I am so excited to have author Sarah Westfall on the Still Becoming Podcast. In this interview Sarah invites her into her unique lens on the topic of belonging. We discuss the common longing to belong, the desire for "withness," and my favorite part of her book and this conversation: "Belonging is not something to attain, but someone to become." I can't wait for you to hear this interview!

Sarah E. Westfall is a writer, speaker, and host of the Human Together podcast. Her previous work includes serving as director of community for online writing groups and as a student development professional on college campuses. She has been published in RELEVANT, Fathom Mag, and (in)courage. Sarah lives in Indiana with her husband, Ben, and four sons.

Visit her website at sarahewestfall.com.

Follow her on Twitter: @sarah_westfall

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_westfall

These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.

In a world that is loud, busy, chaotic, and hurting, it can feel difficult to create a moment of space to breathe. It can also be hard to feel grounded and at home in your body with so much stress surrounding you. This is a meditation I have done in session with clients. I hope it is a calming exhale for your day.

To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com

For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.

Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.

𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞⁣⁣⁣⁣

Conversation with Drew Jackson

Uncertainty, Becoming, and Poetry

Episode # 133

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I am so honored and excited to have poet, speaker, public theologian, and author Drew Jackson on the Still Becoming Podcast. This interview is one of my favorite conversations I've ever had on the podcast. Drew invites us into looking at life, uncertainty, faith, mental health, political acts and more through the lens of poetry. The lens of poetry, as he describes it, is one that we can all practice applying in our own ways to reconnect with where we are, how we feel, what we believe, and what we need. Through this deep and thoughtful conversation Drew shares some of his own journey as well as his own insights through his process of writing and grappling with questions, uncertainty, faith, and his own journey of becoming. Drew's wisdom creates such an expansive space. Finally we talk about Drew's words as a model for living, “When I forget beauty, poetry is there to invite me to slow down and notice the small blossoms of God’s new creation breaking through. When I become numb to heartache, poetry brings me back in touch with the tears of the world.” We begin this interview with Drew reading one of his beautiful new poems. We end this conversation with a moving description of how Drew's mom and his wife have each impacted his own becoming. I can't wait for you to hear this conversation.

Drew Jackson is a poet, speaker, and public theologian. He is author of God Speaks Through Wombs: Poems on God’s Unexpected Coming and Touch the Earth: Poems on The Way. His work has appeared in Oneing from the Center for Action and Contemplation, The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad, Made for Pax, The Journal from the Centre for Public Christianity, Fathom Magazine, and other publications.

Drew received his B.A. in Political Science from the Univ. of Chicago and his M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He currently works as the Director of Mission Integration for the Center for Action and Contemplation, and lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and daughters.

Find Drew Here:

https://drewejackson.com/

https://www.instagram.com/d.jacksonpoetics

This month's Mental Health Check-In follows along with my current newsletter series called Therapy Notes: Small Bits of Wisdom from Inside the Room. Head over to the link below, or my website, to join in at my newsletter. It's my favorite place to create and connect.

About the series : Therapy Notes swill offer insights I wish I could pass out for free (here goes), things that help me in my life, and certainly things I wish I’d known before I became a therapist. Scroll back through all of them if you are new here!

Therapy is both an art form and a collection of knowledge. Much of this knowledge is gleaned from the clinical research that informs the science of the field. However, the kitchen table version, simplified down to accessible takeaways, is where I see the most effective help. I hope this series will offer some wisdom from the practice of therapy. My own definition of wisdom is: knowledge you can actually use.

For more Still Becoming find Monica at ⁠⁠monicadicristina.com⁠⁠, and on Instagram: ⁠⁠@monicadicristina⁠⁠.

Sign up for the ⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠ too!

This is a re-release of a Mental Health Check-In episode for those of us who are ending summer and moving into the business of a new school year, or an approaching Fall with work commitments. We are talking about the myth of balance, and how much shame an unrealistic idea of balance can produce in our lives. In this short episode we will identify why this myth isn't helpful, and how to think about ordering our lives instead. We will explore the ideas of prioritization, values, boundaries, and permission as a replacement for the pressure that "balance" produces. I hope this episode is validating, freeing, and encouraging. For more Still Becoming find Monica at ⁠⁠monicadicristina.com⁠⁠, and on Instagram: ⁠⁠@monicadicristina⁠⁠.

Sign up for the ⁠⁠newsletter⁠⁠ too!

I am so excited to have author Emily P. Freeman on the podcast. I am such a fan, and I have been for a long time. I appreciate the way Emily shows up in the world and in her work. In a world that is always in a rush to decisions, to certainty, and to judgement, Emily's work is refreshingly curious, patient, and spacious. In this conversation, and in her impactful new book How to Walk Into a Room, Emily invites us to look at endings and decisions in a helpful and wholistic way. We discuss how we moralize decisions, Emily's metaphor of rooms in our lives, and the idea of true peace and decisions. It is such a rich and layered conversation, and I can't wait for you to hear it.

Emily P. Freeman is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books, including The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions. As a spiritual director, workshop leader, and host of The Next Right Thing podcast (more than 25 million downloads), her most important work is to help create soul space and offer spiritual companionship and discernment for anyone struggling with decision fatigue. Emily holds a master’s degree in spiritual formation and leadership from Friends University. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

https://emilypfreeman.com/ https://www.instagram.com/emilypfreeman/

These short guided meditations are ones I wish existed. They are topical, easy to follow, and made to feel therapeutic. They are short and combined with very calming music.

This short meditation can be used to prepare for something that worries or scares you. It can be used to make space for worrying about someone you love. It is also just for the fear of the everyday. Many carry a lot of fear every day, and this short meditation is a chance to process, make space, and find comfort.

To sign up for Monica's newsletter - go to this link: https://monicadicristina.substack.com

For more Still Becoming, follow Monica on Instagram @monicadicristina.

Or check out monicadicristina.com for resources, articles, and more.

I am so honored and happy to have Author and Chaplain J.S. Park back on the Still Becoming podcast. If you have hung out with me for any time, you know my deep admiration of his work, writing, and presence in the world. J.S. Park is an author who refuses to look away from pain, and he invites his readers to both see and feel seen in a way I have never experienced elsewhere. This is a profound and deep conversation, and one I have found myself thinking about long afterwards. That is what J.S. Park's work does - it leaves you reconsidering what you have been through, what you need, what others are facing, and how you can more tenderly show up for all of it. I can't wait for you to listen.

Loving CW: We do discuss trauma and loss in this episode.

J.S. Park is a hospital chaplain, former atheist/agnostic, sixth degree black belt, suicide survivor, Korean-American, and follows Christ.

J.S. is author of an upcoming book, As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve, part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir, published by W Publishing of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. He is also the author The Voices We Carry: Finding Your One True Voice in a World of Clamor and Noise, published by Northfield/Moody.

J.S. currently serves at a 1000+ bed hospital, one of the top-ranked in the nation, and was also a chaplain for three years at one of the largest nonprofit charities for the homeless on the east coast.