Loved Called Gifted

As we start the New Year, Catherine is joined by Olga Malarkey for a rich, down-to-earth conversation about faith, identity, and noticing God in everyday life. Olga shares a bit of her story and together they reflect on Ireland, creativity, and the deep hunger for freedom and healing woven into Irish culture, before moving into Olga’s personal journey of faith — including walking through years of chronic illness and experiencing both God’s presence in the struggle and the joy of healing.
The heart of the conversation focuses on the Examen, an ancient Ignatian prayer practice that helps people reflect on their lives and become more aware of God’s loving presence in both the highs and the lows. Olga explains the practice in a simple, accessible way, sharing why it’s been so transformative for her personally and why it’s increasingly used in leadership, therapy, and spiritual formation.
It’s a gentle, hope-filled episode about living an integrated life, bringing our whole selves into the light, and learning to lay down the day with honesty, gratitude, and grace.transcript
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Sophie Killingley is a freelance artist who is passionate about the intersection of faith and creativity and breaking down the sacred/secular divide to explore the world as it is. Her work and cartooning are quirky offerings of humour and heart from her perspectives on mental health, Christian culture, and the daily realities of having a neurodivergent family. I discovered Sophie's work having been alerted to her presence in the world by a fellow parent of children with additional needs. When I came across her piece inspired by Vashti - the often overlooked woman in the biblical story of Esther, I immediately wanted to meet and record a conversation. Very grateful that Sophie said 'yes'. This is conversation that resulted. We explored life, finding your calling, neurodivergence, faith and the queen who dared to say 'no'. Discover Sophie's work on her website here
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Catherine talks with Anni Ponder and Kim Eckhart, who host a regular online meeting called “Finding Mama God”.
 
Both Anni and Kim describe how, independently, they have grown up in Christian churches which focused on the masculine aspects of the divine, and yet were drawn into a journey of discovering the transformative power of perceiving God as feminine, particularly through the lens of our motherhood.  How they met, and have been able to share together their experiences of deeply healing and empowering through their encounters with “Mama God”. They highlight the importance of creating spaces where this feminine divine can be openly acknowledged and celebrated, fostering a sense of community and shared experience, and how they have facilitated this with the establishment of their online “Finding Mama God” group of which everyone is invited to be a part.
 
You can find more about Finding Mama God at https://www.anniponder.com/finding-mama-god.
Anni Ponders podcast can be found here: Barely Christian, Fully Christian
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If you have comments or questions, or want to get in touch, you can email: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com

Catherine is joined once again by the wonderful Heidi Steele from Live Play Learn. Heidi’s an unschooling parent of four and a former teacher, and she shares what life looks like when learning happens naturally — no classrooms, no curriculums, just curiosity.
They dive into how unschooling has supported Heidi’s neurodivergent family, what it means to unschool ourselves as adults, and how questioning old assumptions can lead to more compassion, joy, and freedom in everyday life.
You can find more about Heidi at Live Play Learn.
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If you have comments or questions, or want to get in touch, you can email: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com

Maria Skoyles, founder of Dorcas Dresses, shares her journey inspired by the biblical figure Dorcas, a dressmaker known for her acts of charity. Maria’s business supports women in financial hardship, providing them with sewing machines and training to establish their own businesses. Through her work, Maria witnesses the transformative power of empowering women, enabling them to bless others and create a ripple effect of positive change.
You can find a transcript of this episode at lovedcalledgifted.com
Find the Dorcas Dress Project here: https://dorcasdressproject.org/

Margret and Catherine take a look at the parables that Jesus tells in Luke chapter 15.
The parable of the running Father is a beautiful case study of therapeutic parenting, helpful to all parents, particularly those with children with additional needs.
You can find a transcript of this episode at lovedcalledgifted.com 
To find out more about the And Breathe parenting course: andbreathe.org.uk
 

What does God's mothering of us look like? What are the different ways that we experience the maternal embrace of the divine? This is the question that Joan Wright Howie explores with Catherine in this episode. 
Joan is a minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. She is also a Spiritual Director and a professional supervisor. 
Here is  Joan's Golden Thread website. The conversation she refers to can be found on The Golden Thread Untangled podcast. The link here is to Spotify.
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If you'd like to get in touch, you can email Catherine at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com 

In this wide ranging conversation, Catherine talks with Dr Laura Beres, who is Professor of Social Work, at King's University College at the University of Western Ontario. They talk about spirituality in the context of social work, narrative therapy, research into spirituality and resilience and COVID 19. What can we learn from the Celtic inspired practices of community of Iona? And from the Benedictine concepts of conversatio, obedience and stability. How might the idea of cloisters be helpful to us today? And why might a diary be a great spiritual tool?
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Catherine's latest book, Finding God's Feminine Side is available on Amazon here. 

Sue Saunders is a PhD student, living in Dublin. She is exploring how spiritual practices could sustain climate change activists. In this conversation, she talks about Inner Development Goals, psychotherapy, quakerism, and finding the Divine in nature. She has developed a simple spiritual practice, she calls Natura Divina, which gives some structure and support to being in nature as a way of connecting with the divine. She shares how this practice has deepened her own spiritual experience and how she hopes it will help those engaged in climate activism. 
You can find a transcript here.
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And if you want to find Catherine's latest book, Finding God's Feminine Side, you can get to that via Amazon. 

**Catherine's new book, Finding God's Feminine Side is now available on Audible**
In this episode of the Loved Called Gifted podcast, Catherine chats with Steve Kenyon—a dad, nurse manager, musician and former DJ—about his journey through faith, work, and identity. Steve shares stories from his childhood in Lancashire, his early experiences in nursing, and how his desire to make a difference led him into healthcare leadership.They talk about creativity, not just in the arts, but in problem-solving and leadership, and how Steve’s background in hospital radio and broadcasting still shapes how he connects with others. He speaks honestly about what it means to be genuine, the challenges of masculinity, and how he and his wife Katie navigate parenting and partnership as equals.At the heart of it all is Steve’s evolving relationship with Jesus—how his understanding has deepened over time into something intimate and rooted in love. The conversation is full of warmth, wisdom, and reflections on walking faithfully (and authentically) through life’s ups and downs.
You can find a transcript here. 
If you have thoughts, comments, feedback, or just want to get in touch, then drop us an email at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com
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**Catherine's new book, Finding God's Feminine Side is now available on Audible**