So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 8 of ‘So What’ as Tori Owens joins Michael and Trevor as they explore the big ideas of Julian Norwich an English anchoress of the Middle Ages who lived through the Black Death.

Tori Owens is a full-time therapist and spiritual director, a part-time doctoral student in Open and Relational Theology, most definitely an everyday mystic, just trying to blend it all in such a way that it might be a little healing.  You can find her writing at Love, Tori (toriowens.substack.com).

Tori co-hosts a series of conversations with public theologians, writers, and creatives with Jonathan Foster on Substack (https://fosterj.substack.com/). She is an ordained minister and serves on the board for the Open Table Network (opentable.network). She recently joined the advisory board for SPARKS, a creative initiative of the Center for Process Studies (ctr4process.org), launching this fall.

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 7 as we join Michael and Trevor from the balcony, like Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets - as they explore the last episode’s big ideas and why they matter. This week Michael and Trevor explore the amazing ideas of Stacey Madden is the founder of Mindful Somatic Wellness and a certified Somatic Movement Educator and Mind Body Therapist and of what it means to really inhabit these 'big' ideas about the body and somatics.

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on Podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships. 

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 6 of ‘So What’ as Stacey Madden joins Michael and Trevor as they explore the big idea Somatics.

Stacey Madden is the founder of Mindful Somatic Wellness and a certified Somatic Movement Educator and Mind Body Therapist. She specializes in helping people reconnect with their bodies, emotions, and nervous systems through curiosity and compassion—not correction. Stacey brings a grounded, trauma-informed approach to everything she does, from one-on-one sessions to international workshops. She had a blast joining So What? to talk all things somatics, nervous system care, and the magic of moving at the speed of trust.

You can find more of her work at:

Website: www.mindfulsomaticwellness.com

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mindfulsomaticwellness?si=42L0doJIpVh3eiUT

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15LsdFF2bp/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulsomatics?igsh=MWU2OHphYWJ6cmR1ZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 5 as we join Michael and Trevor from the balcony, like Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets - as they explore the last episode’s big ideas and why they matter.

This week Michael and Trevor explore the amazing ideas of author, educator, and podcaster Michael Brennan of what it means to really inhabit these 'big' ideas about inclusive love as a queer ally.

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 4 of So What as Michael Brennan joins Michael and Trevor as they explore the big idea of inclusive love as a queer ally.

Michael is an author, educator, and podcaster passionate about amplifying voices, fostering meaningful conversations, and inspiring growth through storytelling and education.  For over 20 years, he has taught high school English, helping students find their voice and cultivate their creativity. His work explores the intersections of faith, identity, and resilience, drawing from lived experiences and a deep commitment to open and relational theology

Michael writes: “I know conversations about LGBTQIA+ affirmation, faith, and theology sometimes feel heavy—especially when we’ve been told there are only two sides to the story. My hope is not to tell you what to think, but to invite you into deeper reflection about love, harm, and what faithfulness really looks like.”

You can find more of HIS writing at michaeljosephbrennan.com, or subscribe to HIS Substack, Theodivergent, where he post essays, reflections, and audiobook chapters from my book Flourish: An Open and Relational Queer Theology. The book is his attempt to share how the God of love I’ve come to know is inclusive, liberating, and actively working toward the well-being of all creation—including LGBTQIA+ people.

Resources for Your Own Reflection

If you’re wrestling with how to think well about LGBTQIA+ affirmation, here are some resources Michael would recommend—starting with those that have helped him the most:

Affirming and Life-Giving Resources:

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 3 as we join Michael and Trevor from the balcony, like Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets - as they explore the last episode’s big ideas and why they matter.

This week Michael and Trevor explore the amazing ideas of Author/Activist Rivera Sun on Nonviolence from Episode 2. Views from the balcony are an exploration of what it means to really inhabit these 'big' ideas.

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter

Welcome to Episode 2 of So What as Rivera Sun joins Michael and Trevor as they explore the big idea of nonviolence.

