadership & practical ministry skills
• Preaching politics with courage and theological grounding
• Hybrid formation, online community, and intentional spiritual rhythms
• The power of community, imagination, and diverse support systems
• Seminary as formation of the whole person—not just a career path

This conversation is full of wisdom for students, alumni, and anyone navigating calling, community, and life’s unexpected turns.

Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, creates space for alumni wisdom, student listening, and thoughtful reflection at the intersection of faith and work.

Grab your mug and join the conversation.

In this episode of Candler Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, we’re joined by Christopher McKee (MTS ’97, JD ’97)—a practicing attorney, public‑interest advocate, and longtime law professor—for a rich conversation at the intersection of theology, law, justice, and hope.

Christopher reflects on his journey through Candler and Emory Law as a dual‑degree student and how his theological education profoundly shaped his vocation as a lawyer. Now specializing in forensic science issues and teaching criminal law and experiential learning, Christopher shares how skills formed in seminary—textual interpretation, preaching, pastoral care, and community—continue to inform his work in courtrooms and classrooms.

Throughout the conversation, Christopher speaks candidly about representing clients, sustaining hope through decades of difficult cases, and finding meaning in advocacy, relationships, and small acts of justice.

He also reflects on gratitude, integrity, and choosing compassion over power in systems that often feel overwhelming.

☕ In this episode, we explore:

• Why Christopher pursued a dual degree in theology and law

• How seminary made him a better lawyer and advocate

• Overlaps between biblical interpretation, preaching, and legal practice

• Staying hopeful while working in the criminal justice system• Pastoral care beyond the pulpit

• Translating seminary skills into work outside traditional ministry

• Gratitude, community, and sustainable vocational practices

• Ecumenical formation and the unique culture of Candler

Christopher also offers thoughtful advice for current and prospective students on building community, cultivating gratitude, making space for sustaining practices, and listening for vocational clarity even when the path unfolds unexpectedly.

🎧 Streaming on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts

Candler Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, creates space for alumni wisdom, student listening, and honest conversations about faith, vocation, and life after seminary.

Grab your coffee and join the conversation.

In this episode of Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, we’re joined by Rev. Kanisha Billingsley (MDiv ’09, ThM ’13) and Rev. Robert Schoonover (MDiv ’21) for a rich conversation about vocation, uncertainty, and the long‑term formation that begins in seminary.

Rev. Billingsley, Director of Spiritual Health and Education at hookup at Tampa General Hospital, reflects on leadership in complex healthcare systems, hospital chaplaincy, and learning to live with uncertainty, rest, and trust beyond a fixed vocational blueprint. Rev. Schoonover, Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, shares his winding path through fundraising, congregational ministry, and ordination—balancing pastoral leadership, family life, and the evolving needs of the church.

Recorded live with students, this episode centers theological education not just as skill‑building, but as deep formation of the self.

☕ In this episode, we explore:
• Life after seminary and navigating vocational uncertainty
• Ministry in hospitals, prisons, and congregational settings
• Transferable “soft” skills as vital leadership tools
• Learning to live in tension, nuance, and discord
• Preventing burnout through boundaries, therapy, and community
• Formation that shapes who you become, not just what you do
• Advice for current and prospective students discerning next steps

Rev. Billingsley and Rev. Schoonover offer candid reflections, memorable stories, and practical wisdom for anyone navigating calling in ministry, healthcare, or leadership beyond traditional paths.

Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, creates space for alumni wisdom, student listening, and thoughtful reflection on faith, work, and becoming.

Grab your coffee and join the conversation.

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In this episode of Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, we’re joined by Rev. Alisha Gordon (MDiv ’15)—an alumna whose vocational journey spans ministry, nonprofit leadership, politics, philanthropy, and social entrepreneurship.

Alisha reflects on her non‑traditional path after seminary, including her time as Executive Director of The Current Project, a nonprofit focused on the social and economic well‑being of Black single mothers. She shares why she chose to sunset the organization, how listening to intuition and Spirit has guided her “quantum leaps,” and what it means to honor calling and rest.

Recorded live with students, this conversation centers curiosity, courage, and integration—inviting listeners to see theological education not as a rigid track, but as spacious formation.

☕ In this episode, we explore:
• Navigating non‑traditional vocational paths after seminary
• Ministry beyond the church: nonprofits, politics, and philanthropy
• Curiosity as a spiritual and vocational practice
• Knowing when to pivot, pause, or let go
• Translating MDiv skills into nonprofit and secular work
• Networking, storytelling, and funding mission‑driven work
• Maintaining joy amid justice‑oriented and exhausting labor
• Bringing your whole self into seminary and beyond

Alisha offers deeply practical advice for current and prospective students—challenging them to resist shrinking themselves, take calculated risks, and trust that the skills cultivated in seminary are transferable far beyond traditional ministry roles.

Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, creates space for alumni wisdom, student listening, and honest reflection on faith, work, and what it means to follow a calling that doesn’t come with a straight line.

Grab your coffee and join the conversation.

Welcome to the kickoff episode of Coffee and Conversation, a podcast hosted by Candler Career Services featuring honest, reflective conversations with Candler alumni about faith, vocation, and life after seminary.

In this inaugural episode, we’re joined by Julian Davis Reid (MDiv 19T)—a Black artist‑theologian, musician, writer, and founder of Notes of Rest, a contemplative musical ministry inviting people into God’s transforming rest. Recorded live with students, this conversation traces Julian’s vocational journey from seminary into a life that weaves together theology, music, pastoral care, and joy.

Julian reflects on discerning his call while holding together rigorous theological study and a growing career as a professional musician. He shares how community at Candler shaped him, how his interests shifted over time, and why he now understands vocation as learning how to assemble the “auto parts” of formation into a faithful life.

☕ In this episode, we explore:
• Julian’s call to seminary and why he chose Candler
• Integrating theology, music, and ministry
• Discernment when plans change during seminary
• The role of community in theological formation
• Honest prayer, vocational risk, and creative faithfulness
• Seminary not just as job training—but soul‑shaping work
• Why joy, tears, and transformation belong in theological education

This episode also includes thoughtful advice for current and prospective students on navigating uncertainty, resisting comparison, building community, and paying attention to what God is doing beneath the surface of their studies.

Coffee and Conversation, hosted by Candler Career Services, creates space for alumni wisdom, student listening, and conversations rooted in experience, reflection, and hope.

Pull up a chair, grab your coffee, and join us as the conversation begins.