Culture of Kinship
The staff of Kinwell Academy, a last-chance high school in Marion, IN, quickly learned about the need for kinship with their students and each other to experience true growth and wholeness in God. The students, who come from an eclectic mix of urban and rural backgrounds, teach them more about life than they could ever learn in a textbook or classroom. Roger, Amanda, Tyler, and guests hang out to share these unique experiences and their growth along the way.100% of donations go directly towards student experiences.
Episodes
21 episodes
#21 Don't Repeat After Me
The staff have a conversation that they need to go back to regularly - how much do I really believe the gospel? Many students have familiarity with the gospel but may not have a true grasp of the goodness of it. How do you relate to and share t...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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23:54
#20 The Spirit Of Adventure
The staff dive into one of the pivotal mindsets that has shifted culture at Kinwell: embracing the spirit of adventure instead of safety. When the school has embraced keeping things the same because of normalcy and consistency, students get stu...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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34:50
#19 "Yeah, you can mentor him...he might rob you!"
The conversation of volunteering and mentoring has been a frequent one with the Kinwell staff, and this episode we discuss the challenges of mentors connecting with our students. How do you connect with someone who doesn't want to change? What ...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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25:52
#18 There's the Shooter!!
Javan Buchanan, at the time a sophomore on the Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball team, joins the podcast to discuss his coming into a pre-established culture of pursuing excellence, above all, Christ. He shares about what makes a great team and...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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35:39
#17 Volunteer, Meet Reality
Kristy Burk joins the show to discuss her time thus far volunteering at Kinwell for her undergraduate practicum. We talk about her resilience in the pursuit of relationships and how it's easy to fall into the trap of just wanting students to li...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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25:29
#16 Mama Tyanna
The last episode of season 2 has one of our awesome students, Tyanna joining the podcast. Last summer she found out she had a baby on the way, so we hear her process of being behind academically and how things have changed for her. Then the sta...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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31:42
#15 Discipline: Doing it all wrong
The staff discuss the challenges of discipline at Kinwell and in relationships in general. It seems whenever we try to follow a clear cut line of discipline, things go poorly relationally, but when we adjust to each individual student and try t...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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34:47
#14 - Does it help or does it hurt?
The staff settle their differences about when to go the extra mile to help students versus when to have higher expectations for their responsibility. At its core, we realize our selfishness tends to determine either way we go.*We mi...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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27:54
#13 - "You don't have to be funny, you just have to be fun"
Our good friend and former co-worker, Will, joins the show to chat how good culture is built. We discuss the importance of fun, being with people, and why you always need a selection of wigs.To connect with Will, you can go to his websi...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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31:26
#12 "Hey, you do it!" Casting vision for your culture
The staff discuss the challenges they've faced with building a culture that runs counter-culture to what students have been used to.
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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30:31
#11 You're disappointing me, what's wrong with you?
The staff recap their time with Dr. Keith Puffer (from the previous episode) and how we've processed our own compassion fatigue.
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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42:02
#10 "What world do you live in?" - Dr. Keith Puffer
Dr. Keith Puffer joins us to discuss what he's observed in our students and in the staff over his last few years of researching their lives and seeing us in relationship with them. He challenges us in our walk with God and how we relate to othe...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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45:15
#9 Joe Biddle - Police Officer
Joe Biddle joins the podcast to chat about his experiences of being a police officer, an army chaplain, and getting his M.Div. and how he has found himself doing his best to be hope to people who might never experience it themselves.
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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50:58
#8 Greg Tonagel - Basketball Coach
Greg Tonagel, head basketball coach of Indiana Wesleyan men's basketball, sits down with us to share his insight into building the "I Am Third" culture that has led to national championships and boys turning into men. His insight into shifting ...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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39:48
#7 Aaliyah and the Impact of the Pandemic
Today's episode is the last of Season 1, and we have current student, Aaliyah, on the podcast to talk about her struggles with academics, specifically related to the Covid-19 pandemic.Aaliyah was one of many students who were severely i...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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21:39
#6 The Start of Kinwell
The staff discuss how Kinwell started, the origin of our name, and how all of us found ourselves in our jobs despite not having it on our radars. It includes lots of God intervening in our lives and changing us and how we view other people....
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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51:39
#5 KITE Trips - Will Severns
Today's episode features our guest, good friend, and former co-worker Will Severns. Will worked with us for a few years and continues to have an impact on current and former students. We talk about how creating awesome experiences helps build a...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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37:39
#4 Control
The Kinwell staff discuss their struggles with control and how Jesus guides us to see things from a different perspective.
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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30:48
#3 Jaden Barber - Kinwell Graduate
Jaden Barber joins our podcast shortly before our graduation ceremony. She shares with us about the extreme adversity she had growing up, and how despite life taking a turn that she wasn't planning on, she overcame those obstacles and is better...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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56:49
#2 Erin Luthy - Volleyball Coach
Erin Luthy, head volleyball coach at Taylor University joins us to talk about her personal transformation in coaching and how that's led to improved results on the volleyball court. From being severely underqualified as a coach to now bringing ...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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59:53
#1 Michael Contreras - Student at Kinwell
Today's guest, Michael Contreras, is a current Kinwell student with an incredible story of fighting through adversity and buying into the culture at Kinwell. Mike comes from a very different background than most, so we get to hear about his uni...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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41:08