Author/Activist Rivera Sun has written numerous books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and the award-winning Ari Ara Series. She is the editor of Nonviolence News and the Program Coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence. Her articles are syndicated by Peace Voice and published in hundreds of journals nationwide. Rivera Sun serves on the board of Backbone Campaign and the advisory board of World BEYOND War. www.riverasun.com

Resources:

Rivera Sun: https://riverasun.com/

Nonviolence News: https://nonviolencenews.org/

Campaign Nonviolence: https://paceebene.org/

198 Methods of Nonviolent Action: https://www.aeinstein.org/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action

The Success of Nonviolent Civil Resistance Tedx Talk by Erica Chenoweth: https://youtu.be/YJSehRlU34w

World Beyond War: https://worldbeyondwar.org

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

So What? Exploring Big Ideas and Why They Matter Welcome to this introductory session with Michael and Trevor as they invites us on a journey of big ideas.

Join them as they talk about their mission to dig into thought-provoking ideas through diverse experiences of wisdom and voices. They bring a spacious perspective, a heap of curiosity, and a deep desires to see big ideas actually 'matter' and be embodied in real life.

Let's be real - ideas can be fascinating, however if big ideas don't lead us to more love, more peace, and more beautiful connections in the world - 'so what!'

If you enjoy this episode, please like it, subscribe, consider rating it, and sharing it with family and friends. This podcast can also be found on podbean, Spotify, Apple, and other platforms.

Thanks to Jim for production and Rebekah for the voice behind the scenes.

For the Youtube version go to: https://youtu.be/Qn7uKnl6xXk

This podcast is produced by McKillop; Living Sacred Relationships.

In this episode of Audacious Living Trevor is in conversation with Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock as they discuss moral injury. Rita first explains how she came to be an expert in the field of moral injury via her personal background and educational experiences including contemplating how she could be both a christian and a feminist during graduate school.

After this we learn that moral injury involves an existential shift after an event that causes us to reevaluate our conscious. It occurs in high-stakes environments and can lead to an overhaul of how we once identified ourselves. Once this outline is in place, Trevor and Rita discuss some real-world examples of things that lead to moral injury such as war and hate crimes. They also reveal the ways in which COVID-19 has lead to collective moral injury.

Then, we learn about ways to treat and work through moral injury paired with a conversation on the effectiveness of treating moral injury. We learn that silence and listening are powerful tools for healing. Throughout the conversation there are also moments of deep wisdom such as the reflection that moral injury can lead to an existential solitary confinement, and that self-care helps us to be well in relation to others. 

We are confident that this episode has something for everyone!

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Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock is Senior Vice President and Director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America. She leads the organization’s efforts to deepen understanding about moral injury in the many populations who experience it. Dr. Brock was the Founding Director of the Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, where she also was a Research Professor of Theology and Culture. She is co-author of Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War, Beacon Press, 2012, and Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering and the Search for What Saves Us, Beacon Press, 2001. She is a leading national expert on moral injury in combat veterans and has offered trainings for VA mental health providers, for professional chaplains, and for veterans and their families.

To learn more about Dr. Brock and listen to her speak about Moral Injury and Soul Repair, please visit: https://www.voa.org/dr-rita-brock

Trevor is from McKillop United Church in Lethbridge, AB. To learn more about McKillop please visit: www.facebook.com/mckillopunited

Themes of wildness, wilderness, and silence are examined from various angles in our 11th episode of the Audacious Living podcast! In this episode our host, Trevor, interviews Kevin Johnson; a self-proclaimed "recovering academic" and host of the Encountering Silence podcast. 

In this informative 85 min episode we discover how a "feral childhood" pulled Kevin into a lifetime of deeply engaging with the world. Seeking silence is one way in which this deep engagement can happen. Why silence? Listen to this episode to hear all about it including some practical advice on how to add an essence of wildness, wilderness, and silence into your own life. 

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Kevin M. Johnson is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and retreat director who often finds himself crossing boundaries into liminal spaces.  A university professor, he jokingly refers to himself as “a recovering academic” who teaches online and in various settings outside the university.  Trained in religious and philosophical thinking and research, he often engages in teaching and lecturing in corporate and professional environments.  His writing appears at the online blogs Daily Theology and Patheos as well as on his own web site at his web site called The End of Words at www.kevinmichaeljohnson.com.

Trevor is from McKillop United Church in Lethbridge, Alberta. To learn more about McKillop please visit www.facebook.com/mckillopunited