Poema Podcast

Poema S10 009 | Rob Bell asks "Where'd You Park Your Spaceship?"

Friend of the podcast Rob Bell returns today to discuss his new latest work, a novel, "Where'd You Park Your Spaceship? An Interplanetary Tale of Love, Loss and Bread: Book One, Welcome to Firdus."
(Yes this is the title). 
It's an incredible novel, which explores grief, identity, toxic systems, all from the perspective of someone outside of earth learning it for the first time.
Rob tells me his creative process in writing the novel, how the experience changed him, and how he discovered joy and fun in the creative process, and we talk about a WHOLE lot more too.
What we hear from Rob here is truly inspirational, and speaks a lot to those going through healing, awakening, embodiment and finding freedom in their creative, personal and spiritual lives. 
 

Poema S10 008 | M.J.Weissenberger on Dan Levy's "Good Grief"

This week my friend MJ joins me to discuss Dan Levy's movie director debut, 'Good Grief', which is available on Netflix. 
The movie is about a person who loses their mother and husband in the space of the year, and their grieving process which reveals a lot of secrets and surprises, and how it impacts his life. 
MJ and I, who both have lived experience of grief, watched it together and in this episode we share our own reflections, insights and lived experiences. We talk about the ways the movie covers and explores grief so well and tenderly, and what we learned. 

Poema S10 007 | Jenna DeWitt on "1989 - Taylor's Version" & How it Explores Grief & Transformation

This week my friend Jenna DeWitt returns to discuss Taylor Swift's "1989 - Taylor's Version" which released earlier this year. 
Jenna shares her own experience with the album - both the new version, and the original - and what these meant for her as she explored her own identity.
Then together we explore various tracks on the album and the stories behind them. We discuss how these songs and their stories, and art in general, can help us as we process issues of grief, transformation and identity. 
As we do so, we see more of how the creative process can heal and transform us.

Poema S10 006 | Virginia Spotts on Grief, Creativity & Being a Death Doula

My guest today is Virginia Spotts. She is a writer, actor, fiction podcaster, and aspiring death doula.
In this episode she shares her experiences of grief and how they impacted her. As a writer, actor and fiction broadcaster, she shares unique experiences of how witnessing death and going through the grieving impacted the creative aspects of her life and identity. 
Virginia also shares her experience of training as a death doula, helping people prepare for death. Its' a fascinating and unique insight into death and grief.

Poema S10 005 | Andrea De Ward on Grief & Working with the Dying

Today we begin another series exploring grief on the podcast, with Andrea De Ward talking about her experiences of doing pastoral work with the dying, as chaplain of a care home.
Andrea talks about how this impacted her perspectives on death and grief, as she then herself had experiences of grief and loss. She tells us how these impacted her life, her relationships and her personal/spiritual journey.
Andrea's story gives us a very unique perspective on death and  grief, and can help us understand these experiences much better. 

Poema S10 004 | Shari A Smith on Trauma, Grief & Sharing Our Stories

Today I'm joined by writer, advocate and podcast host Shari A Smith. She talks to us about her advocacy works with trauma victims and survivors, and the importance of sharing our stories. 
Shari shares her experiences of sharing and bearing witness to trauma and grief stories, and how its' impacted her and the people sharing those stories. She tells us how sharing stories can provide solidarity to those hearing, and a voice to those who share them, and help us in the road to healing. 

Poema S10 003 | Heidi Dennis, MS LPC, on Befriending Our Anxiety

Today I'm joined by therapist Heidi Dennis, MS LPC, to discuss her new book, "Hello Anxiety", and explore a new approach to dealing with anxiety. 
Heidi shares how we can learn to say "hello" to our anxiety. Heidi shares what anxiety is, why it’s there and how to respond to it instead of distracting from it.
She tells us how listen to our anxious feelings and work with them instead of against them, and find our way towards peace. 

Poema S10 002 | Justin Ancheta on Asexuality, Tarot & Liminality

This week I'm joined by activist and writer Justin Ancheta. In this episode they share their own story of discovering they were a biromantic demisexual & the prejudice they faced as a Filipino-Canadian, queer man with a stutter.
They also talk about the connections between asexuality and tarot, and how discovering tarot helped them feel more at peace with their own identity, and discovering that liminal space of acceptance and belonging.
 
 

Poema S10 001 | Cat Dean on Being Human & Creative In A New Season

In our first episode of 2024, my friend Cat Dean joins me for a fun conversation about being human in the changing seasons of life. 
We discuss how the changes in the movement of the earth can impact our lives so directly, how we process change and the grief involved, and how it can impact our connection to our own humanity, and our creative lives. 
We also explore how growth and healing increase connection to our bodies, and awaken us to the falseness of the systems we live in, connecting us more to our humanity, and to the earth. 
This was such a fun, relaxed and often spontaneous conversation between friends, with great insights. Enjoy!

Poema S9 027| Vicky McQuarrie on Living Through Grief

For Grief Awareness week this week, I'm joined by Vicky McQuarrie, who works for AtaLoss Charity, a non-profit organization that signposts bereaved people to support.
TW: Suicide, grief, loss of spouse
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Vicky courageously shares her stories of loss and grief, both being widowed and losing her sister in the space of a year. She shares the impact this had on her life, the rituals and practices she discovered to help her grieve well.
She also discusses how her first experience of processing grief impacted her second, and the biggest lessons she's learned, as well as the work of the bereavement charity AtaLoss.
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Find out more about Vicky's work at Ataloss.org