The 3 Things Podcast w/ Maggie Boxey

This conversation with Sherrell Byrd, executive director of Sowega Rising, is about community power, grief, and what it takes to build a movement in rural Southwest Georgia. Maggie and Sherrell trace how community listening led to organizing, then move into the harder question of how movements heal after burnout, conflict, and repeated loss.

Resources:

Where to find Sherrell and information on Sowega (now GA!) Rising: sowegarising.org or on Facebook

Find Sherrell’s favorite relaxing scents here: Foreveraromas.shop

Sherrell’s Favorite Retreat: The Jenesis House

Americans of Conscience Checklist is here, subscribe!

Read about the 2020 event where Sherrell and I met here

Action Items:

* Start a personal healing toolbox with simple practices like breathing, checking in with your body, drinking water, and grounding outside.

* Rebuild community care through mutual aid, events, and third spaces where people can connect without performing.

* Treat rest as part of movement work, not a luxury or a reward.

* Think about how your local community can create healing infrastructure when formal systems are absent.

Sherrell’s 3 Things:

* Let go and let God

* Be your highest self

* Love your squad

Housekeeping

Shopping for books or audiobooks? Here’s where to find them:

For ebooks and in print books shop Out of the Boxeys Books On Bookshop.org.

For Audiobooks try our store on Libro.fm

Get your copy of The 3 Things hereThese are affiliate links, so when you use them, you support independent bookstores and this show at no extra cost to you.

Come hang out with me on Instagram: @maggieboxey

A huge thank you to my paid subscribers... you are the reason this show exists. Thank you, truly.

Always remember The 3 Things-

I love you and I’m so glad you’re here.

Love,

Maggie

In this episode, Ed shares on his book Eight Habits of Love, and his own experience with community, stillness, and the Divine Energy that is constantly creating and transforming us. The conversation moves through Ed’s personal story, the influence of Thomas Merton and the twelve steps in understanding God, and the importance of self-discovery and living true to oneself. Ed and Maggie explore the interconnectedness of all creation (exemplified by the Pando Quaking Aspen) and dig into his unique perspective on why a loving God allows suffering... distinguishing omnipotence from Divine Love. Throughout this episode, Ed and Maggie return to truth and renewal as essential to spiritual growth and healing, and to living in Love as the path forward.

Mentioned in this episode:

* 8 Habits of Love by Ed Bacon

* “The future is dark. Is this the darkness of the tomb – or the womb?” Valerie Kaur quote, read more here

* Pando, the Utah quaking aspen forest and largest known organism on Earth

* One More Thing Before I Go by John Cobb- Ed talks in depth here about the essay and Pando

* New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton

* The Prayer of Unknowing by Thomas Merton

* Abraham Joshua Heschel, on the difference between creed and faith: “there are many creeds, but only one faith.” From The Insecurity of Freedom

* “. . . deep down in every man, woman and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations of that power in human lives, are facts as old as man himself.” Alcoholics Anonymous, “We Agnostics” (p. 55)

Updates from Maggie

Thank you dearly to all subscribers! With a huge shout out to paid subscribers- You are the reason this show exists, and I do not take that lightly.

Health allowing, I’ll be posting exclusive episodes and extras for paid subscribers in the coming weeks.

And if you want more… come find us on Out of the Boxeys, a podcast with Nick and I on all of the ways we live out of the box in life, love, and the lessons we learn along the way.

Nick and I are also in the quarterfinals of America's Favorite Couple contest! (This round ENDS TONIGHT Thursday 8/27/2026 at 10pm EST) It’s a close race, we’d be so grateful for your vote! https://americasfavcouple.org/2026/nick-and-maggie-boxey

And of course, always remember the 3 things. I love you and I’m so glad your’e here!

Love,

Maggie

About Maggie: Maggie Boxey is an author, podcaster, TEDx speaker, and advocate for progress based in rural South Georgia, where she lives with her husband, parents, kids, dogs, cats, and chickens. She’s the author of The 3 Things: A Practical Path to Collective Recovery, and hosts The 3 Things Podcast and co-hosts Out of the Boxeys with her husband, Nick, both part of the OOTB Podcast Network. They also run a pop-up bookstore (OOTB Books & Media). Maggie lives with the disabling effects of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also known as ME or MEcfs). For more information on ME please visit MEaction.net and watch Maggie’s TEDx “I am One of The Millions Missing” . Maggie (USN) and her husband Nick (USMC) are both retired/disabled veterans with 34 years of service between them.

