エピソード

  • S8 Ep5: Vocation, Leadership and Healing: A conversation with the next Archbishop of Canterbury

    S8 Ep5: Vocation, Leadership and Healing: A conversation with the next Archbishop of Canterbury
    2025/11/14
    In this conversation, Rt. Revd. and Rt. Hon. Dame Sarah Mullally talks to Gillian Straine about her life, her models of leadership and the ways that holistic healing has shaped her approach to service as a nurse and a priest. It is an inspiring and hopeful encounter for anyone concerned with the future of the church, for how leadership can be both humble and powerful, and how the church can meets the needs of the world today.

    +Sarah and Gillian explore:

    • Bishop Sarah’s reflections on saying “yes” to the call to be Archbishop of Cantebury and discerning vocation.
    • How her nursing background shapes her ministry and leadership style.
    • The importance of holistic health and rhythms of wellbeing for clergy and leaders.
    • Servant leadership in practice—and its challenges in a culture of power.
    • Cultural change in safeguarding and creating safe spaces in the church.
    • Practical ways churches can engage in social prescribing and community health.
    • Bishop Sarah’s hopes for the church and the nation as she steps into her new role.
    Find a transcript of this episode on the GoHealth website here.
    Join the GoHealth Community: www.gohealth.org.uk

    Look out for our upcoming reflective course based on this conversation, launching ahead of Bishop Sarah’s installation.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    36 分
  • S8 Ep4: Rachel Michael - Movement and Mission

    S8 Ep4: Rachel Michael - Movement and Mission
    2025/10/17
    Revd Dr Gillian Straine talks with dance movement psychotherapist Rachel Michael, founder of Embodied Perspective and author of Embodied Prayer as Mission: Our Response to Cultural Change.

    Rachel shares how dance, faith and therapy meet in her work — helping people reconnect body, mind and spirit through gentle movement, awareness and prayer. Together, they explore how the body can become a sacred space for healing, how trauma and emotion are held within us, and how embodied practices can deepen our relationship with God.

    A beautiful and thought-provoking episode on rediscovering our bodies as instruments of prayer and transformation.

    In this episode Rachel and Gillian explore:

    • Dance as expression: Rachel discovered early on that movement can express what words can’t.
    • From stage to healing: She shifted from professional dance to dance movement psychotherapy, helping others connect body, mind and spirit.
    • Healing through movement: Gentle awareness of posture, breath and gesture helps release emotion and restore balance.
    • Working with trauma: Movement can safely unlock feelings held in the body, bringing freedom and integration.
    • Embodied prayer: Rachel links movement and Scripture — especially Psalm 139 — to explore the body as a place of encounter with God.
    • Rediscovering the body in faith: Many Christians learn to ignore the body; Rachel invites us to see it as sacred and central to prayer.
    • Faith meets science: The conversation celebrates how research on spirituality and neuroscience echoes ancient Christian wisdom about embodied prayer.

    Links:
    Transcript for the episode can be found here
    Join the GoHealth Community: www.gohealth.org.uk
    Embodied Perspective
    Embodied Prayer as Mission (Grove booklet)
    GoHealth LiFT course - where we explore the importance of movement
    続きを読む 一部表示
    31 分
  • S8 Ep3: Faith, food and flourishing

    S8 Ep3: Faith, food and flourishing
    2025/09/22
    In this episode of the GoHealth Podcast, CEO Gillian Straine sits down with Dr. Shola Oladipo, a registered dietitian with nearly 30 years of experience, researcher, pastor, and CEO of Food for Purpose. Shola’s pioneering work sits at the intersection of faith, food, and health — equipping Black Majority Churches and wider communities to embrace culturally relevant approaches to health and healing.

    Together they explore:

    • Shola’s story of food, family, and faith growing up in the Pentecostal church.

    • The Rest–Digest–Reset project and how it is reshaping health through community co-design.

    • The unique health challenges facing Black, African, and Caribbean communities — and what mainstream health systems often overlook.

    • Why “cultural relevance” matters so much in healthcare.

    • The deeper barriers to health, from chronic stress and hypertension to the “weathering effect.”

    • How church leaders can be powerful agents of change — while also needing care themselves.

    • The theology that helps us connect faith with health, and how slowing down to “find the pace of God’s love” can itself be an act of healing.

    About our guest:
    Dr. Shola Oladipo is a registered dietitian, doctoral researcher, and the founder of Food for Purpose (FFP CIC). She has created the award-winning Healthy Church Initiative and partners with churches, NHS trusts, and local councils to tackle health inequalities. Her PhD research focuses on how Black Majority Church leaders can influence health behaviours and build healthier futures.

    Links and resources:

    • Find out more about Shola’s work: Food for Purpose

    • Join the GoHealth Community: www.gohealth.org.uk
    続きを読む 一部表示
    37 分
  • S8 Ep2: Mark Vernon - Spiritual Intelligence

    S8 Ep2: Mark Vernon - Spiritual Intelligence
    2025/07/18
    What is Spiritual Intelligence and what does it have to offer in the times that we are living through? This is the central question in this fascinating conversation between Mark Vernon and GoHealth Podcast host, Gillian Straine.

    Together they explore:
    • Spiritual Intelligence in contrast to Artificial and Emotional Intelligence
    • What difference Spiritual Intelligence makes to our lives
    • Whether or not Spiritual Intelligence is an individual or communal pursuit
    • What Spiritual Intelligence looks like in practice
    • How Spiritual Intelligence can bring healing and wholeness
    Episode Links:
    Full transcript for this episode can be found here
    Mark Vernon’s book Spiritual Intelligence in Seven Steps
    Mark Vernon’s book Awake- William Blake and the power of the Imagination
    Mark is teaching on a Foundation course with the Temenos Academy
    GoHealth Spiritual Intelligence Course
    Join The GoHealth Community
    Share your requests for prayers for healing.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    38 分
  • S8 Ep1: The LiFT series - flourishing through character strengths

    S8 Ep1: The LiFT series - flourishing through character strengths
    2025/06/23
    In this first episode of our brand new series we dive deep into the heart of Character Strengths and Virtues with our special guest, Dr. Roger Bretherton — clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, coach, and a thoughtful Christian voice in the field of wellbeing and spiritual intelligence.

    Together, we explore:
    • What are character strengths and virtues?
    • How can we recognise, strengthen, and heal the weaker parts of our character?
    • How can we reframe adversity and suffering through the lens of character development?
    • Where does faith fit in — is it a master character strength?
    • How does this all connect to holistic health, and our new LiFT and Spiritual Intelligence courses?
    Roger also shares his own journey into this work, the thinkers who’ve influenced him, and a practical tips you can try to strengthen your own character.

    Links:
    Roger Bretherton - Bio | VIA Institute
    GoHealth – Encouraging Health and Faith
    続きを読む 一部表示
    37 分
  • S7 Ep2: Luigi Gioia on praying for healing

    S7 Ep2: Luigi Gioia on praying for healing
    2025/02/21
    We continue our 2025 season on Belonging and Healing with an inspiring conversation between Gillian and Anglican priest, Father Luigi Gioia. This is a rich and profound episode where they go deep into lived experience and the reality of what it means to pray for healing.

    The Rev. Dr. Luigi Gioia is the Theologian in Residence at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York City, and Research Associate at the Von Hügel Institute at the University of Cambridge (UK). He is the author of Say It To God. In Search of Prayer. The Archbishop of Canterbury Lent Book 2018 (Bloomsbury 2017), and The Wisdom of St Benedict. Monastic Spirituality And The Life Of The Church (Canterbury Press 2021). His books have been translated in six languages.

    TW: Mentions suicide.

    Together they discuss:

    • Why pray for healing?
    • The difference between being cured and being healed.
    • What is happening for people at Lourdes.
    • The healing sacraments.
    • The place of death in prayers for healing.
    • The difference between acceptance and resignation.
    • The importance of community in healing experiences.
    • Father Luigi's own very personal current experience of praying for healing.
    Links:
    Transcript for this episode is available on our website.
    Join The GoHealth Community
    Share your requests for prayers for healing.

    続きを読む 一部表示
    38 分
  • S7 Ep1: John Swinton - Presence and Belonging

    S7 Ep1: John Swinton - Presence and Belonging
    2025/01/17
    Gillian begins our 2025 season on Belonging by talking with Prof John Swinton, Professor of Practical and pastoral theology at aberdeen university. John is an registered mental health nurse, ordained minister and noted theologian, researching particularly in areas of mental health and dementia. He is also President of GoHealth, and a musician, recently releasing an album Beautiful songs about difficult things.

    Together they explore:

    • Countercultural presence
    • Absence because of mobile phone use
    • Getting comfortable with disruption in church
    • Mental health in terms of discipleship and vocation
    • Moving from ‘fixing’ to friendship.
    • Theology of the Psalms of lament.
    • Spirituality of darkness.
    • Helpful and harmful anger.
    • Solastalgia.
    • Belonging as being missed.
    • Learning to be kind.
    • The Denis Duncan Lecture 2025
    Links

    Join The GoHealth Community Here

    Beautiful Songs about Difficult Things by John Swinton

    Register here for the Denis Duncan Lecture

    Full transcript available here.

    Follow the GoHealth Community on our socials @guildofhealth
    続きを読む 一部表示
    27 分
  • S6 Ep3: Creation Cares - Taking Action

    S6 Ep3: Creation Cares - Taking Action
    2024/11/08
    What is ours to do? We've been deep in this theme of Creation Cares for a number of weeks as a GoHealth Community. In this episode Gillian talks with Clare Fussell from Operation Noah about what we can do in response, and what we can leave undone!

    Clare Fussell joined Operation Noah in January 2024. Clare has a background in coordinating environmental campaigns, with experience leading The Climate Coalition, managing Christian Aid’s Campaign Team, and being Environmental Adviser for Bristol Diocese. She is passionate about linking Christian faith with environmental action, and enjoys learning about permaculture and biodiversity through her role as trustee of Hazelnut Community Farm in Bristol, as well as through the eco work at her church. Clare is married to Luke, a renewable energy engineer, and they have two young children.

    In their conversation together Gillian and Clare explore:

    • Would Clare's teenage self imagine she would be doing what she is doing now
    • Responding to the Climate crisis by balancing the big scene with small actions
    • How Operation Noah has been supporting churches through the Bright Now campaign.
    • What churches can do in response to climate change and biodiversity loss.
    • Why climate change and environmental concerns are not a side show to the main purpose of the church.
    • Clare's three tips for avoiding activist burnout as a Christian engaged in climate justice.
    Links:
    Operation Noah
    The Hazelnut Community
    Burning Down the House Report - Tearfund
    The Lost Words by Robert McFarlane and Jackie Morris
    Borrowed Time - A Green Christian project
    The Loss and Damage Campaign - Christian Aid
    COP29 - United Nations Conference of the Parties
    続きを読む 一部表示
    33 分