In every deep relationship, there comes a point where we are asked to give up something of ourselves or change in ways we never anticipated. Who will this make me? What will this love cost? Tembi Locke fell in love with an Italian chef named Saro when she was studying abroad in Italy during college. Their romance was a story for the big screen. (Quite literally. One starring Zoe Saldana.)

A rare illness upended it all. Tembi spent ten years as Saro’s caregiver before he died. In her grief, Tembi took their young daughter back to Sicily to see what of her husband she could find there—in his culture, in his food, and with his family.

In this conversation, Kate and Tembi discuss:

• becoming the architect of your life

• the effects of long-term caregiving (both the beauty and the cost)

• who grief makes us

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love:

• Katherine and Jay Wolf on what caregiving costs us

• Thomas Lynch on how we become who we miss

• John Swinton on living at the speed of love

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you started thinking really concretely about small, hard choices? That’s exactly what palliative care physicians do every day. They help us think about what we really want—knowing that we have limited time and limited resources. You’re going to love our guest today, Dr. Kathryn Mannix, palliative care physician and cognitive behavioral therapist. She offers practical steps to help people and their loved ones make sense of what limited choices they have, navigate any pain and fear they may experience, and gives the most comforting speech on what the end of a life looks like that we’ve ever heard. (I promise this is not scary at all. It is perfect.)

In this conversation, Kate and Kathryn discuss:

• Why we want to keep a lid on the scary things of life

• What even is palliative care

• How palliative care-type thinking can help us live better

• What happens to hope when facing end of life

This is a masterclass in walking right up to the edge with people, in the most gentle, compassionate way.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love:

• Sunita Puri on living in uncertainty

• Rev. Tom Long on the importance of the rituals for death and dying

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes you really need someone to believe that you are good. Unshakably good. Over 30 years ago, Father Greg Boyle started working with gang members in Los Angeles through Homeboy Industries. The lessons that he learns from whom he calls “homies” are contagious. Every day, they teach him about what it means to heal, to belong to one another, to practice compassion, and to relearn how to feel good again to God and others. These are just some of the transcendent truths that he has to share with us today.

In this conversation, Kate and Greg discuss:

• what it means to see unshakable goodness in others

• what it would mean for our carceral system if we sought to heal instead of punish

• how can we have a greater capacity for joy

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love:

• Bryan Stevenson on rethinking what “justice” means

• Francis Collins on treating people kindly and with love

• Nicholas Kristof on hope as a muscle

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nurse and writer Christie Watson found herself in a grocery store fish-finger freezer and realized something was very, very wrong. Why was she so desperate for more? (And also, why was she so extremely overheated? Oh wait…hormones?) In this hilarious and hopeful conversation, Christie speaks with Kate about the importance of prioritizing joy in the face of our emotionally expensive professions and roles, as well as joy’s importance as we get older (and how lucky we are to age in the first place).

In this conversation, Kate and Christie discuss:

• The intricate aspects of aging for women

• The significance of nurturing strong female friendships

• Making room for the absurd in our life

If you liked this episode, you will also love:

• Christie Watson on what nurses teach us about the language of kindness

• Emma Gannon on whether we are in shut-it-down seasons or creative seasons

• Elizabeth Gilbert on finding our "purpose" (and why that is a load of BS)

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we have something special for you. Kate Bowler joins Rainn Wilson to explore the complexities of American Christian traditions and the nature of suffering on Soul Boom. Kate delves into her personal journey with stage four cancer, her struggles with the American healthcare system, offering profound insights into faith, resilience, and the misconceptions of positive thinking. Together, they discuss the dichotomy of American religious practices and the deep, often unspoken struggles that accompany a life of faith. Tune in for a heartfelt conversation filled with wisdom, humor, and authenticity.

To hear more episodes, search for Soul Boom wherever you get your podcasts or follow the links below:

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Produced by: Kartik Chainani
Executive Produced by: Ford Bowers, Samah Tokmachi
Spring Green Films
Production Supervisor: Mike O'Brien
Voicing Change Media
Theme Music by: Marcos Moscat

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a hard time to be a person in the world given the volatile political climate or state of our world or the realities we’re facing in our family. But the weight of the world’s problems are not on your shoulders alone. Sharon McMahon, America’s Government Teacher, joins Kate for a hopeful conversation that reminds us all of the small, faithful ways we can make a difference in our communities.

In this conversation, Kate and Sharon discuss:

• why it’s not our job to fix every problem

• how ordinary people can have an extraordinary impact

• how to engage with others who may think or act (or vote!) differently than you

If you loved this episode, you’ll also like:

• Cindy McCain on what courage looks like in action

• Judy Woodruff on living in our beautiful, terrible days

• Abigail Marsh on altruistic kidney donors

• Anna Sale on talking across difference

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all experience seasons where all we can do is scratch our heads and say, “WHAT EVEN HAPPENED?!”

Dr. Francis Collins led the National Institutes of Health during 2020—our season of collective “WHAT EVEN HAPPENED!?” He is still picking up the pieces of heartbreak from how people responded to one another and to science at the time. Yet he hasn’t lost his faith in humanity.

In this conversation, Kate and Francis discuss:

• Why faith and science seem at odds (and why they shouldn’t be)

• The importance of doubt and asking questions

• What happens when institutions (or their leaders) let us down and you’ll hear quite the case on practicing interdependence.

• How we might all have enough foolishness to imagine we can be part of bridging the great divides we see.

If you liked this episode, you might also love:

• Angela Williams on the importance of community care

• Maggie Jackson on what staying open-minded offers us

• David Brooks on asking better questions

To hear more conversations on science and faith with top scientists and Christian leaders, check out BioLogos’s Language of God podcast.

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it possible for anyone to change—change their mind, change their theology, change their priorities? What does it mean to hope when we live in such uncertainty?

Richard B. Hays is a world-renowned scholar of the New Testament. He is also a dear friend and colleague of Kate Bowler. Richard and Kate were both unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer at the same time, which meant they spent many hours discussing the heart of what it means to hope. Their hard won wisdom adds such depth and heart to today’s episode.

In this conversation, Richard and Kate discuss:

• What it means to be hopeful
• A rich theological perspective of suffering in light of the resurrection
• How to pray when you are living in uncertainty
• Why it's never too late to change your mind as you grow older

This is a soulful conversation that embodies the humility it takes to change anything. Your mind. How your time is spent. Your certainties. We can’t wait to hear what you think.

If you liked this episode, you might also love:

• Will Willimon on vocation (especially as we age)
• Tom Long on learning to number our days
• Stanley Hauerwas on needing fewer explanations
• Jeff Chu on discovering grace for people who think unlike you

Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.

Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.