Soulful Revolutionaries

Lauren Grubaugh Thomas and Hannah Curtis
  • 5.0 (10)
  • SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Hosts Lauren Grubaugh Thomas (writer, priest, mother, and gatherer of dissident communities) and Hannah Curtis (mother, mentor, agitator, friend, and curious person) interview Soulful Revolutionaries (like faith leaders, activists, writers, mental health professionals, human rights advocates, and more), about life at the intersection of spiritual transformation and social change. laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com

  1. SEASON INTERLUDE: Heavy Times Call for Holy Pauses

    JAN 15

    SEASON INTERLUDE: Heavy Times Call for Holy Pauses

    As Season 4 closes and we turn toward Season 5, we pause in the in-between. This is a heavy time, and it calls for discernment rather than urgency alone. In this interlude, we reflect on rage, tenderness, and the sacred discipline of not knowing. Soul care becomes a form of resistance here. We step forward asking what faithfulness looks like for us here, now. To help us produce Season 5 of the pod, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    27 min

  2. 12/18/2025

    Asian Rebel Club: Breaking Scripts of Success, Burnout, and Belonging

    This conversation traces what happens when success becomes a burden — when meaning begins to slip away, and when the strategies that once kept you safe no longer work. Crystal Ren, serial entrepreneur, creative strategist, and the founder of Asian Rebel Club, speaks about burnout not as failure, but as information: a signal that something essential has been ignored, and an invitation to tap into one’s inner voice and root in intuition to choose differently. A Soulful Revolution is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber or support by buying us a coffee. About Crystal Crystal Ren is a serial entrepreneur, creative strategist, and the founder of Asian Rebel Club—a bold platform challenging cultural norms and helping high-achieving Asians break free from external validation. Formerly in e-commerce, where she built and exited multiple million-dollar brands, Crystal now uses her voice to spark conversations on identity, ambition, emotional healing, and what it means to live freely. Her work bridges psychology, storytelling, and rebellion, and she’s not afraid to get uncomfortable in the name of truth. Crystal is also an angel investor focusing on women-led businesses. Resources + Links Newsletter** | Instagram | Spotify | **Apple Podcasts If this conversation resonated, you may also enjoy: From Pageant to Drag King to Netflix’s Midnight Asia  The Taliban Erased Her Home. She Fought Back With Beauty She Was the Perfect Asian Daughter — Until She Left Wall Street for VR Stardom This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    59 min

  3. 12/05/2025

    Roots of Resilience: Interfaith Sisters on Palestinian Heritage, Justice, & Belonging

    It’s not every week we host an incredible sister trio on the podcast! Layla Ali Rabih-Ziegler, Aussy Levi, and Dora Rabih Griffin grew up inside what many people insist is impossible: a Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish family…all blended together. A household where holidays overlapped, where multiple mother tongues echoed in the halls, where identity wasn’t a single lane but a whole woven tapestry. Throughout this conversation, the themes of family, tradition, land and language coalesce into an idea of “home,” a place that taught them to see common humanity above all, before difference. The sisters speak of confusion and beauty living side by side, and of learning long before politics gave them language for it that coexistence is not a theory but a daily practice. Aussy reflects on the ache and awakening of watching injustice unfold in front of children who deserve a gentler world. Layla speaks about raising her son — a Palestinian boy in America — with a sense of pride that becomes its own form of resistance. And Dora tells a story about planting seeds from Palestine in Colorado soil, coaxing one single red tomato into being, and recognizing that resilience often looks small before it looks strong. There is no “right way” to talk about liberation, but there is an honest way, and these sisters embody that honesty. They remind us that allyship isn’t grand gestures — it’s honoring Palestinian voices, choosing clarity over confusion, and refusing to let fear masquerade as neutrality.If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or buying us a coffee. About Layla Layla Ali Rabih-Ziegler is a community-minded leader whose career spans nonprofit service, entrepreneurship, and senior care. With a degree in Human Development and a minor in Coaching from Metropolitan State University, she spent eight years at the YMCA before running her own businesses for nearly six years. She now serves as Director of Operations for Seniors Helping Seniors in Jefferson County, supporting older adults and their families. Rooted in the values instilled by her multicultural, interfaith parents (integrity, compassion, and standing up for others), Layla brings a deep sense of purpose to everything she does. She is a devoted wife to Steve, mom to baby Owen, and stepmom to Ariyah, and cherishes time with her close-knit family. Outside of work, she loves baking, cooking, outdoor walks with Owen, and spontaneous adventures with her sister, Dora. Family gatherings with her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews are among her greatest joys, as she values quality time and togetherness above all else.About AussyAussy Levi is a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience across the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, including work with DHS, DOL, Workforce Development, Women’s Health Equity, Veterans Services, NICU care, Human Rights, Easter Seals, YWCA, and March of Dimes. She currently serves as Senior Director at Vitalant. Her expertise spans managing federal programs and budgets, leading quality improvement, and advising on statewide workforce indicators. An attorney, mediator, negotiator, and human rights advocate, Aussy holds undergraduate degrees from MSU Denver, a master’s in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Nova Southeastern University, and a law degree from George Washington University.About Dora Dora Rabih Griffin is a humanitarian, business owner, and outspoken advocate for social justice, grounded in the belief that “nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” Proudly Palestinian, she pours her values into action—protesting with her family, creating media for PCRF and the Al-Bireh Society, and organizing parent-led advocacy groups at her daughters’ school. A former college athlete with a degree in Sociology, Dora is guided by principles of resilience, empathy, integrity, and community instilled by her parents. Her daughters, Maliah and Jada, are the “soul of her soul”—her ruh al-ruh—and remain her greatest inspiration. She treasures traveling, time outdoors, coaching their sports teams, and including them in mutual aid and activism. Dora remains steadfast in the fight for collective liberation and in her commitment to ending the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Resources & LinksDecolonize Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/ BDS Movement: https://bdsmovement.net Family Dora fundraises for in Gaza: https://chuffed.org/project/122556-help-rania-family-rebuild-their-life-in-gaza This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    48 min

