This season launched in January 2023 and is wrapping up in 2024, something that our hosts did not anticipate. In this finale, Alethea and Matthew reflect on what it took to get this season launched and highlight each of the episodes and what they appreciated about them. They express their joy and gratitude in what was accomplished in the midst of m…

We have our first returning guest, Danielle Coke Balfour, back to discuss her first book, “A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbors Well”, which was released in October 2023. We talk with Danielle about what sparked her desire to write (and illustrate!) the book, and how she landed on her “ten pillars of a life of good work”. We al…

This episode is a continuation from the previous episode where we discussed the lead up to, and the closing of, all Lenses offerings in the U.S. in July 2021. In this episode, Alethea and Matthew share more about their experiences in the organization outside of what happened with Lenses, and they’ll explore the impact of these events and practices …

On July 29, 2021, The Lenses Executive Team released a statement which announced that all Lenses offerings in the U.S. would be shut down effective immediately. From that day until now, there have been various things said about why Lenses closed, and much of what has been said is not remotely true. As the three year mark is coming up this summer, A…

This is part two of a two part episode where we discuss the state of our country as of April 2023. We acknowledge that we barely scratched the surface in our last episode due to the sheer amount of obscene things in the news each week and the lack of hours in a single day to process it all. Today's episode will focus more on practical ideas of how …

This is part one of a two part episode where we discuss the state of our country as of April 2023. We will cover some of the various atrocities that have taken place during the last two years, some of the ignorant policies being implemented and some of the connections we have made to other historical events. From book bans and attacks on the LGBTQ+…

This episode is an invitation into the life, person and work of a woman of color in the creative sphere. Our guest and friend, Danielle Coke, walks us through how she rests, dreams, creates and perseveres as she’s doing justice work. Danielle Coke is a designer turned illustrator, advocate, speaker, and entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Oh Happy D…

In the last episode, special guest Sandhya Oaks talked about reclamation identity, resilience, and addressed why so many people are wrestling with the question “who am I?” This episode is a continuation where Matthew and Alethea let us see their journeys in reclamation identity and how that led to refinding their voices. They share how a crucial pa…

This episode is a powerful invitation towards reclaiming our identity and what it means to be resilient. Our guest and friend, Sandhya Oaks, walks us through some of the ways that she (and we) can return to the core of who we are by slowly taking back our God given identities through the hard but beautiful and necessary journey of story work. Sandh…

While there are many acronyms being thrown around these days, here’s one of great value to our communities—DEIB—which stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. The common thread in each is that something needed to be done institutionally where these things lacked. You may have heard talk about these terms in smaller combined fragments …

As promised, Alethea and Matthew wanted to dive more deeply into the reasons behind their unexpected hiatus—not because they owe it to their audience, but because we’re family here and they desire to share the entirety of their lives with you. Their hope is to bring you into their life’s story over the last 1.5 years in a vulnerable way while ackno…

After a year and a half hiatus, Alethea and Matthew are back behind the mics and more ready than ever for Season 2. In this episode, they talk about the myriad of feelings they have with the new season finally launching along with their hopes and dreams for what this season will be. While briefly acknowledging the unexpected break, they will dive m…

This season finale is a sweet celebration between our hosts as they reflect on what this experience has meant to them thus far. It has served as a steady lifeline for us all in the midst of the challenging last year. It has also been a warm welcome to the journey that they are on individually and collectively as they show up week after week bringin…

This episode is a thought-provoking discussion about the many and varied topics we’ve covered in Season 1 from the state of our country to the multifaceted suffering we endure and everything in between. Our guests share about the ways that they were met, challenged, and spurred on towards hope and healing in their pursuit of justice. We are being j…

(Live Episode) In the Valley Series This episode is focusing on persevering and enduring in the valley. We recognize that suffering and affliction come with this life so we wrestle with this idea in light of that reality. How we work through the suffering is what helps us to come out on the other side and even find an anchor in the midst. Join us a…

In the Valley Series Our conversation on Joy & Rest will be heavily influenced by Cole Arthur Riley’s unique prayer expression, “Black Liturgies”, that speaks to blackness, black emotion, black thought, black belonging and liberation. She gives great thought and encouragement for how we can lean into joy and rest in the midst of all the trauma as w…

In the Valley Series Our conversation on Lament & Justice will be primarily based on Dr. Soong-Chan Rah’s book Prophetic Lament. Lament, as Dr. Rah writes, is when we have to acknowledge that the world is not as it should be and that leads to various forms of suffering. Lament is profoundly lacking in the church and this has contributed to the ways…

In the Valley Series We are launching our second series of the season and it’s called “In the Valley”. We both are people of faith and believe in God and we aim to pursue and reflect God to others. Psalm 23 says that though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me. We know that every person will be in the dark valley at som…

This episode serves as a great follow up to our last conversation about empathy, containment, and validation. The reality is that with so much happening in our world we are still hurting in many ways and are in need of healing. These two things, community and self-care, have come up a lot in conversations with friends who are in the pursuit of just…

In this episode we will dive into the power of Empathy, Containment, and Validation and some of the science behind it. While lighter than previous episodes, it is still an important conversation as it affects our daily lives and relationships therein. We hope that this gives you helpful language for your experiences and courage to process in the tr…

Liberating Women Series The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic and modern day oppression of women. We hope this series first and foremost will bring healing and freedom to all women who listen, especi…

***TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. Liberating Women Series The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic and modern day oppression of women. We hope this ser…

Episode 8: Liberating Women: From Oppressive History ***TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GENDER BASED VIOLENCE. Liberating Women Series The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic…

Liberating Women Series: The Roll Down’s first series is focused on the liberation of Women. The path for women to experience liberation is complex and layered as there are many facets contributing to the historic and modern day oppression of women. We hope this series first and foremost will bring healing and freedom to all women who listen, espec…

We introduce Emma Tautolo, one of our close friends and a regular guest on the podcast. This episode focuses on what it looks like to deconstruct and reconstruct our faith, and the various emotions that could arise in the process. Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez Guest: Emma Tautolo Producer: Caleb Dea Social Media & Marketing: Jazzlyn D…

In this episode we discuss the current rise in violence towards the Asian community as well as highlight how this violence and anti-Asian racism is nothing new. We also talk about what it looks like to have conversations about anti-Asianness in Black and Brown communities. A special thanks to several of our Asian American friends who spoke into thi…

This is part two, continuing the conversation from our previous episode discussing the state of our country. This episode is focused on the 2020 election season, the transition of power, the attempted coup, and the inauguration. Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez Producer: Caleb Dea Designer: Cameron Stingley Follow us on IG: @therolldownp…

This is part one of a two part episode where we discuss the state of our country, specifically talking about Covid and the racial unrest we witnessed and experienced in 2020 on a national and a personal level. Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez Producer: Caleb Dea Designer: Cameron Stingley The Roll Down podcast is part of the Chasing Just…

In this episode we will dive a bit deeper into biblical justice. We will acknowledge some of the negative connotations that come with the word ‘biblical’ and look at how we see justice in both the Old and New Testament. Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez Producer: Caleb Dea Follow Us! www.instagram.com/therolldownpodcast The Roll Down is p…

This episode lays the foundation for listeners of what The Roll Down is all about. We share about how The Roll Down started, the vision of the podcast based in Amos 5, and the hope we have for our listeners. Host: Alethea Lamberson & Matthew Melendrez Producer: Caleb Dea The Roll Down is part of the Chasing Justice Podcast Network. To find out more…

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