ReflectInQuiry

What does love ask of a mother?In this conversation, Cris reflects on how motherhood reshaped her identity, her sense of purpose, and the way she moves through the world.From the visible responsibilities to the invisible weight mothers carry, she shares what it means to lead with care, to choose sacrifice, and to love in ways that are not always seen.This is a conversation about calling, faith, and the kind of love that changes everything.As you listen, consider: what does love ask of you?- - - This conversation includes discussion of postpartum depression. If this resonates with you, support resources are included below.· Postpartum Support International — postpartum.net · 1-800-944-4773· U.S. Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988· Maternal Mental Health Hotline — 1-833-852-6262 (free, 24/7)· Therapy for Black Girls — therapyforblackgirls.com· Open Path Collective — openpathcollective.org⸻Mentioned by Cris in this conversation:· Josie's Grace https://josiesgrace.com/ · The High Performance Planner by Brendon Burchard· How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

What happens to faith when answers are instant—and seeking becomes optional?We are living in a time where answers are more accessible than ever before.With a single prompt, we can find clarity, direction, even something that feels like understanding. But as AI becomes a first place for reflection, processing, and guidance, it raises a quieter question:What happens when we begin turning to AI for what we once brought to Scripture, to prayer, to community?This reflection is an honest exploration of that tension—not from a place of certainty, but from awareness. It considers not only what we gain through AI, but what we may be losing in the process of seeking, wrestling, and forming understanding over time.At its core, this is a reflection on posture. On where we go first. On what shapes us. And on how to remain rooted in God in a time where answers come easily.

What happens when we assume that similar problems share the same solution?In this reflection, I explore what gets missed when we apply our own path to someone else's circumstances.Context is not a footnote. Difference is not a deficiency.Similar is not the same — and learning to hold that distinction might be one of the most important things we can practice in how we show up for one another. If you’d like to continue reflecting, you can explore more at reflectinquiry.com

In this conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Emily Little—researcher, science communicator, and founder—whose work explores how culture shapes human development, health, and care.Together, we reflect on what happens when science is treated as separate from culture.What we come to see is that much of what we call “evidence” is shaped by who is studied, who defines knowledge, and what is considered standard. When culture is overlooked, entire ways of knowing—and caring—can be excluded.Drawing from her research and lived experiences across different communities, Dr. Little invites us to reconsider how we define learning, health, and support—from early childhood to maternal care and beyond.This conversation is not about rejecting science, but about expanding it—making space for lived experience, cultural knowledge, and more inclusive ways of understanding care.A question to sit with:What might change if we stepped just outside our usual way of seeing?🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Amazon Music, and YouTube — all at @ReflectInQuiry.

What happens in the moment between feeling something and saying it?In this episode of ReflectInQuiry, I’m joined by Dr. Loretta J. Ross — activist, professor, MacArthur Fellow, and author of Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel— for a deeply personal conversation about how we show up with integrity in our everyday lives.Dr. Ross reflects on the practice of pausing before your trauma speaks. On calling people in rather than calling them out. On forgiving yourself for not being perfect — so you can extend that same grace to others. Together, we sit with questionslike:What does it look like to pause before your impulse leads?How do you call someone in when they aren’t ready to hear it?Can you practice justice in the world before you’ve practiced it at home?What does it mean to be more than the sum of what happened to you?

“A good dissertation is a done dissertation.”But what happens when that mindset meets a moment of ethical hesitation?This reflection explores the space between a question surfacing and the pressure to move forward—and what we might be training in ourselves when we choose to dismiss it.What if the pause isn’t inefficiency?What if it’s signal?

A conversation about purpose, calling, and finding the right audience for the work we carry.In this episode of ReflectInQuiry, I'm joined by Artair Rogers, a scholar and doctoral candidate at the Harvard School of Public Health.Our conversation explores what happens when the ideas we carry don't seem to land in the spaces we expect them to. In institutions that often reward familiar frameworks and established networks, how do we remain faithful to the work that continues to stir within us?Artair reflects on entering his doctoral journey during the height of COVID-19 and a period of immense grief and loss in the Black community. From navigating academic spaces where his ideas were not always immediately understood, to recognizing the importance of collective care, community, and spiritual grounding, he shares a deeply personal reflection on purpose, persistence, and calling.Together we sit with questions like:How do you know when the room you're in isn't the right audience for your work?What does it mean to stay faithful to a calling when affirmation isn't immediate?How can community and collective care sustain the work we carry?Sometimes the work we carry needs more than the right idea — it needs the right people around it.This episode invites listeners to reflect on purpose, belonging, and the quiet persistence of a calling that refuses to go silent.Listen and follow ReflectInQuiry on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Amazon Music, and YouTube — all at @ReflectInQuiry.

We often hear the phrase “communication is key.”But what if communication isn’t the problem?This reflection explores what happens when people try again and again to communicate — yet never feel heard. Over time, the issue may not be speaking, but whether anyone is truly listening.When communication repeatedly meets a closed ear, the effort itself can become exhausting. Eventually, people don’t stop communicating because they have nothing to say — but because they no longer believe they will be heard.This episode reflects on listening, relationships, and the conditions that make meaningful communication possible.

What happens when truths collide?Not when someone is lying or misinformed — but when lived experiences, shaped by different contexts, both feel undeniably real.In this reflection, I consider what might shift if we stopped asking whose truth is right and instead asked what each perspective might be revealing.

What does it mean to trust God… even now?When challenges repeat and outcomes don’t align with what we hoped for, does trust deepen — or does it become conditional?This is an invitation to consider what trust looks like when it is no longer tied to results.

In this reflection, I sit with questions that have been quietly growing alongside my own learning:Who is the subject matter expert?And where does expertise live?

In this reflection, I talk about with how silence—especially in relationships—can quietly turn into a story we didn't intend to write.When messages go unanswered or responses don’t come, questions often surface. And without realizing it, those questions can begin to fill the silence with assumptions about intent, care, and worth.This episode is an invitation to pause before meaning is assigned. To notice the moment we begin filling quiet spaces with narratives. And to consider what might change if silence were allowed to remain undefined—at least for a moment.Rather than offering answers, this reflection opens space for awareness, grace, and curiosity.What becomes possible when we let silence exist—without immediately turning it into a story?If there is a question you’ve been carrying that you’d like to see explored in a future episode, you’re welcome to share it at reflectinquiry.com.

In this reflection, I sit with the question of why marriage is often described as “hard.”Rather than offering answers, I explore the idea of commitment as a leap of faith—one made without fully knowing who we or our partners will become across changing seasons of life.This episode is an invitation to reflect on how we meet one another as we change.If there is a question that has been on your mind that you'd like to see explored in a future episode, you're welcome to submit it at reflectinquiry.com.

In this episode, I reflect on the beginning of a new year and the tension between change, intention, and control. I explore what It means to focus on what is within our control - especially when life unfolds in unexpected ways. Rather than abandoning big goals, this reflection invites a gentler re-framing: shifting attention from outcomes to practice. What changes when we define progress by how we show up, rather than what we achieve?

Welcome to ReflectInQuiry.This trailer offers a brief introduction to the space and soul of the podcast -- a place for reflection, inquiry, and thoughtful engagement with ideas that shape everyday life. ReflectInQuiry is a solo, inquiry-driven podcast centered on slowing down, asking questions, and reflecting openly on concepts, experiences, and perspectives across time, place, and tradition. There are no final answers here -- only shared ideas, open questions, and an invitation to make reflection a regular practice.