Willie James Jennings believes that belonging is the goal of education, which is pursued at the intersections of the world’s contradictions and our own social and moral sensibilities. Willie is a public theologian and professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale Divinity School. In this conversation, he reflects on the influence of mentors and role models while also highlighting the racialized and unjust structures within Western educational systems. He encourages educators to l...
Nov 12, 2025•52 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Michael Lamb is committed to educating for character through the virtues. In his role as the senior executive director of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, Michael works to encourage students to “live the questions” as part of connecting their interests and talents with the callings of their communities and contexts. Michael discusses how setbacks, crises, and deep listening can help us discern how to “re-enchant purpose,” as part of evaluating our motivations a...
Oct 13, 2025•44 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Lee C. Camp is host of the podcast and nationally-syndicated radio series No Small Endeavor , which explores what it means to live a good life. He is also Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Lipscomb University, a NetVUE member institution. In this conversation, Lee brings his wealth of experience as well as a personal and honest approach to bear on questions of vocation in higher education. In the process, he challenges notions of “meaningfulness,” encourages us to be good question-askers, and prom...
Sep 24, 2025•51 min•Season 6Ep. 1
This bonus episode features highlights from conversations that aired during the fifth season of Callings. In these clips, our guests offer advice for today's students and for anyone who teaches or mentors young adults. Listen to this compilation of insightful and interesting advice from John Inazu, Jason Blakely, Bonnie Miller-McLemore, Emmanuel Katongole, Caryn Riswold, Abel Chavez, Kiran Singh Sirah, Mustafa Akyol, Kwame Anthony Appiah, and Jennifer Herdt.
Aug 13, 2025•35 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Jennifer Herdt, professor of Christian ethics at Yale Divinity School, explores the “call to live well” in her writing, teaching, and research. In our conversation, Jennifer discusses what it means to live a virtuous life and how that grounds our sense of genuine happiness and fulfillment. She challenges us to resist the cultural narrative to “get as much out of life as we can,” but rather to pursue a life that considers our obligation to others and to the world. As we do so, Jennifer suggests w...
Jun 16, 2025•39 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Kwame Anthony Appiah is one of the world’s most influential philosophers and currently serves as president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Many know his work from the weekly "Ethicist" column in the New York Times. In this episode, he shares both personal and professional aspects of a vocational journey that has carried him from Ghana to Britain, the United States, and beyond. He reflects on current challenges to liberal education, the value of diversity, the power of symbols and pr...
May 14, 2025•46 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Mustafa Akyol is a public intellectual and Muslim reformer who emphasizes the importance of being attentive to others and to the world around us. In this conversation, he shares his vocational journey from Turkey to the U.S. as a journalist, an academic, and a political commentator. As the author of books like The Islamic Jesus and The Islamic Moses , Mustafa reminds us of the hard work of respectful collaboration and mutual learning. He also reflects on religious liberty, the importance and fra...
Apr 15, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Kiran Singh Sirah, an award-winning storytelling artist and folklorist, explores the overlap between vocation and story. In this conversation, we discuss how storytelling deepens human connection as part of our callings. Kiran reminds us of the beauty of sharing our individual and communal stories, along with the power of an inspiring and complex narrative. Stories help foster curiosity about our “whole selves” so that we can build relationships that bridge divides and reveal an expansive, share...
Mar 25, 2025•51 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Abel Chávez sees our callings through this important question: what type of ancestor do we want to be? As the tenth president of Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, Abel explores the contours of our vocations as change makers in our careers and in our communities. Drawing from his experience with Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), he discusses how we can best serve first-generation students: inviting them to explore new pathways and experiences so that they can return to th...
Feb 27, 2025•43 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Caryn Riswold believes that conversations about vocation should give greater attention to issues of social justice, identity, and culture. As a professor of religion at Wartburg College, she reminds us that our callings help us to “be human together, better.” In this conversation, Caryn describes how her own dual callings as teacher and public theologian help her pursue such goals. But she also suggests that asking good questions is a key for discerning whether our words shed “heat or light” on ...
