This newest episode from Desert Voices tackles some deep and intense subjects, blending education, critical thinking, and spirituality. Hosted by Shaleen Kendrick , a culture coach , mystic, and theologian, the episode explores human nature, communication skills, and spiritual grounding with a focus on integrative living to flourish in all areas of life. Shaleen and abolitionist educator Jill Elizabeth weave personal experiences and professional insights into a powerful narrative that calls for ...
Mar 28, 2024•25 min•Ep. 77
Dive deep into the heart of critical thinking with the latest episode of the Desert Voices podcast, where we untangle the complex web of human nature, communication, and spirituality to cultivate well-being. Join Jill, a gifted abolitionist educator, and Shaleen, a passionate culture coach and theologian, as they explore the continued and pressing issue of the Israel-Gaza war through the lens of critical analysis and empathetic solidarity. This episode helps us define and better understand the c...
Feb 28, 2024•30 min•Ep. 76
Part 3: War on Gaza...Continued conversation with Jill Elizabeth The episode's heart lies in its unwavering focus on humanizing the conflict, guided by Jill's extensive knowledge and empathy. As we navigate complex topics from oppression to international law, their conversation remains grounded in a shared humanity and a dedication to peace and liberation. This episode of Desert Voices is not just a podcast - it's a call to movement, encouraging listeners to engage, learn alongside us, and contr...
Jan 18, 2024•27 min
Part 2: A journey into empathy, understanding, and meaningful action. Would you want to increase your capacity for empathy? Come explore the neuroscience of empathy with us and do exactly that. Episode 74: "What Does Expansive Empathy Feel Like?" Join us for focused discussions on the Israel-Hamas War, seeking understanding and action for peace and human rights. Special guest Jill Elizabeth, an expert in abolitionist education, will guide us through historical insights and empathetic perspective...
Dec 18, 2023•26 min•Ep. 74
Learn alongside us about the Israel-Hamas conflict… War: How Did We Get Here & How Can We Help!🕊️ “Over the years, Dalia's curiosity would fuel her empathy. It helped her understand…” - The Lemon Tree The goal for this short series is rooted in curiosity. We desire to understand better how the world got here and ask questions about what we can do as individuals and as a collective to promote peace well-being, and advocate for human rights in the face of the deadly war happening between Isra...
Nov 13, 2023•31 min•Ep. 73
We all have superpowers, most of which go unnoticed and untapped. Join the continued conversation starting in Episode 69. This episode centers the gentle, healing voice of Anne Garner joined by Kerry Connelly and Cassidy Hall . Together we discover a superpower WE ALL HAVE...the power of presence. Are you curious to discover how to unleash your superpower into the world today and participate in healing? Come find out! JOINED BY: Kerry Connelly Cassidy Hall Rev Anne Garner Support the show...
Jan 25, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 72
Part 2…Two beautiful conversations about queerness, spirituality, & eroticism. So…What is it… what is the EROTIC, and how does EROS promote well-being? Is it pornographic or is it so so so much more? Come find out. This episode featuring author, contemplative, filmmaker, and scholar Cassidy Hall dives into the erotic, specifically the root word EROS and the embodiment of it. JOINED BY: Kerry Connelly Rev Anne Garner Support the show...
Dec 01, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 71
Are you interested in engaging with the word queer differently and understanding how queerness promotes well-being? “You're about to listen to an episode discussing queerness, queer life, and queer expressions. In this episode, I share my experience of being queer in my sexuality and in the ways my queerness has opened me up to my true self...my weirdness, strangeness, and all the possibilities within me. My words and my story do not speak for every queer life or experience. They only speak for ...
Nov 30, 2022•50 min•Season 5Ep. 70
Did you know there is a place in your body specifically designed for you to experience safety, connection, empathy, curiosity, compassion, health, growth, and restoration?! We are back in SEASON 5 and laser focused on Critical Thinking To Promote Well-Being. Are you looking for a podcast about human nature, communication skill-building, and spirituality? Than this podcast is for you! You save time & energy with this educational podcast designed to help us better understand human nature, buil...
Nov 17, 2022•36 min•Season 5Ep. 69
What are "Affinity spaces and how do we find them?" Come along with Laura Beth Buchleiter and Shaleen Kendrick exploring Affinity Spaces! Jesus didn't fit in very many places, while on earth, yet belonged everywhere. Why? Because he fully completely and wholly belonged to himself first. What might that be like and how do we get there? "I think part of truly embracing and leaning into mysticism is holding space for people regardless of where they are on their journey." - Laura Beth "We do not hea...
