Poema Podcast

Poema S8 014 | Andre Henry on All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep

I'm honoured today to be joined by author, activist and musician Andre Henry. In this episode we talk about his new book, "All The White Friends I Couldn't Keep". 
Andre talks about the power dynamics of systemic racism and it's origins, in particularly discussing the oppressive systems of the British empire, which was built on the breaking of black bodies. He also challenges the cultural assumptions we make which are often impacted by racial cultural conditioning, and the type of change we need, and how it can be achieved. 
This episode is discomforting in an absolutely necessary sense, and a must listen. 
*Please note, we had some technical issues with the recording so my track runs over Andre's on occasion - this is a tech issue which I couldn't resolve but I hope the spirit of the conversation comes through.

Poema S8 013 | Mandy Capehart on Restorative Grief

Today I'm joined by Mandy Capehart, a trauma-aware licenced grief coach, who shares her own experiences of grief, the lessons she learned and how we can have a healthy relationship with our grief. 
Mandy shares different practices she's found for helping her process grief and how she helps others to do the same. She makes the point we are different, all manifest our grief in unique ways, so the ways we process it will always be unique for each of us - and all of them belong.
Mandy also discusses how griefing ties in with the experience of faith deconstruction and our unique spiritual journeys - and how she experienced this herself.

Poema S8 012 | Trace Bell asks Tina Olsen & James about Death, Consciousness & After Death

My dear friends Tina Olsen and Trace Bell return to the podcast today, and Trace asks both myself and Tina to share our stories of grief and loss. We then explore this in the context of a fresh understanding of human consciousness, of our bodies living in our consciousness, and consciousness continuing after physical death.
Both Tina and myself have some transcendent experiences to share with the consciousness of family members who have passed. We share little incidents from their lives and what seem random stories from our lives and from experiences with movies we've seen since which suggest there is more going on with our consciousness than just our bodies. We also talk about the science which could suggest this might be true.
Trace adds his own perspective as someone exploring and learning about consciousness, and getting to know the consciousness of someone who has passed.
This is a fascinating conversation which opens up a lot of questions and possibilities..I'd encourage you as you listen to open yourself up to new ideas and questions yourself.

Poema S8 011 | Amanda Held Opelt on Rituals of Grief

Amanda Held Opelt returns to the show this week, to discuss her new book 'A Hole in the World', and talk about her journey discovering and exploring rituals of grief. 
Using some examples, Amanda demonstrates the importance of having rituals around grief and mourning, and how these can aid the process of healing. We also discuss the damage which has and can be done to us individually and as a society, when we don't practice any kind of grief ritual or practice which engages with our grief and trauma. 
Finally, Amanda gives some examples of rituals she's found helpful and how we can begin to create our own practices which can help the healing process.
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Amanda's upcoming book, 'A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing', can be pre-ordered now at all online booksellers.

Poema S8 010 | Dr Jill Harrington on Superhero Grief

This week Dr Jill A. Harrington, DSW, LCSW, psychologist and author, joins me to discuss grief as explored in the context of superhero stories.
She is the co-author and editor of the book 'Superhero Grief'. In this episode we explore various experiences and responses to grief as we see in the stories of several superheroes - in particular Batman, a character who suffered violent trauma and grief.
We talk about how she's used various superhero stories in her research into the psychology of grief, attachment, and grief responses, and different ways we grieve. We also explore the concept of duality, and the background of the creation of Superman, and how in many ways this was a response to the grief experiences his creators and collective grieving and trauma Jews experienced in the 1930s and 1940s. 
With the recent release of 'The Batman', about this character who experienced grief, and in a world experiencing a collective grief and trauma, this conversation feels more relevant than ever.
 

Poema S8 009 | M J Weissenberger on Trauma, Grief & Deconstruction

Today my friend MJ Weissenberger joins me to tell her story.
MJ's is a powerful story of learning how to process grief of losing a parent, as well as recovering from abuse and trauma in the process of deconstruction.
We hear this story and then explore how this tied in with her personal and spiritual deconstruction, where this journey has taken her, and how this impacted her life, relationships, and understanding of the world we live in. MJ's story is powerful and I felt great solidarity as I bore witness to it. 

Poema S8 008 | Dr Hillary McBride PhD on the Wisdom of Your Body

I'm honoured to welcome back author, speaker therapist and podcaster Dr Hillary McBride Phd to the podcast today. 
In this episode we talk about embodiment, and 'the wisdom of our bodies'. Hillary talks about how through trauma, grief and messages from toxic systems, we can become disconnected from our bodies.
She shares how part of our transformation journey always has to be learning how to listen to our bodies, and the different ways our bodies communicates with us & we can learn to listen to them.
Dr McBride shares how systems like capitalism and evangelicalism directly impact our bodies, and how deconstructing those systems is key to having a healthy relationship with our bodies, and how our relationship with our bodies inherently political.
Hillary has so much wisdom and understanding on embodiment, mental/emotional health and how we heal. This is a powerful episode. 
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Dr McBride's book 'The Wisdom of Your Body' is available to buy at all online booksellers now!

Poema S8 007 | Sarah the Human on Being Borderline Brainwashed

Today my friend, author Sarah 'The Human', joins me to tell her story of deconstruction and spiritual awakening.
Sarah talks about what led her to begin questioning her faith, and where this path led her and the challenges she faced along the way. She also shares how the more she asked questions, the more she moved away from what she'd known, the more she saw how she'd been 'borderline brainwashed' by evangelicalism and toxic religion.
Sarah also shares how this impacted her relationships, with family, her husband and other communities - and how in the process she discovered a deeper, wider spirituality, and more of her true identity. 

Poema S8 006 | Cat with Da Cards on Spiritual Capitalism

My friend, tarot reader & eclectic witch Cat, joins me today to talk about an important and not often discussed issue - spiritual capitalism. 
Sharing their own experiences and insight, Cat unpacks what spiritual capitalism is, and how people can be & have been exploited by certain groups or individuals as they seek support and guidance on their spiritual journey, using some prominent examples.
They explain how we can discern the difference between truly wise and gifted people who genuinely want to help us on our journeys, and those just looking to manipulate us. 

Poema S8 005 | Kacey’s Journey to Freedom & Discovering Themselves

TW: spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, 
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In this episode my friend Kacey tells their story. They share their experience of growing up in an evangelical home, the expectations and demands, and their experiences of several types of abuse, in particular from their ex-husband.  They talk about the impact this had on them physically, mentally and emotionally. 
Kacey then talks about how they finally began to break free from this environment, in the process deconstructing their faith and their very identity. They tell us the challenges this brought, what they discovered about themselves, and how they've finally discovered freedom and embodiment in this process.
Kacey is both inspiring and courageous, and I'm so grateful they shared their story today.
Please Note: Since this was recorded Kacey has come out as non-binary. When this episode was originally recorded they had yet to do this and were using different pronouns (including she/her). As such different pronouns to their current ones are used in this episode.
I've used Kacey's current pronouns in these show notes and will do if they return to the podcast in future.