To the Heights

44: Spoken Word Poetry, Rejection, and Adventure | Clare McCallan

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0500

Spoken word artist Clare McCallan joins Olivia to discuss art, adventure, and taking the leap to pursue poetry full time.

Support To the Heights

43: Give the Church the Best Years of Your Life - "Live" from #SEEK21 with Fr. Cassidy Stinson

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0500

The To the Heights Podcast, a production of the Grexly Podcast Network, takes the mantra of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and interviews changemakers in the Church and the world who are working for social justice in their own communities. In this first episode of season 4, Fr. Cassidy and Olivia reunite for another year of podcasting in the Media Feed at SEEK21. They take questions from listeners on vocations, goat cheese, living in a church, and everything in between––and they’re joined by a special guest… St. Therese of Lisieux?

Support To the Heights

42: 2.3 Million Americans Without A News Correspondent | The Prison Journalism Project

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0500

Yukari Kane and Shaheen Pasha, co-founders of the Prison Journalism Project, join Olivia to talk about journalism justice and the project they created to extend that justice into prisons.

Links:
-https://prisonjournalismproject.org/
-grexly.com/totheheights
-patreon.com/grexly
-oliviaroseart.com
-refugecatholic.org (looking for new writers!)

Support To the Heights

41: Wholistic Feminism: The Female Body as Good | Leah Jacobson, The Guiding Star Project

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 12:30:00 -0500

Leah Jacobson, founder of The Guiding Star Project, joins Olivia and cohost Ava to talk about "wholistic feminism", female healthcare, and the overuse and misuse of birth control.

Hailing from central Minnesota, Leah has been working with young people and mothers since 2000. As a mother to seven children and an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, she has a special interest in supporting young women as they transition into becoming new mothers. Her passion for women’s health has led her to found The Guiding Star Project, a national non-profit organization with seven Guiding Star Centers in six states. Her work with Guiding Star is truly reframing the narrative about what it means to provide authentic women’s healthcare services in the United States. She hopes to someday see Guiding Star centers in every major US city, sharing a more wholistic and life- affirming message to all women about their beautiful natural feminine abilities.

Leah writes and speaks about her worldview called Wholistic Feminism at her website www.leahajacobson.com.

Links:
-https://guidingstarproject.com/
-https://guidingstarproject.com/webinars/?mc_cid=ae3e61a3ae&mc_eid=fb853a8660
-grexly.com/totheheights
-patreon.com/grexly
-oliviaroseart.com
-refugecatholic.org (looking for new writers!)

Transcript of this episode is available at https://totheheights.fireside.fm/41.

Email us at totheheightspodcast@gmail.com. Talk to you next week and keep on reaching #totheheights!

Support To the Heights

40: A Reflection on Racism, Faith, & Self-Awareness

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 11:45:00 -0400

Join Olivia this week for a school assignment-turned-podcast about self-awareness on racism and efforts in the faith to become anti-racist.

Links:
-Preaching from Sr. Thea's Kitchen: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/bcnews/faith-religion/jesuit-catholic/preaching-from-sister-thea-s-kitchen.html
-2020 Social Justice Convocation: https://www.bostoncatholic.org/health-and-social-services/social-justice-ministry
-Race biology podcast: https://www.sceneonradio.org/episode-32-how-race-was-made-seeing-white-part-2/
-Saint Dymphna's Playbook on Black mental health: https://www.grexly.com/stdymphnasplaybook/episode/23439685/58-a-healthy-relationship-with-social-media
-grexly.com/totheheights
-patreon.com/grexly

Email us at totheheightspodcast@gmail.com. Talk to you next week and keep on reaching #totheheights!

Support To the Heights

39: The Irony of Success: How the Solution to Chronic Veteran Homelessness in Boston Perpetuated the Problem

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Join Olivia for an investigative journalism story on Boston's chronically homeless veterans, and get to the bottom of whether or not the city has ended chronic veteran homelessness.

Links:
-Figure 1: https://bit.ly/359f1r3
-Figure 2: https://bit.ly/2IzEC4B
-grexly.com/totheheights
-patreon.com/grexly

Email us at totheheightspodcast@gmail.com. Talk to you next week and keep on reaching #totheheights!

Support To the Heights

38: Don't Be A Pretend Missionary | Sean Forrest of Haiti180

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 16:00:00 -0400

Sean Forrest, founder and director of Haiti180, joins Olivia to talk about what the journey of starting the orphanage was like, how dangerous our faith can be, and what it's like to wear so many hats.

Links:
-Become a Team180 member: www.haiti180.com
-Learn more about Sean: http://www.seanforrest.com/
-grexly.com/totheheights
-patreon.com/grexly

Email us at totheheightspodcast@gmail.com. Talk to you next week and keep on reaching #totheheights!

Support To the Heights

37: Walking to BC to End Homelessness... from Virginia | Gordon Wayne BC '23

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:00:00 -0400

Boston College Sophomore Gordon Wayne spent 14 months homeless before a combination of "luck and hard work" allowed him to transfer to Boston College. Rather than flying like the school offered for him to do, he decided to walk all 550 miles and raise money for the homeless along the way. Olivia and Gordon chat about the experience and where he plans to go from here.

