“...our hearts are like this - given a whole week full of headlines and pressures and fears and joys we imperceptively get pulled off course...so to gather together with other believers is a way of pulling our needle back north again.” — Carmen Joy Imes Old testament professor Carmen Joy Imes joins us on the podcast to discuss the role of the peopl…

“No matter where you are and no matter what you are doing, you are completely worthy right now. There is nothing that you could do or not do that would make you any less or more worthy.” — Portia Preston Public health professor Dr. Portia Preston joins us on the podcast to discuss sustainable habits in the midst of busy lives. What steps can we tak…

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“I can’t fix the world. I can’t save my university. I can’t save my department. I can’t save my students .... but I can keep showing up to what I’ve been called to do.” — Grace Hamman Medieval scholar Grace Hamman joins us on the podcast to discuss the wisdom medieval virtues and vices have for us today. What can medieval virtues and vices teach us…

“Even though it looks like other people are better prepared, God has gifted this to you. He is with you and you have an amazing opportunity. Don’t miss it because you’re concerned about how you might not be prepared or that you feel like you’re in over your head. Just take what you can from that situation and appreciate it.” — Erin Devers Social ps…

“Do not put off rest or relaxation. Learn how to weave it in throughout your day. Schedule it as if it was another class or lecture you had to attend.” — Tracie Braylock Holistic nurse educator Tracie Braylock joins us on the podcast to discuss stress, faith, and how to care for your whole body. What would change for each of us if we started the sc…

“Focusing on truth, goodness, and beauty first takes us outside of ourselves...but also it also changes who we are and how we are and how we do what we do.“ — Karen Swallow Prior Reader, writer, and erstwhile professor Karen Swallow Prior joins us on the podcast to discuss vocation, literature, and spiritual formation. What does it mean to have a c…

"I start off with trying to make sure the student knows someone is looking forward to seeing them." — Jana Young How do you prepare to successfully kick off a new school year? Listen in on our first in a series of episodes where we answer some of your Dear Mentor questions. Hello, dear listeners! To start us off this August, we’re offering a re-bro…

“I think this would be a perfect time to choose to trust God with your future and with your present and just spend some time with him in nature, with other colleagues in prayer, in the word, etc.“ — Dr. Denise-Margaret Thompson Four esteemed guests join us on the podcast to discuss how we can reflect on this school year and enter into summer from a…

“Doing your PhD is ... there's a lot of pressure for sure, but you never get that kind of space and time [again] to focus on a single project. As soon as you leave ... there are so many other demands in your time. The privilege of getting to sit with a topic for years and have so many people invest in the work that you're doing and speak into it an…

“Show up as your authentic self. Please don’t mold yourself into what you think you ought to be or how you think you ought to be received. Just be who God has called you to be, because when you do that, you give other women permission to be themselves, and I want my daughters to have that.” — Nicole Massie Martin Executive leader and author Rev. Dr…

“The pastor’s wife, in many ways, embodies the history of the Protestant church….Refocusing on her and putting her at the center helps us to understand the bigger picture of the role women play in church history and how women are overshadowed by these patriarchal structures.” — Beth Allison Barr Historian and professor Beth Allison Barr joins us on…

“One of the practices I use a lot in clinical supervision with burned out and stressed therapist or academics is asking people to remember why we got into this work in the first place, remembering back about the original hope and intention for my life with this work. What was God’s call on my life?” — Terri S. Watson Psychologist and professor Terr…

“I managed to divide myself in half. We can let our lives run on parallel tracks, and that is one way people deal with things. But it’s not healthy because the trains will collide.” — Ruth Bancewicz Science and faith professional Ruth Bancewicz joins us on the podcast to discuss the integration of faith and science and the way churches can help. Ho…

“I like to think of bread-baking more in terms of liturgy than in terms of recipe.” — Kendall Vanderslice Author, baker, and theologian Kendall Vanderslice joins us on the podcast to discuss the way baking bread offers a gateway to prayer, theology, and community. Have you ever tried the spiritual practice of liturgical bread baking? Author, baker,…

“If we were all created in the image of God, all of us who look so different...there is so much more to learn about God. So, I get one step closer to knowing God from exposing myself to different people...” — Khristi Lauren Adams Author and youth advocate Khristi Lauren Adams joins us on the podcast to discuss the theological insights we can learn …

“What does success mean to you? What does that look like? What is yours to do? What isn't yours to do?” — Tracey Gee Author and consultant Tracey Gee joins us on the podcast to discuss the value of knowing our own desires and the barriers that get in the way of this knowledge. How do you respond when a friend asks, “What do you want?” Whether it is…

