Episode vibe: peace walks, monks, “loving kindness,” Dolly’s gospel side, and the return of our favorite radical nun.

What we get into

• Dorothy’s new obsession: monks (and specifically the Walk for Peace) — two dozen monks and a dog walking from Texas to the White House, stopping to pray with people and bring “loving kindness” to communities along the way.
• Kindness over niceness: why “loving kindness” hits different, and what it looks like when it’s lived in public.
• A mission story from Cambodia: Dorothy shares a moment from a Mending Kids trip that changed how she thinks about reverence, culture, and what comfort can look like when touch isn’t allowed.
• Birthdays + meaning: Dorothy honors her mom’s heavenly birthday, and Jason celebrates Dolly Parton (plus MLK Day) — which turns into a deep dive on Dolly’s spiritual music.
• Dolly’s “Light of the Clear Blue Morning,” reimagined: a new version sparks Jason’s full-on rabbit hole and leads to a curated Chasing Faith Dolly playlist for the community.
• Back with Sister Chris: the episode continue our conversation with the bold, brilliant Sister Chris Shenk — and the conversation goes straight to the heart of women’s leadership in early Christianity, Mary Magdalene’s real story, and the future of the Catholic Church.
• Doing good, loudly and quietly: Dorothy and Jason invite listeners to share stories of people making the world better (big gestures or small ones), and Dorothy gives a quick plug for Mending Kids and their upcoming fundraiser.

Featured guest / segment highlight: Sister Chris (Radical Nun Return)

Sister Chris covers:

• Mary Magdalene: not a prostitute; a commissioned apostle and first witness of the Resurrection.
• Women leaders in the early Church: research and archaeology suggesting women’s influence was far larger than most people were taught.
• FutureChurch: founded in 1990, focused on the future of Catholic life (including access to Eucharist, leadership, and reform).
• Parish closures + canon law: advocacy, appeals, and organizing to protect vibrant faith communities.
• “God is bigger than the Catholic Church”: a faith view roomy enough for mystery, humility, and other traditions.

Dorothy’s “doing good” spotlight

Mending Kids (Dorothy’s long-time charity)

• Volunteer-driven surgical missions serving kids around the world (and in the U.S.).
• Fundraiser gala: March 21.

Call to action (aka: don’t just listen, join us)

• Tell us who you know doing good — in your town, your church, your workplace, your family, anywhere.
• Follow on Instagram and share the story (or DM it).
• If you like the show: rate, review, and share with a friend.

Mentioned in the episode

• Walk for Peace (monks walking from Texas toward the White House)
• “Loving kindness” (a Buddhist concept that becomes a theme)
• Dolly Parton spiritual songs + Jason’s curated playlist
• FutureChurch
• Mary Magdalene as apostle/leader
• Crispina and Her Sisters: Women in Authority in Early Christianity (Sister Chris’s book)
• Bending Toward Justice (Sister Chris’s book on parish closures/canon law advocacy)
• Mending Kids + gala on March 21

Episode closer

“Come chase faith with us.”

What happens when “midlife crisis” becomes midlife awakening? In this episode, Dorothy Lucey and Jason Ball sit down with Marianne Williamson, spiritual teacher, author, activist, and founder of Project Angel Food, for a conversation that feels like a soul massage with a little tough love. 💥💛

Marianne joins from London🇬🇧 (between grandbaby time 👶👶) to talk about her new book Midlife Awakening, why the soul doesn’t age, and how to stay engaged in the world when anxiety and overwhelm make you want to hide under the covers.

This episode is about choosing love, reclaiming your agency, and becoming the person God wants you to be one small decision at a time. 🙏✨

Throughout the episode, the conversation returns to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, including his reminder that:

“Your life begins to end the day you stop talking about things that matter.”

It’s a powerful throughline for this moment especially on a weekend dedicated to honoring Dr. King’s work, courage, and insistence that love must be active, disciplined, and brave. 🕊️

In this episode, we talk about:

🌿 Midlife Awakening vs. Midlife Crisis: reframing this season of life as opportunity
🧠 Training your mind when negativity becomes a “river” you can’t stop
💛 The prayer that hits hardest: “Make me the person you want me to be.”
🔥 Why love is active — and what “showing up” actually looks like
🕊️ Peaceful protest and leadership without losing yourself to anger
🤝 Service as the antidote to anxiety: “How can I help?”
🏳️‍🌈 The legacy of the AIDS crisis and why it matters right now
👵 The “Conscious Samaritan” question: Why are there so many beggars?
🕯️ Forgiveness as freedom (and the line between processing vs. indulging)
🦋 The “butterfly wing” idea: small acts that ripple into big change

📚 Featured book:

Midlife Awakening by Marianne Williamson
If you’ve been feeling stuck, tired, numb, or “is this it?”… this one might light you up.

🎧 Watch / Listen / Subscribe

If this episode moved you, don’t keep it to yourself:
✅ Watch the full episode
✅ Listen wherever you get podcasts
✅ Subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation
✅ Leave a rating + review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (it helps more than you think!)
✅ Share with a friend who needs a little hope + a loving kick in the ass 💛

And we want to hear from you:
📩 Know someone doing good in the world—big or small?
DM us and tell us who we should talk to next. 👀✨

#ChasingFaith #DorothyLucey #MarianneWilliamson #MidlifeAwakening #FaithJourney #SpiritualGrowth #CourseInMiracles #ChooseLove #Service #HopeInAction #ToughLove #ProjectAngelFood #Purpose #Forgiveness #MakeMeThePersonYouWantMeToBe #PodcastLife #NewEpisode

What happens when a Lutheran minister becomes a politician and brings her faith with her? In this episode, Dorothy and Jason sit down with Sarah Trone Garriott, an Iowa State Senator and candidate for Congress (IA-03), to talk about calling, courage, public service, and how faith can shape politics without turning into a weapon. 🙏🏽🗳️

We also open with a surprise spiritual moment from an unexpected place: Alanis Morissette singing “Ave Maria”🎶💛

🔥 In this episode:

• 🎵 The Alanis “Ave Maria” curveball and why it matters
• 🏠 Dorothy reflects on the one-year mark since the Palisades fire: grief, displacement, and the loss of “memory objects” like kids’ ornaments
• ⛪️ Sarah’s path from AmeriCorps domestic violence work to ministry to public office
• 🏥 What it’s really like being a hospital chaplain, including caring for children and families in crisis
• 🧠 “Don’t just do something, stand there” the chaplain’s approach to presence and pain
• 💬 Faith + politics: why Sarah believes they should talk to each other
• 🗳️ The moment she decided to run: reproductive health, bad policy, and leaders who didn’t understand basic medical realities
• 🩺 How she talks about being Christian and pro-choice
• 🍞 Food insecurity = hunger (say it plainly) and why food is where communities can still unite
• 📈 The leap from state senate to Congress: scale, costs, and staying human in a bigger race
• 🤝 Refusing to “play dirty” and choosing hope as a strategy

💡 Quote that sticks:

Sometimes what people need most isn’t the perfect words. It’s not being alone. 💛

👀 Coming next week:

The “ultimate wise woman” (Jason’s words 😄): Marianne Williamson 🌟📚

📺 Watch the full episode
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform
🔔 Subscribe so you don’t miss the next “Wise Woman”

And follow us on Instagram: @chasingfaithpod📲✨
Dorothy wants to hear about your faith journey—and so do we. Come chase faith with us. 🤍

#ChasingFaith #DorothyLucey #SarahTroneGarriott #FaithAndPolitics #ThreeWiseWomen #IowaPolitics #IA03 #CongressionalCandidate #ProgressiveFaith #ChristianDemocrat #PublicService #Chaplaincy #HealingAndHope #CommunityFirst #Vote #CivicEngagement #ChasingFaithPod 🎙️✨