Poema Podcast

Poema S11 006 | MJ Weissenberger Shares Her Autism Story

This week my dear friend MJ joins us to share the story of her autism diagnosis, how she first realised she may be autistic, the process of getting her diagnosis, and how her life has changed since. 
This is a powerful, challenging and encouraging story. 

Poema S11 005 | Alice Hewson on being Neurodivergent in the Workplace

Today I'm joined by author and speaker Alice Hewson to discuss autism in the work place. Alice talks about the challenges of being neurodivergent in the world we live in, which isn't set up for neurodivergent people, and how this can often translate into the work place. 
She shares her own experiences and also offers some practical ideas for both employers and neurodivergent people themselves, for how neurodivergent people can feel safe and protected in the work place. She also shares some thoughts and examples of how neurodivergent people can build structures and processes which will help them thrive in the work place rather than be overwhelmed, and to avoid potential meltdowns
You can read more about this in her book "Neurodiversity in the Workplace" which is available wherever books are sold. 

Poema S11 004 | Dr Amy Marschall PsyD on Autism and Justice Sensitivity

This week, as part of a new series, Dr Amy Maschall PsyD returns to the podcast to talk about people's lived experiences with autism and in particular the experience of justice sensitivity. 
Dr Amy is autistic herself, and works with autistic people on a regular basis, and a qualified expert, so has a lot of both lived experience and academic knowledge of autism. She shares this with us, and talks about how autistic people can be more sensitive about injusitces, big and small, and feel them more acutely, often seeing injustice and how to stop it in a binary way.
I myself share my experiences of this as an autistic person too, and we explore how autistic people can navigate the challenges this bring, and how it impacts our day to day lives. 
Dr Amy has so much knowledge and insight on this subject, this is well worth a listen.
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Find more of Dr Amy's work, including her many books on neurodiversity on her website here.

Poema S11 003 | Lucas Wilson on Surviving Conversion Therapy

**Trigger warning: Spiritual abuse, toxic evangelicalism, conversion therapy stories**
This week I'm joined by author and activist Lucas Wilson, to discuss stories of conversion therapy, the damage done by it, and the toxic evangelical culture which gave rise to it.
We talk about some of the stories shared by people in Lucas' new book  "Shame Sex Attraction", their grief, trauma and how they healed from those experiences.
We also discuss toxic evangelical culture, and the harm its done to the LGBTQIA community as a whole & how we can support people who've experienced spiritual abuse, and how many of them have healed and moved into healthier lives embracing & being accepted for who they really are.

Poema S11 002 | Jamie Lee Finch on Embodiment, Grief and Interconnectedness

Today my beloved friend, embodiment coach, writer and podcaster Jamie Lee Finch returns to the show.
We talk all sorts in this episode, from connectedness with our bodies, intuition and how this all connects to a wider spirituality, to grief and how we build healthy relationships with our bodies and build resilience. We also explore how the system we all rigged, in, is simply not built for the thriving of human bodies. 
We had such fun recording this, make sure you check it out. 

Poema S11 001 | Rob Bell on There's Only One Noon Yeah

The podcast returns for 2025 with a new interview with the ever inspiring author and speaker Rob Bell. 
Recorded just before the US election of 2024, Rob joins me to talk about his latest novel, "There's Only One Noon Yeah", the second in his new series of novels.
We talk about the themes and inspirations behind the novel, how it shows us the world we live in a fresh way, and delve into grief, transitions, transformation and awareness, as well as finding joy in the creative process. It was such a fun and interesting conversation. 
 

Poema S10 019 | Jenna DeWitt on Doctor Who & Grief

In this final episode of 2024, fellow Whovian Jenna DeWitt returns to the podcast to talk about a character we both love, The Doctor. 
In particular, we talk about a recurring theme in the show, and on this show, grief. The grief of losing companions, of people he is trying to save sometimes dying or sacrificing themselves, and above all, of him having to grieve his own death, every time he regrenerates.
Even if you don't know the show, there's a lot here which can relate to various experiences of grief we can have, death, loss of friends, loss of community, moving on from our past selves, and how all of this can relate to us in the deconstruction community, and personal growth generally. 

Poema S10 018 | Cat Dean on Mercury Retrogade & Astrological Energy

Today my dear friend Cat Dean joins me to talk about astrological energy, and in particular the phenomenon of mercury retrogade, the most recent of which (at time of release) began November 25th, 2024. 
Cat tells us exactly what mercury retrogade is, when it happens and why, and how it impact both us and our world. We both share our own experiences of mercury retrogade and Cat explains the power and influence of astrological energy itself. 

Poema S10 017 | Chris Morris's Lessons on Suicide & Depression from a Psych Ward

Trigger warning: Suicide, suicidal ideation, depression
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Today I'm joined by author and advocate Chris Morris. He shares his story about his experiences of depression, suicidal ideation.
He shares his powerful and raw story of his depression and various suicide attempts. He talks about his experience in a psych ward, and how he did the work of healing, and the battles he still has. He also talks about the challenges of talking about mental health in Christian circles.
Chris is a courageous, powerful advocate for mental health and his story is both discomforting and ultimately, inspiring.

Poema S10 016 | Amanda Held Opelt on Grief, World Wars & Queen Victoria

In this new episode, recorded pre-election 2024, Amanda Held Opelt joins me again, this time for a conversation about some major events in history & their impact on how our culture processes grief. 
We talk at length about the two World Wars, and how different outcomes for different nations impacted how their cultures responded to them, and how it changed their culture. We explore how one bad response from WWI may have led to WWII and how the outcomes of both may have contributed to where we are now. 
We also look at Queen Victoria, a monarch who experienced deep grief, which changed her life, her behaviour and relationships with others. 
This episode is a fascinating insight into how grief shapes us individually and culturally.