A Soulful Revolution

Dear Soulful Revolutionary,In a time of global grief, political upheaval, and deep, deep hunger for authenticity, how do faith leaders and communities navigate the tensions between tradition, digital platforms, and the urgency of calling for justice in a multitude of contexts?In this week’s episode, we step into the sacred space between online visibility and embodied justice. Rev. Gerlyn Henry, an Anglican priest and vibrant TikTok presence based in Toronto, joins us to share how her ministry stretches far beyond parish walls and into social media algorithms, TikTok feeds, comment sections, and ultimately the tender places where people are searching for a faith that tells the truth. She reflects on the tricky vulnerability of visibility, the complexity of preaching in a time of upheaval, and the sacred responsibility of showing up online as a priest, a woman of color, a progressive Christian, and a truth-teller in spaces where misinformation, domination, and harmful theology often thrive.Together, we explore the intersections of progressive Christian theology, online ministry, harm reduction, embodied community, and the long work of decolonization. Rev. Gerlyn names how her work fills a much-needed gap in progressive church circles—a gap she describes as the absence of accessible, public-facing theology. Her Instagram Reels and TikTok videos have become a kind of public theology in themselves, meeting people where they are with clarity, courage, and compassion.We talk about what it means to step into that gap boldly, offering spiritual grounding, prophetic imagination, and the kind of tenderness that stays awake to both grief and hope. And for Rev. Gerlyn, the digital sphere isn’t simply a platform; it’s a calling. As she puts it:“For me, online ministry is both faith and resistance. It’s like claiming space for people of color. Queer folk, progressive Christians haven’t always been welcome, and we’re saying, ‘Here we are. God is here, and yes, the sacred can live in the comment section as well.’”Rev. Gerlyn also shares how she was profoundly shaped by her time as a “slave to the wage” in the so-called “real world” before entering the priesthood, from working at Tim Hortons, the beloved Canadian coffee chain, and later as a packer in an Amazon warehouse. Those early jobs taught her how to listen, how to meet people where they are, and how to carry a faith grounded in reality rather than abstraction. That experience, she says, is essential to understanding what people actually need from spiritual leaders today.To you, soulful revolutionaries reading this, to those building community across distances, reclaiming spiritual imagination, challenging systems, and creating new forms of belonging in real time—this one is for you.About The Rev. Gerlyn HenryGerlyn Henry was ordained in 2020 in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto where she serves as the Incumbent of the Church of Holy Wisdom. During her postulancy (training for priesthood), she also worked at Tim Hortons - the famous Canadian coffee chain - and as a packer at an Amazon Warehouse. She is familiar with being a slave to the wage. Her training includes an undergrad in Social Work, chaplaincy residency in a low income hospital as well as Sick Kids, and an internship in the National Council of Churches. She serves as an anti-bias anti-racism facilitator, sits on the Right Relations committee, and was recently the keynote speaker at the Outreach, Justice and Advocacy conference. Gerlyn received her Masters of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2018. Gerlyn is also a wife, a wood worker and novice biker.Resources + LinksFind Rev. Gerlyn on TikTok & InstagramGod Is a Black Woman by Dr. Christina Clevelandhttps://christenacleveland.com/god-is-a-black-woman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

In our seventh episode of the season, we sit down with Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and Dr. Charon Hribar to explore the decades-long lineage behind their new book, We Pray Freedom: Liturgies & Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor.We Pray Freedom is rooted in an active, justice-building understanding of prayer and ritual—embodied practices that sustain, empower, and transform. “Drawn from the struggles and wisdom of poor and dispossessed communities, these liturgies reclaim the sacred as collective action for a world where all can thrive. In a society steeped in the rituals of empire, these prayers insist that the leadership, dignity, and traditions of the poor are not only holy—they are essential to building a just and life-affirming future.” - https://weprayfreedom.org/about/In our conversation, Liz and Charon remind us that these prayers and rituals were never abstract ideas. They were (and are) embodied—held in protest chants, in courthouse-step litanies, in the courage of people showing up week after week demanding dignity, fairness, housing, and the right to be