This is the first installment in our special podcast series in collaboration with The January Series at Calvin University. On this episode, Meena welcomes Kaitlin Curtice—Indigenous author, poet, and citizen of the Potawatomi Nation for a powerful conversation on human storytelling, cultural healing, and spirituality.

Drawing from her book “Everything Is a Story,” Kaitlin explores Indigenous storytelling as sacred practice—stories as living beings that shape identity, guide community, and call us toward justice and reciprocity. She reflects on Native American history, the legacy of the 1838 Trail of Death, faith and reconstruction, ecology and kinship, and what it means to “stay in the spiritual fire” during uncertain times.

Our trending “Conversations Without Borders” Series invites listeners into a deeper understanding of Indigenous wisdom, environmental stewardship, and the power of stories to repair a fractured world.

Kaitlin Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. 

LINKS:

AKI Institute

Gathering the Potawatomi Nation: Revitalization and Identity by Christopher Wetzel

Written and Hosted by Meena Ariagno

Produced by Bruce Buursma

Recorded and Edited by Kevin Burgess 

Theme Music “Never Thought” by Christopher Paul

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