Discovering Our Scars

Rev. Dr. Latricia Edwards Scriven is a joy-filled person. She actually exudes joy. She joins Steph and Beth for a conversation about why joy matters, how it’s different from happiness, and how it is a skill that can be practiced. Latricia explains that there is nothing naïve or innocent about joy, it is a choice. Sometimes joy is even an act of defiance.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod120
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Latricia Edwards Scriven: https://laughingblackjesus.com
Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it’s also the anniversary of when Steph and Beth launched this podcast! In this episode, they talk about some of their darkest mental health moments. If you’ve experienced darkness, know there’s no stigma attached to you.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod119
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Behind-the-scenes video of this episode: https://youtu.be/wut87B8XtdA

We are programmed to think it’s wrong to be selfish. But what if … it’s good? Steph and Beth explore the benefits of selfishness.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod118
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Beth is a pastor in The United Methodist Church, but in this episode she and Steph discuss whether she should leave it behind. The UMC is undergoing a schism of sorts. Current denominational rules exclude LGBTQ+ Christians from serving as pastors and prohibit all pastors from performing weddings for LGBTQ+ individuals. There is a broad movement to change those rules and some who want to keep those rules are leaving the UMC to form a new denomination called the Global Methodist Church. “Should” Beth leave, too?

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod117
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

When Steph was in the mental hospital, Pastor Matt visited her. He brought her clothes and the journal that ended up being the beginning of her book, Discovering My Scars. You heard Steph’s side of the story in Episode 2 and here you can hear Matt’s side of Steph’s story. How did they end up in the same city? How did he know she was in the mental hospital? What did he think when he heard that where she was and why? How did it feel for him to see her at her worst? Pastor Matt answers these questions and more. As always, the episode ends with Questions for Reflection, inviting you to apply the conversation in your own life.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod116
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Ballerinas and figure skaters are graceful. Some folks exhibit grace under pressure. We say grace before a meal (at least, that’s what people call it where Steph and Beth live). So, what IS grace anyway? Steph asks Pastor Beth to explain “grace,” and together they explore how grace exists culturally outside of any religious context. What is the connection between grace and gratitude? Why does it feel like grace when another person honors our humanity? Listen to this episode and see how this honest conversation might apply in your own life.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod115
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

For two years, the COVID pandemic has been our shared global experience. Two years in, we have to ask, have things changed FOR GOOD? Have they changed permanently? Have things changed in a way that is beneficial? Steph and Beth review their own lives and find new commitments to public health as well as new friendships and other positives that have emerged from the last two years.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod114
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

From the earliest days of dreaming about the podcast, Steph and Beth knew they wanted to have Dr. Jill as a guest. The long-awaited day has arrived! Dr. Jill joins Steph and Beth for a conversation about the kinds of people we all need to stop wasting our emotions on. This is a great conversation about narcissism, psychopathy, sociopathy, and more.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod113
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Dr. Jill Ricke: https://aftermath-surviving-psychopathy.org/
Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Let’s face it, no one gets through life without some brokenness. We don’t choose our brokenness, but we can choose how we react to it. Do we see our brokenness as something ugly, or can we see the beauty in our healing and recovery? We aren’t saying we are broken but nonetheless beautiful, we are saying we are broken and that brokenness? It’s beautiful.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod112
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/

Some words trigger an involuntary reaction or feeling in us. Steph and Beth share personal experiences with words that bother them. For Beth, it’s hearing someone claim the Bible CLEARLY says something. For Steph, it’s being called GIRL. For both of them, it’s being told they SHOULD do or say something. Sometimes trigger words are a minor annoyance, but sometimes they relate to past trauma and harm. How do we identify our triggers and communicate with others about them? How do we respect other people’s triggers? And, have we collectively become too sensitive? Steph and Beth talk about all of this and more in Episode 111.

Full transcript and show notes here: https://bit.ly/dospod111
Voicemail & text: (850) 270-3308

Stephanie Kostopoulos : https://www.stephaniekostopoulos.com/
Beth Demme: http://bethdemme.com/