Desert Voices: Critical Thinking to Cultivate Well-Being

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 persistence in seeking justice and peace. They hope to inspire and encourage listeners to see and act with compassion and strength. The conversation delves into current socio-political issues, including the war on Palestine and the psychological effects of labeling atrocities. It examines the neurological and physiological responses to trauma, both firsthand and secondhand, and discusses how these responses influence our ability to engage with and understand global events. The episode challenges listeners to bear witness to the suffering and complexities of the world while maintaining well-being through self-regulation and critical thinking. It brings to light the importance of empathy and justice, themes that resonate deeply with social activism and theological inquiry. Listeners are encouraged to engage with the content, reflecting on how their own nervous systems react to the world's struggles and learning how to manage these reactions constructively. The podcast, fitting for those interested in deep, spiritual conversations about humanity, aims to provoke thought and action toward social change and growth. Support the Show.

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 criteria for genocide with a focus on the recent charges against Israel but also invites listeners into a profound reflection on our collective responsibility towards global crises. Through candid conversations, personal insights, and a compelling call to action, we're challenged to confront our perceptions and engage in meaningful dialogue. Tune in to be inspired, educated, and transformed as we journey together towards integrative living and flourishing communities. Don't miss this powerful exploration of empathy, justice, and the human spirit on Desert Voices. Support the Show.

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 contribute to a world where every voice is heard and every life is valued. Join us in another compelling and crucial conversation, and be part of a movement towards a more just and compassionate world. Support the Show.

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 perspectives. Let's dig into how to support those affected and contribute to global well-being. Join us in a series of concise yet powerful discussions, each zeroing in on a crucial topic. Our collective aim? To nudge the moral arc of the world, inch by meaningful inch. Support the Show.

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 Israel and Hamas. With her experience in abolitionist education and history, we have invited Jill Elizabeth to facilitate a historical and educational discussion encouraging empathy and exploring what we can do to help humans from a world away. This complex, deadly conflict demands historical context, awareness, compassion, and dialogue for peace and human rights. These next few episodes will be short discussions focused on one topic designed to help us participate in pushing the moral arc of the world forward...even if just by an inch. Support the Show.

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.

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.

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 Hall Happy listening, friends. Enjoy the conversation. JOINED BY: Kerry Connelly Rev Anne Garner Support 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 DANA RESOURCE: ANCHORED BY DEB DANA Joined by: Cara Johnson Support 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 Buchleiter pastor | speaker | writer | advocate | consultant She 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.

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 they both Godly similar concepts, just different as we have been convinced? Is "complementarianism" or "soft-complementarianism," as many churches claim to be, a kind, Godly and harmless way of living? Join Riley Powell, one of Desert Voices' favorite theologians, as we unpack the meanings and impact these words have on our lives and Amerian culture. PART 2 Support the Show.

"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 concepts, just different as we have been convinced? Is "complementarianism" or "soft-complementarianism," as many churches claim to be, a kind, Godly and harmless way of living? Join Riley Powell, one of Desert Voices' favorite theologians, as we unpack the meanings and impact these words have on our lives and Amerian culture. PART 1 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 Mez Support 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 Injustice Kerry's book: Wait - Is This Racist?: A Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist Church Support 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 Injustice Kerry's book: Wait - Is This Racist?: A Guide to Becoming an Anti-racist Church Support 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 Lorde PART 2 www.desertvoices.com Support 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 hooks PART 1 www.desertvoices.com Support 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.com Support the Show.