Links:
-grexly.com/totheheights
-patreon.com/grexly
-Gordon's Instagram: instagram.com/gordoncwayne
-Gordon's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/wu2vh-a-cause-i-care-about-needs-help
-Helping, Serving, or Fixing by Rachel Naomi Remen: https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.cofc.edu/dist/2/474/files/2011/09/Helping-Fixing-or-Serving.pdf

Email us at totheheightspodcast@gmail.com. Talk to you next week and keep on reaching #totheheights!

Support To the Heights

36: Changing the World One Diaper at a Time: Friends of the Unborn | Joan Bailey

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Here's a look at a maternity home in Quincy, MA, called Friends of the Unborn. If you feel called to support the home and its wonderful moms and babies, the wish-list talked about in the episode can be found here: //gt.gifts/friendsoftheunborn.

Links:
-friendsoftheunborn.org
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

35: Hiking Banter / Being Grateful for the Climb | Olivia & Faith

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0400

This week Olivia & Faith bring you a chit-chat, banter-style podcast as they drive home from a hike in New Hampshire. Listen for some silly stories, topics from Twitter, things they've been loving, and other randomness.

Links:
-Critical Hours by Sandy Stott - https://www.upne.com/1512600407.html
-St. Francis of Assisi In His Own Words by Jon M. Sweeney - https://paracletepress.com/products/francis-of-assisi-in-his-own-words-second-edition
-Dietitian Anna #inaccessibleviews - https://www.instagram.com/dietitiananna/?hl=en
-Be sure to look up Health At Every Size (HAES) and a good person to follow and learn from is @theshirarose - https://www.instagram.com/theshirarose/?hl=en
-grexly.com
-oliviaroseart.com
-refugecatholic.org

Support To the Heights

34: Hug the Challenge: Childhood Cancer, Trusting Jesus, and Building Churches | Monica Lacouture

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 06:00:00 -0400

Monica Lacouture shares the story of her family and how their faith was strengthened through the inspiration of their daughter Christina, who passed from an aggressive form of cancer a few years ago. With Christina's help and now in her memory, they run the non-profit "Build the Faith," which builds churches in impoverished communities.

Links:
-buildthefaith.org
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

33: What We Wish the Church Knew about Mental Health | Tommy Tighe

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Tommy Tighe, host of St. Dymphna's Playbook on Grexly, comes back to To the Heights to discuss his journey to becoming a therapist, what he's learned from running SDP, and what we both hope the Church can do to better support and address mental health.

Links:
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

32: The Power of Your Voice & Story | Activist Abby Abrahamson

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 09:00:00 -0400

A beautiful friend from the Roots & Shoots National Youth Leadership Council swings by to talk about service projects, finding her voice, telling our stories, and her favorite books.

Links:
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

31: What Teen Activism is Really Like: the Good, the Bad, & the... Angry | Sarah Ryan

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 09:00:00 -0400

One of Olivia's closest friends swings by the show again (after her first appearance in the third-ever episode of TTH!) to chat about her experience as a youth and teen activist. You'll hear what Olivia and Sarah wished people knew about being activists and public figures so early in their lives––what they learned, what they're grateful for, what went wrong, what they got fired up about, and what they wish others would know.

Links:
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

30: Catholic Social Teaching, Slow Fashion, and Toxic Gear Culture | Annabelle Larnard

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 09:30:00 -0400

This week Olivia and her hiking buddy Annabelle break down the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching; something they believe all Catholics should know and live by. Listen in for a weekly challenge from Olivia as well as lots of practical tips for living more justly.

Links:
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

29: Say A Prayer & Jump | Ambassador Ken Hackett

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 08:45:00 -0400

Ambassador Ken Hackett has had a wild ride–– from BC, to the Peace Corps, to CEO of Catholic Relief Services, and then to US Ambassador to the Holy See. Hear Olivia explore what it's like to be a Catholic diplomat in this episode recorded in partnership with the Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College.

Links:
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

28: In the Rubble of the Earth | Carly Anderson, BC's 4Boston Campus Minister

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 07:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Season 3, Hope in Humanity! I am overjoyed to be taking a much-needed look at social justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and activism this season. First up, we have Carly Anderson–– Boston College Campus Minister in charge of 4Boston, a 700-student volunteer organization.

We get to hear from beautiful Carly all about her journey, the story of 4Boston, and so much more–– what good volunteering looks like, humility in how we serve, and how our hearts are uniquely called to service. It was such a wholesome and lovely conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Links:
-grexly.com (Patreon, episodes, and merch!)
-Oliviaroseart.com

Let us know what's on your hearts, @ToTheHeightsCTV. Talk to you next week, and keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

Season 3 Teaser: "Hope In Humanity"

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Hello, friends! Wondering what season 3 is going to be about? Olivia's here with a quick teaser about all that's in store for Season 3, "Hope In Humanity."
See you next week for the first episode! Until then, keep on reaching #totheheights.

Support To the Heights

26: How To Start Praise & Worship Adoration 101 | Worship Leading, Liturgy Logistics, & Music Selection Tips

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 09:00:00 -0400

This is the podcast that I wish I had when I wanted to start a praise & worship Holy Hour of Adoration at BC.

