Down to Earth Conversations

Lisa Maathuis is the General Manager of Dignity - an organisation whose mission is to make period products accessible to everyone who needs them, so no one misses out on work, education, sport, or anything else in life.

You may have never thought about that, but the more I've learned about period poverty and period equity, the more I have realised this needs to be something that we are talking about more openly so we can fix the issues together.  

I talk with Lisa about what period poverty is, and why it is such a hidden problem. We talk about reducing stigma, and empowering people to thrive in life without the barriers some face in this area. We talk specifically about what Dignity are doing in this space - as a socially focused business looking to change lives one period product at a time. 

Check out Dignity's website, dignitynz.com, or find them on Facebook or Instagram.

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Email: [email protected]

Sarah Page is the founder and Executive Director of the Kindness Collective Foundation.  When events in life led her to see the inequalities of life clearly for the first time Sarah knew it was time to do something about it. So she started by getting friends to donate things for those she was connected to who were in need. 

Ten years on and the Kindness Collective is a thriving network of thousands of ordinary New Zealanders who are getting alongside those in need, and they are partnered with some of New Zealand's biggest and most well known companies to bring love, and joy, and peace, and hope to people around the country through acts of kindness. 

We talk about Sarah's journey of realising what life was like for others, what she decided to do about that, and the effect that performing these acts of kindness had on her own challenging journey with mental health. We hear the very tiniest tip of the iceberg of the stories that come Sarah's way on a daily basis and why this has become a lifelong passion for her. We talk about how broken our systems are that mean the Kindness Collective even has to exist, but the huge difference they are making because they do. And we touch on this word kindness and about how deep and gritty kindness really is. 

Check out the Kindness Collective on their website, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and see ways you can contribute to the Christmas Joy Store.

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Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com or at

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Email: [email protected]

'Catching Up With' is the new side project here on Down to Earth Conversations.  These are short episodes with former Down to Earth Conversations guest about new and interesting things they've been up to since I last talked to them. 

In this first episode we are Catching up with Te Karere Whitiao Scarborough who featured way back on episode 10. 

Te Karere joins me on Catching Up With to talk about an exciting new educational pathway in Aotearoa, Te Wānanga Ihorangi, which he is involved in shaping as they get ready to take their first students in 2024. It's an exciting new initiative that involves te reo Māori learning combined with theological learning and a number of other things. 

Check it out at ihorangi.ac.nz or find them on Facebook or Instagram

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Email: [email protected]

Bruce Pilbrow is a CEO who has worked across business and not-for-profits. He loves working in spaces that have a positive impact on the world, and he has become a bit of a transformation specialist, helping organisations change and adapt to better fulfil their mission. 

We talk about disrupting the status quo, building culture, and doing it with empathy. We hear how Bruce's role as a CEO is about discovering talent and harnessing it to allow both the people and the organisation to flourish. We hear about his current role with the Spirit of Adventure Trust who specialise in youth development, why boot camps aren't the answer for troubled youth, and we talk about being an ally to the young people in our lives so they can thrive and live their best lives. 

Check out the Spirit of Adventure Trust on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.

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Email: [email protected]

Liz Cooledge Jenkins and I follow each other on Instagram, and neither of us remember how she and I connected, but when she let me know about a book she has coming out this December I had to get her on the podcast. The book is called Nice Churchy Patriarchy, and is a combination of Liz's experiences in, and working for, various American evangelical churches, and her deep thinking and research around the attitudes and impacts of patriarchy, even in those spaces that claim to see all people as equals. 

We discuss Liz's experiences as a woman in church spaces and the impact of ingrained patriarchy on women, we talk about how her exploration of patriarchy goes hand in hand with her growing understanding of the many other minority groups within the western church and how the church has treated them, and we talk about how it's actually people's ability to live into the fullness of their humanity that is at stake. 

Find details of Liz's upcoming book, Nice Churchy Patriarchy, and where to preorder it at lizcooledgejenkins.com/nice-churchy-patriarchy 

Find Liz and her articles on her website and connect with her on Instagram

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Email: [email protected]

Meg Cowan is a sex and intimacy coach. 

After sex became a problem part of her own marriage, Meg and her husband sought help. Through that experience Meg opened up to her friends and found that the need to be talking about this was great. So she set about doing some study and now helps hundreds of people heal from hurts, and progress to loving themselves and having a more fulfilling sex life.  