fully human. They come from the slow labor of friendship, from the everyday work of the Freedom Church of the Poor, and from communities insisting on a world where all can thrive.Dr. Hribar also gifts us with a resonant, bold refrain at the top of the episode that holds the heart of this movement:“I am a revolutionary. I should have been dead and gone, but Fannie Lou said go on. I am a revolutionary. We’re still in the fight, and we’re still alive.”Woven throughout the conversation is a theme they lift up with tenderness and clarity: solidarity as nourishment—a kind of delicious (as Hannah puts it), sustaining presence we return to again and again. This episode is an invitation into that solidarity, that revolutionary spirit, and the truth that liberation is for all of us.Wherever you find yourself today—hopeful, weary, disoriented, or newly awake—we hope this conversation makes room for you. We hope it reminds you that you do not move alone.About the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis is a theologian, pastor, author, and anti poverty activist. She is the Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Rev. Dr. Theoharis has been organizing in poor and low-income communities for the past 30 years.About Dr. Charon HribarDr. Charon Hribar is a song leader, cultural organizer, and social ethicist. She serves as the director of cultural strategies for the Kairos Center and co-director of theomusicology and movement arts for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Hribar empowers leaders to integrate rituals and arts into organizing efforts.Together, they are the authors of the recently released book, We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor.Resources + Links Mentioned in this EpisodeWe Pray Freedom: Liturgies & Rituals from the Freedom Church of the PoorBy Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis & Dr. Charon Hribar - https://weprayfreedom.org/about/We Pray Freedom – (official website) - https://weprayfreedom.orgKairos Center for Religions, Rights & Social Justice - https://kairoscenter.orgPoor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival -https://poorpeoplescampaign.orgThe Freedom Church of the Poor - https://kairoscenter.org/freedom-church-of-the-poorThe Persistent Widow (Luke 18) — a grounding story for protest vigils - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A1-8&version=NRSVUE This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

About Dr. Tamisha Tyler, Ph.D.Tamisha A. Tyler (she/her/hers) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture, and Theopoetics at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana. She also serves as a Theologian in Residence at The Center for Restorative Justice in Pasadena, CA, and is part of the Level Ground Artist Collective in Los Angeles, CA. Her current research explores religion in the literary world of Octavia Butler.Resources + LinksDr. Tamisha Tyler’s WebsiteOctavia E. Butler – Parable of the Sower & Parable of the TalentsOctavia E. Butler – Kindred, Fledgling, and The Patternist SeriesPoetics of the Flesh by Mayra RiveraWay to Water: A Theopoetics Primer by Callid Keefe-PerryThe(y)ology - Mythopoetics for Queer/Trans Liberation by Max Yeshaye Brumberg-KrausTheopoetics in Color: Embodied Approaches in Theological DiscourseEdited by Oluwatomisin Olayinka Oredein and Lakisha R. Lockhart-RuschGerry Canavan – Octavia E. Butler: A BiographyLevel Ground Artist Collective (Los Angeles) - Made up of artists in Los Angeles who share a desire to root our creative lives in care, collaboration, and liberation. Level Ground creates purposeful and sustained spaces for artists and their communities. We support Black, brown, trans, and queer artists, projects, and audiences.Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) - FTE is a leadership incubator that inspires young people to make a difference through Christian communities. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Soulful Revolutionaries,Lately, we have been thinking about the kind of faith that begins not in certainty, but in softness. About how, in the midst of ache, disaster, dysfunction, and unrest, tenderness might still be a radical act of resistance, a way of remaking the world in love.In this week’s conversation, we sit down with theologian, writer, PhD student, and co-director of enfleshed, Robert Monson, whose life and work rise from the rich soil of Black liberation theology and womanist wisdom. As a Black disabled man, Robert invites us to consider how our bodies—especially those the world deems “unfit”—are sacred sites of divine encounter. We talk about enfleshed’s mission to create spiritual resources for marginalized communities, about imagination is gas for a car, “the animating life force” doubling as a tool for liberation, and about the holy practice of softness in a world that religiously confuses hardness for strength.Robert helps us glimpse a God who is curious and adaptive, who companions