Episodes
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Episode 33: Grace Wins: Kirk Havel
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
Tuesday Mar 22, 2022
In this episode, I am honored to speak with my childhood pastor, Kirk Havel. I wanted to interview him because of the role he has played in my life and how he has reframed stories in my life, especially around God. Kirk has shown me how to live out the gospel and a lot of times when you live out the gospel, it isn’t always popular. He also showed me care, respect, love, and how I have the capacity to be a leader. He is an example of the kind of Christian I want to be.
Kirk was born and raised in Ohio - forever a Buckeye! He graduated from Capital University and Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. In 1968, he married Sandra Magsig, raising two sons - one a small business owner in Arizona and the other is a pastor in Indiana. Kirk and Sandy are also blessed with four grandchildren.
Following an internship in Portland, Oregon and seminary graduation, he served as pastor in Ohio and Michigan, assistant to the Bishop in Detroit working in the call process and conflict resolution, and the ELCA Church Council, before retiring in 2009 after 20 years at Trinity Lutheran Church in Midland, Michigan.
In retirement, he continues to provide pastoral support to congregations and for the past 12 years, distributes a weekly essay called JUST WONDERING where he attempts to connect faith and life from his own experiences. Given his coronary artery disease resulting in two heart attacks and two by-pass surgeries, Kirk exercises daily as part of his routine.
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Episode 32: Balding, Bodybuilding, and the Houseless: Kristen Theile
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
There are times when we aren’t paying attention, we might just miss a lesson. Kristen Theile is a person who often pays attention to what is happening around her, takes what she learns and runs with it. Kristen talks with Kara about her experiences helping those without homes and how they have helped shape her life. They also discuss how her love for service also lent her into experiencing first hand the sexist nature in beauty standards for women and how she keeps herself healthy and thriving through bodybuilding.
Kristen is a Coordinator of Discipleship and Congregational Care at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Largo, Florida. Previously, she was a Youth and Children’s Minister in outreach ministry in Las Vegas. Her experiences include creating a youth ministry called Growth Through Service (GTS) where they ran a weekly park outreach meal program for middle school kids with food insecurities, a food pantry for youth, made 30,000 kits for people experiencing homelessness, Feel Good Fridays with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, and holiday meals for kids experiencing homelessness. GTS is a youth ministry that is socioeconomic diverse, racially diverse, and openly inclusive of LGBTQ+. Kristen has partnered with communities and helped to coordinate and lead mission trips in the states and internationally. She has spoken at many conferences for Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA) about Sex Trafficking, serving our neighbors, and creating ministry around serving. In 2020, she and her former youth group spoke at a conference with Father Gregory Boyle from Homeboy Industries, the largest gang outreach ministry in the world, and is an organization GTS has worked with.
Through her work she hears the call in Micah 6:8 -- “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
If you want to reach out to Kristen, email her at theilek10@gmail.com
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Episode 31: Our Relationship with Consent and Trauma: Dr. Laura McGuire
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
In this episode Kara takes a deep dive into consent with the author of the book, Creating Cultures of Consent, Dr. Laura McGuire. Dr. Laura is a Sexuality Health Educator, Adjunct Professor, Consultant and Speaker for The National Center for Equity and Agency, a Doula, Yoga instructor, and a survivor. Not to mention she is also now getting her Masters in Pastoral Counseling. Through her lived experiences she knows first hand the importance of consent and how to talk about it through a trauma informed lens. Dr. Laura has worked with survivors and those who have been perpetrators to help educate around sexuality, consent, equity and inclusion.
Find out more about her here:
www.drlauramcguire.com
www.instagram.com/drlauramcguire
www.linkedin.com/in/dr-laura-mcguire-276b87100
Dr. Laura spoke highly about the book: The Invention of Women By: Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí
www.goodreads.com/book/show/1161702.The_Invention_of_Women
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Episode 30: Queerfully and Wonderfully Made: Jaz Waring
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
When Kara learned of Jaz and their ministry: Queerfully and Wonderfully made, she was very excited. Kara loves the use of storytelling and the arts in a form of connecting to others, especially when it comes to religion, healing, and sexuality. Jaz has found a way to utilize each of these to offer a healing space for the queer community who have been hurt from their religious community.
In this episode you will hear Jaz’s story of learning about their sexuality and how it took a toll on their body to live into their truth. They talk about how it affected their faith life and the path it led them down to get to where they are today…awaiting ordination in the ELCA Lutheran church.
Jaz is a candidate in Word and Sacrament in the ELCA and is currently on staff at The Table OC in Fullerton, CA. In January 2019, they launched an LGBTQ+ centered ministry called Queerfully & Wonderfully Made, an inclusive space for LGBTQ+ people to explore faith in creative ways. When Jaz isn’t manically obsessing over ministry and queer theology, they like to spend time bingeing documentaries with their gracious partner, Melanie, and their dog, Bowie.
Learn more at Queerfully & Wonderfully Made
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Episode 29: Navigating the Landscape of Sexuality: Nadine Thornhill
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Nadine never expected to find herself in sex education, but once she did she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She has been an educator now for 15 years helping youth, parents, and many others learn about the depth of sexuality while also helping them recognize their worth. She reaches people by being herself and being okay with the mess.