Aug 23, 2022•34 min•Season 4Ep. 68
In this episode, we are here with my great friend, Josh Perez. Josh is the creative magic that happens on this show. And Josh is a true creative similar to the powerful Enneagram four energy; he thinks circularly about narrative and in stories, and he basically takes all of the chaos that I throw out and creates an arc to every episode that we have. Basically, I often lean in from the left brain, and Josh pulls from the right brain...together we hope to help us all better integrate and become mo...
Aug 16, 2022•47 min•Season 4Ep. 67
PART 2 Continues the conversation on "Egalitarianism" & "Complementarianism." What odd, funny words! These weird words seem benign and archaic. They are mainly used in church settings as background words that we overhear but don't pay much attention to. Why should we care about fancy words that don't mean much to us? Rhetoric is used to persuade us. WORDS MATTER! So, what is "complementarianism," and what kind of life and culture does it persuade us to create? Same with "egalitarianism"? Are...
Jul 26, 2022•57 min
"Egalitarianism" & "Complementarianism" - What odd, funny words! These big weird words seem benign and archaic. They are mainly used in church settings as background words that we overhear but don't pay much attention to. Why should we care about fancy words that don't mean much to us? Rhetoric is used to persuade us. WORDS MATTER! So, what is "complementarianism," and what kind of life and culture does it persuade us to create? Same with "egalitarianism"? Are they both Godly similar concept...
Jul 12, 2022•57 min
Rightly so, abortion is one of the most complex and critical ethical issues of our day. Uncertain how to competently engage the topic, I buried my head in the sand for too long, claiming, "I don't do politics." What a fool I have been. Learn alongside us and dig into "The Real Origins of the Religious Right: They'll tell you it was abortion. Sorry, the historical record's clear: It was segregation." (By Dr. Balmer) It's sobering to realize I have been part of the problem and hopeful to discover ...
Jun 29, 2022•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 64
We end every episode by saying, we reserve the right to change our minds, make mistakes, and continue to evolve. And so, reserving the right to make mistakes is what this episode is about. Shaleen has made a mistake publicly and she wanted to share it publicly. This is part 2 of the conversation between Shaleen and Kerry about Kerry calling Shaleen out on a public mistake on this public podcast. It is centered around this public mistake and explores the uses of calling in and out. We will contin...
Jun 07, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 63
We end every episode by saying, we reserve the right to change our minds, make mistakes, and continue to evolve. And so, reserving the right to make mistakes is what this episode is about. Shaleen has made a mistake publicly and she wanted to share it publicly. In this episode, Shaleen has invited Kerry Connelly to call her out on a public mistake on this public podcast. This conversation is centered around this public mistake and exploring the uses of calling in and out. We will continue to str...
May 31, 2022•51 min•Season 4Ep. 62
This episode continues the work of the Feminist Education Series by offering personal stories and experiences. After an overwhelming engagement from our community in What is Feminist Spirituality? with Cara Johnson Parts 1 & 2, Cara was asked to dive deeper into sharing her life stories. She kindly answers the invitation with courage, vulnerability, and authenticity. This episode is a BONUS addition to the Feminist Education Series and is focused on Cara's experiences with patriarchy and off...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 61
In this series, Cara Johnson and I (Shaleen Kendrick) explore what feminist spirituality might look like. Told through intimate life experiences, we discuss how feminism is inherently intertwined with our spirituality. We define terms, teach theory, and specifically in this episode tell stories. Cara and I share our personal experiences and name the pain of growing up within a fundamentalist evangelical community led by Wayne Grudem's scholarship, which is rooted in misogyny. It is a framework w...
May 18, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 60
In this series, Cara Johnson and I (Shaleen Kendrick) explore what feminism IS and what feminism is NOT. Told through intimate life experiences, we discuss how feminism is inherently intertwined with our spirituality. We define terms, teach theory, and tell stories. Cara and I share our personal experiences and name the pain of growing up within a fundamentalist evangelical community led by Wayne Grudem's misogynistic scholarship. A framework where patriarchy is taught as holy and a woman's desi...
May 11, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 59
Tommy Allgood...a friend of the Pod...and Ryan Lambros have a beautiful conversation with NO agenda other than talking about what healing looks like in life…their own and in the world. Tommy and Ryan talk about listening to our bodies and what that means. They talk about safety on a personal and societal level. This is not your typical podcast. It is like dropping in on a conversation over coffee with a brilliant person, Tommy Allgood, who shares incredibly about healing and how we can participa...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 58
If God is love and truly loves YOU and all creation, and we believe another mystic's words "for in God we live move and have our being"... Then YOU and ALL creation lives, moves, and has our being IN GOD'S LOVE. It's actually not physiologically possible for YOU or anyone else to be outside of God or distant from God. A mystic embraces this as reality stepping into the mystery we call God and the unknown future with grounded hope. Join Part 2 with Laura Beth Buchleiter and Shaleen Kendrick explo...