  4. 11/26/2025

    Viral Grace: Rev. Gerlyn Henry on ministry, identity & justice from her TikTok pulpit to her Toronto parish

    Dear Soulful Revolutionary, In a time of global grief, political upheaval, and deep, deep hunger for authenticity, how do faith leaders and communities navigate the tensions between tradition, digital platforms, and the urgency of calling for justice in a multitude of contexts? In this week’s episode, we step into the sacred space between online visibility and embodied justice. Rev. Gerlyn Henry, an Anglican priest and vibrant TikTok presence based in Toronto, joins us to share how her ministry stretches far beyond parish walls and into social media algorithms, TikTok feeds, comment sections, and ultimately the tender places where people are searching for a faith that tells the truth. She reflects on the tricky vulnerability of visibility, the complexity of preaching in a time of upheaval, and the sacred responsibility of showing up online as a priest, a woman of color, a progressive Christian, and a truth-teller in spaces where misinformation, domination, and harmful theology often thrive. Together, we explore the intersections of progressive Christian theology, online ministry, harm reduction, embodied community, and the long work of decolonization. Rev. Gerlyn names how her work fills a much-needed gap in progressive church circles—a gap she describes as the absence of accessible, public-facing theology. Her Instagram Reels and TikTok videos have become a kind of public theology in themselves, meeting people where they are with clarity, courage, and compassion. We talk about what it means to step into that gap boldly, offering spiritual grounding, prophetic imagination, and the kind of tenderness that stays awake to both grief and hope. And for Rev. Gerlyn, the digital sphere isn’t simply a platform; it’s a calling. As she puts it: “For me, online ministry is both faith and resistance. It’s like claiming space for people of color. Queer folk, progressive Christians haven’t always been welcome, and we’re saying, ‘Here we are. God is here, and yes, the sacred can live in the comment section as well.’” Rev. Gerlyn also shares how she was profoundly shaped by her time as a “slave to the wage” in the so-called “real world” before entering the priesthood, from working at Tim Hortons, the beloved Canadian coffee chain, and later as a packer in an Amazon warehouse. Those early jobs taught her how to listen, how to meet people where they are, and how to carry a faith grounded in reality rather than abstraction. That experience, she says, is essential to understanding what people actually need from spiritual leaders today. To you, soulful revolutionaries reading this, to those building community across distances, reclaiming spiritual imagination, challenging systems, and creating new forms of belonging in real time—this one is for you. About The Rev. Gerlyn HenryGerlyn Henry was ordained in 2020 in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto where she serves as the Incumbent of the Church of Holy Wisdom. During her postulancy (training for priesthood), she also worked at Tim Hortons - the famous Canadian coffee chain - and as a packer at an Amazon Warehouse. She is familiar with being a slave to the wage. Her training includes an undergrad in Social Work, chaplaincy residency in a low income hospital as well as Sick Kids, and an internship in the National Council of Churches. She serves as an anti-bias anti-racism facilitator, sits on the Right Relations committee, and was recently the keynote speaker at the Outreach, Justice and Advocacy conference. Gerlyn received her Masters of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2018. Gerlyn is also a wife, a wood worker and novice biker. Resources + LinksFind Rev. Gerlyn on TikTok & Instagram God Is a Black Woman by Dr. Christina Clevelandhttps://christenacleveland.com/god-is-a-black-woman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    53 min