us through pain and joy alike, and who delights in the fullness of who we are. We invite you to soak in this conversation—and in Robert’s closing blessing: a reminder that “you are your own best thing.”That after all you’ve carried, created, and survived, you remain a blessing to this world and to God. You are doing your very best with what you have—and that, Beloved, is enough.A Soulful Revolution is made possible by listeners and readers like you. To receive new posts and support this project, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.About RobertRobert (he/him) is a runner, musician, and a Black theologian committed to softness, contemplation, and liberation for all. As a recent seminary graduate (with distinction) and a current PhD student, Robert studied in-depth the intersection of Black Liberation Theology and womanist theology. Weaving together these two strands of liberation have been important work as well as other liberation based theologies. “How can we help facilitate community and provide answers to a hurting world that is reeling?” remains an important question in his work. While in school, Robert’s scholarly work was recognized and presented at various national conferences/outlets. Podcasting (two shows) and writing remain important aspects of his daily life as well as marathoning the latest Star Trek show(s).About enfleshedenfleshed has roots in liberationist and theo-poetic Christianities and has grown in multiple directions since 2017. we continue to companion those on the fringes of Christianity while also cultivating and participating in sacred spaces outside of singular or static religious identities.Resources + Links Mentioned in this EpisodeEnfleshed - spiritual nourishment for collective liberationBLACK IMAGINATION: BLACK VOICES ON BLACK FUTURES by Natasha Marin“Beautiful Possibilities” by Robert MonsonI Found God in Me: A Womanist Biblical Hermeneutics Reader edited by Mitzi J. Smith“I Do Not Dream of Labor” by Robert Monson“a poem for the daddy who never held me” by Robert MonsonWon’t You Celebrate With Me? by Lucille CliftonAll About Love by bell hooksAll the Black Girls Are Activists by Ebony Janice MooreThe Shack by William P. Young This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest, Tirrea Billings, artivist, educator, and storyteller at Philanthropy Unfiltered, encourages us to reimagine what the work of social justice and resistance looks like within the context of organizations & art.About TirreaTirrea Billings is an artivist, educator, and storyteller who writes about the nonprofit industrial complex. She has a BA in Film Studies and an MA in Communication from Western Michigan University. Her work focuses on amplifying voices that have been systematically excluded from mainstream conversations about power, policy, and change.Through her platform, Philanthropy Unfiltered, she writes openly about contradictions, dysfunction, and new opportunities within social change work — creating space for practitioners, funders, and organizers to imagine more liberatory approaches. Tirrea believes in the potential of radically honest dialogue and the power of imagination to transform systems to better serve communities.Resources & LinksRead Tirrea’s Substack essay: “Bad Onboarding Breaks People”Read Tirrea’s Substack essay: The Master’s Tools: How Traditional Grantmaking Blocks LiberationListen to Ruby Sales on On Being: “Where Does It Hurt?”Watch “The First Step” — a documentary exploring dialogue, reform, and radical empathyFollow Tirrea on Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

The fire is stoked for another powerful episode of A Soulful Revolution.We sat down with Mike Martin, founder/executive director of RAWtools, and Pastor/Educator Hannah Rose Martin to explore what happens when we refuse the false binary around violence and choose a creative, restorative third way. From Sandy Hook to community anvils, from Play-Doh practices with kids to Mennonite peacemaking, this conversation moves from lament to holy imagination, asking what it costs (and creates) to “spend” our privilege for the common good.Together, Mike and Hannah are reimagining what it means to turn violence into peace–literally transforming guns into garden tools, and inviting communities to forge new possibilities at the anvil. In our conversation, we talk about how RAWtools centers survivors, grief, and collective healing in the work of peace. Mike shares the somatic, spiritual power of hammering a weapon into a tool of life. Hannah reflects on forming children in creative nonviolence, examining how play is practice, and how imagination can shift the world we’re building.We also dive deep into questions of accountability, privilege, and faith: What does it mean to call yourself a Christian in a culture of violence? How do we hold each other with love and still tell the truth? Where can lament turn into renewal?Mike and Hannah’s witness is equal parts sobering and hopeful. Their stories