Life is short and the longer I live it I realise that there is so much time where I would rather be creating something beautiful rather than scrolling through social media. This thought got me wondering how do you cultivate a life of creativity and beauty in the in between space.  I thought I'd get an expert on the podcast to talk about just this.  Vicki Millar is a creative coach and musical theatre producer. She empowers others to understand their creativity through her business 'Creatives on Purpose'.

I met Vicki for the very first time in this conversation where we talked about how to cultivate creativity in the in between.

https://www.facebook.com/creativesonpurpose

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I love a good 'to do' list, I also love to make a new year's resolution. However making lists and creating goals doesn't always mean you achieve them. I thought this would make a great conversation.

About 19 years ago when I first started my job at Rhema Media I undertook a series of questions and tests looking at gifts and talents. This is where I first met Brian Noble of Achievement Discoveries.  The results showed me that while my spatial awareness was terrible, I actually had a great ear for music, and pretty good idea speed. Understanding these gifts and talents helped me to narrow down and cultivate goals that fit me.

Brian Noble from Achievement Discoveries joins me In this conversation where we talk about creating goals and discovering our dreams in the in-between.

https://ad.org.nz/

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Ana Wilkinson-Gee is passionate about empowering women.  Through her ethical fashion brand Holi Boli Fashions she empowers local women from Odisha India with the opportunity of safe and dignified employment. I met Ana a number of years ago through the radio station.  Her story and I'm going to be honest the beautiful garments she makes through Holi Boli have always been amazing to me.  It's a story I wanted to share on the podcast.

So in this conversation Ana and I sit down at my local café 'Zest' and talk about her journey with Holi Boli Fashions and how she loves the least of these in the in-between.

https://www.holiboli.com/

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Strahan Coleman is a familiar name to many.  He is a singer/songwriter and more recently an author. Over the years having talked with Strahan, and through reading his books I have realised he is a pretty deep thinker.  As a result it only seemed natural to talk about some of his insights on the podcast.

I caught up with Strahan at his cabin on the Coromandel, after my workmate Nerida and I hit the road for a road trip.   Delving into his most recent book 'Beholding', Strahan and I talk about his journey with illness and navigating this with God. In particular we explore two insights from that time – silence and boredom and the importance of both in the in between.

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I first met Heather Roberts at a Justice Conference a number of years ago.  From the get go her story and her passion for justice intrigued me. She is the founder of Just Kai a hands on, practical organisation that seeks out where consumers can source slave free products. Just Kai was born out of her bedroom after Heather's life was turned upside down with a mystery illness that left her bedridden.

In this conversation I talk with Heather about what the ordinary, everyday looks like during a debilitating illness, and how she sought justice and meaning in the in-between.

https://justkai.org.nz/

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Tanya Unkovich is a speaker, author and mentor, helping others to overcome adversity and build resilience.  Over the last few years I have gotten to know Tanya through a regular radio interview focusing in on resilience.  Through Tanya's positive can-do attitude I've learned so much about the building blocks of resilience.  So when it came to creating a podcast on how to live life in the in-between space it seemed only natural to speak with Tanya.

Recently Tanya has written a book on her journey with and through grief.  Called from Grief to Greatness she writes about her own very personal experiences.  In this conversation Tanya and I talk about how she navigated grief and overcame times of adversity in the in-between.

https://tanyaunkovich.com/grief-to-greatness-book/

During this conversation Tanya and I thought it would be fun to also bake a loaf of bread.  To be fair it turned out to be a difficult thing to have a very serious chat and create bread at the same time.  I notch it up as a learning experience.  In the meantime here is the recipe for Tanyas famous five seed bread.

Tanya's bread recipe

Five Seed Bread

500 g water

2 tsp dried instant yeast

Butter for greasing

500 g bakers flour

1 tsp salt

50 g rolled oats

30 g sesame seeds

30 g linseeds

30 g sunflower seeds

30 g pepitas

30 g poppy seeds

(put aside a little extra of all seeds for sprinkling)

30 g honey

30 g extra virgin olive oil

• Place water and yeast in a mixing bowl and heat. Meanwhile grease a deep tin with butter and set aside.
• Add flour, salt, oats and all seeds, with honey and oil to the mixing bowl and knead. Dough will have a wet and sticky consistency. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Transfer dough into loaf tin and sprinkle with extra seeds. Leave to prove in a warm place until double in size (around 45 – 60 min)
• Bake for 40-45 min. Allow to cool in tin for 5 min then transfer onto a wire rack.

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Often we can point to valley or mountain top experiences as times of growth, but what about during normal every day life, the ordinary times? It’s in this in-between space that for most of us we spend most of our time. So in the in between how do we live a life of meaning and purpose?

The Rev. Frank Ritchie and I met about 19 years ago before he was a Reverend. Together we hosted the afternoons show on Life FM. In our time hosting the show some pretty significant things happened. He welcomed the birth of his daughter, I got married and finished off my stint on the show when I had my first and only child Tom. As I got to know Frank during our Life FM days, I realised he was a guy who was very much interested in learning the history and rhythms of doing this thing called faith. After radio this only deepened and he now pastors his own church and is a media chaplain. As such he seemed like the natural choice to do a podcast on spiritual rhythms.

So in this conversation Frank comes over to my house to cook soup for my family and me. We talk about what spiritual rhythms can look like in the ordinary, everyday and finish it off with bacon hock soup and croissants. Enjoy!

mediachaplaincy.nz

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