Faith Payson, Lizzy Roehm, Delia Delorie, Mickayla Hagar, and yours truly share our tips on organizing a holy hour, spreading the word, hosting with/without a priest, creating a set list, working sound systems, and more. This is a nuts & bolts discussion of what we learned through trial and error starting adoration at both a parish and a college.

It's a longer episode, but it's got all the information we can give–– and if you have questions let us know because we're all in this together!

Links:
-Grexly.com (where you can find this podcast and all CTV podcasts, as well as submit guest recommendations)
-Patreon.com/grexly (inside scoop: this month I put up some of my artwork as a phone wallpaper for patrons!)
-Olivia's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/oliviaroseart78

Support To the Heights

25: How To Not Lose Your Soul in Quarantine | Twitter Q&A with @TheHappyPriest

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 10:00:00 -0400

Your favorite dynamic #VanLife #goats duo is back, this time through Zoom.

Olivia and Fr. Cassidy catch up on what they've been up to since SLS, how quarantine is treating them, and the real struggles and joys of the Church right now. We talk over-saturation of Catholic media, goats, a priest missing his parishioners, creative ways to survive right now, and how 99% of us are just not built to be hermits. I don't wanna be a hermit, and you shouldn't feel bad that you don't wanna be one either. We'll explain.

Links:
-Grexly.com (where you can find this podcast and all Grexly podcasts, as well as submit guest recommendations)
-Patreon.com/grexly (inside scoop: this month I put up some of my artwork as a phone wallpaper for patrons!)
-Olivia's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/oliviaroseart78
-Fr. Cassidy's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZemBVFafU1CozOXwYwbRA

Support To the Heights

24: An Activist Within Us All | Founder of Life Dress, Angelique Clark

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Hope you are all staying healthy and sane! (Seriously, prayers during this rough time. It's rough on all of us. Be gentle with yourself and speak up if you need help. Know we're praying for all of you!)

We have an episode in store recorded pre-quarantine, so if you need to get your mind off of things, here's your chance. We chatted with Angelique Clark, the face behind Life Dress and a graphic designer for Students for Life of America.

Angelique is a super cool human being–– she is the president of her college's Rebels for Life group, she thrifts and hand-paints clothes with pro-life messages, and she even sued her high school for not allowing her to form a pro-life club... and spoiler alert, she won.

She's a perfect example of using your gifts and talents for good and for God and reaching #totheheights. Angelique, it was a joy to get to know you.

Links:
-Grexly.com (where you can find this podcast and all Grexly podcasts, as well as submit guest recommendations)
-Patreon.com/grexly (inside scoop: this month I put up some of my artwork as a phone wallpaper for patrons!)
-LifeDress.org (find all of Angelique's super cool pieces here)

Support To the Heights

23: "We Bought a Lotta Goats" | A Man of Many Jobs... BC Music Minister Meyer Chambers

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Oh this one's something!! Meyer Chambers is a campus minister and the liturgical music minister at Boston College, where our host Olivia is a member of his liturgical choir. The Liturgy Arts Group, made up of student singers and instrumentalists, is a tightknit and faith-filled community that provides music for all of BC's liturgies.

Meyer is one of those Catholic guys–– he knows seemingly everyone in the Archdiocese, has worked and volunteered and given his heart to so many organizations, and he radiates the light of Christ through his open office door, big smile, and iconic Meyer laugh. He's one of my favorite human beings, and I hope you can see why.

Of course goats come up, but so does ministering to college kids, the importance of music ministry, and one heck of a life story. We love you, Meyer.

Links:
-grexly.com
-patreon.com/grexly

Support To the Heights

22: Nuts & Bolts of Discipleship Week | Mike Drahos, Archdiocese of Boston

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:00:00 -0400

Many, many times before on this podcast Olivia has mentioned Discipleship Week, the Archdiocese of Boston teen leadership and evangelization retreat that started in the summer of 2016. Olivia was in the first "class" where she meet TTH guest Sarah Ryan and Grexly's Paper Cranes guest Kathleen McCarthy. Podcast friend Mickayla Hagar brings teens and helps run it, as does guest Fr. Sinisa. Other season 1 guests, including Max Loeb and Gavin Larnard have attended and grown from the ministry of this retreat.

Needless to say, Discipleship Week holds a special place in our hearts, and it has been wildly successful as it goes into its fourth year. Olivia sits down with Mike Drahos, one of the organizers of the retreat who is an Evangelizing Consultant for the Archdiocese of Boston.

Mike shares the story of Discipleship Week, concrete and practical tips that contributed to its success, as well as his story of straying from the faith and coming back to it through logic and wrestling in college.

What are your tips for a successful teen retreat? How do you help foster Catholic leadership among young people? Let us know what you took away from Olivia's conversation with Mike @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Links:
-patreon.com/grexly
-grexly.com
-disciplesinmissions.com/discipleshipweek

Support To the Heights

21: A Wonky Coiled Pot & Ripening Fruit | Sr. Christina Miriam, FSP

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0400

We're back from our mini-break with another Daughter of St. Paul–– aren't they just the coolest?! Today we have Sr. Christina Miriam on for a discussion about her vocation story, the importance of sharing our own stories, the line between authenticity and oversharing, self-worth in discerning, and her tips for discerning.

