Rev. Dr. Juana Jordan welcomes Strather "Skip" Dupree — her best friend's younger brother and the man who called her on the highway with a word right on time — to share his story of losing his mother, Dorothy, in 1995 while he was a college sophomore. From the shock of arrival at the hospital to navigating academics, self-medication, and the promise he made to finish college, Skip offers a searingly honest account of grief as a young Black man. Woven throughout is a question borrowed from Viola Davis: when life hands you a painful ingredient, do you let it destroy you, or do you build something from it?

Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley.

Laura and Juana go deeper into the spiritual practices that have sustained Black women through grief — from dream work and ancestor wisdom to the contemplative traditions hiding in plain sight within African American culture. They challenge the "strong Black woman" trope and ask what it means to give yourself permission to simply be broken for a while. Laura offers practical tools for the overextended and overwhelmed — threshold breathing, body mapping prayer, and learning to distinguish the voice of love from the voices of obligation. The conversation closes with a reflection on The Body Keeps the Score, somatic grief work, and what it looks like to hold both joy and sorrow as the seed pushes through the ground toward new life.

• 0:38 — Ancestors, dreams, and the thin veil
• 7:33 — The "strong Black woman" trope and laying down strength
• 8:55 — Spiritual direction as a cup that holds suffering
• 14:44 — Threshold practices for the overextended clergy
• 19:09 — Listening for the voice of love
• 23:09 — Body mapping prayer and somatic grief work

Organizations To Help Search For A Spiritual Director:

• Spiritual Directors International is an interfaith organization with a great search engine. Use the filters to help narrow the search: https://www.sdicompanions.org/find-a-spiritual-director-companion/
• Hearts On Fire / Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors https://fumdrl.org/public-directory/
• Spiritual Directors of Color: https://sdcnetwork.org
• Network of Evangelical Spiritual Directors: https://www.networkofevangelicalspiritualdirectors.com

Body Mapping and other videos of guided imagery prayer and blessings can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/@laurababer1147

Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley.

Juana introduces her spiritual director, Laura Baber, the author of Rhythms of Restoration and a retired United Methodist deacon with more than 25 years of experience walking alongside people through grief and life transitions. Together, they explore what spiritual direction actually is — and how it differs from therapy. Laura describes the work as "holy listening," helping people find God's movement in their lives rather than fixing their pain. The conversation moves into the dark night of the soul, the lost art of lament, and what healing looks like when the faith practices that once sustained us no longer work after loss. Juana reflects on how her own theology of God has shifted since losing her mother — and how spiritual direction has helped her see God showing up in new and unexpected ways.

Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley.

In the powerful conclusion of Juana’s conversation with Christal Brown Heyward, they explore the intersection of grief, culture, and celebration in Black ecclesial traditions. Christal reveals her doctoral research on "Joy and Pain: The Marriage of Music and Mourning in Black Ecclesial Traditions," examining how music functions as healing in the Black church—from homegoing services that celebrate life to the careful selection of songs that carry communities through loss. She offers profound wisdom from her personal grief journey, sharing her most important prayer: "Lord, keep my mind." Christal reminds us that we are not machines, that rest is the greatest currency we can give ourselves, and that grief teaches us to stay close to God while giving ourselves permission to be fully human. This episode is a love letter to Black women and Black people, honoring the unique ways we hold both sorrow and celebration together.

Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley.

In Part 1 of this heartfelt episode, Rev. Dr. Juana Jordan sits down with Christal Brown Heyward, a certified grief coach, thanatologist, and worship leader who has transformed personal compassion into powerful ministry. Christal shares the touching story of how "A Time of Refreshing" was born—starting with simple home visits to a friend who lost her son, bringing a keyboard, a meal, and sacred space for honest conversation. What began as acts of friendship grew into a calling, leading Christal to pursue a Master's degree in Thanatology (the study of death) to better serve her community. She discusses why conversations about death remain taboo, the importance of marrying music with mourning, and introduces us to her innovative "Grief Boot Camp" approach that creates safe spaces for people to navigate the unknown terrain of loss with practical tools and spiritual grounding.

In this intimate episode of In the Processor, Rev. Dr. Juana Jordan sits down with four of her college girlfriends, Angel Manago-Collins, Kathy Goins, Raquel Jackson and Tamara Thompson, who are navigating the profound reality of losing parents. They courageously share their journeys through anticipatory grief, the running phase of avoidance, and the moments when grief demands to be faced. Together, the women explore what grief has taught them about gratitude, seizing opportunities, trusting God's word, and understanding that their parents' final acts were rooted in deep love. This is sacred space for anyone who has lost someone they cherish and needs to hear that tomorrow might look different than today's pain.

Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley.

In this episode of In the Processor, host Rev. Dr. Juana Jordan sits down with certified grief counselor and Fellow of the American Academy of Grief Counselors, Rev. Felicia Allen, for a raw and tender conversation about what it means to grieve well. Juana explores with Felicia how our brains build "titanium roads" to those we love—neural pathways so strong they remain long after our loved ones are gone. Together they examine why Americans struggle to grieve, how cultural norms shape our mourning, and the liberating truth that grief and gratitude can occupy the same space.

Show Notes:

• 7:24 Felicia shares how God placed her on the oncology ward—the last place she wanted to be—and how that assignment launched her grief counseling journey
• 12:48Why we grieve more healthily in community, and how demonstrative grief across cultures is often pathologized in American healthcare settings
• 26:25 The "titanium roads" metaphor: how neurons build pathways to our loved ones from the womb, and why grief requires us to build new roads off the old ones
• 45:59 Grief rituals—from funerals to t-shirts with loved ones' faces—and why these practices are sacred tools for processing loss
• 55:02 Reframing "how can I move on?" to "how can I not?"—and why grief and gratitude can occupy the same space

In this introductory episode of "In the Processor," host Rev. Dr. Juana Jordan sits down with Derrick Scott III, Creative Producer of Studio Wesley, to unveil a podcast dedicated to creating sacred space for grief. Juana shares her personal journey through the unexpected loss of her mother in July 2024 and how a healing conversation with sorority sisters at homecoming sparked the vision for this series. The podcast title draws on the metaphor of a computer processor—transforming raw, unfiltered emotions into clarity and growth. The series centers the desire for Black women and Black people to grieve fully and out loud. These are conversations that will offer language and tools for younger generations navigating loss, change, and transition for the first time. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

• 01:09 – Juana introduces herself and shares her personal grief journey as an only daughter caring for her father after losing her mother

• 03:33 – The heart of the podcast: "Telling our stories is holy work" and cultivating sacred spaces for collective healing

• 06:35 – The meaning behind the name "In the Processor" and how grief affects our personal growth

• 15:44 – Derrick and Juana discuss the biblical tradition of grieving out loud and reclaiming that practice

• 20:15 – A college student's discovery of "anticipatory grief" and why this language matters for younger generations

Produced by Wesley's Revival, a ministry of Studio Wesley.