Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Mary Ann Macklin joins Drew to talk about how spiritual leaders actually warm up—before worship, memorials, weddings, and hard conversations. She shares how she navigates rapid role shifts, uses ritual to “get out of her own way,” and treats sermons as learning in public rather than polished pronouncements.
Along the way: Gilligan’s Island quotes, Coughlin’s Law from Cocktail, sports stadiums as sacred spaces, music as magic, and Quaker “eldering” as a model for being fully present for someone else’s work.
Rev. Mary Ann Macklin is a spiritual leader, and interfaith chaplain. She most recently served as Interim Minister at a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Louisville, Kentucky. With deep spiritual roots and a love of music, movement, and embodied practice, she helps communities move through grief, joy, and change with intention and presence on Sundays and far beyond the sanctuary.
Credits
Host: Drew Schrader
Guest: Rev. Mary Ann Macklin
Producer: Margie Schrader
Tags
Ministry, Unitarian Universalism, rituals, warm-ups, spiritual practice, sermons, memorial services, weddings, grief, hospital chaplaincy, Quaker, eldering, psychological safety, presence, flow, perfectionism, music in worship, sports rituals, golf, caddies, hard conversations, pastoral care