Additionally, we've got an opportunity for you! If you are a young woman who's 18-22 and who is thinking about religious life, the Daughters of St. Paul are hosting a Holy Week discernment retreat during the Triduum. You'll get to live in the motherhouse and hang with super cool #MediaNuns like Sr. Christina. More info can be found here: http://vocations.daughtersofstpaul.com/Events

This was such a beautiful, warm discussion–– I hope you enjoy and feel inspired to keep on reaching to the heights! It's a hard climb, but know that we're praying for ya! Reach out @ToTheHeightsCTV.

Links:
-patreon.com/grexly
-grexly.com

Support To the Heights

20: "We Won!" - Youth Ministry Tips from College Students | Faith Payson

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 10:15:00 -0500

Following last week's chat on sainthood and youth ministry with Mickayla Hagar, Olivia and her Boston College friend Faith Payson circle back to their high school experiences and roles in youth ministry to give practical advice about what worked and what didn't from the perspective of recent high school graduates–– what made a difference for them, what could have been better, and how youth ministry prepared them to keep their faith strong in college.

Faith is beautiful human being who is truly reaching to the heights in her daily life at Boston College. She's a pre-med bio major, she sings in the Liturgy Arts Group choir with Olivia, and she and Olivia lead praise & worship Adoration together every week. Last summer, Faith was a Life Teen summer missionary at Camp Hidden Lake in Georgia, and she shares with us all about that exciting experience.

Listen in to hear a fun conversation with one of Olivia's favorite people!!

Links:
-grexly.com
-patreon.com/grexly

Let's keep the conversation going! What were your takeaways? Tell us @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

19: A Half-Decent Tree: Thoughts on Sainthood | Mickayla Hagar

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0500

If you like chit-chat podcasts, this is the one for you! Youth minister Mickayla Hagar was our first ever TTH guest, and now she's back with us to talk about sainthood–– a topic that connects all of our guests and was on her heart while hiking the Camino since we last saw her.

Listen in as Olivia and Mickayla share their real and unfiltered thoughts on a burning desire for sainthood, authencity, and joy.

Links:
-grexly.com
-patreon.com/grexly

Let's keep the conversation going! What were you takeaways? Tell us @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

18: Our Church Needs Artists | John Folley

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Following up on our conversation about beauty last week, this week's episode has to do with our world and our Church's desperate need for beauty.

This week we have John Folley, a fine artist based out of his studio in Massachusetts. He studied philisophy and studio art at Notre Dame, then taught at The Heights School outside of D.C. He moved up to Massachuetts to study under a master artist.

Using art as sacrament and sharing the Gospel message through beauty is so important to me and deeply embedded in how I personally desire to reach to the heights–– so for all seekers of beauty, artists, and makers in any way, this episode is for you. We chat about his story, vocation, kids, favorite projects, art and the Church, and so much more.

Links:
-johnfolley.com
-grexly.com!
-patreon.com/grexly to support!

Thanks for listening, and talk to you next week! Keep on reaching to the heights!! Let us know who you want on the podcast next @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

17: Beauty is Not a Stop Sign | Nell O'Leary, Blessed Is She

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 09:00:00 -0500

We are so excited to share this beautiful guest with all of you this week: Nell O'Leary, the managing editor of Blessed Is She. Olivia met Nell at a young Catholic innovators event at Boston College's C21 Center (of which the president, Karen Kiefer, has been on the podcast before! Link below!).

Nell shares with us the story of Blessed Is She, an organiziation that so many of us know and love. We get to hear how she went from being a lawyer to the BIS editor, what it's like to organize intentional community for women, and to work with such amazing creatives. Olivia and Nell discuss sisterhood, why this world needs beauty, redirecting career paths based on obstacles, creativity, working on a team of creatives, being a mom, and so much more. Nell is a joy to converse with, and I hope you love this conversation just as much as I did.

Links:
-Karen Kiefer epsiode: https://www.grexly.com/to-the-heights/episode/33a427cb/11-faith-as-a-verb-or-karen-kiefer-bc-church-in-the-21st-century-center-director-grexly.com
-For more episode & to recommend a guest: https://www.grexly.com/to-the-heights
-To support Grexly: patreon.com/grexly
-Podcast merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/grexly/og-shop

Be sure to follow along @ToTheHeightsCTV for more! Thank you so much to Nell and all the lovely ladies at Blessed Is She–– you inspire us to reach to the heights!!

Support To the Heights

16: Behind the Scenes of The Saints Project | Kristyn Brown

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Today we're chatting with Kristyn Brown, the creator of The Saints Project. Through photography, she creates stunning modern portrayals of our beloved saints. Olivia and Kristyn dive right in to talk about the saint-photography process, from picking models and saints to post-production.

Get ready for a conversation of the technical details, joys, and challenges of these beautiful images that so many Catholics are influenced by. Be sure to check out thesaintproject.org or @kristynbrownphoto to see what we're talking about if you're not familiar!

Thank you for listening, and let us know how Kristyn's story inspires you to reach #totheheights. Follow along on @ToTheHeightsCTV! Talk you next week!