Grab Maggie’s book, The 3 Things, here

Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Ed and the episode’s themes02:00 Ed discusses the eight habits of love and his favorite, stillness04:55 Oneness of all creation and the symbolism of Pando15:08 The divine in all and the interconnected universe22:10 Ed’s story of meeting Martin Luther King Jr.35:00 The nature of God, love, and the divine energy38:52 Why does God allow suffering? The non-omnipotent God50:06 Living truthfully and the renewal of the mind54:47 Final reflections and Ed’s three things for life

Maggie and Nick sit down fresh off a road trip to Macon, Georgia for Maggie’s 30-year reunion with the Bleckley County High School class of ‘96 (the school she attended fifth through ninth grade before moving to Florida). What starts as a debrief of a busy weekend turns into a real conversation about community, accessibility, small-town life, and the difference between fitting in and belonging.

Links & mentions

Huge shout-out to c/o 96, to all who were at the reunion, those who weren’t able to make it and those who were there in spirit, love y’all dearly!!

* Maggie & Nick are in the Quarter Finals for America’s Favorite Couple, vote daily here: https://americasfavcouple.org/2026/nick-and-maggie-boxey

* Society Garden (reunion venue, Macon GA)

https://thesocietygarden.com/

* (Special Thanks to Tracy for helping us figure out the wheelchair situation!)

* I Thought It was Just Me — Brené Brown Correction on this title: (Maggie said “I thought I was the only one)

* Everything Is Tuberculosis — John Green

* Anam Cara — John O’Donohue

* Beautiful Creatures — Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

* Umbrella Academy (trade paperbacks): [link]

* Hymn of the Universe — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

* I am one of the Millions Missing TEDx Talk

Follow along

* Out of the Boxeys on Instagram

* Maggie on Instagram

* All the links: https://linktr.ee/maggieboxey

Always remember The 3 Things:

You are part of a family,

Be true to yourself,

And Glorify God* in all that you do. *or Good, Love, Higher Power, Nature ( insert your conception of a higher power)

And keep asking questions, and keep living outside of the box! And we’ll see y’all next time!!

Chapters

* 00:00 — Introduction and overview of the reunion experience

* 02:00 — Maggie’s background and connection to her high school

* 04:02 — Memories of middle school and high school years

* 05:33 — The reunion: emotions and reconnections

* 08:07 — Accessibility challenges and solutions at the event

* 09:57 — The significance of community and shared history

* 15:05 — Reflections on personal growth and authenticity

* 20:14 — The role of community support and belonging

* 25:07 — The impact of vulnerability and being true to oneself

* 30:02 — Closing thoughts and lessons learned

Content note: This episode contains references to postpartum depression and suicide. Please take care of yourself as you listen.

About This Episode

Jamie Lou , scrappy storyteller, developmental editor, ghostwriter, filmmaker, and choir mom, sits down with Maggie for a wide-ranging conversation about the courage it takes to tell your story, the revolutionary power of whimsy in hard times, and what it means to be of service in a world that needs it badly. They talk creative process, vulnerability, matriarchy, loving on the margins, and why being scary, not scared, might be the most important thing you can do right now. Jamie’s three things will stay with you.

Find Jamie Lou

* Instagram: instagram.com/jamieloustoryteller

* TikTok: @jamieloustoryteller

* Rebel Story Factory: instagram.com/rebelstoryfactory

* Website: jamieloustoryteller.com

* Lady Lazarus Short Film

Books Mentioned in This Episode

* No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz

* The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler

* Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

* The 3 Things: A Practical Path to Collective Recovery by Maggie Boxey

Links are for Out of the Boxeys Books and our indie pop-up affliliate link on bookshop.org. Thank you for shopping indie!

Support the Show

* Get the book from the link above or ask you local indie bookstore or library to carry it!

* Support on Substack — Free and paid subscriptions available at substack.maggieboxey.com. Paid subscribers keep the show going and get early episodes and exclusive extras.

