Prepared to Drown: Deep Dives into an Expansive Faith

Episode 21 - Flooding the Rink

A romance on the ice shouldn’t feel radical, but Heated Rivalry hit Canada like a thunderclap because it exposes what so many people already know and rarely say out loud: hockey can demand silence from the very players and fans who love it most. We start with the show’s cultural takeover and quickly get into the real stakes behind the story, from sponsorship pressure and locker-room fear to the quiet reality that many pro athletes still can’t safely live out loud. From there, we widen the lens to hockey culture in Canada, including what it means when iconic traditions change and when the sport becomes less accessible. We talk youth hockey affordability, the way pay-to-play reshapes who belongs, and why inclusive hockey associations matter not only for safety, but for joy and community. We also name the backlash head-on, asking what people think they’re protecting when they say “why does everything have to be gay now?” We don’t avoid the hard intersections: faith and scripture used as weapons, government policy that targets trans and queer kids in sport and schools, and the difference between inclusion on paper and inclusion you can actually feel when you walk into a room. We end where we have to end, with hope grounded in action and a vision of sport that’s truly uniting. If this conversation gives you language, courage, or a new angle on queer representation in sports, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review. What would make your community feel safer to show up as your full self? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

Episode 20 - Ships in the Night

Loneliness has a way of lying to us. It tells us we’re the only one struggling, even when we’re surrounded by people, even when our phones never stop buzzing, even when we’re “doing meaningful work.” We sit down with labor activist and community advocate Ricardo Di Menezes, network weaver and community builder Laura Istead, and regional minister Rev. Karen Medland to get embarrassingly honest about what disconnection really feels like, and why admitting it can be so hard.  We trace loneliness through breakups, burnout, ministry expectations, and the strange reality of being on call all the time. Laura shares what it’s like to lead in the nonprofit sector while carrying the pressure to look composed, and how identity can get tangled up in a job until leaving feels terrifying. Karen names how clergy are often told to “self-care” inside systems that practically guarantee isolation, and why the church should be rebuilding community instead of reinforcing performance.  Then we get practical and political. We explore third spaces meaning the places between home and work where the agenda is simply being human together, and why those spaces have been hollowed out by money, time limits, and post-pandemic habits. We talk social media’s illusion of connection, the rising isolation for LGBTQ communities, and the idea that hope itself can be an act of resistance. Listen, share it with someone who needs it, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find this conversation. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

Episode 19 - Tainted Wellspring

Fear is having a moment, and it’s not subtle. When politics starts sorting people into “insiders” and “threats,” when belonging is defined by exclusion, and when discrimination shows up in the open, we have to find the courage to name what we’re seeing and decide how we’ll respond. At the table with me are Scott Payne, a labor communicator and political strategist, and Francis Boakye, executive director of Action Dignity. We dig into what’s shifting in Alberta and beyond: the rise of nationalist language, the return of old bigotries in new packaging, and the way people are pushed to blame each other instead of questioning the systems that profit from division. We talk about newcomers being scapegoated, the difference between patriotism and nationalism, and why Ubuntu “I am because we are” is more than a philosophy; it’s a survival truth. We also get personal about isolation, social media perfection, and the quiet ways “polite” bigotry and Christian nationalism can reshape churches and public life. Then we pivot to what actually helps: humility, authenticity, servant leadership, and small groups of people who refuse to hand fear the final word. If you’ve been wondering how to push back without writing people off, or how to rebuild a sense of agency when everything feels rigged, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find Prepared to Drown. What’s one small act of connection you can make this week? Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

Episode 18 - Uncharted Bodies

Your body walks with you into every room, including church, including the gym, including the mirror moment you didn’t ask for. From a live recording in Calgary at McDougall United Church, we sit down for an honest, practical conversation about the stories we inherit about bodies and why so many of them leave people feeling ashamed, judged, or “not enough.” Bill Weaver is joined by Ricardo De Menezes, Rev. Vicky McPhee, Rev. Karen Medland, and Geoff Starling, founder of Every Body STRONGER, a Calgary fitness space built on inclusion and body diversity. Together we unpack Christian theology that pits body against soul, Catholic and Protestant guilt around “temptation,” and the modern fitness culture that sells perfection while quietly punishing anyone who can’t or won’t conform. We also name the real-world harm of anti-fat bias, queer body standards, social media metrics, and medical stigma that too often treats weight as a diagnosis instead of seeing a whole person. Then we pivot toward hope. What does discipline look like when it’s life-giving instead of punishing? How can language become a signal of safety? What would it take to build communities, in church and in fitness, where people can safely fail, learn, and still belong? We make space for disability, chronic illness, injury, accessibility, and the privilege differences that shape how bodies move through the world. If this conversation gives you a new way to relate to movement, faith, or your own body, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown

Episode 17 - Drawn From The Headwaters

Headlines race ahead of facts, and the first loud version often becomes the truth we trust. We gather a panel to ask a bracing question: who gets to tell sacred and truth-bearing stories, and how do those stories shape who belongs, who is feared, and what we excuse? From a Monty Python hymn at a funeral to anime, Good Omens, and Lucifer, we trace how pop culture remixes Scripture, how satire reframes power, and why reinterpretation can feel liberating to some and threatening to others. Our guests—Rev. Dave Holmes, justice advocate Robin Padani, filmmaker Nick Johnson (Sunburnt Unicorn), and regular contributor Ricardo Di Menezes—dig into permission, appropriation, and consent. We talk about turning land acknowledgments into living commitments, survivor-led storytelling that moves courts and cabinets, and the difficult line between empathy and co‑opting. We name the markers of misuse: narratives that reduce, divide, dehumanize, or aggrandize the teller. We confront political myth-making, softened histories of slavery, and weaponized texts that trade complexity for control. Then we pivot to what sets people free. Nick shares the heart of Sunburnt Unicorn: you don’t need to be special to be worthy of love. Dave explores Scripture as a living conversation, where struggle can redeem and still leave a limp. Robin shows how agency and proximity transform “casework” into community power. Ricardo challenges anti‑fat bias and tokenism, calling for stories that honor the whole person. We close with a simple charge: tell the truth without turning it into a weapon; hold stories with open hands; choose belovedness over performance. If this conversation moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about narrative and justice, and leave a review with the one story you think the world needs to hear next. Check us out at www.preparedtodrown.com Continue the conversation over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/PreparedtoDrown