Support To the Heights

15: In A Saint-Striving Manner | College Seminarian Jeffrey Lindholm

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Welcome back, To the Heights fam! First of all, thank you so much to everyone at #SLS20 who came to our live recording, and a big thank you to FOCUS for the amazing conference and the amazing opportunity to record there.

This week, following #SLS20 and the launch of Grexly (CatholicTV’s new podcasting division!), we are back in the studio with a wonderful, sincere, and uplifting guest: Jeffrey Lindholm.

Jeff and I crossed paths at BC, as he started off his college journey there as a pre-med biology major. He discerned at the end of his sophomore year to leave and go home to Cleveland and join Borremeo Seminary. He’s graduating this spring with a philosophy degree from the neighboring John Carroll University.

Jeff and I chatted about life at seminary vs. college, his path, finding time for prayer in a busy world, his experience as a Life Teen summer missionary, and lots of other fun things. We also took the time to answer questions that listeners posed in response to “if you could ask a seminarian anything, what would you ask?”

Links:
-For more of this podcast and others: grexly.com
-If you feel called to support this new endeavor of Grexly: patreon.com/grexly

What did you take away from Jeff’s story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV! And, if you know of someone who you’d like to hear on the podcast, shoot us an email at totheheightspodcast@gmail.com–– we’d love to hear from you.

Support To the Heights

14: Live from #SLS20! - "A Loud Catholic Media Enthusiast" | @TheHappyPriest, Fr. Cassidy Stinson

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 09:00:00 -0500

It's here!!! Olivia had the amazing opportunity to record an episode live at this year's FOCUS conference in Phoenix, #SLS20. Fr. Cassidy Stinson (@TheHappyPriest) and Olivia sat down to chat in the Media Feed–– a turquoise Volkswagen van hollowed out into a podcast studio. They asked on social media for your questions about consuming media as a Catholic and how to evangelize using media.

This epsiode is sure to be a favorite. Tune in for lots of Pauline love, #goats, thoughts on using social media as Catholics, how to pick a patron, what the deal is with gluten-free Catholics, Catholic Twitter shoutouts, talk of St. Therese, and so much more. Enjoy the first To the Heights episode recorded with a live audience!

Support To the Heights

13: What's Grexly? & Being a Young Adult Catholic in a Secular World | CatholicTV's Kelsey Cronin

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 05:00:00 -0500

Welcome back & happy New Year, To the Heights friends! Season 2 is here, and we're kicking it off with CatholicTV's own Director of Social Media and Marketing, Kelsey Cronin. Without her this podcast would not be a podcast–– and neither would any of CatholicTV's new podcasts on our new podcast platform, which launched today: Grexly. Go check out grexly.com for more of this podcast and seven others, including our podcast friend Tommy Tighe's St. Dympha's Playbook on Catholicism and mental health. Kelsey and Olivia chat about the idea behind the name Grexly, why it started, and the details of each of the 8 podcasts.

In this episode, Olivia asks Kelsey questions from young Catholic women on the transition from college to the adult working world as a young adult Catholic. They touch upon how working a 9-to-5 can change your faith life, the gift of working somewhere with daily Mass, how a BU Catholic Center sticker changed things for her in college, and how to juggle being faihtful in a secular world.

No vague answers in this episode! We're answering the big questions on being a young adult Catholic in the 21st century.

Links:
-https://www.grexly.com/ (Our brand new podcast division of CatholicTV!)
-https://www.patreon.com/grexly
-http://www.brothercharles.org/wordpress/prayer-of-abandonment/ (prayer of abandonment)

What did you take away from this episode with Kelsey's story of reaching to the heights? Let us know at @ToTheHeightsCTV!

P.S. If you're at #SLS20, come listen to us record live at the Media Feed Booth tomorrow, Jan 2, at 5:30PM! And if not, tune into that episode next Monday morning. Keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

12: Liturgy, Almond Butter, & Saints | #AskOliviaTTH

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 09:00:00 -0500

Welcome back, To the Heights friends! We have another in-between season special epsiode–– and this time, it's #AskOliviaTTH! Listeners sent in questions via emails, DMs, Twitter, and Instagram throughout Season 1 and in response to a social media ask, and Olivia and our lovely Director of Marketing & Social Media, Kelsey, sat down to answer the questions.

Listen in to hear Olivia's thoughts on almond butter, liturgy, how the podcast has impacted her faith life, her favorite things to do in Adoration, what she would want to be the patron saint of, and lots of silly stories from Olivia's life!

Links:
-Olivia's published paper on the urban heat island effect: https://pioneeracademics.com/journals/ (I'm in the 2017 volume, page 101!)

-CTV blink episode on using talents: https://youtu.be/TZeLEiF46BI

-A Rite of Passage, a story of baptism in the early Church: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JeY8JB24IKdPmGRJkIDkEBaWjBf0kdrr/view?usp=sharing

-https://www.rootsandshoots.org/projects-landing/

Have any other questions? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV! See you Jan. 1 with Season 2, and if you're at #SLS20, we'll see you at our recording at 5:30pm on Jan 2!

