Failing Boldly

Conversation with Daffany Clark of "The Fosters"

My guest for this week’s podcast is Daffany Clark.

Daffany is a Chicago-area native who now is an actress in Los Angeles. She’s a recurring guest start on the TV show “The Fosters,” in addition to numerous other roles. This spring she is launching a one-woman show called “Pieces” that tells the intricate story of one woman’s past, comprised of family mental illness, abandonment, foster care and deep psychological scars forcing her to overcome her struggles and find her purpose in life.

In this episode, we talk about the challenges of making it as a working actor in Hollywood and being a role model for others. You can learn more about her by going to her website.

Conversation with Fr. James Martin, SJ

Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest, editor at large of America magazine, and bestselling author of such books as  Jesus: A Pilgrimage and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. He has appeared on many major radio and television networks, ranging from NPR’s Fresh Air to Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report. Before entering the Jesuits in 1988, Father Martin graduated from the Wharton School of Business and worked for General Electric for six years. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him to be a Consultor for the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication.

In this episode, we talk about his latest book calling for the Catholic church to be more welcoming of LGBT Catholics, how he responds to those who criticize his writings, and what spiritual practices keep him grounded. I hope you enjoy it.

Conversation with Dr. Eugenia Cheng, author of "How to Bake Pi"

My guest for this week’s podcast is Dr. Eugenia Cheng, Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Alongside her research in Category Theory and undergraduate teaching her aim is to rid the world of “math phobia”.  Her first popular math book, How to Bake Pi, was published by Basic Books in 2015 to widespread acclaim acclaim including from the New York Times, National Geographic, Scientific American, and she was interviewed around the world including on the BBC, NPR and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her next popular math book, Beyond Infinity was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2017 . Eugenia is also a concert pianist.

You can learn more at her web site, www.eugeniacheng.com.

Conversation with Terri Owens, General Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination

My guest for this week’s podcast is Rev. Terri Owens General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rev. Owens was elected last July and is the first woman of color to be the top executive of a mainline denomination. Owens’ resume includes more than 20 years in corporate America leading diverse teams in data management before she entered seminary. Before becoming General Minister, she was the dean of students at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

In this episode, we talk about the impact that small churches can have and the necessity for authenticy and vulnerability in ministry.

Conversation with Bill Leff & Wendy Snyder of WGN Radio

My guests for this week’s podcast are Wendy Snyder and Bill Leff of WGN-Radio in Chicago. Bill and Wendy have been radio mainstays in Chicago for several years and are currently on WGN weekdays from 10 am to 1 pm. They’ve also been kind enough to have me on their show every Ash Wednesday to promote our ashes on the street ministry.

Wendy and Bill talk about how they got into radio, how they’ve survived in the competitive field of radio and they never fail to entertain with humor and honesty. This conversation is no different.

Conversation with Matthew Vines

My guest for this week’s podcast is Matthew Vines, author of the book, “God and the Gay Christian” and the founder and Executive Director of The Reformation Project.

In 2012, Matthew delivered a speech at a church in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, making the case that Christians should affirm gay Christians and their marriage relationships. His speech went viral, having been seen more than a million times. In 2013, Matthew launched The Reformation Project to equip and empower Christians to advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in their faith communities.

Matthew is passionate about his mission, which I think comes through in this conversation.

Conversation with Bishop Robert Schnase

My guest for this week’s podcast is Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. Bishop Schnase has been a bishop since 2004 and is also author of many popular books in the church world, including Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations and Just Say Yes: Unleashing People for Ministry. I should also add that Bishop Schnase was gracious enough to write the foreword to my own book. In this conversation, he talks about his own beginnings in ministry and how failure has played a role in his vocation and what it means to be a failure-tolerant leader.

Conversation with JoDee Winterof of Human Rights Campaign

My guest for this week’s podcast is JoDee Winterhof, Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs for Human Rights Campaign. JoDee joined HRC after serving as a Chief of Staff in the US Senate and US House of Representatives, as well as head of advocacy for CARE, a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. In addition to her work on the Hill, JoDee has held leadership roles on multiple presidential, senatorial and congressional campaigns including Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Conversation with Rudy Rasmus

My guest for this week’s podcast is Pastor Rudy Rasmus. From his previous life of owning and operating a “borderline bordello,” today Rudy co-pastors the St. John’s United Methodist Church located in Downtown Houston with his wife Juanita that began with 9 existing members in 1992. St. John’s has grown to over 9,000 members (30% were formerly homeless) and is one of the most culturally diverse congregations in the country where every week people of every social and economic background and ethnicity share the same pew.

Rudy is truly a rennaissance pastor. In addition to pastoring, he has a weekly show on Sirius XM, is author of several books and a former columnist in O Magazine, and he just opened a coffee shop. And if you Google his name, it won’t take long before you also see that he’s known as Beyonce’s pastor.

Conversation with KC Johnson

K.C. Johnson has been a sports reporter for the Chicago Tribune since 1990 and has covered the Chicago Bulls for most of that time. In this podcast, K.C. talks about the ups and downs of covering the Bulls and the time when a journalistic decision he made became national news.