remind us that violence is never inevitable, transformation is always possible, and the Kingdom is already among us.Our hope is that this conversation will invite you to strike the iron while it’s hot in your own life—to choose tools of life, mercy, and justice over tools of harm.A Soulful Revolution is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.About Hannah & Mike MartinHannah Rose Martin is a licensed Mennonite pastor and reading interventionist in Colorado Springs. She has a BA in Education and is currently dabbling in seminary courses. With her partner Mike and their two children, they work to build relationships and inspire change in the communities around them. Mike and Hannah enjoy spending time as a family with their sons playing games, creating art and building with LEGO, and especially enjoy the great Colorado outdoors.Mike Martin is the Executive Director and Founder of RAWtools. He lives in Colorado Springs with his partner Hannah and 2 kids. He learned to blacksmith in order to turn guns into garden tools and is trained in restorative practices for High Impact Dialogue, conflict facilitation, and others. He is co-author of Beating Guns, Hope for People who Are Weary of Violence, as well as other curriculums related to gun violence prevention.Resources & Links:RAWTools: Disarm Hearts | Force Peace | Cultivate Justice - https://rawtools.org/Hannah’s book, Sparking PeaceMike’s book with Shane Claiborne, Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of ViolenceSong: “It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way” - Andre HenryThank you as always for supporting the podcast! This project is entirely sustained by soulful revolutionaries like you. To help us set the table for more conversations like this one, please consider becoming a paid subscriber, buying us a cup of coffee, or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts to help more folks find the show. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Season 4 is here! This is the first episode that Hannah and I recorded together, and we are beyond excited to share it with you.The newest episode of A Soulful Revolution Podcast features our guest Cara Meredith, author of Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation.In this conversation, we dig into the strange and formative subculture of church camp—the ways it can feel sacred, the ways it can be profoundly unsafe, and the costs of belonging in predominantly white evangelical spaces. We talk about what it means to create communities that are both honest and inclusive, where dignity and safety are not compromised for conformity.Cara’s reflections are tender, challenging, and yet, deeply hopeful. Our hope is that this episode will stir your own questions about the spaces you’ve inherited, and inspire you to imagine what might be possible in the spaces you help create.About CaraA sought-after speaker, writer, and public theologian, Cara Meredith is the author of Church Camp and The Color of Life. Passionate about issues of justice, race, and privilege, Cara holds a master of theology from Fuller Seminary and is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church. With a background in education and nonprofit work, she wears more hats than she probably ought, but mostly just enjoys playing with words, a lot. Her writing has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Living Church, The Christian Century, and Baptist News Global, among others. She lives with her family in Oakland, California.Resources & Links:Buy the book:Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a GenerationFind Cara everywhere:Substack | carameredith.com | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | BlueSky This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

**Subscribers will have access to the full video for future episodes**About Hannah:I am a mother, spouse, friend, and mentor; agitator, advocate, and activator; someone who contains multitudes and is still trying to figure it all out; a complicated, dedicated Christian. I’m also a certified Silly Goose.I strive to bring a unique blend of passion, humor, and relatability to all that I do, and I’m thrilled and honored to have been invited to participate with SR!You can usually find me talking about educational equity, poetry, theology, personal style, or Top Chef (my favorite show); singing and dancing with my kids; advocating for the oppressed; or taking thirty minutes to leave after I’ve already said goodbye at a party. I am someone who loves languages, language, words, and the way we choose to express ourselves. I am a theopoeticist - I am active and engaged in the considerations of how we understand, construct, manifest, and experience God. I am a praying woman! I believe in prayer and the power of community to nurture and heal us.I’m a person who loves getting to know other people and figuring out how the Divine shines through them.I’m glad to be joining this podcast at a time when voices