Season 1
May 15, 2023
Ep 121 What Is Spiritual Direction?
Send us a text This week’s title says it all. Oftentimes, we hear people try to describe spiritual direction by likening it to something that is “similar but different.” And so this week, we offer up a working definition for spiritual direction, talk about why the word “direction” is a bit of a mis…
May 8, 2023
Ep 120 Nurturing our Interspiritual Friendships
Send us a text Human nature tends to be such that we want to figure out who we are, who “our people'' are, and then settle into whatever feels easiest and most familiar. What’s more, psychologically speaking, our brains appear to be hard-wired to seek out people who look, think, behave, and even be…
May 1, 2023
Ep 119 Caretaking As Spiritual Practice
Send us a text Today we’re joined by Nicki Nelson, Director of Spiritual Guidance Initiatives at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin, who is sharing with us today about how caretaking has a way of bringing us to the edges of ourselves. At the end of the day, it turns out, we need a way to…
April 24, 2023
Ep 118 Spirituality in Times of Wilderness
Send us a text The (Spiritual) Wilderness is often associated with times of dryness. It may be that we come to find ourselves thrust suddenly into this world by way of suffering, trauma, and loss. We may experience it alone or in community with others. But however we arrive there, it would seem tha…
April 17, 2023
Ep 117 Ways We Engage with Money
Send us a text Money can be a challenging topic, fraught with emotions and baggage that we may or may not even be aware of. But on this week’s podcast, we talk about the value of having a safe space to become still, to look at our values, and to become aware of where our notions and feelings about …
April 10, 2023
Ep 116 Engaging the Contemplative Online
Send us a text Today we’re joined by Kristina’s longtime friend, Jason Ruona, in talking about the benefits of having virtual opportunities to connect spiritually. It’s not uncommon for people to wonder if there are too many barriers to online engagement, and so today, we take some time to talk bot…
April 3, 2023
Ep 115 Taking Risks and Trying New Things
Send us a text Today we’re taking some time for a little behind-the-scenes glimpse: Who are we? What has our spiritual journey been? How did Foundry Spiritual Center, the sponsor of our podcast, come to be? Join us as we think through the desires of our hearts that have led us to this particular mo…
March 27, 2023
Ep 114 The Spiritual Practice of Fasting
Send us a text Fasting can occur in many forms, both for religious and non-religious reasons. And, as we’ll explore on the podcast, there are many personal and communal benefits that can come from it. But also, as we’ll discover today, it’s not uncommon to find that fasting has been something that …
March 20, 2023
Ep 113 The Spiritual Practice of Collaboration
Send us a text Today we’re joined by Jon Anderson, executive director of Collaboration Project, who’s sharing with us the win-win rewards that come when we put relationships first, listen carefully to one another, and allow good work in the community to emerge from a sense of meaningful partnership…
March 13, 2023
Ep 112 The Spring Equinox and our Spirituality
Send us a text On this week’s podcast, we take a moment to become aware of - and to celebrate - the spring equinox and how the seasons of life can be teachers for us along the way in our own journeys. And boy the spring does not disappoint! Perhaps you're in a season of contemplating balance in you…
March 6, 2023
Ep 111 Getting Unstuck
Send us a text Today we are joined by Zil Eiler, an intuitive business coach and mentor who is sharing with us about how to “get unstuck,” whether those points of struggle are about our decisions, our circumstances, our relationships, or something else. This 20-minute interview is jam-packed with t…
Feb. 27, 2023
Ep 110 Spiritual Bypassing
Send us a text Spiritual bypassing can take many forms. We may find ourselves avoiding difficult emotions or trying to explain-away negative experiences. And in truth, spiritual bypassing turns out to be the opposite of the connection we seek, ultimately leading us to feel emotionally confused or w…
Feb. 20, 2023
Ep 109 Lament
Send us a text This week, we are joined by Kristen Emerson, licensed social worker and founder of Breaking Light Counseling who is sharing with us about the impacts of grief, loss, and trauma. Many of us experienced the effects of cumulative grief as we struggled to adjust and adapt during the heig…
Feb. 13, 2023
Ep 108 Our Empowered Voices
Send us a text On this week’s podcast, we’re taking some time to talk about how rituals can help us find our empowered voices - particularly in those moments where we just don’t feel permission to have a voice. Do you sometimes struggle with a negative ticker-tape of words going through your head? …
Feb. 6, 2023
Ep 107 Expanding Your Self-Care
Send us a text Today we’re talking about the expansiveness of self-care because, as it turns out, there are no less than six types of Self-Care. What we need in one season of life may look very different from what we need in another. What our internal list of “shoulds” tells us we ought to be doing…
Jan. 30, 2023
Ep 106 Can Gratitude and Hope Co-Exist
Send us a text At first blush, it may feel like an easy yes to imagine that gratitude and hope can co-exist. But on today’s podcast, we ask the question: Is it true? Can we hold space for the things we hope for? Or does havin...
Jan. 23, 2023
Ep 105 Engaging the Contemplative in College
Send us a text What does it mean to have contemplative practices in college? Today we’re joined by Evan Digman, a senior at UW-Madison, who’s talking to us about his spirituality journey - from his first experience of guided meditation in middle school to now. Do you sometimes wonder how to manage …
Jan. 17, 2023
Ep 104 Living with Overwhelm
Send us a text Feeling overwhelmed is unavoidable. On today’s podcast, we talk about how to live in the midst of our overwhelm as well as what we can do to ease the pain of it. Have you ever felt yourself begin to spiral? Maybe you had a physical reaction, like an upset stomach or a racing heart. O…
Jan. 9, 2023
Ep 103 Curiosity Around Chakras
Send us a text Today we’re joined by Ann Kowaliczko as she shares her wisdom about the vast and ancient topic of chakras. In this episode, we ask Ann many questions: What is a chakra? How do you access the energy of chakras? What caused you - a person who didn’t grow up hearing about chakras - to p…
Jan. 2, 2023
Ep 102 The Value of Retreats
Send us a text On this week’s podcast, each of us shares a bit about our deep love and appreciation for retreats - and in a variety of ways! Join us as we talk about best practices for preparing, what to do if you don’t feel like you have the time, and why different seasons of your life may call fo…
Dec. 26, 2022
Ep 101 Three Ways to Engage the New Year
Send us a text On this week’s podcast, each of us takes a moment to share things we are excited about as we enter into the New Year. Join us as we discover together that, while some of us have plans that involve our family and friends, others of us intend to spend some time in reflection by ourselv…
Dec. 19, 2022
Ep 100 The Power of Pause
Send us a text Taking a moment to pause is a practice that can enrich both our inner and our outer lives. Have you ever finished a meal only to feel like you hadn’t even tasted it? Maybe you know all too well the experience of running from one thing to the next. Do you ever feel pressed for answers…
Dec. 12, 2022
Ep 99 Childhood Memories
Send us a text Did you know that childhood memories can be insightful and generative parts of your prayer times? In one moment, perhaps they help us identify a long-standing pattern. But in another moment, perhaps they connect us more profoundly to our interests, or even allow us to reconsider the …
Dec. 5, 2022
Ep 98 The Value of Lectio Divina
Send us a text Lectio Divina is a Latin phrase that literally translates to mean “Divine Reading.” It’s a contemplative practice that can help us slow down and immerse ourselves in what we’re seeing (and hearing) on the page, which often leads to experiences of deeper spiritual connection. Whether …