Shows
Growing Pains Podcast#29 That’s a Wrap on Season 2 pt. 2Warning: Explicit discussion of sexuality.
In this episode, we pick up with some listener questions, including questions on imposing morals through politics, the term “woke-ism,” friendship, and masturbation. We talk more about Critical Race Theory, cancel culture, consent, and holding our opinions lightly. We finish by each answering this season’s question: What story is your life telling?
2021-05-1952 minGrowing Pains Podcast#28 That’s a Wrap on Season 2 pt. 1In this episode, Anne and Muoki discuss the famed “future spouse lists” that they were instructed to make in their high school years inspired in conservative church circles. We laugh at some audience responses, tally how many people got what was on their shopping list, and share criteria that we believed essential as teens but now make us shake our heads. We discuss the cervical spine challenges of romantic relationships with a significant height differential (gotta have your chiropractor on retainer). We riff about marsupials.
2021-05-1243 minGrowing Pains Podcast#27 Redeeming it Upside Down with Manny CumplidoToday we are joined by Manny Cumplido. Manny is a husband, father, pastor of West Newbury Congregational Church, and our hosts’ former classmate. Manny shares his experience of becoming a pastor of a new church during the pandemic and preaching his first sermon following the murder of George Floyd. He talks about what it means to be sown in weakness and raised in power, how he understands that exchange in light of his own life, this past year, and most recently, the death of DMX. Manny explains the four thresholds of faith (shout-out Don Everett), and we discuss our sh...
2021-05-051h 25Growing Pains Podcast#26 Kisuk Kim is Living His Best LifeToday we are joined by Kisuk Kim. Kisuk is a spiritual director, an extrovert, a health tech professional, and a dog owner. After Anne and Muoki recover from their dog-envy, we chat with Kisuk about competing values of self-actualization and success. Kisuk shares about the expectations he experienced growing up in an immigrant family, and the challenges of blending those expectations with the idealism of his college years. We discuss the notion of calling, the emotional pressure of meeting the world’s needs, how social media amplifies that pressure, and the struggle of finding the intersection of our influence an...
2021-04-281h 16Growing Pains Podcast#25 Soccer and the Holy Land with SPECIAL GUEST: Zack MillerIn this episode, Muoki and Anne welcome Zack Miller, a long-term missionary to Nazareth with Young Life. We discuss how he found himself doing missions work after college, stumbling into leadership, and the importance of taking responsibility for yourself and for others. Zack is in process of beginning a new project combining soccer development, overseas missions, and leadership training.
Check out his project here, and consider supporting: Missionary Athletes International
2021-04-211h 14Growing Pains Podcast#24 Imago Dei, Daunte Wright, and The Good SamaritanIn this episode, Muoki and Anne reflect on our society’s inability to engage meaningfully on race, especially in the wake of recent tragedy. We discuss how our Christian ethics - imago Dei, compassion, and advocacy - can and should inform the way we engage (shout out to Dr. Patrick Smith, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Miroslav Volf). We talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan and how that applies to dealing with racism, the difficulty with enacting solutions to identified problems, being a guest and a host in conversations with the ideological other, and what it means to live wi...
2021-04-171h 05Growing Pains Podcast#23 DMX, Deconstruction and Wrestling with FaithTW: Sexual Assault
Anne and Muoki are back after a one-week break, and Anne after almost 3 weeks! They talk about the recent death of music and culture icon DMX, and reflect on how his faith journey can inform our own. Anne also leads a powerful dialogue on the topic of deconstruction, what it means to have faith authentically, and so much more.
2021-04-141h 17Growing Pains Podcast#22 Black Identity, Church Hurt, and Equity with Dustin WardDustin Ward is a husband, father, former pastor, and the founder and president of It Is Time, an LLC based in Maine devoted to ending racism and promoting racial equity. Dustin shares with Muoki about the experiences that led him to founding It Is Time, and how that business has given him access that he previously did not have as a Black pastor in White Evangelical spaces. Muoki and Dustin discuss how the American education system has failed to prepare Millennials for the modern economy. Dustin explains the relationship between embracing uniqueness and experiencing belonging. They share about Black identity...
2021-03-311h 14Growing Pains Podcast#21 Darkseid, Anti-Life and the Pandemic with Matthew BrakeMatthew Brake is a theologian, writer, professor, DC Comics aficionado, and coffee addict. In this episode, Matthew and Muoki discuss identity politics, the decline of public discourse, and all of the dysfunction that ensues. They begin by discussing a piece Matt recently wrote on the resemblance between the comic Final Crisis and the worldview of the Religious Right. He delves into the historical origins of the Religious Right and the schools of thought that maintain it, and he and Muoki offer some critiques of the identity politics of the Left. Muoki talks about the necessity of having public discourse...
