Leadership isn’t a title you receive. It’s a path you practice, often years before you can name it. For our Women’s History Month conversation, we sit down with four remarkable women whose work spans higher education, family life education, ministry and chaplaincy, and music education. Together, we trace the moments that shaped their sense of calling and the mentors who helped them keep going when the road got complicated.

We talk about what it means to lead when you’re “the first” and there are no models to copy. You’ll hear honest stories about navigating patriarchal expectations in church spaces, pushing through academic gatekeeping during the tenure process, and learning how to offer your gifts even when they don’t match what others expect leadership to look like. Along the way, we keep coming back to faith, purpose, and the everyday disciplines that build confidence: showing up, serving, learning in public, and staying open to course corrections.

If you’re wrestling with your own next step, you’ll also hear practical advice for young women: leave the nest, try the thing, build a circle of people who encourage you, and trust that growth happens in the doing. We wrap with a lightning round on influential books and the women who inspired each guest, plus a reminder that the true measure of leadership is the lives we impact.

Subscribe to 1 Soul Matters, share this with a friend who needs a nudge forward, and leave a review with the mentor who made a difference in your life.

A century after Negro History Week, we revisit why the project began as a corrective and why it still protects our minds and communities today. With historian and storyteller Donald Payton, we trace a clear arc: Reconstruction’s fragile gains, the textbook erasures that shrank national memory, and the coalition of churches, abolitionists, and early colleges that opened doors when the state would not. Along the way, we explore how media—from black newspapers to early film—preserved truth, spread migration routes, and too often sold damaging caricatures that still echo in public perception.

We get specific about the psychology of erasure: what happens when innovators design the filament, the interface, or the skyline and someone else collects the credit. Payton names the minority stress that follows, the anger and exhaustion of doing everything right and being written out anyway. We contrast Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois to show how strategy debates shaped education and class mobility, then examine the “illusion of inclusion” that followed integration—when school names, curricula, and civic rituals softened history rather than integrating the full truth.

This conversation is practical at heart. We talk about defending libraries under pressure, funding neighborhood bookstores, building family reading lists that start before 1619, and teaching media literacy that explains both the Chicago Defender’s quiet power and Hollywood’s loud distortions. The throughline is mental health: knowledge of self stabilizes identity, expands the horizon of possibility, and restores dignity across generations. If Black History Month is a doorway, the work is what we carry through it—policies, habits, and stories that honor the whole.

Listen, share with a friend who loves real history, and help us pass the truth forward. If this resonates, subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

We explore real ways to find hope when the holidays hurt, weaving faith practices with counseling, planning, and gentle rituals that honor grief. We also share how supporters can show up with presence, not platitudes, and why boundaries are a gift.

• defining grief as mental, physical and spiritual
• distinguishing hope from happiness
• using scripture, prayer and Good Grief by Westberg
• practicing affirmations and journaling
• creating holiday plans and saying no
• honoring loved ones with simple rituals
• using music to name and move emotion
• seeking counseling and medical care when needed
• showing up for others with listening and presence
• sharing resources without rushing someone’s process

If this episode spoke to you, please share it with someone who might need to hear this message

The season promises joy, but for many of us the holidays arrive with a quiet ache. We sit with that truth and offer a kinder way through, exploring how grief and hope can share the same space without asking you to fake cheer or “get over” what still matters. With Rev. Dr. Tamara Brown and guest Rev. Dr. Sharon L. Larkin, we name the many faces of loss—death, job changes, benefit cuts, deployment, illness, distance, and fractured relationships—and show how acknowledging them opens the door to real healing.

We unpack the myths that silence people during a season that celebrates noise and light. There is no timetable for mourning, and anniversaries often live in the body before they reach the mind. You’ll hear how traditions can evolve from sharp pain into meaningful remembrance, and why connection is the lifeline: churches hosting grief recovery gatherings, sharing counseling resources, and creating mental health touchpoints; families asking honest questions about what helps and what harms. Together, we sketch a “new normal” for the holidays that honors limits, protects peace, and restores dignity.

Expect practical tools you can use the moment a trigger hits: name the feeling, breathe slowly, step outside, take a brief walk, hydrate, and lean into short prayers or a Psalm that gives language to lament. We also talk about when to reach for clinical support if the weight becomes too much. This conversation blends pastoral care with grounded mental health wisdom, offering compassionate steps for anyone navigating December with a tender heart.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review so others can find hope and help this season. Your story may be the invitation someone else is waiting for.

