Tara Owens is the founder and executive director of Anam Cara Ministries, where she has been accompanying others in their journeys with God for 15 years as a certified spiritual director and supervisor. Tara holds a Masters of Theological Studies in Spiritual Formation, combined with a certificate in Death, Dying & Grieving, from Tyndale Seminary, and the Advanced Certificate in Supervision from the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University. Tara also teaches ...
Apr 11, 2022•47 min
On this week’s episode, I interview author, speaker, and former litigating attorney, Lisa Appelo. In her new book, Life Can Be Good Again: Putting Your World Back Together After It All Falls Apart, Lisa details the story of becoming a widowed mother of seven and what she’s learned in the process. In her writing and in her ministry, Lisa offers hope to those struggling with disappointment or grief. She offers compassionate, Biblical insight to help others find their footing, process raw emotion, ...
Apr 04, 2022•48 min
I am grateful to have had numerous significant spiritual mentors in my life, but one of the most significant mentors in my young adult years was Dr. Jeffrey Crafton. Dr. Crafton is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, an adjunct professor at North Park Theological Seminary, and a Sacred Studies teacher at Minnehaha Academy, teaching classes in ethics and faith formation to eleventh and twelfth graders. This year, Dr. Crafton is retiring from Minnehaha Academy after 26 years of ...
Mar 29, 2022•52 min
There’s something so mysterious about music. It can shift our mood, connect us with other people, or help us experience God. For years, I have been enamored with the power and mystery of music. And that is why I am thrilled about today’s interview. Chenoa Murphy started the violin at age 3 and was trained in and completed the Suzuki Violin method. Simply put, she has been immersed in the art and beauty of music throughout her lifetime. She has achieved both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Mu...
Mar 21, 2022•48 min
Sometimes light shines brightest in the darkness. And that’s exactly what’s happening at the Polish-Ukrainian border, as Davide Martello plays his baby grand piano. Davide Martello, also known as Klavierkunst, is a German pianist of Italian descent. Martello is known for traveling around conflict zones to play his baby grand piano, which he tows behind his bicycle, using a powered trailer. His mission is to bring peace through music. Martello’s work has been featured by outlets such as CNN and h...
Mar 15, 2022•23 min
Sumner Brooks is a registered dietitian (RDN), author, and mom who has spent over 13 years working in the field of nutrition and eating disorders. She most recently co-authored her second book, entitled How to Raise an Intuitive Eater: Raising the Next Generation with Food and Body Confidence. Sumner earned her RDN credential and M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences from UCLA in 2008. Her experience includes providing nutrition therapy for adolescents and adults with eating concerns for over a de...
Feb 28, 2022•49 min
Nicole Zasowski is a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and speaker. Back in Episode 36, I had the privilege of speaking with Nicole about her first book, From Lost to Found. In that book, Nicole shares how her journey of multiple miscarriages and crippling anxiety gave her empty hands to experience God in new ways. In her new book, entitled, What If It’s Wonderful? Nicole invites readers to trust joy and find the courage to celebrate when we have endured seasons of disappointment a...
Feb 21, 2022•49 min
Our society is sick. Diet culture, the beauty industry, and the media have sold us a narrowly defined ideal and it has warped our views on food, our bodies, and beauty. In this week’s episode, I had the privilege of speaking with the incredible Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani all about the fallout of these warped cultural messages. Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani is an eating disorders expert physician and the Founder and Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Gauidiani completed her under...
Feb 14, 2022•58 min
What would it be like to not just admire nature from a distance, but treat creation as a relative, a teacher, and an expression of the love of the Creator? On this week’s episode, I talk with Randy and Edith Woodley. Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is an author, activist, farmer, scholar, speaker, wisdom keeper, and a Cherokee descendant recognized by the Keetoowah Band. In his work, Dr. Woodley addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith, justice, race, and our relationship with the...
Feb 07, 2022•47 min
Victoria Myers is a non-diet registered dietitian and owner of the virtual private practice and online education center, Nourishing Minds Nutrition. Victoria and her staff specialize in empowering women to ditch diets, regulate hormones, heal digestion and learn to practice wellness without obsession. She is also the host of the popular intuitive eating and wellness podcast, the Nourishing Women Podcast. Her mission for her community is to help women let go of the unhealthy obsession with eating...
