Welcome to a bonus episode of the rooted (IN)tentionaly podcast. In this special unedited conversation, Bradley Jersak and I talk about the themes of my new book, A Kenotic Way of Contemplative Healing. Bradley is a theologian, author and principal of St. Stephen's University. He was also supervisor for my thesis research which forms the heart and substance of this book. Together we explore the connections between kenosis, contemplation, neuroscience and healing our individual and collective trauma. What if there's a way of being human together that can heal us and our world? As it turns out, this is a very timely conversation.

To learn more about SSU, head to ssu.ca. And to connect with Bradley, head to bradjersak.com. A Kenotic Way of Contemplative Healing releases May 5th. Learn more about Susan and the book at susancarson.net.

I'm thrilled to welcome Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw to this bonus episode as we talk about their new book Landscapes of the Soul. Bridging spirituality and relational neurobiology, they help us consider what it means to live a life of joy in relationship. Geoff and Cyd help us identify our attachment strategies, how they developed and how we heal. These attachment strategies, the ways we connect with others (or don't), color how we see everything, including God. Listen to the end because Cyd leads us in a beautiful practice designed to help us move a little further into safe attachment with Jesus. Connect with the Holsclaws to learn more about what they offer, including their cohorts, at embodiedfaith.life.

If this conversation is meaningful for you, please take a minute to like, subscribe and share with a friend who needs this encouragement today. You can connect with me and find free resources at susancarson.net. Thanks for joining me today!

I'm thrilled to welcome author, speaker and friend Felicia Murrell back to the podcast as we talk about her new book, And: The Restorative Power of Love in an Either/Or World. You'll feel the power of love as you listen. Weaving together poetry, prose, prayers and practices, Felicia shares vulnerably, guiding us from her own story to encourage, challenge, confront and call us to love. This beautiful, healing book takes us on an embodied journey, inviting us to fully inhabit our humanity, to defy our divides, to live as one.

To hear more from Felicia, listen to our conversation about her first book Truth Encounters in Season 2 Episode 8. You can connect with her at feliciamurrell.com and through her Facebook (felicia.murrell.9) and Instagram (hellofelicia_murrell) accounts.

If this conversation is meaningful for you, please take a minute to like, subscribe and share with a friend who needs this encouragement today. You can connect with me, find free resources, my book and more at susancarson.net. Thanks for joining us!

In this episode, my guest is author, professor and theologian James Bryan Smith. Jim is a prolific author with a brand new book in The Good and Beautiful Series, The Good and Beautiful You. The first book in this series, The Good and Beautiful God, released about ten years ago, was a milestone marker in healing my image of God. Today, we're talking about how our toxic self-narratives shape our view of God and ourselves, and how we can live more fully into the good and beautiful truth of who we truly are. As always, there's a practice at the end you won't want to miss!

Jim is director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University, and host of the Things Above Podcast. A founding member of Richard Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovaré, he's all about spiritual practices that restore our souls.

If this conversation is meaningful for you, please take a minute to like, subscribe and share with a friend who needs this encouragement today. You can connect with me, find free resources and more at susancarson.net. Thanks for joining us!

What a joy to welcome Gem Fadling back to our series! I spoke with Gem just before her latest book, Hold that Thought: Sorting through the Voices in Our Heads, released in the fall of 2022. In this conversation, Gem shares her own journey in healing as she learned to identify the unaddressed voices in her head. We all have them right? The voices that drive us to live from our false selves, wreaking havoc in our lives. We talk about the power of Trinitarian love, nonjudgmental self-observation, inner healing, finding our own voice and sense of self, and more. Then Gem leads us in a practice for transformation as we learn to sort through the voices in our heads.

Gem is passionate about training women to rest deeper, live fuller and lead better. (Spoiler alert: I have the honor of contributing to her new online community for women, Replenish!) She's founding partner of Unhurried Living, a Certified Life Coach, and a certified spiritual director who coaches women at the intersection of spiritual leadership and soul care. She's also host of the podcast I Can Do That! Connect with her at unhurriedliving.com/gem.

Are you looking for a safe haven for soul care and emotional healing? Join me at www.susancarson.net.

In this episode I'm sharing a prayer I pray almost daily these days. When my spiritual director first pointed me to this practice, honestly, I didn't like it at all. But I knew I needed it. With time, it's shaping, healing and deeply challenging me in all the best (but not comfortable) ways. This prayer invites us to a giant trust fall, inviting us to fall into the arms of Love working all things together for our healing and wholeness.

While the prayer is associated with Father Thomas Keating, the practice was originally crafted by Mary Mrozowski, Keating's friend and colleague. I'm thankful to them both.

Watch the YouTube version at @SusanCarson. Are you looking for a safe space to experience a transformational encounter with God? Join me at www.susancarson.net.

In this episode of rooted (IN).ten.tionally, I'm bringing you Bradley Jersak and Felicia Murrell (two of my favorites!). Together we talk about Bradley's new book, Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction, available now. This conversation is deep, rich and real as we consider how we're invited to heal from and through our deconstruction. What new life might be waiting to emerge? Listen to the end as Bradley leads us in a prayer experience to help us heal. This interview was part of our 2022 Virtual Fundraiser for Roots&Branches Network.

Connect with Bradley at bradjersak.com, and with Felicia on Instagram at hellofelicia_murrell. Are you looking for a safe space to experience a transformational encounter with God? Join me at www.susancarson.net.

In this imaginative prayer experience, we engage with Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan. As you watch the story unfold, you'll consider the question, Who is your neighbor? Who, in your life today, is the outsider, the one religious leaders might pass by on the road? Jesus makes the outsider the hero of this story, the one who shows mercy. How are you being invited to show mercy, to move to the margins to love your neighbor, today?

Are you looking for a safe space to experience a transformational encounter with God? Join me at www.susancarson.net.