calling for justice must be louder than ever, and I’m glad to be in like-minded company on this journey. To quote one of my favorite poems, “I love you. I’m glad I exist.”Resources:Lucille Clifton's "spring song"The Oscar Romero Prayer, "Prophets of a Future Not Our Own" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

This short pre-season podcast episode is an introduction to Hannah Curtis, the new co-host of A Soulful Revolution!About Hannah:I am a mother, spouse, friend, and mentor; agitator, advocate, and activator; someone who contains multitudes and is still trying to figure it all out; a complicated, dedicated Christian. I’m also a certified Silly Goose.I strive to bring a unique blend of passion, humor, and relatability to all that I do, and I’m thrilled and honored to have been invited to participate with SR! You can usually find me talking about educational equity, poetry, theology, personal style, or Top Chef (my favorite show); singing and dancing with my kids; advocating for the oppressed; or taking thirty minutes to leave after I’ve already said goodbye at a party. I am someone who loves languages, language, words, and the way we choose to express ourselves. I am a theopoeticist - I am active and engaged in the considerations of how we understand, construct, manifest, and experience God. I am a praying woman! I believe in prayer and the power of community to nurture and heal us.I’m a person who loves getting to know other people and figuring out how the Divine shines through them. I’m glad to be joining this podcast at a time when voices calling for justice must be louder than ever, and I’m glad to be in like-minded company on this journey. To quote one of my favorite poems, “I love you. I’m glad I exist.”Resources:The first interview with Hannah, from the archiveHannah's InstagramLucille Clifton's "spring song"The Oscar Romero Prayer, "Prophets of a Future Not Our Own" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

This is the last episode of Season 3! To help us produce Season 4 of the pod, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thanks for listening!***About this episode's guest: Devin Mackey is a 31 year old trans, queer public figure and “sacred rebel” who has dedicated his life to being an example for humanity in order to show that following your intuition, living authentically, and sticking by your values no matter what—even in the most extreme of circumstances—is the divinely right thing to do. Devin’s sacred rebellion and dedication to the truth has led him from an emotionally abusive and heavily indoctrinated evangelical upbringing, through intense transformation, to a place where he happily calls himself an “Omnist”, or a believer that god exists in all spiritual practices and belief systems. He believes that god cannot be contained into one religious structure and seeks to set them free.You can follow Devin on Instagram, Threads and Youtube. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Sheila Joiner is a writer, immigration advocate, and aspiring peacemaker in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas. After a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) position that began in 2012 taught her to use her voice to speak in court on behalf of children in the foster care system, she discovered a deeper understanding of God’s care for those in vulnerable situations. Sheila’s hunger to learn more about the intersection of faith and justice eventually led to 4 years writing immigration advocacy campaigns and social content for We Choose Welcome and a temporary position working as an immigration coordinator for the Immigration Legal Services department at World Relief. Sheila is currently studying for her B.S. in Public Administration and working part-time in her church’s outreach ministry, and writes on Instagram and Substack about God’s love for those often relegated to the margins and about finding rest in an unjust world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Being in conversation with Erika Saucillo Rivera is a dynamic, joyful experience — almost as electrifying as watching her dance! I’ve known Erika since she was just getting started in the Los Angeles salsa scene and remember being captivated by her confidence and the delight she so clearly took in dancing. Having a chance to interview her over a decade since we first met afforded an intimate look into the determination, passion, and courageous vulnerability that have propelled this talented dancer into the life of her dreams as a professional dancer, choreographer and the CEO of her own dance company.We talk about mirror work in dance and spirituality, healing from stories that we don’t want to pass down to our daughters, and the power of embracing our bodies in all their uniqueness.