We bring faith, medicine, and lived experience together to support women’s physical and mental health, with a special focus on breast cancer, boundaries, and building a circle of care. Two doctors and two survivors share scripture, science, and practical tools that turn self-care into stewardship. Guest highlighted the following:

Embodied Faith and Stewardship: Viewing health as worship, practicing mindfulness and breathwork, and setting healthy boundaries as acts of spiritual care.

Women’s Health and Advocacy: Understanding core women’s health risks, maternal mortality, and how to advocate for yourself in medical settings.

Emotional Regulation and Resilience: Managing anxiety, recognizing triggers, and using survivor stories as pathways toward hope and healing.

Community and Support: Building a circle of care, asking clearly for the help you need, and choosing providers who honor your body’s wisdom.

Remember that you are not alone. God has placed you in a circle of care. Cherish it, lean on it, and be a part of it for others.

Reverend Jermine Alberty joins Dr. Janice Moore for a powerful, life-saving conversation about the alarming rise in suicide rates among Black youth and how faith communities can respond with both spiritual wisdom and practical support.

The statistics are sobering: suicide is the third leading cause of death for African-American youth ages 10-24, with rates increasing by 144% between 2007-2020. For young Black men, the suicide rate is over four times higher than for young women. Behind these numbers are real souls in pain—individuals who need to know they're not alone.

Drawing from his personal journey as both a pastor and father who walked alongside his own son through a suicide attempt at age 17, Reverend Alberty shares wisdom that bridges faith and mental health support. He offers clear guidance on recognizing warning signs, responding to crisis situations, and creating environments where honest conversations about pain can happen without judgment. His direct approach cuts through stigma with two crucial questions that could save a life: "Are you having thoughts of suicide?" and "Are you thinking about killing yourself?"

The conversation explores the cultural complexities of resilience messaging in Black communities, where phrases like "we survived slavery, we can survive anything" or "what goes on in this house stays in this house" can inadvertently discourage seeking help. Reverend Alberty introduces his HELP model (Hear compassionately, Engage openly, Learn perspectives, Plan next steps) and emphasizes that faith and professional mental health support should be partners, not competitors, in the healing journey.

Whether you're a faith leader, parent, mentor, or someone struggling with your own mental health challenges, this episode provides practical tools, spiritual wisdom, and the crucial reminder that you are not alone. Remember: 988 is the number to call, text, or chat for immediate crisis support. One soul truly does matter.

What happens when faith meets education in today's high school classrooms? Teacher and former pastor J. Todd Bruning reveals the delicate balance of bringing values into secular education without imposing beliefs. Through candid conversation with host Rev. Jermine Alberty, Todd shares how his approach of being "wise, kind, and fair" creates a foundation for meaningful student connections that transcend traditional boundaries.

The conversation takes an illuminating turn when Todd discusses the unpredictability of student behavior and how authentic listening transforms these relationships. "The moment there's a situation where they know that you're listening to what's important to them... it changes everything," Todd explains. This philosophy manifests in heartwarming ways, like students who aren't even in his class stopping by just for a morning fist bump.

Most compelling is Todd's revelation about impact: "I do more ministry every day in the classroom than I felt like I would do in a week, or maybe even a month" in a traditional church setting. His three-part approach—listening authentically, building genuine connections, and "bending along with grace"—offers profound guidance for anyone working with young people. This episode reinforces the research-backed finding that one caring adult outside the home can significantly influence a child's development, making this conversation essential listening for parents, educators, and community leaders alike. Join us to discover how compassionate presence in everyday spaces can create extraordinary change in young lives.

The second episode of 1 Soul Matters podcast highlights the powerful impact of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church's 10th Annual Mental Health Symposium through interviews conducted by Rev. Dr. Tamara Brown and Pastor Jamie Bruning. Guests from across the community share how the symposium influenced their personal, spiritual, and professional growth while reflecting on what "one soul matters" means to them.

• Pastor Richie Butler discusses the importance of clergy wellness and self-care, admitting he doesn't always get "poured into" while pouring out to others
• Community members share personal reflections on how the symposium helped them navigate challenges from caring for loved ones to maintaining their own mental health
• Desmond, an aspiring therapist, expresses surprise at learning about pastors' stress levels and confirms his desire to integrate faith with mental health in his future career
• Rev. Andrew Fizer emphasizes the importance of destigmatizing mental health conversations, especially within church settings
• Multiple perspectives on "one soul matters" emerge, from honoring each person as created in God's image to ensuring those who feel alone know they still matter
• The symposium creates connections between veterans' support groups, mental health resources, and church communities

We invite you to learn more about our mental health ministry or upcoming events at St. Luke by visiting our website or connecting with us on social media. Remember, you matter, your soul matters, and together we can build a community of care and healing.