Walk Talk Listen Podcast

Maurice A. Bloem

Walk Talk Listen, an attempt to connect people and make this world a bit better by sharing opinions and experiences based on the belief that everyone’s perspective is true albeit partial. It is also an effort to create awareness and to inspire a growing group of listeners to be engaged with the Global Goals (SDGs) and their attainment. A spin-off of the 100 mile walk. #gotheextra100mile

  1. 7h ago

    Life Is a Gift with Mira Neaimeh - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 262)

    In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Maurice Bloem speaks with Mira Neaimeh, originally from Lebanon and now based in Cairo, Egypt, where she has served as Program Manager and Middle East Regional Coordinator for the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI). Mira takes us back to her childhood in a small village in Mount Lebanon, where she learned to love nature, work with her hands, value family and community, and stand up for what she believes in. She shares how her studies and career in translation, her involvement in the Orthodox Youth Movement and ecumenical networks, and her experiences across the Middle East helped shape her understanding of faith, service and leadership. She also reflects on becoming the first woman elected to her village's municipality, challenging expectations about who should represent a community and learning that leadership begins with humility, accountability and listening. Mira and Maurice explore the connection between translation and peacebuilding, including why understanding what lies behind people's words is often more important than the words themselves. They discuss women's leadership, younger generations, faith, personal growth and the importance of remaining true to one's values while being open to different perspectives. Recorded on JLI's final day of operations, their conversation also becomes a reflection on the relationships, learning and shared purpose that can endure beyond an organization's existence. Responding to a question from the previous guest, Peter Prove, Mira speaks about resilience, acknowledging that there are days when it is difficult to continue, but reminding us that life itself is a gift. Her musical choice is a composition by Egyptian musician Omar Khairat, whose music, she says, reaches deep into the heart. Listener Engagement Connect with Mira Neaimeh on LinkedIn and Instagram. Learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities. Don't only listen to Mira's music choice, Omar Khairat's The Case of Am Ahmad (قضية عم أحمد), but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us Support Walk Talk Listen by following the 100 Mile Hunger Walk on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI).

  2. Oct 28

    Action in the World Now Can't Wait with Peter Prove - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 261)

    In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Maurice Bloem speaks with Peter Prove, Director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs at the World Council of Churches (WCC). Growing up in an Australian Lutheran family in which becoming a pastor seemed almost a family tradition, Peter chose a different path through law, international human rights and ecumenical advocacy. He reflects on how those experiences changed him, from working at the intersection of trade and human rights to encountering people whose courage and suffering continue to shape his understanding of justice. One particularly moving memory comes from a displaced teenage girl in northern Iraq who told him that the violence had destroyed her future. Peter also shares how encounters with local religious communities helped inspire practical cooperation, including efforts to make Iraq's school curriculum more inclusive. The conversation explores the difference between interfaith dialogue and what Peter calls diapraxis — working together on shared challenges — as well as the contributions and contradictions of religion in peacebuilding. Peter reflects on Colombia's peace processes, the importance of relationships that outlast institutions, and why young people must be recognized as actors in the present rather than merely leaders of the future. When discussing the Inner Development Goals, he highlights humility and self-awareness, while warning that personal growth must never become an excuse to delay urgent action. He also shares his appreciation for the beauty and many voices of a single violin in Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber's Passacaglia in G minor, and reflects on how decades of encounters with extraordinary people have changed him. Listener Engagement Learn more about Peter Prove on LinkedIn and the World Council of Churches. Follow WCC on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and BlueSky. Don't only listen to Peter's choice of music, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber's Passacaglia in G minor, but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us Support Walk Talk Listen by following the 100 Mile Hunger Walk on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI).

  3. Oct 21

    Do Not Let Anyone Make You Feel Smaller with Shahin Ashraf MBE - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 260)

    Shahin Ashraf MBE joins Walk Talk Listen for a deeply personal conversation that begins in Handsworth, Birmingham, where she grew up in a multicultural neighborhood shaped by Jamaican, Sikh, Hindu and Kashmiri communities. Her parents had migrated from Azad Kashmir, and although her family experienced poverty and hardship, Shahin remembers that “the biggest thing we had was each other.” From the age of nine, she helped care for her father, navigating medical systems and learning unfamiliar terminology with help from the local library. By eleven, she had started a small business helping people fill out forms, partly to earn money for taxi fares to visit her father. She also remembers the kindness of neighbors, teachers and religious leaders from different faith traditions who supported her family. These experiences helped shape her lifelong commitment to justice, dignity and standing up for others. Today Shahin is Head of Global Advocacy and Research at Islamic Relief Worldwide, bringing more than 25 years of experience in humanitarian action, women's rights, refugee support, climate justice and civil society leadership. The conversation moves between her personal experiences and wider questions about faith, identity, international solidarity, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Inner Development Goals. Answering the previous guest's question about unexpected hope, Shahin recalls girls and women in Afghanistan continuing to pursue education despite enormous restrictions. She also shares how experiencing anti-Muslim prejudice helped propel her into local politics in Solihull, where she became an elected councillor, and describes confronting discriminatory rhetoric in the council chamber shortly before the recording. Her message to listeners is simple but powerful: “Do not let anyone make you feel smaller.” Music brings us back to the cultural richness of her childhood, from Bhangra and reggae to Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Listener Engagement Learn more about Shahin's work through Islamic Relief Worldwide and connect with her on LinkedIn (Shahin Ashraf MBE), Facebook (Shahin Ashraf) and Instagram (@Shahin_ashra1). Don't only listen to Shahin's musical choices, including Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us Support Walk Talk Listen by following the 100 Mile Hunger Walk on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI).

