Her Story Speaks

Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber: an award-winning author, artist, and founder of Tehom Center Publishing. Her newest book, Queering the American Dream, is the subject of our conversation where Angela shares the radical journey of her queer family who left it all and the revolutionary women who taught them how. With five of her eight books listed in QSpirit's Top LGBTQ+ Religion Books, Dr. Yarber started Tehom Center Publishing, an imprint publishing feminist and queer authors, with a commitment to elevate BIPOC writers. She holds a Ph.D. in Art and Religion and is an Affiliate Professor for Women in Religious Leadership at Drew University. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Ms. Magazine, HuffPo, The Independent, NPR, Maya Angelou's memorial celebration, the television show Tiny House Nation, and more; to see her folk-feminist art, purchase a book, or learn more about Tehom Center Publishing, visit www.tehomcenter.org

In this episode, my guest and I talk about the healing benefits of psilocybin. We share our personal journeys about the healing we experienced on psilocybin as well as medical facts that support the healing. My guest, Jennifer Chesak is the author of The Psilocybin Handbook for Women. She is an award-winning freelance science and medical journalist, editor, and fact-checker, and her work has  appeared in several national publications, including the Washington Post. Chesak earned her master of science in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill, and she currently teaches in the journalism and publishing programs at Belmont University. Find her work at jennferchesak.com. And follow her on socials @jenchesak.

Lyvonne Briggs, MDiv, ThM, Emmy Award winner, is a body- and sex-positive womanist preacher. She is an author, pastor, spiritual life coach, and highly sought-after transformational speaker and seminar leader. A TEDx speaker, she has been featured in Essence, Cosmopolitan, and The Washington Post, and Sojourners named her one of "11 Women Shaping the Church.” Lyvonne is a graduate of The Lawrenceville School, Seton Hall University, Yale Divinity School,and Columbia Theological Seminary. She is currently based in New Orleans, LA.

Her new book, "Sensual Faith: The Art of Coming Home to Your Body" is the topic of our conversation. Lyvonne shares her story of breaking free from body and sex shame and invites women to discover a healthier approach to spirituality and sexuality that centers on pleasure rather than shame.

Marcie Alvis-Walker is an author and curator of the popular Instagram handle @blackcoffeewithwhitefriends, which focuses on race, theology, and current events with a companion blog of the same name. She is also the writer and creator of Black-Eyed Bible Stories, a Substack newsletter and podcast focused on Black Womanist readings of the Bible.  In her debut book,  Everybody Come Alive: A Memoir In Essays, Marcie explores intersectionality, diversity, and inclusion in our spiritual lives. In her coming-of-age journey, Marcie touches on the bittersweet pain and joy of what it takes to become a person who embraces being Black, a woman, and holy in America. In this vulnerable conversation Marcie shares more of her deeply personal story with her own mother’s journey with mental illness and its imprint on her life now.

Tina Strawn (she/they) is a joy and liberation advocate, activist, author of "Are We Free Yet? The Black, Queer Guide to Divorcing America," and the owner and host of the Speaking of Racism podcast. The heart of her work is founding and leading Legacy Trips, immersive antiracism experiences where participants visit historic locations such as Montgomery and Selma, AL, and utilize spiritual practices as tools to affect personal and collective change. Most recently Tina is the co-founder of Here4TheKIds, a national movement to ban guns and buy them back.

Sara Cunningham is an author, activist, and founder of the non-profit organization Free Mom Hugs. Her journey is a surprising one that began in conservative Oklahoma when her son, Parker, came out as gay. As a woman of faith, Sara wrestled with the news until she began to study, research, and reconcile the two worlds. This journey resulted in her book How We Sleep at Night. She found herself on a journey “from the church to the Pride parade,” falling in love with the LGBTQIA+ community. The mission of Free Mom Hugs began in the wake of beautiful glitter-covered hugs and heart-breaking horror stories. Simple acts of love and acceptance turned into a viral sensation, and Sara knew she had the opportunity to lead impactful change. Free Mom Hugs is now a movement across the country and the world. Sara goes Beyond the Hug to educate and advocate organizations of all types, including schools and businesses striving for safe and protected spaces. She has often appeared with her son Parker, on the Today Show and The RuPaul Show and spoke at the 2019 GLAAD Awards. She also has been featured in many national publications, including The Washington Post, Woman’s Day magazine, and People magazine. Sara is currently in partnership with Jamie Lee Curtis, who has purchased the rights to her book and will release a movie based on her story. An upcoming documentary about the Mama Bears movement by award-winning director Daresha Kyi also features Sara and the Free Mom Hugs movement. Sara’s passion is to change the perspective of the outside world toward this beautiful part of our community so that we, as a society, not only learn to affirm but, more importantly, celebrate. Her goal is to help parents, and children have authentic relationships and understanding for each other using her own experience and education as a guide. Sara is passionate about connecting with faith, civic, and business leaders in efforts to make the world a kinder, safer place for our LGBTQIA+ family. She is gifted at inspiring others to join her in this movement that is sweeping the nation and the world.

Hillary Whittington is a mom, author, and advocate who has dedicated her life to her children and to raising awareness about the transgender community. After discovering her son was both deaf and transgender, Hillary began dedicating her efforts to raising awareness about the transgender community. Hillary created a viral YouTube video and co-authored a book titled "Raising Ryland: Our Story Of Parenting A Transgender Child With No Strings Attached." In this episode, Hilary shares her journey of parenting a transgender child, and what she learned along the way. From the earliest stages of deciphering Ryland through clothing choices to examining the difficult conversations that have marked every stage of Ryland’s transition, she shares her experiences as a mother through it all.

When Breonna Taylor was killed, her police report was virtually blank. Feeling as if she was suffocating in the initial silence and lack of public outcry, anti-racism educator and activist Faitth Brooks wondered, “Would the world care about and remember me if I was killed?” In her new book, Remember Me Now, Faitth grapples with the answer, charting the story of her activist grandparents and ancestors, as well as chronicling her own journey as the first-generation suburbs kid who becomes an activist and organizer herself. In our conversation Faitth shares her story of how she has learned to celebrate the fullness of herself and invites other Black women to do the same in a world determined to silence Black voices. Faitth is a writer, speaker, social worker, activist, and co-host of the Melanated Faith podcast. Faitth has served as the director of programs and innovation for Be the Bridge and director of women's empowerment for Legacy Collective.

Saira Rao grew up in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Indian immigrants. For forty years, she wasted her precious time aspiring to be white and accepted by dominant white society, a futile task for anyone not born with white skin. Several years ago, Saira began the painful process of dismantling her own internalized oppression. In this episode Saira shares her story of how her eyes finally started to open to her own internalized oppression to start speaking up against white supremacy. Saira is the co-founder of Race2Dinner, co-author of New York Times Bestseller White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How To Do Better and Executive Producer of the documentary Deconstructing Karen.

In part four  of this bonus podcast series, paying tribute to Black motherhood, I am joined by Marcie Alvis-Walker, Cha Sears-Barefield, Patricia A. Taylor, Dr. Quintrilla Ard and Nya Abernathy as they discuss the theme “In Our Mother’s Gardens.” In this episode the women share their experiences of being multidimensional Black women and how they have fought for dignity in a world that has tried to take it. They share personal stories from their own mothering journeys and talk about some of the hardest chapters where their own lives have been jeopardized . They also share about the legacy their ancestors have left for them and the soil they tend to daily to leave a bounty of dignity for the children that come after them.