Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker

Amy Julia Becker
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A podcast about reimagining the good life through the lens of disability, faith, and culture. Host Amy Julia Becker interviews guests in conversations that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and help us envision a world of belonging. 

  1. FEB 5 · BONUS

    [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 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 More about Take the Next Step: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ ___ 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 educatorsCollaboration and creativityNavigating IEPs and transitionsSmall changes that make a big differenceAsk Me Anything: Record (or email) your question for our upcoming Ask Me Anything episode: 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_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT: Adrian Wood is the creator of the vlog Tales of an Educated Debutante. 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.   CONNECT with Adrian on her website (talesofaneducateddebutante.com), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.  __ Take the Next Step is produced in collaboration with Hope Heals. Hope Heals 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. Follow on Instagram @hopeheals. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    16 min

  2. JAN 27

    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, 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, Art and Faith: A Theology of Making, and Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life by Makoto FujimuraEmbers InternationalAmy Julia’s episode with Justin Giboney: “How the Civil Rights Generation Can Lead Us Out of the Culture War” with Justin Giboney Amy Julia’s Take the Next Step podcast - new episodes beginning February 4, 2026_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: 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. 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://www.instagram.com/iamfujimura/ ___ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    50 min

  3. JAN 13

    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, 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 by Justin Giboney  • AND Campaign: andcampaign.org  • Church Politics podcast  • Amy Julia's Take the Next Step podcast: amyjuliabecker.com/step/ _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: 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 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/justinegiboney/ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    45 min

  4. 12/30/2025

    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 soulHow fasting, feasting, and everyday meals contribute to the spiritual lifeHow to understand pain and sickness in a world that is both beautiful and brokenWhy sleep matters spiritually00:00 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; Genesis 1-2; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:9; Psalm 23Kelly Kapic interview with Amy JuliaEmbodied Hope by Kelly Kapic_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: 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. ONLINE: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinwhitmelearleyauthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinwhitmelearley/ X: https://x.com/Justin_W_Earley YouTube: www.youtube.com/@justinwhitmelearley163 We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    48 min

  5. 12/16/2025

    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, 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 StepThe Hospitality of Need: How Depending on One Another Helps Us Heal and Grow Together by Kevan Chandler and Tommy SheltonWe Carry Kevan I John 1_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: KEVAN CHANDLER is the founder of the nonprofit organization We Carry Kevan 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! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    48 min

  6. 12/02/2025

    The World Is the Wrong Shape for Women with Leah Libresco Sargeant

    S9 E5 — There is a lot of conversation right now about the role of women and men in society. Whether we’re talking about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal or the viral essay "The Great Feminization" and all the commentary it sparked, it’s clear we’re in a cultural moment where we don’t quite know how to talk about men and women. Should we see men and women as interchangeable? What does equality look like when our bodies are not the same? Can we admit our neediness and maintain our dignity as women or as men? These are some of the questions I'm asking Leah Libresco Sargeant as we talk about her new book, The Dignity of Dependence. 00:00 The World is the Wrong Shape for Women 6:14 The Lie of Autonomy and How It Harms Everyone 21:09 Building a Just Society: Dismantling False Anthropology 22:52 Understanding Disability and Unemployment 25:43 Societal Examples of Dependent Communities 30:15 The Dignity of Dependence 32:51 Legacy of Care in Society 38:20 The Costs of Devaluing Vulnerability 41:14 Practices for Embracing Dependence MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto by Leah Libresco SargeantSara Hendren’s What Can a Body DoAmy Julia’s interview with Sara Hendren: Who Belongs? Disability and the Built World with Sara Hendren_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Leah Libresco Sargeant is the author of several books, including The Dignity of Dependence. She runs the substack Other Feminisms, which focuses on how to advocate for women as women in a world that makes an idol of autonomy. She lives in Maryland and works in family policy in D.C. Other Feminisms: https://www.otherfeminisms.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/leahlibresco __ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    49 min

  7. 11/18/2025

    How to Break the Self-Improvement Cycle with Sharon Hodde Miller

    S9 E4 — What if real freedom doesn’t come from more self-esteem—but from self-forgetfulness? Amy Julia Becker and author and pastor Sharon Hodde Miller explore the difference between the false self and the true self—and how thinking about ourselves less without thinking less of ourselves leads to healing, humility, and purpose. 00:00 Introduction 01:58 Defining Self and Self-Forgetfulness 07:33 Understanding the Self and Healing 09:50 Noticing Ourselves 14:12 False Self vs. True Self 16:31 The Concept of Self-Denial 19:18 The Role of the Body in Self-Understanding 22:08 Embracing Insecurity, Humility, and Limitations 29:33 The Role of Self in Parenting 31:34 Beyond Self: Purpose and Community 38:12 Practicing Humility in Daily Life MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Free of Me and Gazing at God • Books by Sharon Hodde MillerThe Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim KellerTo Be Made Well and White Picket Fences by Amy Julia BeckerAmy Julia's new podcast: Take the Next Step amyjuliabecker.com/step/_ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Sharon Hodde Miller (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) leads Bright City Church in Durham, NC with her husband, Ike. She writes, travels around the country speaking at churches and conferences each year, and holds a PhD on women and calling. Sharon is the author of three books: Gazing at God, Free of Me, and Nice. Sharon lives in North Carolina with her husband and 3 young children. To read more of her writing, you can visit her site, SheWorships.com, and you can connect with her on Instagram at @sharonhmiller.  We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    44 min

  8. 11/04/2025

    You Were Never Meant to Do It All with Kelly Kapic

    S9 E3 — What is the good life? Is it a life marked by money and success and achievement? Or a life marked by love? Author and professor Kelly Kapic joins Amy Julia Becker to rethink our obsession with productivity and self-reliance. They explore: Why “independence” is not the idealHow love—not intelligence or achievement—defines our humanityHow receiving our limits can lead to rest, belonging, and deeper joySubscribe to Amy Julia’s Substack newsletter: amyjuliabecker.com/subscribe/ 00:00 Exploring Humanity's Limits and Gifts 04:30 The Distinction Between Limits and Brokenness 09:35 Redefining Human Value Beyond Achievement 12:16 The Role of Love in Defining Humanity 19:45 The Gift of Humble Dependence in Relationships 26:03 Recognizing and Cultivating Gifts 28:21 The Good Life: Beyond Material Success and Happiness 34:33 Embracing Limits within Work, Rest, and Love 39:16 Practices for Accepting Limits and Cultivating Love __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Books: You Were Never Meant to Do It All, You're Only Human, and Embodied Hope by Kelly KapicFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver BurkemanWhen Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert Becoming Whole by by Brian Fikkert and Kelly KapicWorld Happiness ReportI Corinthians 13__ WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTube SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.com JOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabecker LISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/ _ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Kelly M. Kapic (PhD, King's College, University of London) is professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he has taught since 2001. He is a popular speaker and the award-winning author or editor of more than fifteen books, including the devotional You Were Never Meant to Do It All, The God Who Gives, and the Christianity Today Book Award winners You're Only Human and Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering. Kapic has been featured in Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition and has worked on research teams funded by the John Templeton Foundation. He also contributes to the Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care and various other journals. kellykapic.com ___ We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

    46 min
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A podcast about reimagining the good life through the lens of disability, faith, and culture. Host Amy Julia Becker interviews guests in conversations that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and help us envision a world of belonging. 

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