(Because audio is obviously not the medium to do a dancer justice, you can catch lots of clips of Erika dancing on her Instagram, as well as an incredible full performance here and a beautiful social dance here).About Erika:Meet Erika Saucillo, a dance powerhouse born and raised in Los Angeles, California. With a lifelong passion for dance, Erika's journey spans over two decades, from Ballet Folklorico to Salsa, Bachata, and beyond. As a renowned dancer, instructor, and choreographer, Erika has taken the stage by storm, performing globally and winning numerous awards, including top spots in the World Latin Dance Cup and LA's Top Female Salsa Social Dancer. But Erika's true mission is empowering women through dance. Through her company, Goddess Grooves, she helps women unlock their inner confidence, sensuality, and strength. With a heart full of passion and a spirit that inspires, Erika's dance journey is a testament to the transformative power of movement. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Artist and writer Ari Honarvar weaves the art forms of Sufi poetry and dance for the sake of collective healing. The poetry of her Persian heritage puts her mind at ease, Honarvar explains, while dance is “fuel for resilience.” Woven throughout this interview are Honarvar's breathtaking recitations of the poetry of Rumi in Farsi and English. About Ari:Ari Honarvar is the founder of Rumi with a View, dedicated to building bridges between the arts, social justice, and well-being. She dances with refugees and facilitates Resilience through Joy workshops on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Her words have been featured in The Guardian, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, and elsewhere. She is the author of the critically acclaimed novel A Girl Called Rumi and the bestselling oracle deck, Rumi’s Gift.Recommendations:Ari notes in this episode that she generally recites Rumi’s poetry to English speakers, since fellow Sufi poet Hafiz is very difficult to translate. However, she commends Hafiz's Little Book of Life as an admirable effort to do this nearly impossible thing. She wrote the book’s forward. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

For Dr. Tanmeet Sethi, everything is integrated.Joy springs from the same deep well as pain. There is no clear delineation between social change and spiritual transformation. Healing — on an individual and collective level — requires living into this wholly interconnected, interdependent reality.About Dr. Sethi:Tanmeet Sethi, MD is an Integrative and Psychedelic Medicine Physician, activist, author, and TEDx speaker who has dedicated her career to care for the most marginalized patients in Seattle’s refugee, uninsured and homeless populations as well as global communities traumatized by manmade and natural disasters as senior faculty for The Center for Mind Body Medicine. Her first book, Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim Yours Now, published in May 2023, is a radical call to claim Joy as our birthright, the deepest liberation we can know and a path to power through oppression. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington and a primary clinical investigator there on the plant medicine, psilocybin.More info on her practice and her book are at her website: https://www.tanmeetsethimd.comInstagram: @tanmeetsethimdShe has a free community on Substack: https://tanmeetsethimd.substack.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

For Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk, any comfort that comes at the cost of full liberation isn’t worth keeping around. Whiteness, maleness, and other privileged positions people put stock in to keep them comfy, have to make way for a more expansive vision of what it means to be human. Community, on the other hand, can be a site of agitation — and that, the writer, activist and queer mystic says, is fertile ground for change.About Ashe:Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk (she/her) is a writer, activist, and queer mystic whose work explores the intersections of spirituality, power, and transformation. She is the author of the forthcoming books When Breath Finds Bone, a hybrid memoir and theoretical exploration of breath, sound, and resistance, and Shimmertwig, a fantasy novel following a young squirrel named Hackberry on a journey to uncover the truth about a mystical artifact and her own tangled lineage. Her previous books include A Wolf at the Gate, unKingdom, and That Holy Anarchist.As the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Prophetic Imagination, Ashe develops frameworks for integrating spiritual practice with radical social action. With over two decades of experience in community building, spiritual direction, and social critique, her work challenges oppressive narratives and invites radical imagination. Her writing has appeared in Sojourners, Geez Magazine, and The Mennonite, and her work has been featured in The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Boston Globe, and CNN.com.Beyond her writing and activism, Ashe also fosters community through Queeraoke, a queer-centered karaoke gathering that celebrates joy, resistance, and collective expression.For more, visit makiashe.com.Additional Links:www.propheticimagination.orgpropheticimagination.substack.commakiashe.commakiashe.substack.