“Find your Elizabeth. Find the person who sees the gifts in you and names them. That’s really significant.” — Jerusha Matsen Neal Author and professor Jerusha Matsen Neal joins us on the podcast to discuss the importance of place as we consider the spiritual implications of climate change around the world. In our world today, the effects of climate…

“Do what you do with love. Whether you’re gonna teach physics coming out of Cambridge and Harvard or whether you’re gonna go teach first-year English at your local community college — do it your best and do what you do with love..” — Julie Lane-Gay Author and horticulturist Julie Lane-Gay joins us on the podcast to discuss the ways the Book of Comm…

“Do what you and your family need. Let go of the cultural and even the church expectations. Just take time to behold — to behold the wondrous mystery of Christ among us and Christ in us and Christ born for us.” — Leslie Leyland Fields Author and writing teacher Leslie Leyland Fields joins us on the podcast to discuss the beautiful messiness of Adve…

"We need to be cautious about hyperbole, about dramatizing things before they are reality. One of the major issues we are facing in politics for a decade or more now is the erosion of truth, the erosion of fact based information and that comes in lots of different forms and lots of different directions, but the misrepresentation of one another and …

“I love the relational dimension of teaching, where you get to meet someone at the point of their curiosity or openness, right at their learning edge, and help them into a place of seeing something more complexly or shifting a perspective in such a way that it changes something, for them and for me. It feels magical to me. It still does, after so m…

“The core message for leaders is that before you do anything, that relationship with the Lord is the central piece.... The Lord loves you independently of anything you do.” — Sheila Wise Rowe & Nicholas Rowe Authors Sheila Wise Rowe and Nicholas Rowe join us on the podcast to talk about the inner work required to lead as a secure and healing-center…

“The biggest thing is to affirm ourselves and not wait for anyone or any room or anyone with any degree or any letters behind their name to affirm our voice and to say that our voice matters. We need to say it to ourselves and for ourselves.” — Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez Author Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez joins us on the podcast to talk about cult…

“If you have two choices, go with the one that’s going to ask you to become a larger person, not the one you think you are capable of doing in that moment. That would be my advice to women…. Do the thing that you don’t think you can do right now and ask God to make you adequate for that.” — Shirley Mullen Author and Houghton University president em…

“When I practice receiving the love of God, opening myself to receive the love of God, I’m blessed by that encounter, understanding that God is love. He is the very essence of love. The very essence of God is love.” — Barbara L. Peacock Author and spiritual director Dr. Barbara Peacock joins us on the podcast to talk about the ways attending to the…

"Your education is not just about the knowledge-acquisition, it’s not just about the degree at the end, but it’s also about your formation. How would God speak to you through whatever class you’re in, whatever program you’re in, through the community of scholars you’re a part of? Be looking for that too." — Rob Dixon Authors Amy and Rob Dixon join …

"In your heart of hearts — your deepest conviction — do you believe that God is sufficient for your need? Because if we don’t, it’s treating perfection like an idol in our life. We can become enslaved to the point where it distorts us." — Joanna Meyer Listen in on our summer book club interview as Women Scholars and Professionals director Karen Guz…

"You're someone who's smart and who's capable and God has plans for those gifts." —Dr. Jennifer Holberg What is the best advice you've heard about starting the school year? Listen in to some of the wisest moments from our podcast in this special back-to-school episode. We’re looking toward a fresh school year and thinking especially about those of …

"Lots of people don’t have eyes to see how good and important their work is." — Jeff Haanen Listen in on our spring book club interview as Women Scholars and Professionals book club host Jasmine Obeyesekere conducts an online discussion with author and leader Jeff Haanen where they talk about the ways inner transformation impacts our work and vocat…

“You discover these people who uniquely speak to you, who are not just wonderful and wise in their own right, but actually become your teacher and your friend in a very real way.” — Grace Hamman Author and scholar Grace Hamman joins us on the podcast to discuss medieval Christian ideas and the ways they can impact our spiritual lives today. What ca…

“God loves you and there is a community of women who can love you too." — Tara Edelschick Authors Tara Edelschick and Kathy Tuan-MacLean join us on the podcast to discuss parenthood, life in the academy, and the path toward spiritual transformation. How does the work of parenting create space for deep spiritual transformation? Authors Tara Edelschi…

"I don’t think people really understand what systemic racism, structural violence, and equity actually are because I think if you do, you realize they’re holy words — because they’re showing us where heaven isn’t quite on earth yet." — Dr. Emily Smith Epidemiologist and professor Dr. Emily Smith joins us on the podcast to discuss compassion, public…

"The Spirit accompanies us wherever we are….Worship opens us up to the realm of the Spirit. And it’s not just to be opened up for the times we are in church, but for our work in the world and our life in the world." — Jeanne Porter King Author and leadership coach Dr. Jeanne Porter King joins us on the podcast to discuss wellness, leadership, and t…