We talk about Meg's journey into this work. The unhelpful advice she was given along the way, especially in the church. We address the negative effects that the evangelical church's purity culture has had on so many, and in what ways Meg looks to address that. And we talk about the big killer in all of this - shame!  

Find Meg at her website, megcowan.com, or Instagram

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Recently I was privileged, along with former guest Michael Frost, to be on a panel at a workshop about rethinking our beliefs regarding sexuality and gender. The main speaker that day was Amanda Pilbrow from Already Enough, and we took the opportunity to sit down together afterwards to debrief the day.

 

It doesn't matter if you weren't there. We give a brief overview of what was covered in the workshop, and people's reactions to them. We discuss the idea of questions about faith as holy invitations, even if we've been taught that they are signs of unfaithfulness. Amanda reminds us to listen to those for whom this is lived experience, rather than treating this as theological theory. And we acknowledge the courage it takes to step into this journey when so much can be at stake.

 

If you want to hear more of Amanda's story, head to episode 79 of Michael Frost's podcast 'In the Shift' on Apple or Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

For more from Amanda or the resources she has compiled, head to her Already Enough website, or Instagram. 

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Bethel Church is a charismatic evangelical church in Redding, California. It is famous for the church music it pumps out prolifically, and it has a Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry which hosts over 2,000 students annually from over 60 countries. Mike Maeshiro worked for Bethel coordinating events (which they do on a huge scale and frequency), travelled the world preaching, and was a teacher of spiritual discernment at the School of Supernatural Ministry until coming out as gay just a couple of years ago.

Since then life has changed dramatically for Mike, losing his role, his income, many friends, but gaining a whole lot too. Mike shares about that journey in the episode. 

We talk about how it was actually Mike's relationship with God, not his abandonment of faith, that led to his coming out. We also discuss the way he's been treated by those who are supposed to be God's examples of love to the world, and how he now uses the platforms he built while at Bethel to support others who are wrestling with faith and sexuality, or who are simply asking questions about the faith they've been handed. 

Hear Mike's coming out story on his own podcast 'Confessions of a Reformer' on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Find resources for exploring theology and sexuality at mikemaeshiro.com/lgbtq-resources

Find Mike on Instagram, YouTube, LinkTree, or mikemaeshiro.com

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Email: [email protected]

I met Amelie Coggan at Voices of Hope's (featured on episode 46) event, 'It's Not Weak to Speak'. When I found out she had her own mental health challenges but that she was also, as a teenager, the owner of a business making products to support the mental health of others, I knew I had to get her on the podcast.  

Amelie Coggan is the founder of Little Joys - a business creating products to support people in their mental health journey.  We talk about Little Joys and how it came that an 18 year old is already several years in to running her own business. This is a kōrero that includes Amelie inviting us into her life with OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. We hear about what it is and what it's not, why people's ignorance can be painful, some of the things that have been helpful for her, and how she became involved in supporting others along the way. 

Check out Little Joys on their website, littlejoys.co.nz, or on Facebook or Instagram.

For help lines and mental health support and resources see Voices of Hope's website

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Nick Allwright is a funeral director.  It is his job to walk alongside grieving family members and friends as they deal with the loss of their loved one. 

As we will hear from Nick, sometimes this is a glorious time, and sometimes it is anything but.  Sometimes it is a celebration, and sometimes it is a symbol of all that is wrong with the world.  

Nick shares about how he got into this profession, what is involved in his role, how he interacts with families, how he looks after himself when dealing with death every day, what he loves about the role, and what makes it sometimes a very difficult job to do. 

While Nick deals with death, his job is very much about the living, helping them through what can be a very tough time in their lives, doing whatever he can to let them get on with their grieving without having to stress about details that he can take care of. 

Please note that, as we are talking about death, there may be triggering aspects of this korero, so please hit pause and have a breather if you need to, and access the relevant support networks if something comes up for you. 

You will hear in Nick's voice that this is, at times, a very emotional conversation. It is very real and authentic, and it is a conversation that is a beautiful example of someone stepping into the pain and sorrow of others and bringing a bit of heaven in the midst of it. 

If you are triggered during the episode please seek appropriate support. If you need to connect with someone check out the helplines, organisations, and resources on the Voices of Hope website.

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Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com or at

Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations 

Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations

Email: [email protected]