Maria Skoyles, founder of Dorcas Dresses, shares her journey inspired by the biblical figure Dorcas, a dressmaker known for her acts of charity. Maria’s business supports women in financial hardship, providing them with sewing machines and training to establish their own businesses. Through her work, Maria witnesses the transformative power of empowering women, enabling them to bless others and create a ripple effect of positive change. You can find a transcript of this episode at lovedcalledgifted.com Find the Dorcas Dress Project here: https://dorcasdressproject.org/

Margret and Catherine take a look at the parables that Jesus tells in Luke chapter 15. The parable of the running Father is a beautiful case study of therapeutic parenting, helpful to all parents, particularly those with children with additional needs.  

What does God's mothering of us look like? What are the different ways that we experience the maternal embrace of the divine? This is the question that Joan Wright Howie explores with Catherine in this episode.  Joan is a minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. She is also a Spiritual Director and a professional supervisor.  Transcript Loved Called Gifted website Facebook page If you'd like to get in touch, you can email Catherine at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com 

In this wide ranging conversation, Catherine talks with Dr Laura Beres, who is Professor of Social Work, at King's University College at the University of Western Ontario. They talk about spirituality in the context of social work, narrative therapy, research into spirituality and resilience and COVID 19. What can we learn from the Celtic inspired practices of community of Iona? And from the Benedictine concepts of conversatio, obedience and stability. How might the idea of cloisters be helpful to us today? And why might a diary be a great spiritual tool? Transcript Want to connect? You can email Catherine at lovedcalledgifted@email.com Or join our Facebook Page. Or have a meander through the Loved Called Gifted website. Catherine's latest book, Finding God's Feminine Side is available on Amazon here. 

Sue Saunders is a PhD student, living in Dublin. She is exploring how spiritual practices could sustain climate change activists. In this conversation, she talks about the United Nations Inner Development Goals, psychotherapy, quakerism, and finding the Divine in nature. She has developed a simple spiritual practice, she calls Natura Divina, which gives some structure and support to being in nature as a way of connecting with the divine. She shares how this practice has deepened her own spiritual experience and how she hopes it will help those engaged in climate activism.  You can find a transcript here. If you'd like to get in touch, you can contact us by email: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com Or find us via Facebook  Here's where you can have a look at the website. And if you want to find Catherine's latest book, Finding God's Feminine Side, you can get to that via Amazon. 

**Catherine's new book, Finding God's Feminine Side is now available on Audible** In this episode of the Loved Called Gifted podcast, Catherine chats with Steve Kenyon—a dad, nurse manager, musician and former DJ—about his journey through faith, work, and identity. Steve shares stories from his childhood in Lancashire, his early experiences in nursing, and how his desire to make a difference led him into healthcare leadership.They talk about creativity, not just in the arts, but in problem-solving and leadership, and how Steve’s background in hospital radio and broadcasting still shapes how he connects with others. He speaks honestly about what it means to be genuine, the challenges of masculinity, and how he and his wife Katie navigate parenting and partnership as equals.At the heart of it all is Steve’s evolving relationship with Jesus—how his understanding has deepened over time into something intimate and rooted in love. The conversation is full of warmth, wisdom, and reflections on walking faithfully (and authentically) through life’s ups and downs. You can find a transcript here.  If you have thoughts, comments, feedback, or just want to get in touch, then drop us an email at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com Or you can follow our Facebook page  **Catherine's new book, Finding God's Feminine Side is now available on Audible**  

Catherine remembers meeting God in a gift shop and muses about the fact that God is here now.  If you would like to get in touch, you can email: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com.  Episode transcript  You can connect with us on Facebook. Have a meander through the Loved Called Gifted website. 

Catherine and Stephen have been working on creating an audio-version of Catherine's book, Finding God's Feminine Side, and we thought this might be a good opportunity to give you a sneak preview! So this episode is a little different. It is a sample of the (hopefully) soon to be released audio book. With thoughts about the feminine nature of the Holy Spirit, God's maternal care, and the surprising metaphor of God's breasts. And if this whets your appetite and you would like to have access to the whole book, without waiting for the audio version, you are in luck! It is available now, via Amazon, in paperback and on Kindle.If you would like to see a transcript of this episode, you can find it here. If you have comments, or would like to get in touch, you can find Catherine via lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com And there is all sorts of interesting stuff on the Loved Called Gifted website, if you fancy a poke around.  You can also take a peak at our Facebook page if you like.     

