In this episode, you’ll hear from Crystal and her journey of understanding her sexuality and healing former trauma through the art of crocheting.
Read More
Being a mother is something some may dream of, but in today’s society there can be a divide between what the envisioned experience would be vs. the day to day reality. In this conversation, Beth and Kara discuss how modern day motherhood is unsupported and leaves moms in a state of perpetual sacrifice and questioning their worth.
Read More
Kara and Justine talk about her experience as a sex educator at a private New York school where complaints about her teaching were sent to the New York Post. Justine describes how that impacted her and why it is not stopping her from doing this work, but it does change how she does it. Justine has a passion for making lives better and that is evident from her life as a math teacher and how being with those 8th grade kids everyday led her into public health.
Read More
As a sex therapist, educator, and dad, Jo spends his time helping teens navigate the many safety issues they can encounter online. In this episode, Kara and Jo talk about social media, porn, and the many ways parents can help their teens navigate the terrain so close in their hands, but can feel so out of their control. Jo helps parents learn through conversations how to help their teen learn how to have digital citizenship that can help them create positive relationships with online behavior.
Read More
Mikel Ibarra woke up one morning with an idea that she couldn’t ignore. As an artist, when ideas come, especially those that are a bit unusual, you pay attention – and that is what Mikel did. Mikel, a public school art teacher turned baker, decided to go to her kitchen and make pies to explore the way vulvas look. Yes, Mikel makes vulva pies. In this episode, Kara and Mikel explore the way Mikel’s art is educating vulva owners around how varied they look and to remove the shame many carry around their appearance.
Read More
In this episode, I am honored to speak with my childhood pastor, Kirk Havel. I wanted to interview him because of the role he has played in my life and how he has reframed stories in my life, especially around God. Kirk has shown me how to live out the gospel and a lot of times when you live out the gospel, it isn’t always popular. He also showed me care, respect, love, and how I have the capacity to be a leader. He is an example of the kind of Christian I want to be.
Read More
There are times when we aren’t paying attention, we might just miss a lesson. Kristen Theile is a person who often pays attention to what is happening around her, takes what she learns and runs with it. Kristen talks with Kara about her experiences helping those without homes and how they have helped shape her life. They also discuss how her love for service also lent her into experiencing first hand the sexist nature in beauty standards for women and how she keeps herself healthy and thriving through bodybuilding.
Read More
In this episode Kara takes a deep dive into consent with the author of the book, Creating Cultures of Consent, Dr. Laura McGuire. Dr. Laura is a Sexuality Health Educator, Adjunct Professor, Consultant and Speaker for The National Center for Equity and Agency, a Doula, Yoga instructor, and a survivor.
Read More
In this episode you will hear Jaz’s story of learning about their sexuality and how it took a toll on their body to live into their truth. They talk about how it affected their faith life and the path it led them down to get to where they are today…awaiting ordination in the ELCA Lutheran church.
Read More
Nadine never expected to find herself in sex education, but once she did she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She has been an educator now for 15 years helping youth, parents, and many others learn about the depth of sexuality while also helping them recognize their worth. She reaches people by being herself and being okay with the mess.
Read More
It is no surprise to any person identifying as a woman or femme that there are disparities in the medical community around our health. This is why our guest Nisha McKenzie became a Physician’s Assistant and opened her own practice to help specifically with women’s health issues. In this episode, we discuss these disparities along with validating those who may have had experiences of not being seen or heard, menopause, STIs, and what it means to treat the whole person.
Read More
So much of sexual health education around puberty and beyond revolves around healthy relationships and communication. Lori takes a deep dive into what that means in her classroom with students going through puberty and the young adults she teaches in college.
Read More
There is so much richness in this episode around relationships. Kara and Francesca start their conversation with BDSM and end with how to talk to your inner child and how relationships mirror the unmet expectations and trauma of childhood. Francesca talks at great length about the way our brain plays a role and how we can learn how to care for ourselves to have an enriching sex life with ourselves and or partners.
Read More
With shared enthusiasm for talking about sex to parents and kids shame free, Kara and Dr. Lea Lis get right to it with the help from her book: No Shame: Real Talk With Your Kids About Sex, Self-confidence, and Healthy Relationships. In this episode we highlight the importance of being able to talk with our children about sex and to not fear it as often as we do. Dr. Lea helps to dispel myths and provides insight into what she learned from her clients.
Read More
Todd Malloy, a North Carolina Certified Sex Therapist and Educator, talks with Kara about the fullness that we can experience in our sexual lives when we allow intimacy to take the lead instead of our mindset based on performance. They also discuss how our childhood experiences shape the narratives we bring into the bedroom and how we can work to change them. We can learn how to take the hardships and turn them into the fuel to move forward and create a better world for ourselves and others.
Read More
Kara and Kelsey share a love for dance. It is their preferred way of communicating. In this episode, you will hear the way dance and ministry were integral for Pastor Kelsey in the way she interacts with the divine and grief. She values connection and the way our bodies hold the stories in our lives that sometimes need reframing, celebrated, or released.
Read More
In this episode Kara and Megan discuss intersex and how learning about those with varying sex chromosomes opened their world up more to faith and understanding gender. Gender and our biology are fascinating and there is a lot to learn. Megan has done intensive studies into both the theology and science around the intersex population and advocates on their behalf in church and community spaces.
Read More
Welcome to Season 2! Kara catches up with Amy Johnson to discuss their shared love of sexual health education as well as the need to talk about it openly and without shame in our church communities. Amy has twenty+ years of experience talking to church communities and her wisdom on this topic runs deep.
Read More
In the last episode for Season One of Reframing our Stories: The Podcast, Kara and Jenny spend time reflecting over the last year about their business and personal lessons they have learned related to racism, intimacy, connectedness, and when to seek help. Please stay tuned for Season 2 this September!
Read More
In this episode, Kara and Erin discuss the beauty of what happens when we are our own benchmark by not comparing ourselves to others, but instead learning how to encourage and lift one another up. Erin works with those who identify as girls to help them find their confidence in who they are and start to capitalize on that while they are young to help them through the confusing teen years. In their conversation you will hear how many parents seek out similar help after they realize they have been living in scarcity culture instead of abundance. We can all learn from this episode in how we can put to work learning how to treat ourselves kindly as well as those who surround us, by uplifting one another for the gifts we each possess.
Read More