Poema Podcast

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

Poema S9 026 | Douglas Humphries on Lessons from Oppenheimer

A new Poema podcast special episode with myself and Douglas Humphries - recorded during the strike specifically for a post-strike release. 
In this episode we discuss Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer". We explore the various themes of the movie, how the movie impacted both of us, and the biggest lessons we can learn from the movie.
We also talk about the storytelling in the movie, and the creative/storytelling lessons we can learn from Chris Nolan. 

Poema S9 025 | Daniel Finklestein on Hitler, Stalin, Mum & Dad

I'm honoured today to be joined by author and speaker Daniel Finklestein. Daniel tells us the story about his parents and grandparents, Jewish families caught up in the growing anti-semitism of the 1920's & 1930's, ultimately leading to their imprisonment in concentration camps by the Nazi's. 
But the story doesn't end there, they survived these camps and eventually moved to England where they raised a family. And of course there are shades of the shift to the hard right we've seen in the US & UK recently.
It's a story of struggle, grief, courage and hope, and Daniel shares it beautifully. 

Poema S9 024 | Jenna DeWitt on Taylor Swift, Selmer, and Queer Liberation

This week my friend Jenna DeWitt returns to the podcast to discuss two songs - "You're Losing Me" by Taylor Swift and "Faith" by Selmer - and exploring them in detail, in relation to their respective messages about queer liberation and owning your gender and identity.
We breakdown the lyrics of each song and discuss them in depth, and Jenna gives great insight into the deeper meaning of these songs, how they've impacted her, and how they can speak to us too.
We also touch on how despite one piece of art being labelled 'secular' and one more overtly, 'Christian', both can impart equally powerful messages about these issues.

Poema S9 023 | Maria French on Reconfiguring Nostalgia, Death & Grief

This week my guest is my friend and colleague Maria French, author, speaker and theological coach. In this episode we discuss her new book, "Reconfiguring " A Collection of Post-Christian Thoughts and Theologies", and in particular two essays from this book.
Firstly we explore the power of nostalgia, and how our yearning for some idealistic past which never existed can hinder our thriving and living now. We discuss this from both an individual and cultural perspective, looking at the impact of nostalgia on the political trajectory of both the US and UK in recent years.
We then naturally move into a conversation about grief, death, and loss, and how sitting in our grief and allowing it to work on us, and doing healing work, can actually lead us become more fully alive. We explore how when we embrace the reality of death and grief, it can move us to be more fully present, and create a thriving life of purpose.
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You can buy Maria's new book "Reconfiguring " A Collection of Post-Christian Thoughts and Theologies" on Amazon here and find more of her work on her website here.