Proost Podcast

Resilience and faith spaces with Josie Gwin

Chris met Josie at an Iona Community gathering, where she was presenting some research, and immediately thought she would be a brilliant guest for this podcast because of her unique perspectives, informed by both her background and her acedemic research. In many ways, this wonderful conversations feels like a follow on from our discussions with Katie Cross on this podcast - helping us understand how communities both make and sometimes break us as we make our faith journeys. In particular, Josie's work concerns itself with the way that generative, healthy faith communities contrbute to our human resilience and flourishing. Here is a bit of an introduction to Josie.. Josie Gwin, co-founder of ⁠The Resilience Resource,⁠ [https://theresilienceresource.org.uk//] is a Mental Health Coach, a Spiritual and Psychological First Aid Instructor, certified Chaplain through the International Conference of Police Chaplains, and caries various credentials in Trauma-informed crisis care. She has a masters degree from Bethel University, and is a PhD researcher investigating the intersection of faith and resilience at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Prior to co-founding The Resilience Resource, Josie Gwin served as a firefighter for 6 years, spent 18 years in the equine therapeutic industry, and has served as a crisis chaplain. She has been involved in cross-cultural and international contexts for over 35 years. She has lived and served in multiple countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Josie, along with her husband, Scott, has trained, resourced, and provided care for personnel, leaders, and teams from a variety of faith based and secular organizations, as well as firefighters and law enforcement, first responder chaplains, medical personnel and hospital chaplains, and military and special forces personnel.

Pod 19: For the love of winter with Kenneth Steven

(This episode was also uploaded to our other podcast, the Proost Poetry podcast. We loved it so much that we decided to make it available on this stream also.) For lovers of poetry of wild places, Kenneth Steven probably needs no introduction, but here we go anyway. Kenneth Steven is first and always a poet. To survive as a ⁠literary author⁠ [https://kennethsteven.co.uk/author/] he’s had to become many other things as a writer – he translated the Norwegian novel The Half Brother, he’s a children’s picture book and story writer, he’s an essayist and a feature writer – but it’s poetry and the love of poetry that lies at the heart of it all. His volume of selected poems Iona appeared from Paraclete Press in the States a couple of years ago. His numerous collections have sold many thousands of copies, and he has a strong name as a poet thanks to the poetry-related features he’s written and presented over long years: his programme A Requiem for St Kilda having won a Sony Gold for Radio 4. His poetry has been inspired primarily by place. He grew up on the edge of the Scottish Highlands with a profound awareness of that world: his mother’s people were Gaelic speakers from Wester and Easter Ross. It’s the wildscape of Highland Scotland that pours through his pen. It’s that same wildscape he seeks to capture as a ⁠painter⁠ [https://kennethsteven.co.uk/painter/]. He and his wife Kristina live on the Scottish west coast, and it’s the ever-changing colours of sea and sky he loves so much: the myriad blues and the incredible beauty of the light. Kenneth runs his own podcast, available to those who support his work through patreon- we very much encourage any of you who are able to reach out. We need out poets more than ever! You can connect with the wonderful ⁠Imagining Things podcast here.⁠ [https://www.patreon.com/posts/imagining-things-99447955] Kenneth's website with links to many of his books and paintings that are available⁠ is here. [https://kennethsteven.co.uk/]

Pod 19: Church leavers and the 'quiet revival'

In this episode, we welcome back Dr Katie Cross, who is the Christ’s College Lecturer in Practical Theology at Aberdeen University. Katie updates us on her research into church leavers, as well as inviting people to respond creatively as they tell their own stories of moving into a more fluid, unanchored form of faith. You can be part of this project as follows; * By attending online workshops to discuss prompts and reflect together. You can sign up here [https://duaco.r.sp1-brevo.net/mk/cl/f/sh/1f8JIKXwHGZDuNHI6VPMPppzNv/DdnKix-Y1HSG] to join in. * By writing up your own reflections in your own time, and emailing these to Katie here [k.cross@abdn.ac.uk?subject=Creative%20Response].  Afer this, we turn to a discussion about the so called 'quiet revival' that is being talked about here in the UK and elsewhere. Is it real? Listen to find out our views.

Pod 18: Wilderness retreat (part 2)

This is part 2 of a different kind of Proost podcast, in we take you on a journey to the remote island of Lunga in the Hebrides, where community and companionship come alive. Join us as we explore the bonds formed in wild places, where the absence of modern conveniences fosters deep connections and shared experiences. Discover how the rhythm of nature and the spirit of togetherness create a space for reflection, laughter, and meaningful conversations. Through shared meals, communal rituals, and lots of bad jokes, this episode delves into the essence of what makes these retreats a cherished tradition. Tune in to hear stories of friendship, vulnerability, and the joy of being part of a temporary community that has lasting impact on the lives of those who are held by the island.

Pod 17: Wilderness retreat (part 1)

In this unique episode of the Proost podcast, we take you on a journey to the remote island of Lunga in the Hebrides, where community and companionship come alive. Join us as we explore the bonds formed in wild places, where the absence of modern conveniences fosters deep connections and shared experiences. Discover how the rhythm of nature and the spirit of togetherness create a space for reflection, laughter, and meaningful conversations. Through shared meals, communal rituals, and lots of bad jokes, this episode delves into the essence of what makes these retreats a cherished tradition. Tune in to hear stories of friendship, vulnerability, and the joy of being part of a temporary community that has lasting impact on the lives of those who are held by the island.