Poema Podcast
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 28, 2017
Poema 022 | Rebecca Lombardo on Creativity & Living With Mental Illness
Wednesday Jun 28, 2017
Wednesday Jun 28, 2017
Today author, blogger and podcaster Rebecca Lombardo joins me on the podcast. For 25 years Rebecca has battled with mental illness of various kinds. She's also had to undergo the trauma of losing both parents, and battled with suicidal thoughts. Yet through writing, publishing a book, podcasting, and an incredibly supportive husband, she has survived and is doing amazing work creating safe spaces for people to discuss mental illness.
Rebecca, with great courage and honesty, shares her story, and the truth that it's not always about having a happy thriving ending, but that the challenges of mental health are ongoing, a daily battle, and that everyone struggling with mental health has to find their own unique way of surviving, and maybe even, occasionally, thriving.
Rebecca's story will both challenge and inspire you, and leave you encouraged.
Tuesday Jun 06, 2017
Poema 021 | Gungor
Tuesday Jun 06, 2017
Tuesday Jun 06, 2017
Michael and Lisa Gungor are on the podcast today. Husband and wife, creatives, musicians, Jesus-followers, Michael and Lisa have created some amazing music over the years and have some phenomenal wisdom on spirituality, creativity, and the personal journey.
Michael and Lisa share with great honesty and wisdom about their own personal journey, the challenges and struggles they've had to confront in recent years, and how they've shaped their spiritual and creative journey.
The Gungors talk about the creative process and spiritual journey behind their recent One Wild Life album trilogy, and how creativty is both a spiritual and an organic process. They also unpack more of their own spiritual practices, and we discuss together how a real spiritual practice can be as simple as playing with your kids, and the truth about our habits and decisions.
Finally, they talk about what's happening in the world right now, the atmosphere of fear, of a force in the world "pulling back from the progress we've made" - and how and why here might be hope for us all.
This is truly inspiring, life giving and eye-opening interview, without doubt, one of the most amazing and inspiring I've ever done. Michael and Lisa have such wisdom, humilty and grace, and this is well worth a listen.
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"Spiritual practice is when you are sitting down and training your body and mind to engage with the divine in each and every moment" - Michael Gungor
"We often don't make decisions about what we do. We act on habit." - Lisa Gungor
"There's a force in the world pulling back from the progress we've made" - Michael Gungor
Friday Jun 02, 2017
Poema 020 | The Blacksmith's Daughters on Making Melodies
Friday Jun 02, 2017
Friday Jun 02, 2017
Today I'm joined by Julida and Sean Alter, who make up one half of 'The Blacksmith's Daughters', a folk/rock band from Minneapolis. The band is comprised of Julida and Sean, and Julida's sister Anella Platta and her husband Brent. Julida and Anetta are from a family with a long history of being blacksmiths - hence the name 'The Blacksmith's Daughters'.
We discuss the creative process involved in songwriting and recording, and their unorthodox but effective approach to how they make their music. We also explore what true authentic creativity is, and holding in balance between creating great, honest work, but also wanting to put that work out into the world.
This was such a fun interview to do. Julida And Sean are a great couple who have great insight into the creative process, and offer encouragement to all of us to go out and make melodies in our own creative work, whatever that might be - and to be ourselves.