Two first generation Americans from vastly different backgrounds found love and have done (and are doing) the difficult work of allowing their love to change each other and now, us. Sharifa Stevens is a communicator (writer, speaker and singer) and emphasizes the intersection of culture and theology. Jonathan started a coffee business off of a Ural Motorcycle with a built in espresso machine. He is a natural connector, teacher and builder. Together the two live in Dallas, Texas with their two children.
Episode #60 Re-release of Brian McLaren Episode
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for "a new kind of Christianity" - just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.
Brian has served on a number of boards, including Emergent Villiage, Sojourners, International Teams and, The Seattle School, and his a founding member of Red Letter Christians. He has appeared on All Things Considered, Larry King Live, Nightline and On Being. Brian's work has been covered by other news outlets such as Time, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and Christianity Today.
Brian resides in Florida with his wife Grace. He has four grown children and five grandchildren.
Episode #59 Kristen Regan Exploring Racial Identity
Kristen is a friend of the podcast, on a journey of articulating her identity, and doing so through the medium of her hair. Up until 2 years ago, she had always chemically straightened her hair, and has recently gone through the (long) process of growing out her natural curls. This inefficient process has allowed her to connect w her self and feel a greater sense of connection to her roots! (No pun intended although Kristen loves bad puns.) She lives in Austin, TX w her husband who has cheered her on, inspired her, and held her up in this rough period of hair growth and personal growth. If you see her around town, do not use the word "cool" to describe her hair.
Episode #58 Matt Gets Interviewed
Matt Inman is host of Inefficiency Podcast and a psychotherapist in private practice in Austin, Texas. He normally serves as the question maker for the podcast but this episode, the tables are turned and Dallas based psychologist Michael Leach asks the questions while Matt appreciates them and possibly answers a couple of them. This swap is timely in helping Matt work through his decision making process and creativity in expanding Inefficiency from just a podcast and into an organization. This is the type of conversation that moves us out of our fearful positions and into the spaces where we can jump into the unknown.
Episode #57 Mother's Day Special
Mom's are strong and creative in the most tangible ways possible. Today is a celebration of them and a look into the various stages of motherhood. Six mothers have been interviewed, all representing different stages of the motherhood process to give us a look into what is tough, good and unseen. Happy Mother's Day!!!!
Episode #56 Epic Fail w/ Matt Inman
I have been waiting for this big moment for over two years and it has finally happened! I worked diligently to get a good episode together with some dear friends of mine on burnout and with one push of a button (and yes, one additional button push confirming) I erased the interview, all my edits and the intro and outro. GONE! So here is me verbally processing this sad, sad event and working through out. Inefficiency.
Episode #55 Benjamin Mathes Free Listening
Benjamin Mathes has been an actor for the past 20 years and works with artists and leaders in an executive coaching role. He leads Urban Confessional, a free listening movement made of up of volunteers who believe everyone needs to be heard. Benjamin resides in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles and can be seen on street corners listening to people.
Episode #54 David Salinas Filter Coffee Not People
David Salinas curates The Department of Brewology. He is an illustrator by trade and works a great deal with typography, prints and murals. David was on the podcast during the early episodes to talk about the good but difficult inefficiency of combining his two loves together, both art and coffee. David does his art centered around coffee all over the world and most recently, crafted a phrase that has impact for many, WE FILTER COFFEE, NOT PEOPLE. He stopped by to talk about what was behind the phrase for him and the vast reactions as well. You can check out David's work at the following sites...
www.departmentofbrewology.com
@departmentofbrewology
Episode #53 Best of Year 2!
Year two of Inefficiency is in the books and this episode is a look back through the many different conversations this past year. You will hear from a host of different guests that show off inefficiency in some of its greatest forms. Enjoy some memorable moments from this second year of Inefficiency.
Episode #52 Inefficiency Live- 2nd Birthday!
We have done 52 shows in the past two years and we are celebrating! Friends joined us at Stouthaus Coffee Pub for a talk on birthdays getting down to inherent value, storytelling of inefficiency, pies in the face and an almost dance party. So much fun!
Episode #51 Brian Mulder Music & Intentionality
Brian Mulder is a wood worker, barber and musician. He quit formal Christian ministry at the age of 30 to live and think differently. Brian embodies a creative, connected inefficiency that is rare and infectious. Mulder just finished up a European house show tour for his new album, Holotropic and stopped by Austin, Texas for a live conversation and house show for us. Brian resides in Holland, Michigan.
instagram: bmuldster
website: www.muldermakes.com
Episode #50 Shawn Hofer Hope Is A Four Letter Word
Shawn Hofer is a psychologist in private practice in Minneapolis, MN. He has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Rosemead Schoo of Psychology and is an advanced candidate at the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Institute. He is also a faculty member at BIPACT. He takes a psychoanalytic approach to depression, anxiety, grief, eating disorders and spirituality.
Episode #49 The Practice of Listening
This 49th episode is about practicing the importance of listening. Much of communication relies on listening well but it's so easy to fall into the trap of only considering what we should say next. To practice listening we have three storytellers from around the country who are sharing a story of beauty that will help us practice and enjoy the singular activity of listening well. Enjoy!
Sharifa Stevens, a Bronx native living in Dallas, TX, earned a BA from Columbia University in New York and a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. She writes, sings, and prefers to spend her time giggling, noshing or traveling. Sharifa is married to Jonathan. They have two children.