Stories, ice, fire, poetry and the countenance of God upon the sea.  Paul Byrne is a full time children's worker at a church in Suffolk. He became fascinated and enthralled by the literature, the landscape and the stories of Iceland, when he was studying for his degree in history and literature. Now, several years later, having become a Christian, he is rediscovering his passion for Icelandic culture and finding God within it. In this conversation he shares his passion for Iceland, some beautiful Icelandic poetry and his thoughts about finding God everywhere.  Here are some links: You can find a transcript here, connect with us on Facebook, have a meander around the Loved Called Gifted website, or take a look at Catherine's new book, "Finding God's Feminine Side".  If you'd like to get in touch, drop an email to: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com

Host Catherine Cowell is joined by Maria Garvey for a conversation about retirement, rootedness, and rediscovering the transformative power of community and presence. Maria shares her personal journey from a life of professional busyness to a slower, more intentional rhythm grounded in her local village. She explores themes of loneliness, the quiet revolution of love, vulnerability as strength, and embracing life with playfulness and authenticity. With wisdom, humor, and touching stories—including goose rescues, therapeutic clowning, and the quiet magic of shared tea—this episode is a celebration of the sacredness found in everyday connection. You can find a full transcript here.  If you'd like to get in touch, you can email Catherine at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com Connect with us on Facebook  Find out more about what we get up to on the LCG website

Heather and Ben Cope have a lovely little studio in their home where they share their passion for music with lots of children with different special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In this episode, they talk passionately about their love of music, about life as a blended SEND family and how they came to set up their CIC, Coping Together. They talk about the unique needs and abilities of every child who walks through their doors and how they adjust their approach to adapt to the needs and interests and passions of each individual. Their love for music, for the children they work with and for one another shines through this conversation. I already knew Heather and Ben because one of my sons has music lessons with them, as do the children of several of my friends and we all know that they are marvellous, but it was wonderful to have the chance to listen to their story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.   There is a full transcript of this episode here. You can contact the podcast at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com and you can find our website here. It would be great to hear from you. You can also follow us on Facebook

Lucie Labadie is a dance artist. A few years ago, she began to learn about the menstrual cycle and the way that women's bodies travel through different phases, different seasons each month. In this episode she talks to Catherine about what she has discovered and how understanding her body helps her to live more in tune with it. There are times in the month when she chooses to prioritise rest and times for focus and activity. Times when she is more intuitive. She has learnt that some times in the month are better for making decisions than others. She talks about the beauty and the spirituality of the female body.  Let it Bleed! is the dance show that Lucie created collaboratively with a group of women to artistically explore and depict the journey through the different seasons of the cycle. She shares the inspiration for the show and the way it was created. You can find out more about Lucie and her work on her website, Lucielabadiedanceartist.com Find out more about Loved Called Gifted on the website. Connect through email at lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com or via Facebook.    If you would like to get hold of Catherine's new book, you can find it on Amazon.

Heidi Steel runs Live Play Learn, a hub and a community for unschooling parents. Unschooling is an approach to homeschooling that starts with the understanding that humans are born with a natural ability to learn and parents can provide the natural environment in which that can happen for their children. She is a qualified primary school teacher, and having worked in schools for 14 years, knew that she wanted something different for her own children. She talks about how unschooling has positively shaped the life of her family and provided the opportunity to create environments and learning opportunities centred around the individual personalities and needs of each of her children. Including where there is neurodiversity. She hosts the Unschooling Conversations podcast and you can find resources and information at liveplaylearn.org There is a transcript for this episode on the Loved Called Gifted website, where you can find out all sort of things about what I get up to.  You can connect with me on Facebook, or via email: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com.  

In the last episode, Catherine looked at the concept of Biblical Womanhood, and the fact that it doesn't really stand up to scrutiny if you start by looking at Jesus and his interactions with women. This time, she is joined by Sean Kennedy to consider manhood through the lens of Jesus, his life, his teachings and his interactions with the men around him. Spoiler alert: Jesus never once tells men they need to be in charge.  If you enjoy this episode and the ideas within it, you might like to read Catherine's new book: Finding God's Feminine Side, which is available on Amazon as both a paperback and a Kindle version.  Episode transcript Loved Called Gifted website Get in touch via the Facebook page or email us: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com

What does it mean to be a “Christian Woman”? Over the years I have heard a lot and read a lot about what the ideal Christian Woman might be like. The notion of Biblical Womanhood is particularly prominent in certain sections of the church. One gets the picture of a quiet, submissive woman who’s good at needlework and making cupcakes. It’s an image that seems to be more about the ideal 1950’s housewife than it is anything in the Bible.    Perhaps it would make more sense, to start a conversation about Christian womanhood by looking at the life of Jesus. What was it like to be a woman and a disciple? What can we discover from the conversations between Jesus and the women he spent time with? What sort of womanly behaviour did he encourage?    In this episode, I explore those questions. And the answers turn out to be a bit different to the picture of ideal Christian Womanhood I have encountered elsewhere.  The new book mentioned in the podcast is now out and can be found on Amazon! Transcript To get in touch with Catherine, email: lovedcalledgifted@gmail.com Or you could connect with us on Facebook. Explore the Loved Called Gifted website.  

Gill Jarrett is a holistic massage therapist, working in Shrewsbury. She discovered her passion for massage while on her own healing journey out of domestic violence and into healing and wholeness. She is now passionate about helping others on their journeys. She shares her own story and her desire to see others find healing, in body, mind and spirit. She is qualified in Jing massage and is an Advanced Clinical and Sports Massage Therapist. She has conducted research into the benefits of massage and often runs workshops, like the one she did for the University of Staffordshire, which is where she and Catherine met. She has lots of wisdom to share about life, passion, purpose and the healing that comes when we find our way back to ourselves and back into our bodies.  Episode Transcript To find out more about Gill and (if you live near enough!) to find out how to go and get a massage yourself (highly recommended!) you can go to Gill's Facebook page.  You might like to follow the Loved Called Gifted Facebook page. Or have a look at our website.  

This episode of the "Loved Called Gifted" podcast, host Catherine Cowell is joined by clinical psychologist and author Naomi Fisher. They discuss Fisher's book "When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse" and explore alternative approaches to parenting, particularly for children who don’t respond to traditional methods. There are lots of   relatable anecdotes and humour about the daily chaos of parenting, paired with Naomi's insights into navigating challenges with creativity. There is a full transcript available here. To connect with us, feel free to join in our Facebook page.  To find out more about Naomi Fisher and her work, go to: https://naomifisher.co.uk/ To find out more about the work that Catherine does with parents, go to the And Breathe website.  You can find the Loved Called Gited website here

Pete Lewin Newfoundlands is a remarkable charity that gives people the unique opportunity to swim with Newfoundland dogs. Pete fell in love with Newfoundlands when he learnt about their incredible abilities as water rescue dogs and their heroism. While working with them as water rescue dogs, he discovered the potential of his Newfoundlands to support people with their emotional and mental well being. He now takes all sorts of people swimming with his Newfoundlands, working particularly with people from the armed forces and emergency services, who have experienced trauma. The combination of time in the water with the dogs and swimming outdoors in the peace and beauty of the lake, are hugely beneficial. Pete shares his love for his dogs, the story of Pete Lewin Newfoundlands and something of his own experiences of working for many years as a paramedic.  Transcript To find out more about Loved Called Gifted and the things we get up to, have a peek at our website. You can also follow us on Facebook.  

Emily shares the story of her family, which includes birth children, children who are adopted and asylum seeking migrants, who they foster. She talks about her faith and God’s leading and provision through their remarkable journey. She mentions Home for Good and the impact their work has had on the wider church and discusses the dynamics of a large family. And trusting God each morning that there will be enough love for everyone.

Connective parenting is an approach to parenting that puts relationship and connection at the centre. It is based on NVR, which stands for Non Violent Resistance and has been enormously helpful for families facing extremely difficult behaviour. It contains within it principles that can be helpful beyond parenting, in all our relationships. Sarah Fisher is an adoptive parent and NVR practitioner. She created Connective Family, which provides training, coaching and advice to parents and professionals and has her own podcast, "Sarah Fisher talks connective parenting". To find out more about Sarah Fisher Visit the Loved Called Gifted website You can read a full transcript of the episode.  Join us on Facebook   Ed:  Oops updated audio file Sat 23 Nov 13:00 to fix missing audio around 6 mins mark - Stephen