2021-03-241h 22Growing Pains Podcast#20 Krystal our Intern and the Pandemic LifeIn this mini-episode, we introduce Krystal, our Air Force 1 wearing, Prada bag toting production intern. We also wax a bit philosophical and psychological about the year of the pandemic and how it's shaped, and shaping us.
2021-03-1736 minGrowing Pains Podcast#19 Self-Care with Sarah WelchThis week we are joined by Sarah Welch! Sarah is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Birth Doula, Certified Postnatal Fitness Instructor, wife, and mother, among many other things. Sarah shares with us about why health is important to her, what real self-care is (beyond the occasional night out), and the necessity of self-awareness and community for self-care. We talk about the challenges women face after the life-altering event of giving birth, and Sarah shares about how her body has changed (upgraded!) after giving birth to her two children. Sarah teaches us some new terms (B-HAGs and N-HAGs) and breaks...
2021-03-101h 17Growing Pains Podcast#18 Reimagining Masculinity with Will HalseyToday we are joined by Will Halsey! Will is a licensed mental health therapist and is passionate about helping men discover and live into a reimagined, redemptive masculinity. Will shares about his own path of embracing his masculinity, including the unknown aspects, and he offers insights from his practice as a therapist working with men. We talk about rites of passage, cultural narratives, male emotions, anxiety in intimacy, and the epidemic of male depression. Will talks about what becoming a father to a baby boy has meant to him, and he leaves us with a reading list (see below).
2021-03-031h 20Growing Pains Podcast#17 Burton Bought a HouseDISCLAIMER: We are not financial advisors, and our insights should not be considered professional financial advice. Seek advice from your financial advisor or professional.
We are joined today by the proud holder of an official Boater Safety Card, Burton Miller. Burt is a licensed social worker, non-profit worker, livejournaler from 2004 - 2011, and recently, a homeowner! Burton shares with us about his journey into homeownership, starting with his a lot of personal growth in therapy, and down a long road of discipline and sacrifice to build equity and financial security. We discuss resilience, several key steps for...
2021-02-241h 14Growing Pains Podcast#16 Ravi Zacharias and the Problem with Hard ConversationsTRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT
In this episode, Anne and Muoki talk about Ravi Zacharias’s sexually exploitative and violent behavior, and how we should be processing this news. We talk about systemic vs. moral failures, and how they need to be approached differently. We also discuss the importance in centering the victims instead of the perpetrators in these discussions, and why questions of individual formation are secondary to questions about the theology and practices that shape communities.
2021-02-1939 minGrowing Pains Podcast#15 Valentines Day SpecialRecorded Feb 12, 2021. Muoki is joined by his wife Gennie, Laurine Voltaire, and Denicia Ratley. Muoki brings relationship questions from Reddit, and Laurine gives some solid advice about maintaining standards through singleness, Gennie reminds us to take things slow, and Denicia shares about the struggle and gift of not fitting the “traditional woman” mold. Muoki talks about a scarcity mentality in dating and viewing singleness as a punishment, and Laurine talks about her experience mentoring women into embracing their singleness and experience wholeness and healing as single people. Gennie and Denicia discuss the importance of intimate, same-gender friendships.
2021-02-181h 06Growing Pains Podcast#14 Intentional Community, Spiritual Family with Meg BaatzThis week we had the immense privilege of talking with Meg Baatz! We talk about intentional community and relationships - conflict, intimacy, communication, expectations, disappointment, and relational imagination. Meg shares her journey of living in an intentional community, and how this experience has influenced and changed her.
Meg is a ministry educator at a nonprofit she is currently in the middle of co-founding (more info coming soon!). This ministry will exist to empower Christ-followers in their local diverse faith communities in the realm of faith, sexuality, and gender. Meg is passionate about empowering people to image Christ by pursuing embodied...
2021-02-031h 14Growing Pains Podcast#13 Season 2 IntroIn this episode, we discuss dog sightings, dog names, and podcasting for free. More importantly, we get into what we’ll be talking about in Season 2: lived experience. This will always relate back to the theme of Season 1 (identity), but rather than focusing on identity formation, we will attempt to explore the ways we live our identities and how that impacts the world around us. We tease a few topics we hope to cover this season: health & fitness, goal setting, pop-psychology and genuine psychology, entrepreneurship, and work-life balance. The Dunning-Kruger Effect makes an appearance (again), and Kwame Christian ge...
2021-01-2732 minGrowing Pains Podcast#12 SPECIAL GUEST: KLAMESHA RICHARDSToday we have the privilege of talking with Muoki’s friend and former colleague, Klamesha Richards. Klamesha is a former educator, resident director, and currently works as the Assistant Director of Intercultural and International Life at Carleton College. Klamesha is passionate about equity, hospitality, and people.
We get into femininity and talk about how womanhood is assumed, perceived, and responded to in the workplace and in society at large, about the development of feminine identity, including challenges Klamesha has faced, things that have helped her on this journey, and how she understands her femininity today.
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2021-01-131h 13
Rules of the Game24. "If you say 'awoman'..."For the kick off to Season Two of Rules of the Game, we have Part 2 of Butch Porter's conversation with Muoki Musau (of the "Growing Pains" podcast) on the topic of masculinity. We take a slightly different tack, whereas we decide to watch "Die Hard" (your host's favorite Christmas movie) and talk about the characters there to discover what we mean when we say things like "The Patriarchy"...and "toxic masculinity" etc...
Muoki's Rule for Part 2 is: "If you say 'awoman,' then you don't know what 'amen' means."
For more from Muoki, check out...
2021-01-121h 18Growing Pains Podcast#11 Anne and Muoki Rate and Review 2020In this episode, we talk more about the origins of GPP, from its inception in Muoki’s mind to earlier iterations, to its current form. We talk about several moments that stand out from our episodes thus far, and talk more about relativity, perspective, and grounding (collective) truth. We reflect on our personal challenges and growth in 2020, and on its impact on our generation. We discuss failing well, mindsets that lead to perseverance, and Charles Barkley’s golf game.
2021-01-0558 min
Rules of the Game22. "Let Dad be Dad..."Butch has a chat with his friend and theologian, Muoki Musau, one of the co-hosts of the "Growing Pains" podcast. The topic of the day is masculinity and fatherhood. What does it mean to be a man in the modern age. One of the focuses is of course how it's looked at generationally, as Butch being a Generation X guy looks at it differently than the Millennials of the world. We also connected it to Muoki's discussions on Growing Pains about the meaning of "The American Dream."
(This is Part 1 of 2.... Part 2 will launch Season 2 of Rules...
2020-12-291h 16Growing Pains Podcast#10 SPECIAL GUEST: MARCUS PRIVITT Pt. 2[DISCLAIMER] We mention suicide and some statistics about men and women respective to that phenomenon. If this is something you have difficulty listening to, it's okay to stop, or take a pause and ground yourself.
We continue our conversation with Marcus about millennial masculinity. We attempt to define masculinity and talk about why millennial men seem to feel like they’re not measuring up. We talk about the challenge of living out a positive, more versatile masculinity, and how this plays out in fatherhood and in the church community. We talk about how the world would be...
2020-12-2950 minGrowing Pains Podcast#9 SPECIAL GUEST: MARCUS PRIVITT Pt. 1Today we are joined by our friend and former seminary classmate, Marcus Privitt. Marcus is a husband, programmer, Star Wars enthusiast, weightroom devotee, and former pastor. We dive right into a very controversial topic: how our generation defines (or has yet to define) masculinity and femininity. Marcus shares his own story of awakening to and growing into his masculinity, and his fears of how that will be received and perceived. We discuss the crisis of masculinity, including male mental health, and why Jordan Peterson has captured an audience of millennial men.
2020-12-2359 minGrowing Pains Podcast#8 SPECIAL GUEST: GENEVIEVE MUSAUGennie Musau is a former missionary, social worker, and college soccer star. She is an early childhood educator, wife, mom, and devotee of Law & Order: SVU. Gen shares how her career trajectory grew out of her sense of calling and God-given gifts, and how meeting and marrying Muoki ultimately changed the ways she chooses to live out that calling. We discuss the tension between having too many expectations (which risks disappointment), and no expectations (which risks a stagnant, directionless life). Gen and Muoki talk about the challenge of merging their goals for their lives and dreaming new dreams...
2020-12-161h 00Growing Pains Podcast#7 Anne and Muoki Rebrand the American Dream Pt. 2Today we continue our conversation about the American Dream. Anne shares how her root canal led to a mini-existential crisis pertaining to the American Dream. Muoki asks the question, “What is enough?” We discuss legacy more in-depth, and what legacy means for our generation. We talk about the realization that we never “arrive,” and finding the balance of contentment without falling into complacency. We attempt to develop a working definition of the American Dream suitable for Millennials, and Muoki leaves us with a gem about creativity.
Music by Jack Holloway: jackholloway.bandcamp.com
2020-12-081h 01
Shelter in Place: escape into life.In Search of HomeWhat makes a good home, especially during this pandemic? Muoki Musau, a realtor in Virginia but also a theologian from Kenya, helps us answer this question. Muoki has also become a friend of Shelter in Place, and Laura spoke with Muoki the first time back in season 1, episode 67. If you'd like to learn more about our country's complicated history with holidays like Thanksgiving, you can listen to season 1, episodes 89. -Complete show notes at shelterinplacepodcast.info. Share this episode: refer.fm/shelter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out in...
2020-11-1931 minGrowing Pains Podcast#6 Anne and Muoki Rebrand the American Dream Pt. 1In this episode, we talk about the Millennial boogeyman: the American Dream. We begin by sharing our respective awakenings to the American Dream and trying to define it according to our generation’s perception. Anne traces the historical roots of the American Dream’s mythology (spoiler, it has to do with colonialism), and we attempt to hash out why Millennials are resistant to it. Annie Dukes and GK Chesterton get a shout out, and Muoki concludes Part 1 by dropping some wisdom about legacy.
2020-11-1158 minGrowing Pains Podcast#4 Anne and Muoki Armchair QB the 2020 Election(Recorded November 1, 2020.) We continue discussing Muoki’s Wisdom Equation (knowledge + reflection + experience = wisdom), this time talking about what happens when reflection is missing from the equation, and how this relates to the 2020 election cycle. Muoki talks about Hush Harbors in the Antebellum South as places where enslaved people were formed by the Wisdom Equation. We discuss the multiple layers and dimensions of proper reflection, and how Millennials need new rites of passage. Langston Hughes and Dave Chappelle get a shout-out, as do our therapists.
2020-11-031h 03Growing Pains Podcast#5 SPECIAL GUEST: DENICIA RATLEYIn this episode, we are joined by our friend and former classmate Denicia Ratley, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at Babson College. Denicia defines adolescence for us, and we each reflect on when we transitioned from adolescents to men and women. Denicia shares about being “a practicing Black woman,” and how identity is a dynamic thing that is meant to be practiced. We talk about living according to others’ expectations instead of living according to our own values, the importance of mental health, and how to develop and practice resilience.
2020-10-281h 18Growing Pains Podcast#1 PilotAnne and Muoki introduce themselves, talk about their shared love and longing for dogs, and explain the origins of the Growing Pains Podcast. We talk about Muoki’s Wisdom Equation and the Dunning Kruger Effect. We discuss the all-or-nothing way that we Millennials tend to construct our identities, how we cultivate relationships that contribute to self-deception, and how to get ourselves out of this trap.
2020-09-2336 minGrowing Pains Podcast#3 Anne and Muoki Don’t Understand Heidegger(alternate title: TL;DT: The Twitter Effect)
In this episode, we continue with Muoki’s Wisdom Equation (knowledge + reflection + experience = wisdom), this time talking about what happens when reflection and experience are absent from the equation. We talk about how this approach to connection and identity has proliferated due to social media (Too Long; Didn’t Think), and how it ends up resulting in isolation. We talk about the fears at the root of this mindset, and how to find the courage to move beyond those fears.
2020-09-1643 minGrowing Pains Podcast#2 Anne and Muoki are Youth Conference JunkiesContinuing on Muoki’s Wisdom Equation (knowledge + reflection + experience = wisdom), we discuss what happens when knowledge is missing from the equation. We share our own experience of growing up in settings where our own, highly subjective, and suggestible experience became definitive. We attempt to tease out the difference between experience as a teacher and experience as the pursuit of an emotional high. We discuss how communities formed around this iteration of the Wisdom Equation tend to be fragile communities, and Stanley Hauerwas gets a shout-out.
2020-09-0242 min
Shelter in Place: escape into life.Circling BackLaura circles back with Muoki Musau, whose perspective began this week of amplifying and celebrating Black voices. In the first conversation they've ever had--a conversation that begins and ends with laughter--they agree together to talk about racism in America, and Muoki shares his vision for a better way forward. Complete show notes at shelterinplacepodcast.info. Share this episode: refer.fm/shelter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2020-06-0646 min