Support To the Heights

11: Faith as a Verb | Karen Kiefer, BC Church in the 21st Century Center Director

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:00:00 -0500

In this in-between season special, we sit down to talk with Karen Kiefer, director of Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center. Olivia and Karen chat about her role in the C21 Center, how she made it back to working at BC after graduating, her faith journey, and what she’s working on now, bringing faith to a college campus and beyond.

Lots of exciting announcements in this episode, so here they all are!

Karen Kiefer’s new children’s book, Drawing God, has inspired the movement of World Drawing God Day. That day is this Thursday, November 7th! We encourage you all to draw what you think God looks like, and then hashtag it with #drawinggod, or #bcdrawinggod. If you tag @totheheightsctv, we’ll share it!
We are so honored to be recording an episode of this podcast at #SLS20, this year’s FOCUS conference. Listen in the episode for more details or visit sls20.org, but let us know if you’re coming!
Season 2 begins at the start of the new year, but before then, you’re going to see the first #AskOliviaTTH episode!! Tweet, DM, comment, or email your questions about life, Olivia, studying theology, podcasting, or whatever you want to know about your host. Be sure to hashtag it would #AskOliviaTTH and tag us @totheheightsctv, or email your questions to totheheightspodcast@gmail.com.

That’s all we have for now, but we hope you enjoy this super special and heartfelt episode with Karen Kiefer. Talk to you soon!

What did you take away from listening to Karen’s story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

10: Be the Yeast in the Dough | Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0400

It’s the last episode of season 1, and we certainly have a special guest in store! So far this season we’ve heard from youth ministers, priests, pro-life speakers, youth activists–– and in this episode we have another beautiful religious sister to share with you. Meet Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart.

Often called the “Mother Teresa of Boston,” our guest today is a beloved and well-known face in the Boston Catholic community. She is the Mother Servant of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, an eight-year-old order in Quincy, MA which Mother Olga founded with Cardinal Seán O’Malley.

Mother Olga was raised in Iraq in the Assyrian Church of the East, and became a religious sister after seeing the devastation in her home country. She tended to the abandoned, orphaned, and dying. Eventually she came to the United States, became a Roman Catholic sister, was a beloved campus minister at Boston University, and now leads her sisters in caring for the poor and vulnerable of Boston.

She is a light to this world through her “yes” to the Lord, and I couldn't stop smiling our whole conversation–– if you want a smile and if you want some advice about how to evangelize in the real world, this is it. Evangelize with that smile.

Let us know what you took away from this conversation @TotheHeightsCTV! Thank you, Mother Olga!

Support To the Heights

Episode 9: Donkey Ridin’ | Fr. Sinisa & Fr. Matthew

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 09:00:00 -0400

Meet Fr. Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Fr. Matthew Conley. Hobbies include bringing teens to Christ and riding donkeys.

In this ninth episode of season 1 of the To the Heigths podcast, we are so excited to introduce you to this dyanmic duo. Throughout season 1, listeners may have noted that these two priestly friends have been mentioned several times: Mickayla is Fr. Sinisa’s youth minister, Sarah Ryan has been on retreat with them, and Gavin & Max are some of their core youth ministry leaders.

Olivia sits down with them in a humorous and encouraging dialogue to chat about their real vocation stories, how their youth minsitry programs got where they are now, and the real deal on becoming saints.

Let us know what you took away from this conversation @TotheHeightsCTV! Thank you, Fr. Sinisa & Fr. Matthew!

Support To the Heights

Episode 8: Just Being A Priest | Fr. Damian Ference

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 09:00:00 -0400

We’re eight episodes into the first ever season of To the Heights! In this eighth episode, we talk to our furthest away guest--- 4,094.215 miles away in Rome to be exact.

Fr. Damian Ference is a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, studying for his doctorate in philosophy in Rome. He recently published his first book, “The Strangeness of Truth: Vibrant Faith in a Dark World” with Pauline Books & Media earlier this year. He writes for Bishop Barron’s Word On Fire, runs a summer academy for teens, teaches, and is an avid lover of Flannery O’Connor and Bruce Springsteen.

Fr. Damian and Olivia chat over the phone about his vocation, priestly anniversaries, why we study philosophy, AP Catholicism, suffering, prayer, and the inner workings of Catholic academia.

Let us know what you learned @ToTheHeightsCTV! Thank you, Fr. Damian, and thank you for tuning in!

Support To the Heights

Episode 7: Tuesdays at The Torch | Boston College Catholic Newspaper Staff

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 15 Jul 2019 12:00:00 -0400

Every Tuesday, our host Olivia spends her evenings––and sometimes into the late night and early morning–– with this special crew.

Ever wonder what the process of publishing a newspaper is like? In this seventh episode, we hear from members of Boston College’s Catholic newspaper, The Torch, staff including Editor-in-Chief Adriana Watkins,World News Editor Patrick Stallwood, former Editor-in-Chief Gjergi Evangelli, and our host and Campus News Editor Olivia Colombo.

Tune in to hear how the paper goes from ideas to print, our favorite articles, tips for staying Catholic on campus, our vision for the purpose of a Catholic newspaper…. and who the bishop of the Moon is?