Nadine Thornhill is a Certified Sex Educator from Toronto, Ontario. She strives to be sex-positive, queer-positive, anti-oppressive, and prochoice in her teaching ethic. She is often sought after by the media for her expertise which you can find in Today’s Parent, Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Nadine is the co-host for the web series Every Body Curious, which is absolutely amazing and a wonderful teaching tool.
https://www.nadinethornhill.com
https://www.youtube.com/c/nadinethornhill
https://www.instagram.com/nadinethornhill
https://twitter.com/nadinethornhill
https://www.facebook.com/nadine.thornhill
https://everybodycurious.com
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Episode 28: Women’s Health & Taking Back Our Power: Nisha McKenzie
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
Tuesday Jan 04, 2022
It is no surprise to any person identifying as a woman or femme that there are disparities in the medical community around our health. This is why our guest Nisha McKenzie became a Physician’s Assistant and opened her own practice to help specifically with women’s health issues. In this episode, we discuss these disparities along with validating those who may have had experiences of not being seen or heard, menopause, STIs, and what it means to treat the whole person.
Nisha is the owner and founder of the Women’s Health Collective in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is a Certified Physician’s Assistant, Menopause Practitioner, Sexuality Counselor, and an ISSWSH fellow. Her center is women owned and operated and focuses on the multiple areas women need health care from gynecological, breast examinations, STI testing, fertility care, and more. Nisha also spends her time teaching at a number of collegiate institutions such as Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, and University of Michigan’s Sexuality Health Certificate Program. She was recognized as one of West Michigan’s most influential women.
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Episode 27: Sexuality Education with the Puberty Prof: Lori Reichel
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
So much of sexual health education around puberty and beyond revolves around healthy relationships and communication. Lori takes a deep dive into what that means in her classroom with students going through puberty and the young adults she teaches in college.
Lori Reichel is the Puberty Prof. Lori loves to provide hands on education to children that is not lecture based to help them learn about their bodies and relationships. With over 30 years of experience as a sex educator she knows the tools that kids and families need to have important conversations.
Lori has her own podcast called: The Puberty Prof, has developed an app for families to help with conversations called: The Talk Puberty app, and now with her experience teaching as a college professor she is developing The Talk B4 Sex app.
Learn more about Lori on her website: https://www.lorireichel.com/
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
There is so much richness in this episode around relationships. Kara and Francesca start their conversation with BDSM and end with talking to your inner child and how our relationships mirror the unmet expectations and trauma of childhood. Francesca talks at great length about the way our brain plays a role and how we can learn how to care for ourselves to have an enriching sex life with ourselves and or partners.
Francesca Gentille, Certified Clinical Sexologist and initiated shaman, inspires transformation through combining the science and soul of sexuality. For over 20 years, she´s compassionately empowered thousands of clients and students around the world to reclaim the spark, bridge sexual differences, heal from trauma, and deepen self love.
An expert in the field of integrating sexuality, consciousness, healing, Tantra, and the use of BDSM as therapeutic modality, she is professor at the International Institute of Clinical Sexology, where she is studying to receive her PHD. She has conducted workshops and presented at conferences in the United States, Netherlands, Italy, Malta, Israel, England, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, and England.
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Episode 25: Let’s Talk About Sex - No Shame: Dr. Lea Lis
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
With shared enthusiasm for talking about sex to parents and kids shame free, Kara and Dr. Lea Lis get right to it with the help from her book: No Shame: Real Talk With Your Kids About Sex, Self-confidence, and Healthy Relationships. In this episode we highlight the importance of being able to talk with our children about sex and to not fear it as often as we do. Dr. Lea helps to dispel myths and provides insight into what she learned from her clients.
She is uniquely positioned to help parents and children face many mental health challenges and live healthy lives. During her training and residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York and New York University, and her private psychiatric practice (Mindful Kid), she has developed expertise in working with modern families of all types.
Psychiatry and medicine has been Dr. Lis’ calling since age 15 when she started working at Hillside Psychiatric Hospital. She has a thriving clinical practice where she sees adults and children with all types of mental health issues in Southampton, New York. She has a well-received column on Psychology Today and Thrive Global, and has appeared as an expert on parenting in programming by ABC, CBS and NBC. She has been featured in numerous media outlets such as The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and in niche publications like Good Housekeeping, Modern Beach Luxury and Psychiatric News. She has been interviewed as an expert on multiple podcasts.
Dr. Lea is double board certified as an Adult and Child Psychiatrist. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at New York Medical College. She is active in the American Psychiatric Association, having served as a member of their National Ethics Committee and on the Board of Trustees. She has presented numerous symposia and workshops at the annual APA meetings and at the meetings of the Institute of Psychiatric Services. Her Academic publications have appeared in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice and the Journal of Academic Psychiatry.
Learn more about Dr. Lea on her website.
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Episode 24: The Fullness of our Sexuality: Todd Malloy
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Todd Malloy, a North Carolina Certified Sex Therapist and Educator, talks with Kara about the fullness that we can experience in our sexual lives when we allow intimacy to take the lead instead of our mindset based on performance. They also discuss how our childhood experiences shape the narratives we bring into the bedroom and how we can work to change them. We can learn how to take the hardships and turn them into the fuel to move forward and create a better world for ourselves and others.
A bold and innovative thinker who delivers solutions for the big issues of life in an inspiring way, Todd is a rare individual. With over 30 years of experience and training as a marriage and family therapist, certified sex therapist, certified sexuality educator, lecturer, producer, and author, Todd tackles some of the most complex problems of our time.
Todd is Founder and Clinical Director Inner Peace Counseling Center, Co-author - A Time to Rise, Trailblazers Award Recipient - Pfeiffer University, Producer & Host Man Cave Conversations Weekly Radio Guest Speaker, V101.9 Love and Consequence, and the Janine Davis Show. He has also served on staff with the Sexual Health Certificate Graduate Program at the University of Michigan.
Learn more about Todd and his work at Inner Peace Counseling Center.