Jan 30, 2025•51 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Emmanuel Katongole is known for his work on violence and politics in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as theologies of peacebuilding and reconciliation. As a Catholic priest in Uganda and professor of theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame, he confronts the complexities of callings in various contexts. He describes his vocational journey as having carried him across different kinds of boundaries, causing him to ask questions such as “where is home?” and “who are my people?” Such q...
Jan 04, 2025•48 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Bonnie Miller-McLemore’s new book, Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies About Calling , brings forward the nuance and complexities of vocational discernment. She explores the ways our callings can be fractured or blocked, relinquished or conflicted, missed or unexpected. By grounding calling in the realities of everyday life, she reminds us of the importance of being kind to ourselves and practicing forgiveness for self and others. As we realize the myriad ways our callings may be difficult, we cont...
Dec 06, 2024•43 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Jason Blakely is a political philosopher at Pepperdine University and author of Lost in Ideology: Interpreting Modern Political Life . In this episode, he reflects on his own vocational journey while helping us think about this tumultuous time in modern political life. Through it all, he reminds us that vocations are always based in stories and that political “science” has more in common with literature and the liberal arts than is often assumed.
Oct 30, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 2
John Inazu, author of Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect , is Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also a sought-after speaker who speaks about pluralism, the right of assembly, free speech, religious freedom, and related issues. In this episode, he reflects on his vocation as a lawyer and teacher, and shares insights and examples from the classroom to the courtroom. He highlights the importance of ho...
Oct 02, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 1
This bonus episode features highlights from conversations that aired during the fourth season of Callings. In these clips, our guests offer advice for today's students and for anyone who teaches or mentors young adults. Listen to this compilation of insightful and interesting advice from Parker Palmer, Norman Wirzba, Katharine Hayhoe, Shirley Hoogstra, Miroslav Volf, Sarah Bassin, Anantanand Rambachan, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Geoffrey Bateman, and Christi Belcourt.
Aug 13, 2024•31 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Christi Belcourt, a Métis artist whose painting “Reverence for Life” appears on the newest volume from the NetVUE Scholarly Resources Project, reflects on the vocation of the artist. In our conversation, she explains how walking gently on the earth is part of learning responsibility and leading a life of integrity. From her perspective, vocation is about recognizing the gifts one is born with, as well as living in awe of the mystery and wonder of life and the natural world. Christi shares with u...
Jul 10, 2024•52 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Geoffrey Bateman, a NetVUE faculty fellow and NetVUE scholar, has written extensively on the topic of supporting our LGBTQIA+ students in their vocational journeys. In our conversation, we explore strategies for mentoring queer students and discuss how to build inclusive practices in vocation work, both in classrooms and across campus. By taking action in local environments, listening for shifts in professional pathways, and honoring all facets of identity, educators can help individuals and com...
Jun 11, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, author of Generous Thinking: A Radical Approach to Saving the University , imagines that higher education can innovate for change in ways that allow campuses and communities to flourish. Throughout our conversation, we explore the benefits of public facing scholarship, digital literacy, and discovering new ways for educators, students, and community members to learn and collaborate. Education, as a calling, is a “generous practice” that can be filled with joy when we work t...
May 07, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Anantanand Rambachan’s career as a teacher, scholar, and activist has been grounded in a “thirst for the sacred.” Anant is a scholar of Hinduism and interreligious studies and is professor emeritus of religion, philosophy, and Asian studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In this conversation, he discusses his experience as a Hindu scholar at a Lutheran institution, the importance of dialogue, wisdom for the different stages of life, and our obligations for justice and the common g...