Let us know what you think @TotheHeightsCTV! What did you take away from listening to the inner-working of a Catholic newspaper staff? And be sure to check out The Torch and stay up to date with their newsletter: thetorchbc.com.

Support To the Heights

Episode 6: The Catholic Twitter Parish | Tommy Tighe & Steve the Missionary

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 08:00:00 -0400

This sixth episode is bound to be a favorite! This week we get to sit down with Tommy Tighe & Steve the Missionary, #CatholicTwitter friends and co-hosts of CatholicTV’s hit show Repent & Submit. Tommy (@theghissilent) is a dad and a marriage and family therapist, and Steve (@stevemissionary) is a Youtuber/new evangelization Jedi— and they stopped by the To the Heights studio while they were in town recording their second season of Repent & Submit.

Tune in to hear how they survived college as Catholics, the inside scoop on having a CatholicTV show, and so much more.

Let us know what you think of this super fun episode on @TotheHeightsCTV social media! Thank you, Tommy and Steve!

Support To the Heights

Episode 5: McDonald’s French Fries & the #MediaNuns | Sr. Bethany Davis, FSP

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 09:00:00 -0400

In this fifth episode, and one of Olivia’s all-time favorites episodes, we get to hear from *the* Sr. Bethany of the Daughters of St. Paul. Sr. Bethany, a young media nun living in Alexandria, Virgina, discusses her vocation story, what formation in the Daughters of St. Paul looks like, Catholic Twitter, and her daily life, joys, and struggles of being a sister.

Tune in for such a sweet conversation about having joyful love of God, as well as discussion on goats, Christmas concerts, and McDonald’s French fries. Oh, and! Olivia reveals how Sr. Bethany was one of the reasons the To the Heights podcast was started.

Let us know what you thought of this super special episode @ToTheHeightsCTV! Thank you, Sr. Bethany!

Support To the Heights

Episode 4: From the Sports Field to Haiti | Max Loeb & Gavin Lanard

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 09:00:00 -0400

In this fourth episode, Olivia sits down to catch up with Boston College High School students and friends, Gavin Larnard and Max Loeb.

Gavin and Max, a rising senior and now rising college freshman, discuss their experiences in youth ministry, a program they started at BC High for teens to be exposed to the faith, their travels to Haiti, and how they evangelize on the soccer field, basketball court, and in their everyday high school lives.

Listen in for humor, inspiration, and a new take on living the faith as a teenager from these two young men who are striving for sainthood in their daily lives through radical service, love for all they encounter, and fire for Christ.

What did you take away from listening to Max and Gavin’s story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

Episode 3: No Prayer, No Activism | Teen Activist Sarah Ryan

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 09:00:00 -0400

After previously chatting with a youth minister and then the president of Students for Life of America, in this episode we sit down with 18-year-old Sarah Ryan to hear the authentic perspective of a Catholic teen.

Sarah is a teen activist, passionately involved in youth tobacco prevention, and she is a faithful, youthful Catholic–– and one of Olivia’s closest Catholic “sisters in Christ.” In this episode, we chat about how her prayer supports her activism, how she prays, her high school journey (spoiler alert: she’s joining me at BC next year!), and what the life of a youth activist actually looks like.

What did you take away from listening to Sarah Ryan’s story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

Episode 2: It’s a Mission, Not a Job | SFLA President Kristan Hawkins

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 09:00:00 -0400

Note: The To The Heights Podcast no longer stands in agreement with the actions of Students for Life of America. Particularly since the airing of this episode, SFLA has made statements and posts in conflict with the message that pro-life means to compassionately protect life from womb to tomb. We protect the life of the marginalized, the imprisoned, immigrants, and minorities. We stand firmly against the death penalty. We try our hardest to learn with love and see the complexity of all issues. We approach these topics humbly and strive to love in a way that we wish others in the modern pro-life movement would also. For more on this, listen to the end of Episode 27 to hear Olivia address it. This episode will remain available with this disclaimer.

In this episode, we had the amazing opportunity to chat with Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life of America. Kristan travels the country, leading college students and young people in being the “pro-life generation.” She had planned on being a NASA aeronautical engineer, and then after working at a pregnancy clinic and hearing about the effects of abortion on women, she knew that she had to speak up. As a Catholic convert, Kristan shares with us how her faith ties into her work, her advice for creating a place for everyone in the pro-life mission, and her daily life now as a mom and president of SFLA.

Even if you’re not sold on the pro-life movement, this episode provides a new perspective on how young people are approaching abortion as a women's rights and humans rights issue. According to recent polls, the vast majority of millennials (around 93%) oppose unrestricted abortion, so listen in to hear from someone who is leading these young people in voicing a new stance on this important issue.

Notes:

Students for Life of America - https://studentsforlife.org/

Kristan’s talk at Boston College - https://youtu.be/Ymq0y6Bw9_w

What did you take away from listening to Kristan Hawkins’ story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

Episode 1: Saints, Otters, & Everything In-Between | Youth Minister Mickayla Hagar

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 08:00:00 -0400

In this first episode we chat with Mickayla Hagar, a young, super cool high school youth minister in Hingham, MA. She’s a graduate of Franciscan University, she’s currently hiking the Camino de Santiago, and she really loves otters.

