ABOUT THIS EPISODE: With the Women in Youth Ministry Conference just 86 days away, we wanted to take the opportunity to share this year's opening keynote by our Founder and C-She-O Heather Kenison. Growing up in a fundamentalist church, Heather heard conflicting messages around being too much and yet not enough. Why do so many youth ministers struggle with imposter syndrome? Heather explores this and gives some tangible tips to deconstruct toxic narratives.

ABOUT HEATHER: Heather’s first love is youth ministry, and her second love is youth ministers. After serving in various churches for 13 years, Heather Kenison (she/her) joined The Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis as the Diocesan Youth Minister, resourcing youth and their youth leaders. Heather is also the Founder & CEO of Women in Youth Ministry, an organization that celebrates the leadership of women. A certified leadership coach, Heather is most energized when helping people discover and utilize their gifts. In her free time, Heather is obsessed with makeup, competition reality television, “cozy” gaming, and personality tests. She is married to PJ and they live in Indianapolis with their three beloved pets.

You can follow her blog at https://heatherleakenison.blog or on Social Media @heatherlea17

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Each year, it is estimates that a million teenagers walk away from faith. This is why Fuller Youth Institute launched Tenx10, a collaboration of youth ministry organizations with the goal of reaching ten million teenagers over the next ten years. Women in Youth Ministry is one of Tenx10's hundreds of partners, as we connect to the belief that by resourcing youth leaders, leaders will be more able to reach the teenagers in their community.

ABOUT KARA: Kara Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), helps lead the TENx10 Collaboration, and is the Chief of Leadership of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch,” Kara serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange, and also speaks regularly at parenting and leadership conferences. Kara is the author or co-author of a number of books including 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager, Faith in an Anxious World, Growing With, 18 Plus, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith Curriculum, Can I Ask That?, Deep Justice Journeys, Essential Leadership, Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, and the Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum. 

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Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: We grow up hearing "there are no such thing as dumb questions," and yet the Church has historically been a place where questions aren't always welcomed. In order to engage the next generation, how can we not only respond to their questions well, but set up an environment where they are comfortable to ask them? This is what we talk about with this week's guest, Kristel Acevedo.

ABOUT KRISTEL: Kristel is the Spiritual Formation Director at Transformation Church in South Carolina where she oversees discipleship pathways and environments. She also serves in the TC Teens ministry as a small group leader where she has the honor of sharing life with teen girls. Her first co-authored book, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, is a devotional written specifically for teens as they navigate all the big questions of life.

To follow her work, go to kristelacevedo.com

Purchase her book, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, here: https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/3-big-questions

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Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: As women in ministry, many of us are up against the narrative that it is not "biblical" for us to serve in ministerial leadership, simply based on our gender. But is that actually true? What was it like when Jesus was alive? Heather Quiroz, author of First Century Youth Ministry, leans on the word of Dr. Dwight Pryor to explain what women in ministry looked like in Jesus's time.

Purchase Dr. Dwight Pryor's lecture, The Ministry of Women in the Early Church & Synagogue, here: https://www.jcstudies.store/the-ministry-of-women-in-the-early-church-synagogue/

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Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Paula is passionate about creating safe environments for black-and non-black women to have reconciliatory conversations. Paula is the author of Dear Sister: There's Something Black Women Want You to Know, as well as several Dear Sister Events. This week Paula and Heather chat about what conversations need to be had, as well as how women in ministry can come together to support one another.

ABOUT PAULA: Paula Dannielle serves a multi-site congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has worked in Next Gen Ministry for over 25 years. She is passionate about helping people love God more by treating their neighbor better.

Follow @paula_dannielle on all platforms

To learn more about her work, go to https://www.pauladannielle.com/

To listen to more podcasts from the Youth Cartel Podcast Network, click here!

Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Amy is a youth minister, passionate about grief ministry. This week we talk about how to help students who are grieving.

ABOUT AMY: Amy is a youth minister and Director of Operations in Murphy TX and has a Master’s Degree in Christian Counseling. She spends her time ministering at public schools, in the church, and through equestrian ministry. She has a heart for grief ministry and considers her calling to help the hurting like God helped her during a time of her own grief.

You can follow her ministry on Instagram: agape_studentmin
You can follow her blog: Blog: https://livingwithgriefandhope.blogspot.com/

To listen to more podcasts from the Youth Cartel Podcast Network, click here!

Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: I met Roslyn at this year's WYM Conference, when Roslyn was repping Fuller Youth Institute. Roslyn recently posted about two projects from the Centro Latino at FYI that caught my attention: one on the Contextual Needs of Hispanic/Latino Youth & Leaders, and another on Self-Compassion in Ministry. Both of these topics are things we don't hear enough about -- and we talk about both on this episode!

Here are some of the resources that Roslyn talked about:

ABOUT ROSLYN: Roslyn M. Hernández (she/her/ella) is DEI Manager and Content Producer at the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), Podcast producer at Chasing Justice, and a Contributor at Think Christian. Roslyn is also a Spiritual Director. She is a modern mystic passionate about decolonizing/reindigenizing, public theology, pop culture, and culinary traditions.

You can follow Roslyn on Instagram @roslynmhernandez and Facebook @roslynmh

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Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Since this year's Women in Youth Ministry Conference, this team of 6 people have not. stopped. texting. Not only do they work together on various projects for WYM, but they're best friends "in real life." Today they're sharing some of their hot takes in youth ministry on various trends that need to die. With six different people comes six different opinions, so gear up!

ABOUT THE WOMEN IN YOUTH MINISTRY CONFERENCE: The third-annual Women in Youth Ministry Conference will be held at Salem United Methodist Church in St. Louis March 6-8th. For more information and to buy tickets, go to womeninyouthministry.com/conference

To listen to more podcasts from the Youth Cartel Podcast Network, click here!

Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Allie was a volunteer in youth ministry, serving as a Chaplain in the Substance Use Disorder unit in a veterans hospital. Then Allie got her first call as a pastor -- and it was to serve in youth ministry! The culture shock was big, but also not as big as you'd think! Her work as a chaplain gave her a big passion for mental health and spiritual resources; laying the groundwork for how Allie interacts with her students.

ABOUT ALLIE: Alie serves as the Youth Pastor at Keller United Methodist Church. Youth Ministry was something Alloe used to do in her free time as a volunteer and then Boom! Her first appointment in the UMC was as a Youth Pastor. Alie loves how utterly weird Youth Ministry can be, and how enthusiastic students are to just be themselves. Whether they’re discussing Barbenheimer or theologically themed inside jokes, you can find Allie almost always laughing with her students.

To listen to more podcasts from the Youth Cartel Podcast Network, click here!

Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: As women in youth ministry, there are all kinds of different ways that we find ourselves struggling to fit in boxes that don't fit us. There are unique ways as women that we try to fit into boxes to create work-life balance. Add in church ministry -- especially youth ministry -- and we struggle to see what we have to give. And since most women are bivocational in ministry, this gives an additional tension.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA: Alexandra is a Licensed and Ordained minister, serving as the Youth Minister of the 4:12 Youth Ministry at The House of The Lord. She serves as a bi-vocational volunteer, serving as the Community Engagement Manager for The Well Community Development Corporation. Alexandra loves being an advocate for others; serving those who are considered "less than." People can uniquely connect to her by simply being them! No pretense, no make-up, no mask needed. Simply come as you are.
To listen to more podcasts from the Youth Cartel Podcast Network, click here!

Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym