Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker

[Take the Next Step] Ep 12 • When Special Education Works with Adrian Wood

Exciting news! New episodes are dropping on my Take the Next Step [https://amyjuliabecker.com/take-the-next-step-podcast/] podcast, and I’m sharing this one here so you won’t miss out. Be sure to follow Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker wherever you listen so you are sure to get future episodes. https://pod.link/1838911087 [https://pod.link/1838911087] More about Take the Next Step: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/take-the-next-step-podcast/] ___ What if inclusion in schools didn’t have to be a constant fight? Adrian Wood, PhD, shares what actually helped her son with autism thrive in their public school system. Adrian and Amy Julia Becker explore: * Building trust with educators * Collaboration and creativity * Navigating IEPs and transitions * Small changes that make a big difference Ask Me Anything: Record (or email) your question for our upcoming Ask Me Anything episode: amyjuliabecker.com/qr/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/qr/] 04:30 Navigating Public School for Children with Disabilities  06:53 Creative Thinking and Working Together as a Team  15:55 Strategies for Success  __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * VLOG: Tales of an Educated Debutante [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJNEzGRcj_45XhHoxpTawmw] _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube [https://youtu.be/vHA8ThiVO3I] SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com [https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/] JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker [https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/] LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/shows/] _ ABOUT: Adrian Wood is the creator of the vlog Tales of an Educated Debutante [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJNEzGRcj_45XhHoxpTawmw]. She has a PhD in Educational Research and contributes to Today Parents, The Today Show, and the Love What Matters blog. She lives in rural eastern North Carolina with her family. She is the co-author of Autism Out Loud [https://amzn.to/3RzyNV0].   CONNECT with Adrian on her website (talesofaneducateddebutante.com [http://talesofaneducateddebutante.com/]), Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/talesofaneducateddebutante/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/talesofaneducateddebutante/?hl=en], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@theeducateddebutante].  __ Take the Next Step is produced in collaboration with Hope Heals. Hope Heals [https://hopeheals.com/] creates sacred spaces of belonging and belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience sustaining hope in the context of inclusive, intentional, inter-ability communities. Find out more about our resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities at hopeheals.com [http://hopeheals.com/]. Follow on Instagram @hopeheals. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/719016/fan_mail/new] Connect with me: * Instagram [https://bit.ly/3iJttw7] * Facebook [https://bit.ly/3iDmBR5] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@amyjuliabecker6558] * Website [https://bit.ly/3p6VK4d] Thanks for listening!

Culture Care, not Culture War with Makoto Fujimura

S9 E9 — Our culture feels like a battlefield, but perspectives and actions change when we see it as a garden we’ve forgotten how to tend. Artist and author Makoto Fujimura shares with Amy Julia Becker how art, wonder, and imagination can restore our capacity to love, hope, and tend culture with care. Together they explore his book Art Is: A Journey into the Light [https://amzn.to/49uW3xt], slow art, spiritual imagination, and a gentler way to live faithfully in a fractured world. 00:00 Introduction to Makoto Fujimura and the Process of Art 07:08 Stewardship Responsibility for Imagination and Creativity 13:34 The Importance of Slow Art and Observation 19:19 Engaging with Darkness in Art 22:15 The Role of Artists within the Darkness of Society 29:07 Giving Away Beauty: The Heart of Art 34:07 Imagination, Faith, and Love 42:58 Culture Care: Changing the Metaphor __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * Art Is: A Journey into the Light [https://amzn.to/49uW3xt], Art and Faith: A Theology of Making [https://a.co/d/51ociBV], and Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life [https://www.ivpress.com/culture-care?srsltid=AfmBOooGqvSzeAf86KKu_4VvwHA_Pi-Qu8YgzyKMZIIsMSdievvJfE1y] by Makoto Fujimura * Embers International [https://www.embersinternational.org/] * Amy Julia’s episode with Justin Giboney: “How the Civil Rights Generation Can Lead Us Out of the Culture War” with Justin Giboney  [https://amyjuliabecker.com/culture-war-faith-justin-giboney/] * Amy Julia’s Take the Next Step podcast [https://amyjuliabecker.com/take-the-next-step-podcast/] - new episodes beginning February 4, 2026 _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube [https://youtu.be/uk8cLhp0h8A] SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com [https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/] JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker [https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/] LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/shows/] _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose process driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time”. In addition to his work as an artist, Mako is an author whose latest work is entitled Art Is: A Journey into the Light [https://amzn.to/3NfSfY0]. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts. He is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts and has received five Honorary Doctor of Arts degrees. https://makotofujimura.com/ [https://makotofujimura.com/] https://www.instagram.com/iamfujimura/ [https://www.instagram.com/iamfujimura/] ___ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/719016/fan_mail/new] Connect with me: * Instagram [https://bit.ly/3iJttw7] * Facebook [https://bit.ly/3iDmBR5] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@amyjuliabecker6558] * Website [https://bit.ly/3p6VK4d] Thanks for listening!

How the Civil Rights Generation Can Lead Us Out of the Culture War with Justin Giboney

S9 E8 — We're living through a season of deep division, political unrest, and global instability. Justin Giboney, political strategist and author of Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around [https://amzn.to/3Ntpszc], joins Amy Julia Becker to help us recover a moral imagination shaped by faith—one that resists polarization, refuses hatred, and offers a better way forward in public life. 00:00 Guidance from the Civil Rights Generation 07:18 The Black Church's Public Witness 10:00 The Civil Rights Movement vs Progressive Activism 13:52 Forgiveness and Redemption 17:28 Navigating the Culture Wars 25:39 The AND Campaign: Bridging Divides in Politics 28:51 Cultivating Moral Imagination 31:51 The Impact of Social Media 37:52 Practices for Living Out a Moral Imagination __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: • Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church's Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War [https://amzn.to/3Ntpszc] by Justin Giboney  • AND Campaign: andcampaign.org [https://www.andcampaign.org/]  • Church Politics podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-church-politics-podcast/id1289898626]  • Amy Julia's Take the Next Step podcast: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/take-the-next-step-podcast/] _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube [https://youtu.be/Q_93A6gWbKY] SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com [https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/] JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker [https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/] LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/shows/] _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Justin Giboney (JD, Vanderbilt University) is an author, ordained minister, attorney, and political strategist. He is the founder and president of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization focused on raising civic literacy, promoting civic pluralism, and equipping Christians to engage politics with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. Justin is dedicated to promoting Christ-centered values as the basis for engagement in politics and social issues.  BOOK: Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around [https://amzn.to/3Ntpszc] INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/justinegiboney/ [https://www.instagram.com/justinegiboney/] We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/719016/fan_mail/new] Connect with me: * Instagram [https://bit.ly/3iJttw7] * Facebook [https://bit.ly/3iDmBR5] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@amyjuliabecker6558] * Website [https://bit.ly/3p6VK4d] Thanks for listening!

Why Ignoring the Body Never Works with Justin Whitmel Earley

S9 E7 — Your body is trying to tell you something. Are you listening? In this episode, corporate lawyer Justin Whitmel Earley joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how spiritual life is also embodied life. As you reflect on the year ahead, this conversation invites you to think not in terms of resolutions, but in terms of habits that nurture health and wholeness. Justin and Amy Julia reflect on: * How breathing can reconnect body and soul * How fasting, feasting, and everyday meals contribute to the spiritual life * How to understand pain and sickness in a world that is both beautiful and broken * Why sleep matters spiritually 00:00 Intro: Anxiety Journey 05:20 The Body and Soul Connection 09:25 Cultural Disconnect 14:46 Breath: A Practice to Reconnect Body and Soul 23:35 Food: Fasting, Feasting, and Ordinary Fare 32:08 Understanding Pain and Sickness in a Broken World 38:18 The Spiritual Significance of Sleep _ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * Bible verses: Ephesians 2 [http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians%202&version=NIV]; Genesis 1-2 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201-2&version=NIV]; Genesis 2:7 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%202%3A7&version=NIV]; Genesis 2:9 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%202%3A9&version=NIV]; Psalm 23 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023&version=NIV] * Kelly Kapic interview with Amy Julia [https://amyjuliabecker.com/kelly-kapic-human-limits/] * Embodied Hope [https://amzn.to/48hbdFS] by Kelly Kapic _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@amyjuliabecker6558] SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com [https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/] JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker [https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/] LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/shows/] _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Justin Whitmel Earley is a writer, speaker, and lawyer. He is the author of The Common Rule, Habits of the Household, and Made for People, though he spends most days running his business law practice. Through his writing and speaking, Justin empowers God’s people to thrive through life-giving habits that form them in the love of God and neighbor. He continually explores both how physical habits are more spiritual than we think and how spiritual habits are more physical than we think. He lives with his wife and four boys in Richmond, Virginia, spends a lot of time around fires and porches with friends, and is a part-owner of a local gym. You can follow him online at justinwhitmelearley.com. [http://justinwhitmelearley.com] ONLINE: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinwhitmelearleyauthor/ [https://www.facebook.com/justinwhitmelearleyauthor/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/ [https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/] X: https://x.com/Justin_W_Earley [https://x.com/Justin_W_Earley] YouTube: www.youtube.com/@justinwhitmelearley1630 [http://www.youtube.com/@justinwhitmelearley1630] Website:https://www.justinwhitmelearley.com/ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/719016/fan_mail/new] Connect with me: * Instagram [https://bit.ly/3iJttw7] * Facebook [https://bit.ly/3iDmBR5] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@amyjuliabecker6558] * Website [https://bit.ly/3p6VK4d] Thanks for listening!

Christmas and the Hospitality of Need with Kevan Chandler

S9 E6 — In a season of parties and entertaining, it’s good to remember that hospitality means something very different—welcoming the stranger and caring for one another. In The Hospitality of Need [https://amzn.to/42GgHGS], Kevan Chandler, born with a progressive disability, explores how dependence can expand life and deepen community. His story points us back to our shared human neediness, reflected in the baby lying in the manger.  00:0 Reimagining the Good Life 06:12 Gift of Interdependence 12:52 Understanding Need and Hospitality 17:37 Proximity and Need 21:43 Peer to Peer Caregiving 26:39 A Journey to Skellig Michael 32:53 Spiritual Realities of Need 38:12 Invitation Into Need MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: * Amy Julia’s interview with Kevan on Take the Next Step [https://amyjuliabecker.com/hospitality-need-disability-caregiving-kevan-chandler/] * The Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal and Grow Together [https://amzn.to/42GgHGS] by Kevan Chandler and Tommy Shelton * We Carry Kevan  [https://wecarrykevan.org/] * I John 1 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20John%201&version=NIV] _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube [https://youtu.be/qMdzELN7Q-o] SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com [https://amyjuliabecker.substack.com/] JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker [https://www.instagram.com/amyjuliabecker/] LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ [https://amyjuliabecker.com/shows/] _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: KEVAN CHANDLER is the founder of the nonprofit organization We Carry Kevan [https://wecarrykevan.org/] and speaks worldwide about friendship and disability. He and his wife, Katie, enjoy doing everything together, including growing vegetables and reading to each other. Kevan was the second of his siblings to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, type 2, a rare neuromuscular disease. In 2016, he and his friends took a trip across Europe, leaving his wheelchair at home, and his friends carried him for three weeks in a backpack. An avid storyteller, Kevan is an author and speaker worldwide about his friendships and unique life with a disability, being a featured speaker for Tedx and Google, as well as various conferences, pharmaceutical companies, and universities. __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/719016/fan_mail/new] Connect with me: * Instagram [https://bit.ly/3iJttw7] * Facebook [https://bit.ly/3iDmBR5] * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@amyjuliabecker6558] * Website [https://bit.ly/3p6VK4d] Thanks for listening!