Desert Voices: Critical Thinking to Cultivate Well-Being

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 ConnellyCassidy HallRev Anne GarnerSupport the show

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 ConnellyRev Anne GarnerSupport the show

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 my own, and it is my hope that by listening to this episode, we all might engage with the word queer differently, that it might become a word of invitation, and that we might embrace it as a place of infinite possibility of wild hope and expansive becoming.My queer experience as someone who identifies as queer in sexuality and in life is one in which I hope invites ALL of us into the ways in which queer can be an invitation into transgressive action which opposes societal norms. An invitation to living in a place beyond binaries and in that liminal space of possibility and an invitation into how queerness doesn't only live in sexuality.” - Cassidy HallHappy listening, friends. Enjoy the conversation.JOINED BY:Kerry ConnellyRev Anne GarnerSupport the show

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, build up our communication skills, and ground ourselves spiritually.You are biologically wired with the need to FEEL SAFE AND CONNECTED.Befriending your nervous system helps you meet your basic human need for safety and connection. It is essential to your well-being!This episode introduces HOW you can anchor in your body to experience safety & connection.Imagine a world filled with humans who feel SAFE AND CONNECTED IN THEMSELVES AND WITH EACH OTHER – a world where everyone’s basic human needs for safety, belonging, and dignity are met and we have the opportunity to self-actualize and where groups of people communally actualize. I want to live in that world! Let's co-create it.“Polyvagal Theory is the science of feeling safe enough to fall in love with life and take the risks of living . We are wired for connection . Our nervous systems are social structures that find balance and stability in relationship with others . Think about that for a moment . Our biology shapes the way we navigate living , loving , and working . And we now have a way to use this understanding in service of individual , family , community , and global well - being . This “ way ” is called Polyvagal Theory .”-  DEB DANARESOURCE: ANCHORED BY DEB DANAJoined by: Cara JohnsonSupport the show

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 heal in isolation. When we reach out and connect with one another – when we tell the story, name the hurt, grant forgiveness, and renew or release the relationship – our suffering begins to transform." - Desmund Tutu---------------------Join Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiterpastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultantShe has over 30 years of experience in various Christian settings. She speaks on topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to self-care and wellness. In all her work Laura Beth draws heavily on her own experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and the challenges that come with those when working in faith communities.Support the show

 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 more whole.So if you have been enjoying the Desert Voices podcast, the creative genius behind the mic is Josh. I am grateful for who Josh is and the tender power he brings to the show. He is a great friend and brilliant creator. He is also an incredible theologian in his own right. I cannot wait for you all to experience the man, the myth, the magic that is Just Josh Perez.https://justjoshperez.com/Support the show

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 I am also part of the solution to human flourishing.In this episode, we are joined by a close seminary friend, Rev Anne Garner, whose work over the last two decades has been defined by hospitality, justice, and radical love.Anne grounds this complicated conversation in love for all humankind as we examine political origin stories and their impact today.PRIMARY SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:American Historians & Professors, The Rev. Dr. Randall Balmer & Dr. Kristin Kobes Du MezSupport the show

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 continue to strive to grow, evolve, and correct the mistakes that are bound to be made. Please keep calling us out and calling us in on this journey. Thank you for listening. Kerry's website: https://www.kerryconnelly.com/Kerry's book: Good White Racist? Confronting Your Role in Racial InjusticeKerry's book: Wait - Is This Racist?: A Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist ChurchSupport the show

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 strive to grow, evolve, and correct the mistakes that are bound to be made. Please keep calling us out and calling us in on this journey. Thank you for listening. Kerry's website: https://www.kerryconnelly.com/Kerry's book: Good White Racist? Confronting Your Role in Racial InjusticeKerry's book: Wait - Is This Racist?: A Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist ChurchSupport the show

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 offers her life-giving, liberatory, and transformational adventures with feminist spirituality.Support the show

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 where patriarchy is taught as holy and a woman's desire to be seen, celebrated, and treated equitably is an “ungodly” slippery slop into evil and rebelliousness.These episodes are rooted in bell hook's wisdom, “true resistance begins with people confronting pain, whether it’s theirs or somebody else’s, and wanting to do something to change it…Pain as a catalyst for change, for working to change.”We participate in this process as communal healing, hoping to be change agents, disrupt systems of dominance, and cast a new vision for our collective daughters and granddaughters.“What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.” - Audre LordePART 2www.desertvoices.comSupport the show

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 desire to be seen, celebrated, and treated equitably is an “ungodly” slippery slop into evil and rebelliousness.These episodes are rooted in bell hook's wisdom, “true resistance begins with people confronting pain, whether it’s theirs or somebody else’s, and wanting to do something to change it…Pain as a catalyst for change, for working to change.”We participate in this process as communal healing, hoping to be change agents, disrupt systems of dominance, and cast a new vision for our collective daughters and granddaughters.“Come closer. See how feminism can touch and change your life and all our lives together. Come closer and know firsthand what the feminist movement is all about. Come closer and you will see: feminism is for everybody.” - bell hooksPART 1www.desertvoices.comSupport the show

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 participate in it. To engage Tommy's work in the world visit: teamallgood.comSupport the show

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 exploring what it means to fully embrace and step into the mystery we call God.Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiterpastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultantShe has over 30 years of experience in various Christian ministry settings. She speaks on topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to self-care and wellness. In all her work Laura Beth draws heavily on her own experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and the challenges that come with those when working in faith communities.Laura Beth currently makes her home base in Indianapolis, Indiana, while traveling the country wherever she is needed as an interim pastor. She has lived all over the USA, including Puerto Rico. In addition to writing, speaking, and working with local faith communities, she keeps herself busy as an artist, musician, parent, and grandparent.Support the show

"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 BethPart 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 answers. It's embracing mystery for the sake of mystery." Join Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter pastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultantShe has over 30 years of experience in various Christian ministry settings. She speaks on topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to self-care and wellness. In all her work Laura Beth draws heavily on her own experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and the challenges that come with those when working in faith communities.Laura Beth currently makes her home base in Indianapolis, Indiana, while traveling the country wherever she is needed as an interim pastor. She has lived all over the USA, including Puerto Rico. In addition to writing, speaking, and working with local faith communities, she keeps herself busy as an artist, musician, parent, and grandparent.Support the show

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, and Season 4 sits a the intersection of Mysticism, Feminism, and Spirituality.Support the show

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 experiences with freedom, joy, growth, heart connections, empowerment, and belonging.Curious? Join us...Support the show

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, Taylor has sponsored several full scholarships to send girls to STEM and empowerment camps across the U.S.www.thetaylorrichardson.com@astronautstarbrightSupport the show

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 my healing journey and ability to fully embody my spirituality and step into the holiness of the sacred feminine. UNLEARN patriarchal spirituality and embrace a healthy self-concept.Support the show

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 engage our experience with The Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Join Jill Elizabeth & Shaleen Kendrick in PART 3Support the show