  4. Oct 14

    We Need to Learn, and Not Just Teach with Rev. Jane Ng’ang’a - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 259)

    Rev. Jane Ng’ang’a joins Walk Talk Listen from Kenya and takes us back to her childhood in rural Molo, Nakuru County, growing up in a family of fourteen children. She reflects especially on the influence of her mother, whose compassion, resilience and determination helped Jane and her sisters see possibilities beyond the expectations placed on girls in their community. That foundation eventually accompanied Jane into ordained ministry and more than 15 years of work at the intersection of faith, community health, HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender justice, maternal and child health, and youth programming.    Today Jane is CEO of Faith to Action Network, a Southern-led global interfaith network working across family health and wellbeing, women’s rights and gender justice, and peaceful, just and inclusive communities. Jane talks candidly about encounters with HIV-related stigma, including the harm caused when HIV was framed as punishment, and how listening to people’s stories changed her own perspective. She reflects on why faith communities can be sources of both harm and healing, why faith actors often “reach the last mile,” and what it means to bridge faith and evidence. The conversation also turns to younger generations: Jane believes leaders need to listen, share power and recognize that “we need to learn, and not just teach.” She speaks about her own fear of scarcity, where she sees hope at community level, and why protecting girls from child marriage and creating space for young people to lead matter to her. Her music choice is It Is Well with My Soul, a song that has accompanied her through difficult moments and reminds her that even in challenging circumstances, “it is well.” Listener Engagement Learn more about Jane’s work through Faith to Action Network and connect with Jane personally on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Don’t only listen to It Is Well with My Soul, Jane’s music choice, but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us Support Walk Talk Listen by following the 100 Mile Hunger Walk on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI).

  5. Sep 30

    A New Sense of Possibility with Sam Daley-Harris - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 258)

    Sam Daley-Harris joins Walk Talk Listen to reflect on an unlikely journey that began in Miami, Florida, where he grew up in an observant Jewish household and discovered a love of music that eventually led him to play percussion in the Miami Philharmonic Orchestra and teach high school music. Experiences around the deaths of a friend and Robert F. Kennedy prompted Sam to begin asking questions that would stay with him: “Why am I here? What am I here to do? What’s my purpose?” A 1977 presentation on ending world hunger then challenged his assumption that hunger was inevitable. Sam realized that while he might feel hopeless about human nature, there was one human nature he could do something about: his own. That realization eventually contributed to Sam founding RESULTS in 1980, followed by his work with the Microcredit Summit Campaign and Civic Courage. In the conversation, Sam explores what he calls “transformational advocacy”: not only working to change policies and systems, but creating the support that enables people to do things they never thought they could do and, in the process, see themselves differently. Maurice and Sam also talk about younger generations, faith and spirituality, fear, cynicism and hope, the Sustainable Development Goals and Inner Development Goals, and why organizations sometimes underestimate what volunteers are capable of. Near the end, Sam asks whether something in the conversation might have “sparked some excitement, sparked some hope, sparked some new sense of possibility.” Music, fittingly, remains part of his story, with Sam choosing Dan Hill’s Hold On and Peter Mayer’s Holy Now as pieces that speak to who he is. Listener Engagement Learn more about Sam and Reclaiming Our Democracy: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy at reclaimingourdemocracy.com. You can also learn about his work through Civic Courage and RESULTS, and follow Sam on LinkedIn and Instagram (@samdaleyharris). Sam specifically invited listeners who would like to learn more or explore ways of getting involved to complete his Sign-up Sheet. Don’t only listen to Hold On by Dan Hill and Holy Now by Peter Mayer, Sam’s music choices, but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist. Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us Support Walk Talk Listen by following the 100 Mile Hunger Walk on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI).

  6. Sep 23

    I Intentionally Go Small Picture with Lisa le Roux - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 257)