  5. 11/20/2025

    We Pray Freedom: Ritual, Solidarity, and the Soul of Revolution

    In our seventh episode of the season, we sit down with Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis and Dr. Charon Hribar to explore the decades-long lineage behind their new book, We Pray Freedom: Liturgies & Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor. We Pray Freedom is rooted in an active, justice-building understanding of prayer and ritual—embodied practices that sustain, empower, and transform. “Drawn from the struggles and wisdom of poor and dispossessed communities, these liturgies reclaim the sacred as collective action for a world where all can thrive. In a society steeped in the rituals of empire, these prayers insist that the leadership, dignity, and traditions of the poor are not only holy—they are essential to building a just and life-affirming future.” - https://weprayfreedom.org/about/ In our conversation, Liz and Charon remind us that these prayers and rituals were never abstract ideas. They were (and are) embodied—held in protest chants, in courthouse-step litanies, in the courage of people showing up week after week demanding dignity, fairness, housing, and the right to be fully human. They come from the slow labor of friendship, from the everyday work of the Freedom Church of the Poor, and from communities insisting on a world where all can thrive. Dr. Hribar also gifts us with a resonant, bold refrain at the top of the episode that holds the heart of this movement: “I am a revolutionary. I should have been dead and gone, but Fannie Lou said go on. I am a revolutionary. We’re still in the fight, and we’re still alive.” Woven throughout the conversation is a theme they lift up with tenderness and clarity: solidarity as nourishment—a kind of delicious (as Hannah puts it), sustaining presence we return to again and again. This episode is an invitation into that solidarity, that revolutionary spirit, and the truth that liberation is for all of us. Wherever you find yourself today—hopeful, weary, disoriented, or newly awake—we hope this conversation makes room for you. We hope it reminds you that you do not move alone. About the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis is a theologian, pastor, author, and anti poverty activist. She is the Executive Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Rev. Dr. Theoharis has been organizing in poor and low-income communities for the past 30 years. About Dr. Charon Hribar Dr. Charon Hribar is a song leader, cultural organizer, and social ethicist. She serves as the director of cultural strategies for the Kairos Center and co-director of theomusicology and movement arts for the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. With more than two decades of experience, Dr. Hribar empowers leaders to integrate rituals and arts into organizing efforts. Together, they are the authors of the recently released book, We Pray Freedom: Liturgies and Rituals from the Freedom Church of the Poor. Resources + Links Mentioned in this Episode We Pray Freedom: Liturgies & Rituals from the Freedom Church of the PoorBy Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis & Dr. Charon Hribar - https://weprayfreedom.org/about/ We Pray Freedom – (official website) - https://weprayfreedom.org Kairos Center for Religions, Rights & Social Justice - https://kairoscenter.org Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival -https://poorpeoplescampaign.orgThe Freedom Church of the Poor - https://kairoscenter.org/freedom-church-of-the-poorThe Persistent Widow (Luke 18) — a grounding story for protest vigils - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A1-8&version=NRSVUE This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    52 min

  6. 11/05/2025

    New Suns Rising: Theopoetics, Octavia Butler, and Creative Resistance

    About Dr. Tamisha Tyler, Ph.D.Tamisha A. Tyler (she/her/hers) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture, and Theopoetics at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana. She also serves as a Theologian in Residence at The Center for Restorative Justice in Pasadena, CA, and is part of the Level Ground Artist Collective in Los Angeles, CA. Her current research explores religion in the literary world of Octavia Butler. Resources + Links Dr. Tamisha Tyler’s Website Octavia E. Butler – Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents Octavia E. Butler – Kindred, Fledgling, and The Patternist SeriesPoetics of the Flesh by Mayra Rivera Way to Water: A Theopoetics Primer by Callid Keefe-Perry The(y)ology - Mythopoetics for Queer/Trans Liberation by Max Yeshaye Brumberg-Kraus Theopoetics in Color: Embodied Approaches in Theological DiscourseEdited by Oluwatomisin Olayinka Oredein and Lakisha R. Lockhart-Rusch Gerry Canavan – Octavia E. Butler: A Biography Level Ground Artist Collective (Los Angeles) - Made up of artists in Los Angeles who share a desire to root our creative lives in care, collaboration, and liberation. Level Ground creates purposeful and sustained spaces for artists and their communities. We support Black, brown, trans, and queer artists, projects, and audiences. Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) - FTE is a leadership incubator that inspires young people to make a difference through Christian communities. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    57 min