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Michael Padden is a New York based director who develops new plays with many artists and companies throughout the city. Some of the companies that he’s had the pleasure of working with include: Samuel French Short Play Festival, Rising Phoenix Repertory, MCC’s Youth Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The New Group and Barrow Street Theatre. He was a member of the 2014-2015 Playwright Directors Unit and the 2015-2016 Director’s Unit at The Actor’s Studio.
Jason Mitchell is a California native who has spent some quality time in Dallas too. He has worked for companies like The Pursuant Group, Operation Smile and is now the president of Makau Sports. Jason is married to Cheryl and lives in the San Francisco area.
Episode #48 Jason Ikpatt Poetry for the New Year
"It's really difficult to write a short biography, but especially difficult in a post-truth era."
Jason Ikpatt is a 23 year old Nigerian man-boy who grew up in the South. His life draws inspiration from the disenfranchised, the rejected, the solemn, the absurdists, the outrageous, the Wu Tang Clan, and his lovely gem of a mother. His poetry draws inspiration from Kahlil Gibran, Warsan Shire, Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman, the Wu Tang Clan, and his lovely gem of a mother.
At the present moment, he is a friend, a son, a brother, an armchair intellectual, an above average pickup basketball choice, fiercely independent to the point of loner-ism, somehow also fiercely dependent on everything to the brink of uninhibited universal love, a sub-par bike mechanic, a jazz club stank face head-nodder, a road-trip instrumental freestyler, a decidedly naive optimist, an actual former desert mystic, and an early tax filer. He resides in Austin, Texas with his bamboo plant and three succulents.
Episode #47 Erin Inman Year End Review of 2016
Erin Inman is an artist and stay at home mom to her two children. She is also the wife of Inefficiency host Matt Inman. She was on the podcast in 2015 to talk about her long term grief which ended up being one of the most listened to episodes of Inefficiency. She is back to talk about her year alongside her husband Matt Inman.
Episode #46 Brian McLaren The Great Spiritual Migration
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for "a new kind of Christianity" - just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.
Brian has served on a number of boards, including Emergent Villiage, Sojourners, International Teams and, The Seattle School, and his a founding member of Red Letter Christians. He has appeared on All Things Considered, Larry King Live, Nightline and On Being. Brian's work has been covered by other news outlets such as Time, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and Christianity Today.
Brian resides in Florida with his wife Grace. He has four grown children and five grandchildren.
Episode #45 Dr. Kevin Washington Black Psychology
Dr. Kevin Washington is a licensed psychologist and assistant professor at Howard University, who has served as a behavioral consultant for Essence Magazine and BET, Black Entertainment Television. He is the President of the Association of Black Psychologists. He has degrees from Grambling State and Texas A&M. His work centers around rites of passage, ubuntu and ubuntu psychotherapy. Through his research and writing he seeks to assist people to live with power, purpose and passion.
Episode #44 Jamie Tworkowski Permission to be Honest
photo cred to twloha.com
Jamie Tworkowski is the founder of the non-profit To Write Love On Her Arms, an organization that presents hope and finds help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-harm and suicide. For 10 years, Jamie has given his time providing hope for those hurting all over the country. He speaks dynamic hope and help through college campus conversations, book tours, music concerts, writing and even fashion. The honesty that Jamie has about his own experience with depression and pain opens up spaces and gives permission for others to give value to their own experiences.
www.twloha.com
@jamietworkowski (twitter and instagram)
Show Notes
- :00 Mary Oliver poem, Wild Geese
- 6:30 Start of JT interview
- 6:45 Explanation of Inefficiency
- 13:10 Permission as invitation
- 14:55 Importance of counseling and mental health
- 18:20 Dreams vs. Fears ( www.dreamsvsfears.com )
- 21:22 Rehoping ( www.venture.org )
- 23:45 We all break in this life
- 26:35 Need for beauty and the arts
- 32:30 Holding space for us
- 33:45 Self-care
- 36:23 Sense of purpose
- 39:00 Story of Jamie's friend David
- 47:20 Crisis Text Line ( www.crisistextline.org )
- 48:50 Outro
- www.lostgoldmedia.com
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Episode #43 Whole Care for the Whole Self
Shelly Prosko is a Physical Therapist, Professional Yoga Therapist & Pilates Instructor, she is a highly respected pioneer in the area of Physio Yoga Therapy, a combination of Physical Therapy & Medical Therapeutic Yoga.
Her mission is to educate, inspire & empower people to create health by authentically sharing her knowledge, expertise & experience as she travels across Canada & the U.S. offering specialty PhysioYoga Therapy workshops, presenting at international yoga therapy conferences, lecturing at medical college programs, instructing at numerous yoga therapy schools and actively promotes the integration of yoga therapy into our current healthcare system.
Michael Solberg is classically trained in the Rolf Method of Structural Integration and has studied extensively in Boulder, Co and Kauai, Hawaii. Alongside his wife, Virginia Solberg, they own the Solberg Center for Structural Integration in Dallas, Texas. Michael has also founded Pause Hawaii, a transformational immersion process in Hawaii for his clients, which combines structural integration, yoga, nutrition, meditation and personal discovery alongside adventure and the tranquility of the islands. Michael and his family reside in Plano, Texas.
Episode #42 Michael Leach An Inefficient Conversation
He is a clinical psychologist who received his training at Rosemead School of Psychology in La Mirada, California. He is the founder of the non-profit community mental health and teaching clinic, Richland Oaks Counseling Center, and has taught at the Texas School of Professional Counseling for 10 years. He is fiercely inept (his words) at administrative responsibilities and passionately in love with clinical work, and spiritually curious about a broad many things. He resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife and three kids.