Where Ya From? Podcast

In this week’s episode with Dr. Christina Edmondson discusses the importance of treating our mental health as significantly as our physical health; Black dignity and embracing her identity as a Black woman; and how we can learn to embrace and love our own identities.Guest BioChristina Edmondson holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Tennessee State University, an MS degree from the University of Rochester in family systems, and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Hampton University with an emphasis in race, class, and gender. For over a decade, Christina has served in various roles, including most recently as the Dean for Intercultural Student Development at Calvin University. A certified cultural intelligence facilitator, public speaker, and former mental health therapist, Christina is often contacted by churches to consult about leadership development, antiracism, and mental health issues. She is also one of the co-hosts of the Truth's Table podcast.Twitter | WebsiteLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jemar Tisby is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Color of Compromise, president and co-founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, and co-host of the podcast Pass The Mic.Jemar attended the University of Notre Dame and joined Teach For America at the Mississippi Delta Corps, where he taught sixth grade and became the principal. He received his MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary and is currently working toward his PhD in History at the University of Mississippi. Website | Facebook | Twitter | InstagramQuote“We can either shrink back and demonstrate complicity in the face of racism or we can demonstrate courageous Christianity and confront it rather than compromise with racism.”Jemar Tisby is a historian, author, and leader seeking to make the house of God a more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone. He realizes it’s not an easy feat, but he believes in the power of hope and his faith in fellow Christians to make a more equitable future possible. In today’s episode, we discuss Jemar’s own experience with discrimination simply because of the color of his skin, America’s ugly relationship with racism and its impact on the church in our country, and his book The Color of Compromise. We also talk about his time with Teach For America and how it further illustrated the importance of education as a solution to move forward in moments of change. Finally, our conversation ends on a hopeful note for the future, and a call, or plea, for Christians to be courageous to combat hate and inequality in the church. New Episodes Added Every Tuesday!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kristen “KB” Newton is the creator and founder of HEARTConvos, an organization that helps people build authentic relationships through having hard conversations. She was previously the DJ for both the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever. She’s married to her husband, Mike, and they have a daughter. InstagramQuote“Vulnerability and the formula for vulnerability is the exact same formula for being egregiously hurt or being unconditionally accepted.” Self-described as from a military family, when I asked KB, “Where you from?” Her response of “I don’t know” is understandable. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, KB’s life as a military brat put her in different parts of the world throughout her life. From living overseas in Okinawa, Japan; London, England; and even Germany, before she returned to the United States and started a new part of her life in Virginia and eventually Indiana, she’s experienced a lot of “change and movement.” Sometimes all that “change and movement” made it hard for her to connect with others and create strong foundations of friendship. In this episode, KB and I discuss her military-family life and the difference between civilian life, how she learned to survive and adapt, and why she never truly had a place she called “home” while growing up. We also spoke about how a life-changing experience at camp made her reflect on the ups and downs of vulnerability, what prompted her to create HEARTConvos, and why she believes Jesus championed friendship more than any other relationship. New Episodes Added Every Tuesday!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rich Pérez is a unique storyteller and thought-leader in the Hispanic-American experience. His life has layers, and he has put time into understanding how they’ve shaped who he is and what he cares about. From 2011 to 2020, Rich and his family planted Christ Crucified Fellowship in his hometown neighborhood (Washington Heights). Rich is also the author of Mi Casa Uptown: Learning to Love Again. Twitter | InstagramQuote“It’s difficult to not think of your life outside of the home or reduce it to just your nuclear home. You know what I’m saying? So that was my upbringing, but as I grew older it started to get more complex for sure, because I realized that I was the product of a few things.”Rich Pérez is made up of layers—like you and me—and realizes that those layers make him unique. From 2011 to 2020, he was a New York City church pastor at the Christ Crucified Fellowship, a community-first church founded in his own home with his friend Andy Mineo. Since the pandemic, his life has taken a different direction and even led him to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia, where he’s discovered the importance of reimagining himself while still functioning in the gifts that God has given him. In this episode, Rich and I discuss his parents’ journey to America as immigrants and how they found a community in Washington Heights, New York; his previous life as a New York City pastor, and how he’s been dealing with that part of his life coming to a close; and the importance of learning to embrace all the things that make him who he is today. We also talk about losing his mother, who he credits with leading him on his journey to Christ, and how he’s honoring her legacy. And we wrap up our conversation by reflecting on how the pandemic has left an indelible mark on him and finding beauty and purpose in loss. New Episodes Added Every Tuesday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ambassador Sujay Johnson Cook is a woman of firsts. She was the first Black woman Chaplain to the New York Police Department and the first female senior pastor in the 200-year history of the American Baptist Churches. She was also the first and only female President of the historic Hampton U Ministers Conference. She was selected to be a White House Fellow in 1993 and later served as a presidential policy advisor. She was appointed as the first female and African-American United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. She is a theologian, author, activist, academic, and entrepreneur, and she’s just getting started. Twitter | InstagramQuote“I believe that that’s part of my calling. Not to just be the first, but to be the first of many. And so I’m really excited about God entrusting me or trusting me enough to be a trailblazer.” We were all born to do something extraordinary. But it’s up to us to take steps to see the “extraordinary” come to fruition. In this episode, we discuss Sujay’s life and work and its impact on both herself and our world at large. As a native New Yorker, she gained a cultural education that allowed her to learn the meaning of community. She also discusses what prompted her to move from a career in mass communications to ministry and how her faith ultimately gave her the strength she needed as an NYPD police chaplain at ground zero on September 11. This episode is one not to miss, as you’ll also hear about her personal connection to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s family, her historic nomination and confirmation as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, and more! New Episodes Added Every Tuesday!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do you do when someone challenges your faith? One of the world’s most sought-after Christian apologists, Lisa Fields, combines her passion for biblical literacy with her heart for sharing God’s love to all those she meets. She is a graduate of the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Religious Studies and of Liberty University with a Master of Divinity with a focus in Theology. She is the founder and president of the Jude 3 Project, an organization that aims to help Black Christians know what they believe and why they believe.Twitter | Twitter for Jude 3 Project | WebsiteQuote“I feel like a faith that can’t be tested, can’t be trusted. And so I continued to test it and put it under scrutiny because I believe that if it was the truth, it will always be found to be true.”In this episode, we discuss the idea of being a PK (pastor’s kid) and the assumptions that come with it, the importance of getting out of the “seminary bubble,” and the season of doubt she went through with her faith and how she fought back with the truth of Scripture. We also look at the relationship between Christianity, race, and gender. Finally, we talk about the richest times in seminary for her, the importance of building relationships, and empathizing with other people about their experiences.New Episodes Added Every Tuesday!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where Ya From? Podcast creates an atmosphere where all people—regardless of our differences—can openly discuss ideas, issues, culture, experiences, faith, and more so we can learn from each other and the Word of God. New episodes released weekly on Tuesdays.Where Ya From? Podcast is presented by the Voices Collection, a part of Our Daily Bread Ministries.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices