Walk Talk Listen Podcast

Walk Talk Listen, an attempt to connect people and make this world a bit better by sharing opinions and experiences based on the belief that everyone’s perspective is true albeit partial.

Walk Talk Listen Podcast is a society podcast hosted by Maurice A. Bloem, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Maurice A. Bloem hosts Walk Talk Listen Podcast, a society show with 100 episodes published.

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  Episode #257

  I Intentionally Go Small Picture with Lisa le Roux - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 257)

  Sep 23, 20261h 12mS1

  Dr. Elisabet “Lisa” le Roux joins Walk Talk Listen from Stellenbosch, South Africa, and takes us back to her childhood as the youngest of four children, growing up in a home where faith, theology, books and conversations were part of everyday life. Her father was a minister and later taught theology at Stellenbosch University, while her parents modeled a conviction that became a kind of guiding light for Lisa: your life should make a positive difference, even if that difference is small. Lisa also recalls becoming aware of gender inequality remarkably early, including a childhood encounter with a library registration form that made her wonder why women, but not men, were defined by whether they were married. That early journey eventually took Lisa to the mountains of Lesotho, where living alongside people affected by HIV/AIDS profoundly shaped the direction of her life, and later into nearly two decades of research on religion, gender equality and violence against women and girls. Today, through her work with Stellenbosch University and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI), Lisa continues to explore the complicated role of religion: faith communities can help challenge violence and harmful norms, while at the same time sometimes reinforcing them. Lisa talks about listening, participatory and feminist approaches to research, and what researchers themselves must be willing to learn and unlearn. She also reflects on hope and why, when the problems of the world feel overwhelming, she intentionally chooses to “go small picture” and focus on the difference we can make in the lives immediately around us. Her musical choice is Toto’s Africa. Listener Engagement Learn more about Lisa’s work through Stellenbosch University and the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) . Don’t only listen to “Africa” by Toto, Lisa’s song choice, but also the songs picked by other guests on the Walk Talk Listen Spotify playlist . Share your feedback on this episode through our Facebook and Instagram . Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information. Check out the special Walk Talk Listen series Enough for All and learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI) and its work connecting evidence, learning, faith and locally rooted experience.

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  Episode #256

  Hope Means the Small Daily Actions We Can Take with Andrés Martínez-García - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 256)

  Sep 16, 20261h 7mS1

  Andrés Martínez-García is a psychologist and peacebuilder whose professional journey began with people directly affected by Colombia's decades of violence. Born and raised in Bogotá, Andrés recalls a happy childhood while recognizing how much his parents did to protect him and his twin brother from dangers they did not always fully understand at the time. His first job as a psychologist brought him face-to-face with that other Colombian reality, providing psychosocial support to landmine survivors and victims of violence. The experience convinced him that addressing trauma alone was not enough without also confronting the conditions that produce violence. It eventually led him into peacebuilding and to a lifelong interest in how psychology, peace, religion and spirituality intersect. A particularly formative moment came when a patient asked him to pray with her, leaving the young psychologist wondering where professional boundaries ended and the spiritual dimensions of healing began. Today, Andrés is Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI), where he helps lead the LAC Regional Learning Hub and works at the intersection of faith, mental health, evidence and locally led development. In this conversation, we explore why sustainable peace requires attention to trauma and personal and community healing; the religious diversity of Latin America and the Caribbean; what younger generations may be teaching us about spirituality, institutions and connection; and why local organizations and religious actors need to help determine the questions that research asks rather than simply participate in someone else's agenda. Andrés also responds to Doug Fountain's question about loneliness, reflects on his hopes and concerns for his daughter in an increasingly technological world, and explains why Bob Marley's Redemption Song speaks so deeply to his work and who he is. Before we finish, he adds Mercedes Sosa's Gracias a la Vida, another song that holds pain and suffering together with hope. Listener Engagement: Learn more about Andrés and his work through his LinkedIn profile . You can also learn more about the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities (JLI) and follow JLI on its social media channels. Don't only listen to Bob Marley's Redemption Song and Mercedes Sosa's Gracias a la Vida, picked by Andrés, but also the songs chosen by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here . Share your feedback on this episode through our link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram . Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

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  Episode #254

  Just Listening to Them Can Change the World with Kathryn Kraft - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 254)

  Sep 2, 20261h 9mS1

  Kathryn (Kati) Kraft is a sociologist whose work explores faith, child spirituality and human flourishing, particularly in contexts of vulnerability and displacement. A self-described third culture kid, Kati was born in the United States, spent much of her childhood in Brazil, later lived in Syria and Lebanon, and eventually made her home in England. In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, she reflects on growing up in a deeply Christian environment, how friendships with Muslims in Syria challenged and expanded her understanding of faith, and how asking questions rather than making assumptions eventually shaped her career as a researcher. Now Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at the University of East London, Kati previously served as Senior Research Advisor for Faith and Development at World Vision International. Our conversation turns especially to what adults can learn when we genuinely listen to children. Kati describes research involving 658 children whose answers about what mattered to them came back to something remarkably simple: love and loving relationships. We talk about children's spirituality, human flourishing, why adults and researchers are often not very good at listening to children, and why children's experiences cannot always be reduced to indicators or statistics. Kati also reflects on the SDGs and Inner Development Goals, the role of spirituality in development, and her recently edited open-access book, Children, Religion, and Development: Perspectives on Spirituality in Practice, which brings together scholars from different religious traditions while asking what practitioners across traditions can learn from them. The conversation also becomes personal as Kati talks about transition, hope, a memorable experience in an Orthodox church, and the song Faith More Precious Than Gold, which found her during a difficult moment. Listener Engagement: Learn more about Kati and her work via her LinkedIn . You can also read or download her open-access book, Children, Religion, and Development: Perspectives on Spirituality in Practice , which brings together different religious perspectives on children's spirituality and their implications for development practice. Don't only listen to the song picked by Kati, Faith More Precious Than Gold, but also those chosen by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here . Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram . Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #253

  I Still Think I Could Change the World with Shreya Ramachandran - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 253)

  Aug 26, 20261h 1mS1

  Shreya Ramachandran was just 13 when experiences with water scarcity in California and India moved her from curiosity to action. What began with research, workshops at libraries and community events, and eventually The Grey Water Project has grown into a decade of environmental leadership. In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Shreya reflects on growing up as a self-described "library and museum kid," her connection to her grandparents and family roots in Chennai, and the freedom her parents gave her to explore, including allowing more than 100 plants to temporarily take over their bedroom for her greywater experiments. Looking back, she says she would tell her 13-year-old self to hold onto the same "boundless enthusiasm and energy" and the belief that she could change the world. Now a Stanford graduate with a master's degree in Sustainability Science and Practice, Shreya works at the intersection of climate resilience, youth participation and environmental policy. She has represented young people through UN processes, helped develop climate action plans, and argues that meaningful youth participation requires bringing young people into agenda-setting and decision-making rather than inviting them in after decisions have already been shaped. Our conversation explores what sustainability really means, why "action breeds hope," what older and younger generations can learn from one another, and why climate action becomes more powerful when people can see its connection to their own lives and health. We also talk about agency, kindness, the future she hopes to help create, and why she chose Rachel Platten's Fight Song as the music that represents her. Listener Engagement: Learn more about Shreya and her work via her LinkedIn or Instagram . Also check her organization's the Grey Water project website and Instagram . Don't only listen to the song picked by Shreya, but also those by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here . Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram . Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #252

  Mashallah with Rima Alshawkani - Walk Talk Listen (Episode 252)

  Aug 19, 20261h 15mS1

  Rima Alshawkani's story has unfolded across countries, languages and cultures. Born in New York to Yemeni parents, she spent parts of her childhood in Yemen, Ethiopia and Belgium before eventually settling in Northern Virginia. In this episode of Walk Talk Listen, Rima reflects on what those transitions taught her about belonging, independence and resilience. She remembers learning Arabic because she wanted to understand what her classmates were saying, cycling freely through Brussels, and walking through markets in Yemen as one of the only girls there alongside a father who encouraged her not to worry about whether she fit the norm, but simply to "keep on going." Today Rima is Chief Financial Officer of the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, an organization she joined in 2018 and has helped shape through several stages of its development. Our conversation goes well beyond finance, however. We talk about family, the influence of her father, raising two teenagers, learning to listen rather than immediately defend, and why she sees herself and her two children in the Arabic song Three Friends. We also talk about why she will walk through Washington, DC on September 25 as part of the 100-Mile Campaign: to help amplify voices from communities that too often remain unheard. Listener Engagement: Learn more about Rima and her work via her LinkedIn or the JLI website . Don't only listen to the song picked by Rima, but also those by other guests on our #walktalklisten playlist here . Share your feedback on this episode through our Walk Talk Listen Feedback link – your thoughts matter! Follow Us: Support the Walk Talk Listen podcast by following us on Facebook and Instagram . Visit 100mile.org or mauricebloem.com for more episodes and information about our work. Check out the special series "Enough for All" and learn more about the work of the Joint Learning Initiative (JLI).

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