    Dr. Elisabet “Lisa” le Roux joins Walk Talk Listen from Stellenbosch, South Africa, and takes us back to her childhood as the youngest of four children, growing up in a home where faith, theology, books and conversations were part of everyday life. Her father was a minister and later taught theology at Stellenbosch University, while her parents modeled a conviction that became a kind of guiding light for Lisa: your life should make a positive difference, even if that difference is small. Lisa also recalls becoming aware of gender inequality remarkably early, including a childhood encounter with a library registration form that made her wonder why women, but not men, were defined by whether they were married. That early journey eventually took Lisa to the mountains of Lesotho, where living alongside people affected by HIV/AIDS profoundly shaped the direction of her life, and later into nearly two decades of research on religion, gender equality and violence against women and girls. Today, through her work with Stellenbosch University and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), Lisa continues to explore the complicated role of religion: faith communities can help challenge violence and harmful norms, while at the same time sometimes reinforcing them. Lisa talks about listening, participatory and feminist approaches to research, and what researchers themselves must be willing to learn and unlearn. She also reflects on hope and why, when the problems of the world feel overwhelming, she intentionally chooses to “go small picture” and focus on the difference we can make in the lives immediately around us. Her musical choice is Toto’s Africa. Listener Engagement Learn more about Lisa’s work through Stellenbosch University and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI). Don’t only listen to “Africa” by Toto, Lisa’s song choice, but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist. Share your feedback on this episode through our Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI) and its work connecting evidence, learning, faith and locally rooted experience.

  7. Sep 16

    Hope Means the Small Daily Actions We Can Take with Andrés Martínez-García - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 256)

    Andrés Martínez-García is a psychologist and peacebuilder whose professional journey began with people directly affected by Colombia's decades of violence. Born and raised in Bogotá, Andrés recalls a happy childhood while recognizing how much his parents did to protect him and his twin brother from dangers they did not always fully understand at the time. His first job as a psychologist brought him face-to-face with that other Colombian reality, providing psychosocial support to landmine survivors and victims of violence. The experience convinced him that addressing trauma alone was not enough without also confronting the conditions that produce violence. It eventually led him into peacebuilding and to a lifelong interest in how psychology, peace, religion and spirituality intersect. A particularly formative moment came when a patient asked him to pray with her, leaving the young psychologist wondering where professional boundaries ended and the spiritual dimensions of healing began. Today, Andrés is Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI), where he helps lead the LAC Regional Learning Hub and works at the intersection of faith, mental health, evidence and locally led development. In this conversation, we explore why sustainable peace requires attention to trauma and personal and community healing; the religious diversity of Latin America and the Caribbean; what younger generations may be teaching us about spirituality, institutions and connection; and why local organizations and religious actors need to help determine the questions that research asks rather than simply participate in someone else's agenda. Andrés also responds to Doug Fountain's question about loneliness, reflects on his hopes and concerns for his daughter in an increasingly technological world, and explains why Bob Marley's Redemption Song speaks so deeply to his work and who he is. Before we finish, he adds Mercedes Sosa's Gracias a la Vida, another song that holds pain and suffering together with hope. Listener Engagement: Learn more about Andrés and his work through his LinkedIn profile. You can also learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI) and follow JLI on its social media channels. Don't only listen to Bob Marley's Redemption Song and Mercedes Sosa's Gracias a la Vida, picked by Andrés, but also the songs chosen by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here. Share your feedback on this episode through our link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

  8. Sep 9

    We Can Do Better. We Must Do Better with Doug Fountain - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 255)

    Doug Fountain has spent nearly four decades working at the intersection of Christian mission, health systems and global development, but his journey toward that work began much earlier. Growing up in Oregon, Doug's life changed when his mother became seriously ill when he was nine and eventually spent much of the last 20 years of her life bedridden. Caring for her alongside his father taught him about caregiving, responsibility and the realities of health, while a painful response from their church also forced him to wrestle with what faith should and should not look like. In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Doug reflects on wanting to become a missionary doctor, discovering instead a passion for public policy and systems, and eventually coming full circle into global health. He also shares how eight years living and working in Uganda fundamentally reshaped his understanding of international development: not arriving with solutions, but being invited to come alongside people who are themselves responsible for the change they want to make. Today Doug is Executive Director of Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH), where his work focuses on strengthening the visibility, quality and connectedness of faith-based health actors. Our conversation explores what faith communities can contribute to holistic health, where churches and faith-based organizations sometimes get things wrong, what genuinely locally led health systems require, and why funding and accountability need to be much more closely aligned. We also talk about trust between communities, institutions, governments and faith actors; Doug's concern about increasing loneliness and disconnection; what the SDGs have and have not accomplished; and why he finds the Inner Development Goals useful for thinking about the capacities leaders need to confront complex problems. Along the way, Doug shares a beautiful childhood story about a teacher and a box of geography flashcards, reflects on music and human connection, and leaves us with a challenge that runs throughout the conversation: we can do better, and we must do better. Listener Engagement: Learn more about Doug Fountain and his work through Christian Connections for International Health, and follow CCIH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. CCIH brings together Christian organizations, individuals and partners working to advance health and wholeness around the world. Don't only listen to the songs discussed by Doug, but also those chosen by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here. Share your feedback on this episode through our Facebook and Instagram. Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

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About

Walk Talk Listen, an attempt to connect people and make this world a bit better by sharing opinions and experiences based on the belief that everyone’s perspective is true albeit partial. It is also an effort to create awareness and to inspire a growing group of listeners to be engaged with the Global Goals (SDGs) and their attainment. A spin-off of the 100 mile walk. #gotheextra100mile

Information

  • Creator
    Maurice A. Bloem
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Walk Talk Listen Podcast