Apr 15, 2024•56 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Rabbi Sarah Bassin works for the world’s oldest refugee agency, the nonprofit organization HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). In the episode, Sarah reflects on the paradoxes of leadership as part of the call to live for the sake of others. She speaks to the power of seeing and acknowledging others’ pain, even while acknowledging and drawing on one’s own pain. Through the lens of social justice, she explores what it means to be a “boundary crosser,” and addresses contemporary eve...
Mar 14, 2024•48 min•Season 4Ep. 6
As Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Miroslav Volf is one of the most influential Christian theologians of this generation. He is also someone who cares deeply about issues of vocation and human flourishing. In this episode, we talk with Miroslav about his latest book, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most (co-authored with Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz), and the “Life Worth Living” course that they teach at...
Feb 14, 2024•52 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Shirley Hoogstra has been an elementary school teacher, a litigator, a vice president for student life at Calvin University and, since 2014, the president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). In this conversation, she discusses vocational pivots, risk taking, effective leadership, the meaning of Christian higher education, and her passion for marginalized and underrepresented populations. She also emphasizes the deep courage and grace that beckon us in our callings an...
Jan 17, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Katharine Hayhoe’s influence on conversations about climate change is known to many through her vibrant and engaging social media presence. As a distinguished professor at Texas Tech University and the author of the recently published Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World , she uses her platform to educate and to inform. Katharine speaks openly as a deeply committed Christian about how she is called to be a scientist, using her work to shed light on the wa...
Dec 14, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Well before vocation and calling developed their current popularity, Parker Palmer was recognized as one of the foremost scholars, authors, and speakers on the topic. In this conversation, he shares profound and honest answers about paying attention to our mistakes—along with our achievements—when describing our callings. Parker’s commitment to the value of listening, to reflection in community, and to resisting easy answers emerges with humor and grace. His insights about what it means to be hu...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 2
Norman Wirzba’s research, writing, and teaching explore the overlap between theology and ecology, working to address major environmental issues such as climate crisis and food insecurity. In this conversation, we discuss aspects of agrarian living, freedom and fidelity, and the importance of kinesthetic learning. His emphasis on our relationship to the land as a relationship with others—as an expression of love—reminds us of the communal callings in every aspect of our lives. Vocation is a refle...
Oct 30, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 1
This bonus episode features highlights from conversations that aired during the third season of Callings . In these clips, our guests offer advice for today's students and for anyone who teaches or mentors young adults. Listen to this compilation of insightful and interesting advice from Rowan Williams, Thema Bryant, Rainn Wilson, Richard Sévère, Meghan Sullivan, Deanna Thompson, Shaun Casey, and Kristin Kobes Du Mez.
Aug 08, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Rainn Wilson—best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the sitcom The Office —is an actor, comedian, and the author of the recently published Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution . While sharing funny and wise insights about his career and experiences in life, Rainn reflects on the intertwining of one’s artistic and spiritual journeys. He also explores the nuances in words such as joy and happiness , and walks us through how failure can also prepare you for a breakthrough—even if you...
Jun 28, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Richard Sévère shares his approach to mentoring, friendship, and vocation in this episode, drawing in part from his work with first-generation students and students from the Black diaspora. As a professor of English and interim associate dean at Valparaiso University, Richard shares how purposefully connecting with colleagues and students to hear their stories can allow a sense of difference to inform vocational discernment. Such intentional conversations foster an exploration of life, identity,...
Jun 01, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Part of our call as educators is to prepare students for a dynamic and complicated world. Paul Hanstedt helps us understand how vocation and pedagogy intersect. He is author of Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World and directs the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington and Lee University. Our conversation explores reflective practices, questioning, and listening in the classroom. He offers ways to disrupt patterns and discover fresh approaches f...
May 01, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Ever since the publication of her New York Times bestselling book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (2020), Kristin Kobes Du Mez has been in the middle of intense public debates about faith, nationalism, and gender in American Evangelicalism. In our conversation, Kristin shares some of the story behind that story, reflecting on the role that historical research plays in public life — as well as the choices, controversies, and hopes that contin...
Apr 05, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 7
