Our “Witches” series is focusing on women who heal, often in what may be considered ‘non-traditional’ ways. The concept of ‘death’ brings up strong emotions, but did you know there’s a group of legitimate healers who can guide individuals and their families through the grief and dying process? For Part 2, Erin and Kelley meet Amy Rush, a certified Medium and Death Doula. Is a medium what you think it is? What’s a death doula? This is a truly FASCINATING episode!

After the episode, check out Amy’s website at www.inspireddying.com.

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions! Contact us at atheist@stlpodcasts.com or on Instagram on @stlpodcasts!

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media Productions.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats

The term “witch” has deep historical connotations. In most cases, the term was used to vilify a woman who had some gift or talent for healing others. As humanity evolved, the term was further weaponized in ways that hurt and killed women.

In this three (or more) part series, Erin and Kelley CELEBRATE three separate women who are all healers in one way or another. In this episode, meet Dr. Lauren Sucher-O’Grady - a brilliant emergency physician and history buff. Dr. Sucher-O’Grady is a descendant of a woman accused of witchcraft in Pennsylvania during the same period as the Salem Witch Trials. (She also happens to be Erin’s wife!)

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL. Comments, questions, topic suggestions, or anything else you want to say can be sent to atheist@stlpodcasts.com. Follow (A)Theist on Instagram: @stlpodcasts.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

In the final part of the “How to Know a Person” series, Erin & Kelley (and their producer Justin) play a game designed to build powerful relationships. Note that these three people have been close friends for well over a decade, but you’ll STILL hear them learning more about each other and strengthening their friendship!

The game is called “Where Should We Begin: A Game of Stories” by Esther Perel. Check it out here: https://game.estherperel.com/.

At one point in the episode, Justin mentions a NYTimes editorial called “The 36 Questions that Lead to Love” which you can find here: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/style/no-37-big-wedding-or-small.html. Don’t have a subscription? You can find the same questions here.

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL. Comments, questions, topic suggestions, or anything else you want to say can be sent to atheist@stlpodcasts.com. Follow (A)Theist on Instagram: @stlpodcasts.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

Following our series on making change in local communities, Erin and Kelley got to thinking - how do we really know a person? Join us for a special two part series where we discuss what goes into really getting to know somebody else!

This episode features the book "How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen" by David Brooks (2023). You can find it HERE.

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions! Contact us at atheist@stlpodcasts.com or on Instagram on @stlpodcasts!

After the episode, don’t forget to check out Erin and Kelley’s personal blogs!

• Erin’s Substack: https://missivesfromaluddite.substack.com/

• Kelley’s Substack: https://aspiralspace.substack.com/

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

As a follow up to Episode #22, Erin and Kelley reflect on Bridge of Hope Ministries - what did we learn? How is change currently happening? Where might we all get involved to create meaningful change at the community level?

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions! Contact us at atheist@stlpodcasts.com or on Instagram on @stlpodcasts!

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

Join Kelley and Erin as they talk about local change efforts with Bridge of Hope St. Louis. Joining us in this episode are Kelli Braggs, Executive Director of Bridge of Hope, and Debra Wiens, the Board President of Bridge of Hope.

Bridge of Hope was founded in St. Louis in 2001. In 2020, the focus of the organization evolved into a strong effort to bring medical respite care into St. Louis. Medical respite - also known as recuperative care - provides acute and post-acute medical care for unhoused individuals. This care includes meals, daily medical care, transportation, and general case management. As Kelli Braggs and Debra Wiens explain in the episode, providing medical respite to St. Louis’ unhoused population not only dramatically decreases tax-payer costs throughout the region, but also provides individuals the footing to dramatically improve their current situations.

Bridge of Hope is always looking for donations, volunteer efforts, and general advocacy. Please read more about the organization at www.bridgeofhopestl.org.

Financial contributions are always appreciated, but if volunteer work is more your speed, Bridge of Hope needs volunteers to fill roles in:

• Marketing and Communications
• Fundraising / Event Planning
• Human Resources
• IT
• Organizational and Program Development
• Medical / Behavioral Health Care
• Dietary and Food Services
• Light Construction
• Landscaping and Patio Design

Become a volunteer today! https://bridgeofhopestl.org/become-volunteer/

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions! Contact us at atheist@stlpodcasts.com or on Instagram on @stlpodcasts!

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

Change is a constant in our lives. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. Sometimes it’s because of individuals looking to make a positive impact; sometimes it’s because of individuals seeking to socially engineer how you think. The social media landscape often encourages us to advocate for change at a large scale. The reality is that the majority of change happens when a small group of people work hard in their local community. Kelley and Erin kick off the “How Does Change Happen” three part miniseries exploring the nature of change on multiple levels.

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions! Contact us at atheist@stlpodcasts.com or on Instagram on @stlpodcasts!

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.

In the final segment of this three part series, Kelley and Erin discuss what we’ve learned about the role of women in the church and feminist theology. If you haven’t listened to Part 2, you’ll really want to check that episode out first.

As a reminder, we know some of the content in this segment may be troubling for some people. We have a few important links you should absolutely check out after listening to this episode:

• Call to Action (https://www.cta-usa.org/) - A group championing the progressive Catholic movement by challenging Catholics to act for justice and build inclusive communities, including the ordination of women, trans, and non-binary folks.
• Dignity USA (https://www.dignityusa.org/) - A group that works for respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities in the Catholic Church.
• SNAP (https://www.snapnetwork.org/) - The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is the largest support group for women and men wounded by religious and institutional authorities.

Corrections: At one point during this episode, Erin mentions that most newspapers are having financial trouble with the exception of the New York Times. This episode was recorded on December 16, 2023. In January of 2024 - before the publication of this episode - the New York Times announced layoffs to stabilize its financial situation. While (A)Theist is not attempting to represent itself as a journalistic publication, we do want to make sure we are as accurate as possible when sharing fact-based, non-opinionated information.

We welcome your feedback, show suggestions and questions! Contact us at atheist@stlpodcasts.com or on Instagram on @stlpodcasts!

(A)theist is produced by Trend Media STL.

Musical credit: "Better" Anno Domini Beats.