  7. 10/29/2025

    A Theology of Softness: Black Imagination, Collective Liberation & Living “Enfleshed”

    Hello Soulful Revolutionaries, Lately, we have been thinking about the kind of faith that begins not in certainty, but in softness. About how, in the midst of ache, disaster, dysfunction, and unrest, tenderness might still be a radical act of resistance, a way of remaking the world in love. In this week’s conversation, we sit down with theologian, writer, PhD student, and co-director of enfleshed, Robert Monson, whose life and work rise from the rich soil of Black liberation theology and womanist wisdom. As a Black disabled man, Robert invites us to consider how our bodies—especially those the world deems “unfit”—are sacred sites of divine encounter. We talk about enfleshed’s mission to create spiritual resources for marginalized communities, about imagination is gas for a car, “the animating life force” doubling as a tool for liberation, and about the holy practice of softness in a world that religiously confuses hardness for strength. Robert helps us glimpse a God who is curious and adaptive, who companions us through pain and joy alike, and who delights in the fullness of who we are. We invite you to soak in this conversation—and in Robert’s closing blessing: a reminder that “you are your own best thing.” That after all you’ve carried, created, and survived, you remain a blessing to this world and to God. You are doing your very best with what you have—and that, Beloved, is enough. A Soulful Revolution is made possible by listeners and readers like you. To receive new posts and support this project, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. About RobertRobert (he/him) is a runner, musician, and a Black theologian committed to softness, contemplation, and liberation for all. As a recent seminary graduate (with distinction) and a current PhD student, Robert studied in-depth the intersection of Black Liberation Theology and womanist theology. Weaving together these two strands of liberation have been important work as well as other liberation based theologies. “How can we help facilitate community and provide answers to a hurting world that is reeling?” remains an important question in his work. While in school, Robert’s scholarly work was recognized and presented at various national conferences/outlets. Podcasting (two shows) and writing remain important aspects of his daily life as well as marathoning the latest Star Trek show(s).About enfleshedenfleshed has roots in liberationist and theo-poetic Christianities and has grown in multiple directions since 2017. we continue to companion those on the fringes of Christianity while also cultivating and participating in sacred spaces outside of singular or static religious identities. Resources + Links Mentioned in this Episode Enfleshed - spiritual nourishment for collective liberationBLACK IMAGINATION: BLACK VOICES ON BLACK FUTURES by Natasha Marin“Beautiful Possibilities” by Robert MonsonI Found God in Me: A Womanist Biblical Hermeneutics Reader edited by Mitzi J. Smith “I Do Not Dream of Labor” by Robert Monson “a poem for the daddy who never held me” by Robert Monson Won’t You Celebrate With Me? by Lucille Clifton All About Love by bell hooks All the Black Girls Are Activists by Ebony Janice Moore The Shack by William P. Young This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    55 min

  8. 10/08/2025

    Onboarding as a Gesture of Care: Artivism & the Nonprofit Industrial Complex (S4 Episode 3)

    Our guest, Tirrea Billings, artivist, educator, and storyteller at Philanthropy Unfiltered, encourages us to reimagine what the work of social justice and resistance looks like within the context of organizations & art. About Tirrea Tirrea Billings is an artivist, educator, and storyteller who writes about the nonprofit industrial complex. She has a BA in Film Studies and an MA in Communication from Western Michigan University. Her work focuses on amplifying voices that have been systematically excluded from mainstream conversations about power, policy, and change. Through her platform, Philanthropy Unfiltered, she writes openly about contradictions, dysfunction, and new opportunities within social change work — creating space for practitioners, funders, and organizers to imagine more liberatory approaches. Tirrea believes in the potential of radically honest dialogue and the power of imagination to transform systems to better serve communities. Resources & Links Read Tirrea’s Substack essay: “Bad Onboarding Breaks People” Read Tirrea’s Substack essay: The Master’s Tools: How Traditional Grantmaking Blocks Liberation Listen to Ruby Sales on On Being: “Where Does It Hurt?” Watch “The First Step” — a documentary exploring dialogue, reform, and radical empathy Follow Tirrea on Instagram | LinkedIn | Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 5m
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About

Hosts Lauren Grubaugh Thomas (writer, priest, mother, and gatherer of dissident communities) and Hannah Curtis (mother, mentor, agitator, friend, and curious person) interview Soulful Revolutionaries (like faith leaders, activists, writers, mental health professionals, human rights advocates, and more), about life at the intersection of spiritual transformation and social change. laurengrubaughthomas.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Lauren Grubaugh Thomas and Hannah Curtis
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Lauren Grubaugh Thomas
  • Show Website
    Soulful Revolutionaries