Jan 31, 2022•30 min
Dr. Carol Peters-Tanksley believes that we can live fully alive in the way God created us to live- physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. She believes we can thrive. Dr. Peters-Tanksley, or “Dr. Carol,” as she is called, is a licensed OB-Gyn physician and Reproductive Endocrinologist, an ordained Doctor of Ministry, an author, speaker, and personal coach. She also produced a regular radio program, “The Dr. Carol Show,” with her husband, Al, from 2009 until his death in 2016. Dr....
Jan 17, 2022•54 min
On this week’s episode, I talk with enneagram coach and co-leader of the non-profit, 40 Orchards, Stephanie Spencer. 40 Orchards creates safe spaces for people to learn about and wrestle though biblical texts using the ancient Jewish concept of Midrash. Stephanie had a first career as a pastor and now facilitates Scripture Circles in the Minneapolis area and, remotely, around the world. She currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their two adolescent sons. In my time with Stephanie, ...
Jan 10, 2022•54 min
Katy Rose is committed to creating “art to reflect the beauty of light illuminating the darkness.” Trained in psychology and art, Katie desires to bring depth and meaning to each of her paintings. She is also a contributing author for the “Love God Greatly Bible” published by Thomas Nelson in 2020 and has illustrated and written upcoming projects in children’s literature. Katie lives in Texas with her husband and four children. She and her husband have made it their mission to serve foster child...
Jan 03, 2022•42 min
This episode is all about beauty ideals, our relationship with our bodies and food, and social media. I can’t think of better conversation partners for this one than Lisa DeKam and Jacquie Danz, the founders of the Axia Project. Lisa is a physical therapist who works in the field of eating disorders and Jacquie is the mom of two teenage girls, who is committed to changing the narrative that a females’ appearance is the most important thing about her. Together, Lisa and Jacquie have founded the A...
Dec 20, 2021•58 min
Haejin Shim Fujimura is a seasoned lawyer and the founder and managing partner of Shim & Associates, located in both New York and New Jersey. Haejin is also the CEO and co-founder of Embers International, an organization committed to protecting, restoring, and empowering victims of injustice with the goal of ending intergenerational exploitation and preventing human trafficking. She also serves as the Team Leader of NYC Advocacy & Mobilization Team of International Justice Mission, the l...
Dec 13, 2021•51 min
In this week’s episode, I had the privilege of interviewing renowned author, Philip Yancey. In his books, Philip has explored the most basic questions and deepest mysteries of the Christian faith, including award-winning titles such as The Jesus I Never Knew, What’s So Amazing About Grace? and Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? He currently has more than 15 million books in print, published in over 50 languages worldwide, and his books have garnered 13 Gold Medallion Awards from Christian publ...
Dec 06, 2021•42 min
For months I looked forward to my interview with author, hospital chaplain, and former atheist, J.S. Park. When it comes to the tension of beauty and brokenness, what better person to talk to than someone who literally sits at the precipice of life and death, crisis, and suffering every day? Furthermore, J.S. is an honest voice, speaking candidly about his own struggles with depression and his journey from atheism to faith. He is a suicide survivor, Korean American, and loves Jesus. J.S. also re...
Nov 29, 2021•48 min
Nine years ago, Taylor Hughes decided to chase a dream he’d had since he was seven years old. On his 7th birthday, Taylor’s parents bought him a magic kit and he fell in love with the art of illusion. He wanted to be a magician. For years he had encouraged others to live out their passions and chase their dreams, but he had not done the same for himself. Now, more than 3,000 shows later, Taylor has become known for his signature style of Magic Storytelling. He is a bestselling author, a highly s...
Nov 22, 2021•43 min
Sandra McCracken is a singer-songwriter and hymn writer from Nashville, Tennessee who has produced 14 solo albums over two decades. Sandra’s music has also been featured in TV, including ‘Ten Thousand Angels’ on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and has over 15 million streams. Sandra is also a published author, contributing a regular column in Christianity Today and recently released her first book "Send Out Your Light" in September 2021. My conversation with Sandra was so encouraging. In our time together,...
Nov 15, 2021•32 min
When it comes to messages about food and our bodies, our society gives us some pretty warped ideas. On today’s episode, I talk to registered dietitian nutritionist, Megan Hadley, who is fiercely committed to counteracting such dangerous messages and helping clients find freedom in eating and acceptance of their bodies. Megan currently provides one-on-one nutrition therapy and coaching for individuals in North Carolina and engages with clients in an online community called Fork the Food Rules, a ...