Here’s a glimpse of Mickayla’s faith journey, her life as a youth minister (and what it’s like to take students to Haiti), and her advice for young adult Catholics (and everyone!)

Notes:

Haiti180 - https://haiti180.com/

What Is Seaside Life Teen? Video - https://youtu.be/pWo-Mubkx8E

What Is A Life Night? Video - https://youtu.be/pWo-Mubkx8E

Olivia blink video: How to Read Scripture For Teens - https://youtu.be/xvd7RN9ge0o

What did you take away from listening to Mickayla’s story of reaching to the heights? Let us know @ToTheHeightsCTV!

Support To the Heights

Welcome to the To the Heights Podcast!

team@grexly.com (Grexly) — Fri, 24 May 2019 14:00:00 -0400

Welcome to the podcast! We’re so excited to start sharing stories of young Catholics who are reaching to the heights in their own lives.

Here’s a quick teaser to meet our host, Olivia Colombo, learn about the name of the podcast, and hear some of the highlights from the first season. Stay tuned for the first episode on Monday, June 3 by following @totheheightsctv on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram–– and until then, keep on reaching to the heights!

Support To the Heights

To the Heights

44: Spoken Word Poetry, Rejection, and Adventure | Clare McCallan

43: Give the Church the Best Years of Your Life - "Live" from #SEEK21 with Fr. Cassidy Stinson

42: 2.3 Million Americans Without A News Correspondent | The Prison Journalism Project

41: Wholistic Feminism: The Female Body as Good | Leah Jacobson, The Guiding Star Project

40: A Reflection on Racism, Faith, & Self-Awareness

39: The Irony of Success: How the Solution to Chronic Veteran Homelessness in Boston Perpetuated the Problem

38: Don't Be A Pretend Missionary | Sean Forrest of Haiti180

37: Walking to BC to End Homelessness... from Virginia | Gordon Wayne BC '23

36: Changing the World One Diaper at a Time: Friends of the Unborn | Joan Bailey

35: Hiking Banter / Being Grateful for the Climb | Olivia & Faith

34: Hug the Challenge: Childhood Cancer, Trusting Jesus, and Building Churches | Monica Lacouture

33: What We Wish the Church Knew about Mental Health | Tommy Tighe

32: The Power of Your Voice & Story | Activist Abby Abrahamson

31: What Teen Activism is *Really* Like: the Good, the Bad, & the... Angry | Sarah Ryan

30: Catholic Social Teaching, Slow Fashion, and Toxic Gear Culture | Annabelle Larnard

29: Say A Prayer & Jump | Ambassador Ken Hackett

28: In the Rubble of the Earth | Carly Anderson, BC's 4Boston Campus Minister

Season 3 Teaser: "Hope In Humanity"

26: How To Start Praise & Worship Adoration 101 | Worship Leading, Liturgy Logistics, & Music Selection Tips

25: How To Not Lose Your Soul in Quarantine | Twitter Q&A with @TheHappyPriest

24: An Activist Within Us All | Founder of Life Dress, Angelique Clark

23: "We Bought a Lotta Goats" | A Man of Many Jobs... BC Music Minister Meyer Chambers

22: Nuts & Bolts of Discipleship Week | Mike Drahos, Archdiocese of Boston

21: A Wonky Coiled Pot & Ripening Fruit | Sr. Christina Miriam, FSP

20: "We Won!" - Youth Ministry Tips from College Students | Faith Payson

19: A Half-Decent Tree: Thoughts on Sainthood | Mickayla Hagar

18: Our Church Needs Artists | John Folley

17: Beauty is Not a Stop Sign | Nell O'Leary, Blessed Is She

16: Behind the Scenes of The Saints Project | Kristyn Brown

15: In A Saint-Striving Manner | College Seminarian Jeffrey Lindholm

14: Live from #SLS20! - "A Loud Catholic Media Enthusiast" | @TheHappyPriest, Fr. Cassidy Stinson

13: What's Grexly? & Being a Young Adult Catholic in a Secular World | CatholicTV's Kelsey Cronin

12: Liturgy, Almond Butter, & Saints | #AskOliviaTTH

11: Faith as a Verb | Karen Kiefer, BC Church in the 21st Century Center Director

10: Be the Yeast in the Dough | Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart

Episode 9: Donkey Ridin’ | Fr. Sinisa & Fr. Matthew

Episode 8: Just Being A Priest | Fr. Damian Ference

Episode 7: Tuesdays at The Torch | Boston College Catholic Newspaper Staff

Episode 6: The Catholic Twitter Parish | Tommy Tighe & Steve the Missionary

Episode 5: McDonald’s French Fries & the #MediaNuns | Sr. Bethany Davis, FSP

Episode 4: From the Sports Field to Haiti | Max Loeb & Gavin Lanard

Episode 3: No Prayer, No Activism | Teen Activist Sarah Ryan

Episode 2: It’s a Mission, Not a Job | SFLA President Kristan Hawkins

Episode 1: Saints, Otters, & Everything In-Between | Youth Minister Mickayla Hagar

Welcome to the To the Heights Podcast!

31: What Teen Activism is Really Like: the Good, the Bad, & the... Angry | Sarah Ryan