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Eréndira Jimenez Esquinca midwifes new stories into the world. Weaving together spiritual direction and financial advising – two fields that many would dismiss offhand as unrelated — Jimenez Esquinca is committed to supporting people in authentically and strategically bringing their respective spiritual and material realities into alignment. Working with faith leaders, creatives, activists and others who are ready for a different approach, they empower people to break free from constraining capitalist and colonial narratives while courageously stepping into generative, life-affirming stories. This conversation abounds with wisdom won through this Soulful Revolutionary’s long and loving labor for wholeness in herself and the world. It’s a privilege to share and I can’t wait for you to listen.About Eréndira: Eréndira (she/they) is a spiritual director, financial advisor, world-building companion, and artist. She has been engaged in Spirit work for the past 20 years and has been accompanying folks on their decolonizing, transformation, and liberation journeys for the last four years.Decolonial in both the undoing of oppressive histories (individual and shared) and the writing of new, collective, liberatory futures, they center the dance between story, practice, community as a way to assist individuals and communities in creating space for ever-evolving Selves.Her transition into wealth empowerment and financial liberation comes out of a desire to bridge the spiritual work of liberation with the material reality of learning how to hold and move resource and money. She views money as a playground for imagination, creation, wonder, getting messy, learning, and fun.They hold a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, an M. A. in Spirituality from Bellarmine University, and continue to operate as an independent scholar/spiritual anthropologist of sorts.You can find Eréndira playing and curating at Spirit School, supporting folks in building wealth to build worlds at Portal Wealth, and holding Spirit space for a variety of humans. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

I met Fr. Pete Nunnally in the fall of 2017, at the beginning of a year of seminary studies. We immediately bonded over a shared passion for justice. Within a couple days of meeting, we were driving three hours to be part of the clergy-led counterprotest of the now-infamous “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. We spent the day witnessing to justice with clergy and other people of conscience.Ever since, I have known Fr. Pete to be someone who consistently shows up to be in solidarity with those who are suffering and oppressed, leveraging his privilege to protect those being targeted. Before we met, he spent years in New Orleans supporting recovery efforts after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Now, he is doing the powerful work of cultivating community in wild spaces, centering care of Creation with his carbon-neutral church plant, Water and Wilderness. And he is writing about this interconnected, hopeful way of being in the world in his upcoming book, Catching Hope: The Hidden Spiritual Wisdom of Fishing.About Fr. Pete:Fr. Pete Nunnally is the interim rector at St David’s in Wilmington, Delaware, and is working with the Diocese of Washington to plant a carbon-neutral church called Water and Wilderness Church. He graduated from Bridgewater College in 2002, taught middle school Pe for 5 years before moving to New Orleans to work in Hurricane Katrina recovery. He is a fisherman and writer, and his forthcoming book, Catching Hope: The Hidden Spiritual Wisdom of Fishing, is due out next year.Pete’s Substack: fatherpetethewildernesspriest.substack.comInstagram: @fr_pete_the_wilderness_priestWater and Wilderness Church: www.waterandwilderness.orgWater and Wilderness Church Facebook Page This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

Rabbi May Ye is carving a path for a new generation of Jews.Raised in a secular household, yet steeped in her paternal grandparents’ story of surviving the Holocaust, Ye was moved at an early age by the story of her grandfather’s vocal resistance to the establishment of Israel. Her political awakening was intertwined with coming into her own religious practice, and Ye went to rabbinical school in order to create communities for those Jews who are deconstructing the ethnonationalist ideology of Zionism. Ye’s can be an isolating rabbinate. There are few institutional resources for antizionist synagogues, and Ye often faces animosity from within Jewish circles. Still, the rabbi has experienced profound community with Palestinians in the shared struggle for a free Palestine, and she expresses hope that one day, there