Conversations with ordinary people who are helping to bring a bit of heaven Down to Earth. A podcast in Aotearoa (New Zealand) hosted by Andy Dickson - a husband, father, children's author, poet, priest, musician, and sports nut, with a passion for social justice.
117. Staci McLean - A Place Where I Belong: Neurodiversity and the Church
Staci Mclean comes on the podcast to discuss the way churches engage, or perhaps don't engage, with neurodivergent people and their families. Staci is an author who has written on a number of topics, but her latest book, "A Place where I belong: Neurodiversity and the church" is the subject of this episode. In her book, Staci explores how churches can better embrace neurodivergent people and their families. The goal isn't just to make it so people can attend church, but to create spaces where they can really connect and belong.
We talk about Staci's journey into this topic through her own parenting, how she stumbled across the same needs in others, and how she has gone on to help educate and work with churches to better live out their desire to love everyone.
Find Staci at stacimclean.co.nz (https://www.stacimclean.co.nz/), or find her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stacimcleanauthor) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/staci_mclean/).
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Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com (https://www.downtoearthconversations.com/) or at:
Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations (http://www.facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations)
Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations (https://www.instagram.com/downtoearth.conversations/)
Email: downtoearth.conversations@gmail.com (mailto:downtoearth.conversations@gmail.com)
4 Aug 2026
116. Kathy Baldock - Forging a Sacred Weapon
Kathy Baldock is a writer, speaker, and LGBTQ+ advocate. She is a core part of the film 1946: The Mistranslation that Shifted Culture (see episode 106 with the film's director, Sharon "Rocky" Roggio).
Kathy had a shift in her life in her fifties, leading to a shift in her faith and found a new vocation over the past twenty years. In this conversation we discuss some of that journey, and then dive into her new book, Forging a Sacred Weapon, which looks at how history conspired to lead to the inclusion of the word homosexual in the Bible for the first time in 1946, and the damage that has happened as a result.
Follow Kathy at @kathyvbaldock (https://www.instagram.com/kathyvbaldock/) on Instagram or check out her website canyonwalkerconnections.com (https://canyonwalkerconnections.com/)
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Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com (https://www.downtoearthconversations.com/) or at:
Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations (http://www.facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations)
Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations (https://www.instagram.com/downtoearth.conversations/)
Email: downtoearth.conversations@gmail.com (mailto:downtoearth.conversations@gmail.com)
Music by Strahan:
Spotify: Strahan (https://open.spotify.com/artist/4x0DaBFhtHy0ol0ia4UJaP?si=4A4zZoABRC6VMWHpp7tIfQ)
Facebook: facebook.com/StrahanMusic (https://www.facebook.com/StrahanMusic) or facebook.com/commonerscommunion (https://www.facebook.com/commonerscommunion)
Instagram: @strahanmusic (https://www.instagram.com/strahanmusic/) or @commoners_communion (https://www.instagram.com/commoners_communion/)
6 Mar 2026
2026 Update, and Something I'm Really Excited About
Andy shares an update on why the pod hasn't kicked off for the year yet, and shares about The Open Table - a new national gathering in June this year in Tamaki Makaurau (Auckland).
Check out theopentable.nz (https://theopentable.nz/) for details or to register.
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21 ratings
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