Between the Covers Podcast

Let's talk about authority today. I find it important for us to answer the question: who is an authority in your life? While we should be the ones who have authority in our lives, there are so many people and powers that want to have authority over our lives. Whether we are talking about spiritual authorities, family, friends, or political figures, none of these people have the authority to tell you what to do with your life. That'...

For this month's hero's story interview I had the privilege to speak with Dr. Kade Sharp, a licensed independent social worker I met at a local Pride Rally in June of 2025. He's also a sex therapist and has a PhD in Clinical Sexology. He's also transgender and autistic! We have an incredible conversation about being transgender, autistic, and the unique struggles he's experienced in his life.

You can connect with Kade here: https:/...

Let's talk about taking ownership. With the conversations I have with clients, one of the threads that is strewn throughout their experiences is a desire to only take ownership of their follies or that taking ownership of their successes is prideful. It doesn't have to be this way. We can be confident in our abilities tell others that we have succeeded at a goal and we can also choose to not beat ourselves into a bloody pulp when w...

To wrap up our look at purity culture, we are going to talk about love and lust today. I grew up believing that lust was a bad trait and therefore something was wrong with me if I ever had something that could remotely be qualified as a lustful thought. Turns out, that's not true. Lust is a feeling and like most feelings, I can choose to act on it or not. Same with love. Let's see if we can break down the unfair comparison between ...

Content Warning: this episode is going to mention specific biblical scriptures and I discuss the impacts purity culture on sex and sexuality, specifically in the Christian faith tradition. Take care of yourself while listening to this episode. If you need to, skip it and come back later, or leave this episode in the archives. Trust your body to know whether it's a worthwhile topic to dive into.

Let's continue our discussion of puri...

For this month's hero study, we are interviewing Corey Seemiller, an author, podcaster, speaker, and professor who recently released a book titled The Soulmate Strategy: My Imperfect Plan to Conquer Heartbreak and Find True Love. Seems fitting for our February study. We talk about overcoming grief, heartbreak, and what she did to find love in the course of a year. Join our conversation for some fun stories, inspiration, and affirma...

Content Warning: this episode is going to mention specific biblical scriptures and examples of self-harm, shame, and trauma from purity culture, specifically in the Christian faith tradition. Take care of yourself while listening to this episode. If you need to, skip it and come back later, or leave this episode in the archives. Trust your body to know whether it's a worthwhile topic to dive into.

Let's talk about a purity culture ...

Let's talk about changing our air and water, something that came to mind when I heard others refer to our upbringing as "the air we breathe" or "the water we swim in." You can think of it also as it's all been a part of the zeitgeist. In my work, having someone with an outside perspective can help to shed a light on what we deemed as "normal" when it could be better and healthier. We often are unaware of the influences in our lives...

Let's talk about broadening our sources that we take in. In a recent experience, I had a spiritual guide challenge me on some of the doom and gloom I've been experiencing thanks to all the political garbage going on, mental health struggles, and despair for the future. Thanks to Rob Bell and his Robcast, he broadened my perspective with his own insights and it helped me get out of a slump.

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Let's talk about our comfort zone, and more importantly, how can we stretch ourselves to leave it. I've shared this before how we can struggle to make some of the changes that we wish to in our lives because it'll take us out of what we are comfortable with. While this is absolutely normal and helpful at times, it can also keep us stuck. If we stick with what we know, we know what we're going to get in the end. Is that working for ...

For this month's hero study, I had the privilege of interviewing Michael Marshall, aka Marsh, from the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He's a podcaster, editor of The Skeptic magazine, and Project Director of the Good Thinking Society. He's a prolific skeptic and researcher who is great at asking the right questions to get people thinking about their perspectives on life. I first heard about him from guest spots on the God Awful Movie...

Let's talk about our nervous system and the information it tells us. In a society that values our ability to logically think our way through life's problems and challenges, there is so much value in relying on our gut and nervous system to let us know when something isn't right. Our nervous system knows more than we often give it credit for and it can do so much to keep us safe. We talking about something that has kept us as a spec...

Let's talk about checking the fruit in the actions and words of others. For those of you like me who have experienced spiritual trauma or adverse religious experiences, then allow me to apologize in advance for getting preachy in this one and relying on biblical scripture to guide the conversation today. Take care of yourself. If you need to skip this episode or take breaks from it, I understand and encourage you to do what you nee...

Let's talk about what excites you, and more importantly, sharing it! I had a recent experience where I received some PDFs for a set of role playing rules I preordered leading up to the release of the physical book...and I couldn't contain myself! It took everything I had to not spend the rest of the day scrolling through the digital copy and actually record this episode. I wanted to share the excitement with Libby and with all my f...

For this month's hero's study, I have the privilege of introducing you to Reverend Alba Onofrio. In our conversation, we talk about faith, spirituality, sexuality, queerness, the Bible, God, and so much in our time together. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much, if not more than I did speaking with Alba.

Reverend Alba Onofrio is a theologian and spiritual activist rooted in the U.S. South, engaged in human rights work for ove...

Let's talk about following our desires. I share about a story of a trip to Leavenworth, WA where Libby and our friends, John and Dan, spent most of a weekend at one of our favorite places to visit and the fun we had. Much of this came from us choosing to follow our delight. In western societies today when we are often told many important things that we need and should be doing, sometimes it's more important to provide time for what...

Let's talk about safe community and the benefits we gain from it. A safe community helps us feel physically and emotionally safe, especially in these uncertain times. My community is a lifeline for me and Libby. It's helped us weather mental health crises, given us plenty to look forward to, and has been a light for us even in the darkest of times. I've shared before that I wish it didn't take me over 30 years to find this communit...

Let's talk about hope once more. It's something that many people need more of these days, myself included. It's also something that many people wrestle with because hope can set us up for falls. That's all a part of the game and the nature of hope and hoping.

Let's talk about hope once more. It's something that many people need more of these days, myself included. It's also something that many people wrestle with because hope can s...

For this month's hero's study, we interview Brad Onishi, a podcaster and writer with some awesome answers to my questions. He's the cohost of Straight White American Jesus, author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism And What Comes Next, and he has some great things to say about heroes, faith, religion, politics, and masculinity. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! I especially...