* Vote for Nick and Maggie — Group finals are open for America’s Favorite Couple! Vote daily while we’re still in it: https://americasfavcouple.org/2026/nick-and-maggie-boxey

* Out of the Boxeys — More Maggie and Nick together, wherever you listen

* Merch https://www.etsy.com/shop/OutoftheBoxeys

Connect with Maggie

Subscribe here and follow on Instagram!

Chapters

00:00 Pink lights, glitter freckles, and why whimsy is a revolutionary act 02:07 Brave by Sara Bareilles and the courage it takes to show up 03:33 What it felt like to hand my manuscript to an editor for the first time 05:08 Jamie’s origin story — Colorado to Phoenix to always heading west 07:05 Scrappy storyteller, ghostwriter, filmmaker, and all the things in between 08:08 All the things in the fire at once — and loving it 09:02 Lady Lazarus, Sylvia Plath, and writing about postpartum depression 10:07 Survival, resilience, and the stories that won’t let us go 11:02 Beat sheets, story structure, and advice for first-time fiction writers 13:36 How to outline when your brain needs to see it on a wall 14:24 Note cards, wall space, and making the mess visible 16:31 Pulling tarot for your story — signs, symbols, and creative trust 17:15 Synchronicities, signals, and learning to listen while you create 18:44 Music, cultural symbols, and the emotional architecture of a story 20:01 The day after vulnerability — the grief that comes after you publish 21:14 Community, service, and why we don’t heal in isolation 22:09 Sitting with the tender parts after you’ve put yourself out there 23:25 Love, rage, activism, and finding your purpose in what breaks your heart 27:08 The alchemy of collaboration — what happens when two storytellers make something together 28:15 Community, truth, and spirituality — the three things in Jamie’s own words 29:41 Finding your people in the ordinary places 32:41 Rebellion as empowerment — using your voice when it scares you 33:50 What a matriarchal society actually means — and why it’s not what you think 35:34 Feeling out of place your whole life and finally finding where you belong 36:22 Isolation, connection, and reaching across the distance 38:26 Social media, vulnerability, and knowing when to protect yourself 40:36 Brain fog, emotional exhaustion, and the grace of good enough 41:16 The stories that heal us when we share them out loud 43:42 Integrity, values, and what it costs to live true 44:38 Honoring your higher power in the everyday, not just the sacred moments 46:12 No Bad Parts, inner parts work, and learning self-compassion in therapy 48:04 Therapy angels, visualizations, and the tools that help us come home to ourselves 50:21 The thread that connects us all — spiritual interconnection in plain language 52:34 Living authentically as its own form of spiritual practice 54:00 Collective love and why community is always the answer 55:57 Getting quiet enough to hear your own core self 58:51 Creative synergy — what happens in the room when it’s really working 01:00:43 What keeps us up at night — and what gives us hope anyway 01:02:38 Caring for the vulnerable — children, elders, the disabled, all of us on hard days 01:04:47 Loving on the margins — Father Greg Boyle, Homeboy Industries, and radical community 01:07:44 Jamie’s three things, Maggie’s notes, and the words that stayed

“To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.” ~Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3

CW: Child loss and addiction

In this episode, Maggie shares insights from her journey with recovery and spirituality, featuring a heartfelt conversation with her first guest, Father Hallock Martin aka Daddy, about the origins of the 3 things and the importance of living authentically.

Main topics:

* The origin and significance of The 3 Things

* Personal stories of loss, recovery, and finding belonging

* The concept of living true to oneself, especially in times of health and spiritual challenges

* The role of community support in healing

* Navigating faith and spirituality amid societal division and political turmoil

* The metaphor of elliptical spirituality and maintaining connection with higher power

* Embracing vulnerability as a pathway to deeper community and self-awareness

Resources and Links:

* The 3 Things: A Practical Path to Collective Recovery by Maggie Boxey

* Out of the Boxeys Podcast w Nick and Maggie Boxey

* What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)?

* I Am One of the Millions Missing - TEDx talk by Maggie Boxey

Connect with Maggie:

* Maggie Boxey Writes - Thank you to MBW subscribers!! This podcast is listener supported. Paid subscribers get access to exclusive episodes and workshop opportunities.

* Follow Maggie on Instagram