Nov 08, 2021•45 min
Sometimes the resilience of humans astounds me. On this week’s episode, I talk with author and speaker, Bonnie Gray, who is an incredible model of resilience and persevering faith. In her most recent book, Sweet Like Jasmine, Bonnie recounts her past, growing up as a Chinese American daughter of a mail-order bride and a busboy working in San Francisco Chinatown. Though Bonnie’s early years were fraught with verbal and emotional abuse and loneliness, she has persevered to become an encourager of ...
Nov 01, 2021•58 min
Dr. MaryKate Morse is the executive dean of the Portland Seminary and lead mentor for the Leadership and Spiritual Formation Doctor of Ministry track. She leads the seminary and serves on the Executive Academic Leadership of the university. Dr. Morse began her ministry living in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia and Peru, then studied at Western Evangelical Seminary, where she received a Masters in Biblical Studies and a Masters in Divinity. She went on to become certified as a spiritual director, ...
Oct 25, 2021•39 min
When Tyler and Lydia Lund met Jenn Corral, they didn’t know it would change their lives. Tyler and Lydia live in Salina Kansas, along with their four kids, hosting foster children and working their day jobs: Lydia, a Clinical Therapist and Tyler, a Sales and Marketing Director for a farm equipment supplier. Even though life was full, Lydia and Tyler also wanted to serve their community; not in a distanced, hand-out sort of way, but in a way that was deeply relational. It was their friendship wit...
Oct 18, 2021•50 min
Scott Erickson, also known as Scott the Painter, is an artist, author, and performance speaker. In his work, Scott seeks to demonstrate that the story of God is not just a story that happened thousands of years ago, but it is also a story that’s happening right now, in your life and mine. Scott’s work has appeared on CNN, in National Geographic, and in various magazines, newspaper outlets, and book covers. The beauty of Scott’s work is that he gives fresh language and visuals to the spiritual jo...
Oct 04, 2021•57 min
In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Maggie Meyers. Maggie is a Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. Maggie has worked with clients with various diagnoses and struggles; however, much of her work has been in the field of eating disorders. For years, she worked in various levels of care and in leadership roles at a nationally renowned eating disorder clinic. More recently, she has decided to fully commit her time at a private ...
Sep 20, 2021•44 min
Last week I had the privilege of interviewing Pastor Mitchel Lee of Grace Community Church in Fulton, Maryland. It was a conversation that deeply encouraged me. So often, it can be easy to equate life circumstances with the goodness of God. And to wonder how do we connect with and trust God amid life’s trials and brokenness? Pastor Lee recently released a book, entitled Even If, that addresses this exactly. The message has been stirring in his heart for nineteen years. In his book and in our tim...
Sep 13, 2021•52 min
From the first time I heard Jason Gray’s music I was drawn in by its relatability and its ability to convey a hope that doesn’t feel superficial or naive, but grounded and deep. And that is why I am thrilled to have Christian singer/songwriter Jason Gray join me on the show this week. Jason is a two-time ASCAP Performance Award winner, has scored two Top Ten Christian chart hits, and landed on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart with his album A Way to See in the Dark. Jason has the ability...
Sep 07, 2021•48 min
Gabi Kahn is a non-diet dietitian and owner of Method Nutrition. After recovering from a lifetime of harmful dieting, Gabi earned her MA in Clinical Nutrition from NYU and has now made it her mission to protect the next generation from diet culture. More specifically, Gabi seeks to help moms find peace in their relationship with food and learn to love their bodies, so they can protect their young daughters from a lifetime of harmful dieting. In my time with Gabi, we talk about what it might look...
Aug 30, 2021•32 min
Molly LaCroix is a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and speaker. As a therapist, Molly knows that we need loving relationships when we are struggling with life’s challenges. However, she noticed that, due to fear of vulnerability, people often struggle with being a supportive presence in one another’s lives during times of suffering. And that’s exactly why Molly wrote her book, Restoring Relationship: Transforming Fear into Love Through Connection. In her book, Molly explores the ...
Aug 09, 2021•38 min
Bruxy Cavey is the senior pastor at The Meeting House, a church for people who aren’t into church. The Meeting House is a multisite Anabaptist congregation in Ontario, Canada where thousands of people connect to God and each other through Sunday services, online interaction, and a widespread house church network. Bruxy is also author of the bestselling book, The End of Religion and his new book, (re)union: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners. In my time with Bruxy, we talk ab...
Aug 02, 2021•52 min