will one day be an abundance of antizionist Jewish institutions. Ultimately, she’s clear on one thing: Palestinians will set the terms of their own liberation. Her job is to be in solidarity. About Rabbi Ye:Rabbi May Ye (she/her) is a Chinese-American Jew from unceded Wabanaki land. A weaver of tradition and fashioner of new liturgy and ritual, she seeks to center and highlight the experiences of those who have been disenfranchised and marginalized from Judaism and Jewish spaces. A passionate activist, she explores how to decouple Judaism from Zionism and is an ardent supporter of Palestinian liberation.Rabbi May is a 2023 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC). She currently lives and works on unceded Duwamish and Coast Salish land. She organizes with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and is honored to sit on JVP’s national rabbinical council. She also volunteers as a movement chaplain.Learn more about Rabbi May and her work at www.rabbimay.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

What you’re feeling makes sense.Dr. Norma Ramírez understands in her own body the psychological burdens her clients carry as they navigate systems of exclusion and dehumanization. As an immigrant and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, Ramírez has had to learn to navigate the many heavy and complex emotions imposed by an oppressive society, all while engaging in bold advocacy — including serving as a plaintiff in the 2017 case against the Trump Administration for illegally rescinding DACA.Our conversation was recorded during the first week of the new administration, as chaos was being unleashed on immigrant communities via Executive Order. Ramírez’s reflections are compassionate, courageous, and profoundly humanizing, and they come as an antidote and a call to action amidst escalating attacks on vulnerable groups.About Dr. Ramírez:Dr. Norma Ramirez, Ph.D (she/ her/ ella), is a bicultural-bilingual (Spanish-English) undocumented licensed psychologist in California and Nevada. She is the Clinical Director at an immigration non-profit where she provides free therapy and immigration mental health evaluations and maintains a small private practice. She is an advocate for the immigrant community, exemplified by her role as a plaintiff against the Trump Administration for illegally rescinding DACA in 2017 and recognition by the Biden and Harris Administration as a Latinx leader. Clinically, she provides direct services to clients, develops and implements behavioral health programming, provides mental health literacy workshops for minoritized populations, and provides workshops to educators, lawyers, and mental health professionals on improving services for undocumented communities. At the intersection of her spirituality, activism, and professional identities, her own marginalized identities inform how she approaches her work in all of these areas.Dr. Ramírez's website: https://allgoodthingsps.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

In her work with unhoused people and system-impacted youth, this week’s Soulful Revolutionary asks the question, “How do we find the glimmers of light in here?” In a sea of dehumanizing politics and policies, Lorraine Lam is committed to connecting — one human to another. The crisis outreach worker and case manager finds hope in the humanity of those whom society has thrown away. And she shares that hope generously in this episode, through stories of friends met on the streets who forever changed her. Lorraine (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian settler-immigrant with an education in music, sociology and social worker. Driven by her commitment to Jesus’ life and teachings, she has been a crisis outreach worker & case manager in the Downtown East of Toronto for over 10 years, supporting people who are unhoused and precariously housed and is currently a Caseworker with Amadeusz, supporting youth who are incarcerated for firearms charges. Her work focuses on housing & homelessness, systems navigation, advocacy, harm reduction, and trauma-informed approaches to collaboration, survival, and building a more equitable and just reality for all . She was recently nominated for the City of Toronto's Access, Equity and Human Rights Award. She organizes with Christians for a Free Palestine - Toronto and Shelter Housing Justice Network, serves on the board with Building Roots, and is a contributor to Displacement City (University of Toronto Press, 2022). She loves Jurassic Park movies, singing with her gospel choir, taking naps, eating carbs indiscriminately, and exploring the city with her extroverted fur child, Miso.Follow Lorraine on Instagram: @lorrainelamchopsFollow Christians for a Free Palestine Toronto: @christiansforafreepalestinetoA Soulful Revolution is a labor of love. Paid subscribers help me devote more time and energy to this project. Thank you for your support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe