The Academy Podcast

In this month’s episode, Shalom Agtarap is joined by Cláudio Carvalhaes, a theologian, liturgist, performer, artist, and activist whose work bridges worship, ecology, and justice.

In this conversation, we explore how formation—not just information—shapes a Christian life rooted in practice and theory, community and land. Cláudio invites us into sentipensar (to think-feel), reflecting on “traditioning,” the power of ritual to stretch us toward the needs of our neighbors, the collective nature of faith beyond the merely human, and how worship becomes a way of protecting life—people, rivers, soil, and skies.

Whether you long to renew your worship life, deepen your ecological awareness, or reorient your spirituality toward the suffering and beauty of the world, Cláudio’s wisdom will call you to listen more deeply—to God, to the land, and to one another—and to become people of courageous, communal love.

Cláudio Carvalhaes, earth thinker, theologian, liturgist, performer, artist and playwright, a native Brazilian from São Paulo, he is now the Professor of Worship at Union Theological Seminary in New York. In the Summer of 2023, Carvalhaes received the Honorary Degree Sacrae Theologiae Doctor bestowed by the Board of Trustees of Starr King School for the Ministry. In the Fall of 2023, Carvalhaes received the award of The Most Creative Play at the New York Theater Festival with his play "When Wajcha Meets Pachamama."  Carvalhaes will teach on Liturgy & Spirituality for Academy #43, which began in November 2025.

Show Notes:

Episode tracks: “Far Side of the Sea,” “Versailles,” and “Fearless” by Amy Stroup, used with permission.

Audio editing and production by Tim Savage.

A special thanks to the staff of The Upper Room, the Academy team, and everyone who helps bring this podcast to life.

In this month’s episode, Shalom Agtarap is joined by Beth Richardson. Beth Richardson is a longtime Upper Room writer, leader, worship designer, and spiritual guide whose journey with The Academy has reawakened her sacramental calling and shaped her ministry of hope, healing, and creativity.

In this conversation, we explore how the rhythm of The Academy — prayer, worship, silence, learning, and community — shapes vocational discernment, spiritual formation, and public ministry. Beth tells the story of first encountering The Academy while working at The Upper Room, and reflects on practices that keep her grounded in difficult times. She also shares how long-term community formation equips people to face issues of justice and reconciliation, and why The Academy matters to the world today.

Whether you are discerning participation in The Academy or longing for practices that ground you in hope, healing, and God’s presence, Beth’s story invites you to listen and discover the rhythm of life that sustains us.

Originally from Oklahoma, Beth now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her spouse, Jenni, and their spirited Scottie, JJ Shannon McGreggor. A retired Elder from the Mountain Sky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, she continues to serve the Academy community as worship leader for Spirituality in Practice. As a faculty member for Academy #43, Beth will teach on the curriculum of Spirituality & Ways of Healing, guiding participants into practices that nurture wholeness, restoration, and God’s transforming presence in their lives.

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In this month’s episode, Shalom Agtarap is joined by Amy Oden—professor, theologian, and longtime Academy faculty member. Amy reflects on her first encounter with the Academy and how its rhythms of silence, spaciousness, and community reshaped her pedagogy and her life. She shares about her teaching on hospitality, Christian spiritualities, Protestant traditions, and mindfulness, weaving in voices that have shaped her, from Julian of Norwich to Howard Thurman.

Together, they explore how the Academy’s rhythm of retreat and return develops “muscle memory” for attentiveness, how practices of Sabbath and simplicity resist the demands of empire, and how spiritual formation is always tied to justice and reconciliation. Amy also speaks candidly about privilege, formation, and what it means to steward our social location faithfully.

Whether you are discerning participation in the Academy or seeking to deepen your own practice of pausing, listening, and being present, Amy’s insights offer an invitation into the open space of God’s life with us.

Amy is a faculty member for Two-Year Academy #43, which begins in November 2025. During her time with #43, he will be guiding participants through the theme “Traditions of Christian Spirituality.”

Dr. Amy G. Oden is a working professor, teaching church history and Christian spirituality for several seminaries. She has served on the faculties of Oklahoma City University, Saint Paul School of Theology and Wesley Theological Seminary where she also served as Dean.  She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Southern Methodist University and a baccalaureate in Letters from University of Oklahoma. Born and raised on the prairies of Oklahoma, Amy has found her spiritual home under the wide-open sky. Her passion is to introduce spiritual practices that can ground and nourish lives for justice in the world. Amy teaches theology, history of Christianity and spiritual formation, walking with students in learning.

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We’re thrilled to announce the relaunch of The Academy Podcast, a space for deep listening, spiritual insight, and meaningful conversation. Hosted by Shalom Agtarap, a Two-Year Academy alum, the podcast will feature thoughtful interviews with Academy faculty, program leaders, and special guests who embody the Academy’s values of spiritual depth, justice, and community. 

Each episode invites listeners to engage in conversations that stir the soul—exploring the intersections of spiritual formation, leadership, creativity, and transformation. Whether you’re an Academy alum or new to our community, this podcast offers an accessible way to stay rooted in the Academy rhythm. 

The Academy Podcast will follow a seasonal format, with regular episodes during the spring and fall, and intentional summer and winter breaks for rest and renewal. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

This month on The Academy Podcast, Shalom sits down with Juan Carlos Huertas for a rich and layered conversation about embodied spirituality, ancestral memory, and resistance rooted in joy. Drawing from his lived experience as a pastor, parent, Puerto Rican, and Academy faculty member, Juan Carlos reflects on how spiritual formation practices—prayer, rest, storytelling, silence, and community—can help us reclaim hope in the face of empire.

Together, Juan Carlos and Shalom explore what it means to walk the streets of a diverse neighborhood, listen to the wisdom of the body, and carry the legacy of ancestors who “were grinding for all of us.” This is a conversation about freedom, healing, and the sacred, liberating rhythm of life that The Academy invites us to live into—both in retreat and in the everyday.

Juan Carlos is a faculty member for Two-Year Academy #43, which begins in November 2025. During his time with #43, he will be guiding participants through the theme “Attentiveness of the Word,” exploring how we listen deeply to God, scripture, and the world around us.

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