“Theological education means paying attention to all of the sources that shape you spiritually, theologically, and seeing that the questions you’re asking as a parent or as a student is theological reflection in practice.” — Maria Liu Wong Author and educator Maria Liu Wong joins us on the podcast to discuss the ways community and relationships cre…

“I think the key is to invite people into a space with you — to be the one who is always inviting people is the way to be in academia….Invitation is a great virtue to cultivate in a younger person.” — Tiffany Eberle Kriner English professor and author Tiffany Eberle Kriner joins us on the podcast to explore the ways caring for the earth, the life o…

“The best way for us to work out our thoughts and feelings and experiences about race is in relationship with another human being. ” — Krystal Hays Professors Krystal Hays and Veola Vazquez talk with us about building and deepening cross-race relationships in a way that reflects deep faith and rigorous research. How can we faithfully navigate the c…

“The self is the person that was beautifully and wonderfully created in the image of God. And so self-care for me is about taking care of that, is recognizing that I am a gift of God. Every one of us is a gift from God — our creation, our existence is a gift from God. How do I respond to that gift?” — Chanequa Walker-Barnes Psychologist and profess…

“Be yourself! Be your own crazy self. Authenticity is more important than being a 'should.'” — Jennifer L. Holberg English professor and author Jennifer Holberg talks with us about the power of narrative, the ways story can shape our lives, and the joy of teaching. Who doesn’t love a good story? English professor Jennifer Holberg joined us on the p…

“When you have the face-to-face depth of relationship and that shared commitment to looking out that is where we find really, really deep satisfaction.” — Amy L. Sherman Listen in on our fall book club interview as Women Scholars and Professionals book club host Jasmine Obeyesekere conducts an online discussion with author, scholar, and practitione…

“Advent turns our eyes away from [ourselves] toward this much bigger story of God’s salvation of all the cosmos.” — Tish Harrison Warren Anglican priest and author Tish Harrison Warren talks with us about the traditions of Advent and how to observe the season meaningfully in the midst of a busy season. It’s November 2023 and the beginning of Advent…

“There is hope and there is fruit and there is life, whether or not we one day have children. And I hope that in looking at these 25 women, that people might be encouraged and inspired and realize what abundance there is out there.” — Rev. Elizabeth Felicetti Episcopal priest and author Elizabeth Felicetti talks with us about living a rich and gene…

“I could not see when we moved what God would have for me in that place. But God was faithful. He had something in mind.” — Lynn Gill Lynn Gill is a chemist, a scholar, and the recently-appointed Vice President for InterVarsity’s Graduate and Faculty Ministries. Listen in as we discuss her journey through academia, her moments of discernment, and t…

“So many approaches that want to push back against sexism (and rightly so) have taken the approach of either throwing Paul under the bus or throwing Scripture under the bus in their desire to elevate women. It’s not the best way.” — Sandra L. Glahn Professor and scholar Sandra Glahn talks with us about her research in Ephesian culture, the value of…

“What if I actually took Jesus literally and … looked at the birds of the air and actually noticed the flowers? We relate to the natural world how we relate to each other.... If we disregard the natural world, it’s so much easier to disregard people in our midst.” — Kat Armas Author and scholar Kat Armas shares ideas from her new devotional about o…

“I would imagine that most of us could realize that there is this great intersection between who I am, what I love to do, what I feel called to do, and what I see are the felt and important needs of our communities.” — Dorcas Cheng-Tozun Author Dorcas Cheng-Tozun talks with us about pursuing justice while honoring one’s own particular sensitivities…

“Do I go to Scripture asking different questions? Do I come with a posture of assuming I will be both comforted and convicted? That I might be critiqued? Do I have myself in the posture to hear that or not?” — Kaitlyn Schiess Author and scholar Kaitlyn Schiess talks with us about political theology in American history and how learning about it can …

“Whatever is true of the Christian faith is true for all times and all people, not just 21st century American evangelicals.” — Karen Swallow Prior Author and scholar Karen Swallow Prior talks with us about the historical influences around evangelical culture and how they impact the expression of faith today. What forces have shaped the evangelical …

“Every day I want to praise or thank someone in the building for a task or a work well done. And thank God that God called them to this place and gave them the talent and ability that they exercise." — Gordon T. Smith Listen in on an exclusive peek into our fall book club interview as Women Scholars and Professionals book club host Jasmine Obeyesek…

“The way we think about this topic, the way we construe what it means to be human, has enormous implications for how we treat people and how we structure our institutions and our churches so that people can flourish.” — Carmen Joy Imes Author and professor Carmen Joy Imes talks with us about theology's impact on our daily lives, the unique dignity …