Reimagining the Good Life with Amy Julia Becker

• RFK Jr., Autism, and the Story We Need Instead with Matthew Mooney

  Is disability a tragedy? Is it a gift? What place is there for grief and for joy in this story of disability so many of us are living within our families? Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently portrayed disability as tragic, as something that needs to be fixed, in his comments about autism. In response, Matthew Mooney, co-founder of 99 Balloons, joins Amy Julia Becker to share a better and truer story of disability. They explore: Societal perceptions of disabilityHow relationships change the story of disabilityRecognizing the inherent worth of every individualNavigating grief, loss, and sufferingCultivating the beauty found in communityMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:99 BalloonsAmy Julia's Vox essay: My daughter has Down syndrome. Would I “cure” her if I could?NYT Essay by Emily May: Kennedy Described My Daughter's RealityI Corinthians 12, Exodus 4, and John 9:3Hans ReindersRFK Jr.’s statements about autism_WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast._ABOUT:When Matthew and his wife Ginny were 30 weeks pregnant, they learned their son Eliot had trisomy 18. Eliot was born eight weeks later and lived for 99 days. The Mooneys founded 99 Balloons, a nonprofit supporting individuals with disabilities locally and globally. Matthew now serves on the 99 Balloons Board and lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with Ginny and their three children—Hazel, Anders, and Lena. A writer, speaker, and consultant on disability and inclusion, Matthew is also an attorney and a PhD candidate in Theological Ethics at Aberdeen University. His work has taken him to Haiti, Mexico, Ukraine, Uganda, India, and beyond.Websites: 99 Balloons :: matthewlylemooney  Social: insta ___Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone mWe want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

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• Why I Haven’t Sent My Kids to Church Camp with Cara Meredith

  For some of us, Christian summer camp is where we felt most at home. But for campers at white Evangelical church camps in particular, camp was also often the place to inherit an image of God—and of each other—that was incomplete at best and toxic at worst. Author Cara Meredith joins Amy Julia Becker on the podcast to explore belonging, betrayal, and new beginnings as they talk about Cara's latest book, Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Night, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation. They examine:Personal experiences of church camp, including joy, exclusion, and betrayalComplexities of faith and belongingEmotional manipulationReconstructing faithDeciding if church camp is right for your child_MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Amy Julia's Live, In-Person Workshop on May 3: Reimagining Family Life with DisabilityFree resource: 5 Ways to Experience God's Love and Practice PeaceSurprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright_WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast._ABOUT:Cara Meredith is a speaker, public theologian, and development director who found home at a church camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. After serving in various roles, she continued as a speaker for two decades at camps up and down the West Coast. With a master of theology (Fuller Seminary) and a background in education and nonprofit work, she is also the author of The Color of Life. Her writing has been featured in national media outlets such as The Oregonian, The New York Times, The Christian Century, and Christianity Today, among others. She lives with her family in Oakland, California. CONNECT with Cara on her website (carameredith.com) or on Facebook and Instagram. ___Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

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• Reimagining Family Life with Autism with Adrian Wood, PhD

  How do we redefine success, community, and family when parenting a child with disabilities? In this conversation, Amy Julia Becker and Adrian Wood, PhD, creator of the vlog Tales of an Educated Debutante and co-author of Autism Out Loud, discuss community, belonging, autism, and the ways they have grown up with their children. They explore:Cultural perceptions of family life with disabilityNavigating family dynamicsCommunication Building community connectionsCollaborating with schools for better outcomesRedefining success_MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, Carrie Cariello, Adrian WoodAmy Julia’s Reimagining Family Life with Disability workshopAmy Julia's Live, In-Person Workshop on May 3_WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast._ABOUT:Adrian Wood is the creator of the vlog Tales of an Educated Debutante. She has a PhD in Educational Research and contributes to Today Parents, The Today Show, and the Love What Matters blog. She lives in rural eastern North Carolina with her family.CONNECT with Adrian on her website (talesofaneducateddebutante.com), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.___Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.___We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

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• Want to Change Culture? Show Up With Care with Andy Crouch

  How does language, both careless and careful, shape our world? What's the connection between social status and the words we choose? How does technology influence our understanding of culture and control? Amy Julia Becker and special guest Andy Crouch examine these questions in a conversation about language, culture, and culture making. They also ask:What does the recent rise of the r-word tell us about our culture?  In what ways are technology and vulnerability interconnected?  How can we show up with care in our relationships and creative endeavors?_MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:SUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's weekly emailPraxisCulture Making by Andy Crouch“Where the Magic Doesn’t Happen” by Andy Crouch“The Trump administration’s rhetoric about disability diminishes us all” by Amy Julia Becker“Embracing the Mystery (more than the magic) of Christmas” by Amy Julia BeckerBreaking Ground essay | “Wrestling with Sovereignty in a Kairos Year” by Amy Julia BeckerKen Myers and Mars Hill AudioPlaying God by Andy CrouchStrong and Weak by Andy CrouchThe Tech-Wise Family by Andy CrouchPhilippians 2: 5-8Marc Andreessen: The Techno-Optimist Manifesto_CONNECT with Andy Crouch on his website: https://andy-crouch.com/_WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast._ABOUT:Andy Crouch is partner for theology and culture at Praxis, a venture-building ecosystem advancing redemptive entrepreneurship. His writing explores faith, culture, and the image of God in the domains of technology, power, leadership, and the arts. He is the author of five books (plus another with his daughter, Amy Crouch).___Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

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• What Solitude Gives Us After Catastrophe with Pico Iyer

  What happens when we step into silence? Author Pico Iyer joins Amy Julia Becker to discuss his book Aflame: Learning from Silence. He reflects on his time spent in monasteries and how he grounds the ethereal idea of silence in the very earthy realities of everyday life—filled with deadlines, relationships, and the unexpected, like the wildfire that consumed his home in southern California. Pico and Amy Julia examine:the profound lessons that arise from moments of crisishow practices of silence transform lives and relationshipsthe importance of community and servicethe essence of a good life_Women's Conference 2025 | Greenwich, CTMeet Amy Julia in person!_Free Resource/PDF Download:5 Ways to Experience God's Love and Practice Peace_MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico IyerIyer's 1990 Time essay: "California: In The Blazing Eye of the Inferno"_CONNECT with Pico Iyer on his website (www.picoiyerjourneys.com)._WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here. READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast._ABOUT:Pico Iyer is the author of fifteen books, translated into twenty-three languages, and has been a constant contributor for more than thirty years to Time, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide. His four recent talks for TED have received more than eleven million views. ___Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters.We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text!Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

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