Everything Belongs CAC

Welcome to the first episode of Everything Belongs, a new season covering the work of Richard Rohr’s newly revised version of Falling Upward.
In this episode, we're joined by Brenè Brown to kick off our chapter-by-chapter exploration, starting with Chapter 1: "The Two Halves of Life." Together, with Richard Rohr and CAC Staff, they explore the concept of the two halves of life and how Brené has navigated these teachings from the context of her own lived experience, both personally and professionally. We also talk about the brand-new foreword, which Brené wrote for the new edition of Falling Upward. But first, we begin the episode at Richard's hermitage to hear his reflections on the first chapter a decade after he originally wrote it.
Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also holds the position of Visiting Professor and management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. Brené has spent the past few decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She’s the author of six number one New York Times bestsellers, and is the host of two award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.
Connect with us:

A PDF of the transcript for this episode is available here.

Grab a copy of the newly revised version of Falling Upward, with a new foreword by Brené Brown here.

To learn more about Brené’s work, visit her website here. 

What if loss invited us on a voyage? 
In this episode, we're joined by Kirsten Oates and Patrick Boland as we continue our chapter-by-chapter exploration with Chapter 2: "The Hero and Heroine's Journey." Patrick Boland and Kirsten Oates, cohost of our sister podcast, Turning to the Mystics, join CAC staff, for a heartfelt conversation. Together, they explore the transformative power of the hero's journey. They talk about the role it plays in our personal growth, emphasizing how embracing challenges and loss can be doorways to our truest selves. Before we dive in to the interview, we catch up with Richard at his hermitage to hear his reflections on the second chapter a decade after he originally wrote it.
Patrick Boland is an Executive Coach, Leadership Consultant and Psychotherapist. He is the author of The Contemplative Leader and the co-author of Every Thing is Sacred with Richard Rohr. He lives with his family near Dublin, Ireland.
Kirsten Oates is the cohost of our sister podcast Turning to the Mystics with James Finley. She's a Spiritual Director and an Executive Coach who brings wisdom and insight into the intersection of spirituality and leadership.
Together with Richard, Kirsten and Patrick are the architects of our newest online course, Falling Upward: Life as a Spiritual Journey. You can learn more about that at our website.
Resources:

A PDF of the transcript for this episode is available here.

Grab a copy of the newly revised version of Falling Upward, with a new foreword by Brené Brown here.

To learn more about Patrick's work, visit his website here. 

Access a free chapter from Patrick's book, The Contemplative Leader, on the hero's journey here.

To connect with Kirsten, visit her here, and check out her CAC podcast, Turning to the Mystics here.

"God gives us something better than answers, God gives us people." - Erin Sanzero, our guest today, on the path of falling upward during the first half of life. 
In this episode, we're joined by Erin Sanzero as we continue our chapter-by-chapter exploration of Falling Upward with Chapter 3: "The First Half of Life." Erin, alongside CAC staff, explore the complexities of the first half of life and the wisdom unveiled during the transition to the second half of life. Together, they reflect on how to embrace the "messy middle", found in-between the first and second half of life, how to forgive the past and engage in spiritual practices along the path of spiritual transformation. Before we dive in to the interview, CAC staff catch up with Richard at his hermitage to hear his reflections on the third chapter a decade after he originally wrote it.
Erin Sanzero (she/her) is a "geriatric millennial." She's been a brick-and-mortar business owner, digital entrepreneur, musician, teacher, musical director, opera singer, banjo player, and weightlifter. A passionate believer in the arts, Erin holds a bachelor's in music from Manhattan School of Music and master's in music from Mannes College of Music in New York. Currently pursuing her master's of divinity from Duke University School and seeking ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she is the Director of Sunday Express at Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia. Erin is a 2023 alumna of the Center for Action and Contemplation's Living School.
Resources:

A PDF of the transcript for this episode is available here.

Grab a copy of the newly revised version of Falling Upward, with a new foreword by Brené Brown here.

To read Erin's Oneing Article "Midlife Musings", check it out on our website.

In this episode, we're joined by Kate Bowler, PhD. as we continue our chapter-by-chapter exploration of Falling Upward with Chapter 4: "The Tragic Sense of Life." Kate, along with Richard and CAC staff delve into the flaws of the prosperity gospel as well as the importance of finding meaning in suffering. We explore the ways in which love and suffering intertwine, urging honesty during life's hardships, and celebrate the power of community, especially its irreplaceable gift of "unchosen" love. Before we dive in to the interview, staff from the CAC catch up with Richard at his hermitage to hear his reflections on the fourth chapter a decade after he originally wrote it.
Kate Bowler, PhD is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and an Associate Professor of American Religious History at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. She is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities. After being unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 35, she penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved) and No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear). She lives in Durham, North Carolina with her family and continues to teach do-gooders at Duke Divinity School.
Resources:

A PDF of the transcript for this episode is available here.

Grab a copy of the newly revised version of Falling Upward, with a new foreword by Brené Brown here.

To learn more about Kate Bowler and her work, visit her website here.

How do we meet life on its terms instead of ours?
In this episode, we're joined by Paula D'Arcy as we continue our chapter-by-chapter exploration of Falling Upward with Chapter 5: "Stumbling Over the Stumbling Stone." We're exploring what it can look like to venture into the luminous dark to find our greatest gifts with a chapter that asks us to lean into our feelings of devastation and loss when life doesn’t go our way. Before we dive in to the interview with Paula, CAC staff catch up with Richard at his hermitage to hear his reflections on the fifth chapter a decade after he originally wrote it.
Paula D'Arcy, a writer, retreat leader, and conference and seminar speaker, travels widely in the United States, Canada, and abroad. She is also President of Red Bird Foundation, which supports the growth and spiritual development of those in need as well as those invested in the opening of the heart and the healing of this world.
A former psychotherapist who ministered to those facing issues of grief and loss, Paula worked with the Peale Foundation, founded by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, from 1980 until his death in 1993, and has written ten books. Today her work includes leading workshops and retreats related to spirituality, writing, women’s gatherings,( including Women’s Initiation and Rites of Passage), and creating venues where men and women experience an opening of the heart and a change in their way of being in the world. In recent years she has teamed with Richard Rohr to present seminars on the Male/Female Journey and Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life (for tapes from the conference on Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life and to purchase Paula’s books, click here.)
Paula also serves as adjunct faculty at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX and Seton Cove Spirituality Center in Austin, TX.
Resources:

A PDF of the transcript for this episode is available here.

Grab a copy of the newly revised version of Falling Upward, with a new foreword by Brené Brown here.

To learn more about Paula D'Arcy and Redbird Foundation, visit her website here.

What if the goal of the spiritual journey is to understand suffering? 
In this episode, we're joined by Mirabai Starr as we continue our chapter-by-chapter exploration of Falling Upward with Chapter 6: "Necessary Suffering." This episode explores how loss, suffering, and grief can be a transformative spiritual path, leading to deeper connection with the divine and a more authentic self, by urging us to confront pain and surrender to a greater reality. Before we dive in to the interview with Mirabai, CAC staff catch up with Richard at his hermitage to hear his reflections on the sixth chapter a decade after he originally wrote it.
Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her latest book, WILD MERCY: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was named one of the “Best Books of 2019”. She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.
Resources:

A PDF of the transcript for this episode is available here.

Grab a copy of the newly revised version of Falling Upward, with a new foreword by Brené Brown here.

To learn more about Mirabai Starr and Wild Heart, visit her website here.