Mar 30, 2022•35 min•Season 4Ep. 57
"If we stop at God is mystery. Then there's an equity to everyone who is willing to embrace God's mystery. And that's where mysticism becomes a much stronger spiritual platform to look at the world from, for me." -Laura Beth Part 1 with Laura Beth Buchleiter and Shaleen Kendrick exploring what it means to fully embrace and step into the mystery we call God (and the future.) "Mysticism is not just about not having answers. It's the comfort of not having answers, and the lack of a need to have ans...
Mar 23, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 56
PART 2 EXPLORES HOW MYSTIC SPIRITUALITY... - Decreases our anxiety (who couldn't use less anxiety right now!) - Increases our experiences with freedom, joy, growth, heart connections, empowerment, and belonging. This 2nd episode with Riley Powell, a brilliant theologian and a close friend of Shaleen's, digs into what it looks like to "take the Bible seriously" and live into a vibrant, mystical spirituality. LOOKING FOR COMFORT IN UNCERTAIN TIMES? JOIN US! We are back from a long season of rest, ...
Mar 08, 2022•42 min•Season 4Ep. 55
Welcome to Season 4! Ryan and Shaleen are back from a long season of rest. Season 4 sits a the intersection of Mysticism, Feminism, and Spirituality. In this episode, Riley Powell, a brilliant theologian, and a close friend joins Shaleen in exploring what it might look like to "take the Bible seriously" while living into a vibrant mystical spirituality. Is that a thing?! Hell yes it is! These two episodes aim to decrease our anxiety (who couldn't use less anxiety right now!) And increase our exp...
Mar 01, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 54
Taylor Richardson (also known as Astronaut Starbright) is an advocate, activist, philanthropist and speaker. She wants to be a physician, scientist and astronaut. Taylor’s service and advocacy work continue to have an incredible trajectory that began when she was nine and attended Space Camp in Alabama. Her first fundraiser lead to her own book drive, “Taylor’s Take Flight with a Book.” The effort has collected and donated over 15,000 books within and outside of the United States. Since then, Ta...
Dec 14, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Ever wonder what our world would look like if it were filled with people who RADICALLY LOVE THEMSELVES...not in a selfish, navel-gazing, narcissistic way, but with a vibrant, grounded, healthy self-concept? Damn, that's a world I want to live in! That is a world I want for the next generation! Join one of our favorite authors and grounded spiritualists, Jeff Brown , as we explore what a healthy self-concept means and what it would look like to live into it. Jeff's work has been instrumental in m...
Dec 01, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 52
Looking to increase your cultural intelligence and celebrate Thanksgiving in a meaningful way this year? This is the series for you. This final episode of a 3-part series explores how STORIES shape our ideas, actions, holidays, and ways we raise children in this country. How do manifest destiny, the covenant God made with Abraham, Andrew Jackson, and Christian missionaries impact our lives today? Come find out. You save time with this podcast and learn alongside us as we critically think and eng...
Nov 17, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Celebrating our 50th episode in a brilliant way...exploring how STORIES shape our ideas, actions, holidays, and ways we raise children in this country. How do manifest destiny, the covenant God made with Abraham, Andrew Jackson, and Christian missionaries impact our lives today? Come find out. Looking to celebrate Thanksgiving in a meaningful way this year? This is the series for you. You save time with this podcast and learn alongside us as we critically think and engage our experience with The...
Nov 16, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Looking to celebrate Thanksgiving in a meaningful way this year? You get to save time on this podcast and learn alongside us as we critically think and engage our experience with The Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Jill Elizabeth and Shaleen Kendrick explore how origin stories shape our ideas, actions, holidays, and ways we raise our children in this country. How do manifest destiny, the myth of the covenant, Andrew Jackson, and Christian missionaries im...
Nov 10, 2021•35 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Our goal at Desert Voices is collaborative thinking to help you THRIVE in the spiritual desert - in this episode as it relates to our understanding of who God is. Authoritative language is warfare language, and Nurturing language is the language of a journey...come find out why it matters in this episode! In the process of reassembling our faith - we aim to address the question... “What now? How do our thoughts about the nature of GOD shape and impact OUR RELATIONSHIPS? We realize you often don’...
Oct 26, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 48
