For this month's hero's study, I have the privilege of introducing you to Reverend Alba Onofrio. In our conversation, we talk about faith, spirituality, sexuality, queerness, the Bible, God, and so much in our time together. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much, if not more than I did speaking with Alba.

Reverend Alba Onofrio is a theologian and spiritual activist rooted in the U.S. South, engaged in human rights work for over two decades throughout the Americas. A queer, feminist Christian pastor—also known as Reverend Sex—they are co-founder of the Sexual Liberation Collective and serve as Executive Director and Spiritual Strategist of Soulforce. Their work heals the wounds of spiritual violence and reclaims pleasure and desire as sacred sources of knowledge, healing, and liberation.

If you want to connect with Reverend Alba, here are plenty of links to connect with them: https://www.reverendsex.com/hi https://www.instagram.com/teosinverguenza/ https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg https://www.instagram.com/reverend_sex https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg https://www.facebook.com/TeoSinVerguenza https://www.soulforce.org https://linktr.ee/soulforceorg https://redcircle.com/shows/bb8f7ce2-d8f0-4859-bbac-c33c48e3ccb6

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

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Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about following our desires. I share about a story of a trip to Leavenworth, WA where Libby and our friends, John and Dan, spent most of a weekend at one of our favorite places to visit and the fun we had. Much of this came from us choosing to follow our delight. In western societies today when we are often told many important things that we need and should be doing, sometimes it's more important to provide time for what we want to do. The things that need and should be done are nice, but often times not life giving. Finding the balance between these can be challenging, but prioritizing the life giving activities can help us come back to what need and should be done with a clearer mind and greater focus to be more effective than if we powered through.

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social

Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about safe community and the benefits we gain from it. A safe community helps us feel physically and emotionally safe, especially in these uncertain times. My community is a lifeline for me and Libby. It's helped us weather mental health crises, given us plenty to look forward to, and has been a light for us even in the darkest of times. I've shared before that I wish it didn't take me over 30 years to find this community, yet having found it is the more important dynamic in our search for safe community.

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social

Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about hope once more. It's something that many people need more of these days, myself included. It's also something that many people wrestle with because hope can set us up for falls. That's all a part of the game and the nature of hope and hoping.

Let's talk about hope once more. It's something that many people need more of these days, myself included. It's also something that many people wrestle with because hope can set us up for falls. That's all a part of the game and the nature of hope and hoping.

For this month's hero's study, we interview Brad Onishi, a podcaster and writer with some awesome answers to my questions. He's the cohost of Straight White American Jesus, author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism And What Comes Next, and he has some great things to say about heroes, faith, religion, politics, and masculinity. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! I especially like the answers to my last three questions.

Brad Onishi can be found on Bluesky at @bradleyonishi.bsky.social. You can follow his work on Straight White American Jesus at https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/, or you can search for it on your favorite podcast app. You can also go to his home on the web at https://www.bradonishi.com/. Take a look at his book, and he has another one coming out hopefully next year titled American Caesar.

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social

Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about what lights your fire. This is one of my favorite topics because we all have at least one thing that we just come to life when we engage in the activity. It can be games, reading, writing, sports, outdoor activities, working with wood or on vehicles, painting, watching movies, etc. You name it! We all have something that lights the fire in our souls and if you're like me, these are the activities that we often set aside for things that we should be doing. Is that how it needs to be?

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social

Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about our beliefs. For most, if not all of us, our beliefs color how we see our world. Is your world black and white with clear lines of what's right and wrong with rigid rules? Is your world open and expansive to include many different walks of life and experiences? What we believe about ourselves and the world has a dramatic impact on how we view the world, in good and bad ways. Today I talk about what our beliefs can do and how whether you believe something is true or not, ultimately you are right.

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social

Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Let's talk about a prominent topic in today's society. Today we look at authoritarianism, a wide political movement taking place all over in western societies. Much of this discussion comes from the work of Dr. Hilary McBride from her Holy/Hurt podcast (definitely give this a listen if you have experience being hurt from religious/spiritual groups). She uses five qualifiers to describe authoritarianism:

1) Control 2) Consequences 3) Compliance 4) Codependence 5) Cultural

If you are experienced all, or even some of these five Cs, there's a good chance you're involved in an authoritarian structure. It could be in your home, community, spiritual group, or country. What do we do with all of this? Find healing. Leave the authoritarian structure. Resist it. Whatever it is that you can do.

Please rate and review the podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Follow me on Bluesky! @marcus-spaur.bsky.social

Have questions you'd like discussed on the podcast, or people to interview/research for future hero studies? Send me an email! You can reach me at questions (dot) btcpod (at) gmail (dot) com.

Website: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/

Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call: https://calendly.com/marcus-spaur/discovery-call

Free Recovery Resources: https://www.betweenthecoverscoaching.com/free-resources

"Nonstop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/