Poema Podcast
Exploring The Intersections Between Creativity & Spirituality - Hosted by James Prescott
The Poema Podcast (formerly James Talks) is a twice-weekly podcast hosted by James Prescott.
Poema is a word from scripture, which talks about our lives being works of art, God’s masterpieces. It’s a word which sums up the intersections between spirituality, creativity, and identity, and those are the big themes of this podcast.
The podcast combines interviews with major authors and thinkers like Rob Bell, Glennon Doyle Melton, Vicky Beeching, Peter Rollins, Austin Channing Brown & Sarah Bessey, as well as neuroscientists, philosophers, and social scientists, alongside personal reflective episodes each week.
The podcast began life as James Talks, and changed it’s name to Poema Podcast in 2017. We’re now at over 120 episodes & 26,000 downloads. It’s always so much fun to do and so inspiring to hear from so many great people.
Come and join us!

Poema S2 09 | Claire Musters on Taking Off Our Masks
Poema S2 08 | Kaitlin Curtice on Glory Happening
Poema S2 07 | Matt Bays on Finding God In The Ruins.
Poema S2 06 | Tanya Marlow on Learning To Wait
Poema S2 05 | Kent Dobson on Being Bitten By A Camel
Poema S2 04 | The Blacksmiths Daughters On The Story Of An Album
Poema S2 03 | Perfectly Abnormal with Chris Morris
Poema S2 02 | Questions We Don’t Ask 2 – How Do I Believe?
Poema S2 01 | Questions We Don’t Ask 1 – What Do I Believe?
Poema 025 | Where We Are
Poema 024 | Matthew Brough on Spirituality For Normal People
Poema 023 | Joy Resor & Finding Joy On Your Shoulders
Poema 22 | Rebecca Lombardo on Creativity & Living With Mental Illness
Poema 021 | Gungor
Poema 020 | The Blacksmith’s Daughters on Making Melodies
Poema 019 | The Sacred Art Of Wrestling
Poema 018 | Identity & Moral Injury with Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas & Dr Karl Hamner
Poema 017 | Putting Ego In The Back Seat
Poema 016 | Sarah Heath on Seeing Your Story Through God’s Eyes
Poema 015 | Wendy H Jones on the Spirituality of Crime Writing & Marketing With Integrity
Poema 014 | Alexander Shaia & The Good Friday Resurrection
Poema 013 | Jessica Aguilar-Christy on Yoga & Christian Spirituality
Poema 012: Jo Cleary on her Radical Love Journey
Poema 011 | Chasing Lovely on the Spirituality Of Songwriting & Kickstarting a New EP
Poema 010 : Laura Parrott Perry on Surviving Sexual Abuse & Valuing Our Stories
Poema 009 : Brian McLaren on the Great Spiritual Migration
Poema 008 : Sarah Heath on Creativity & The Art Of Community
Poema 007 : Shelly E Johnson on Finding Our Mosaic Of Grace
Poema 006: Sarah Bessey on The Altar Of Creativity (& The Spirituality Of Doctor Who)
Poema 005 : Matthew Schmitt on The Table Setters & Loving Your Enemies
Poema 004 : Kyle Strobel on Harry Potter & The Christian Way Of Power
Poema 003: Shane Claiborne On Executing Grace & The End Of The Death Penalty
Poema 002: Max Strom on Healthy Breathing & Why There Is No App For Happiness
Poema 001: What Is Poema?
Episode 76 | Books, Seasons & A Word About Masterpieces
Episode 75 | Our Gospel Christmas Journey with Alexander Shaia
Episode 74 | Chasing Lovely 3: The Wolfies Reunited (With Exclusive LIVE Performance)
Episode 73 | Steve Austin on Suicide, Depression & Messy Grace
Episode 72 | Sarah Arlen on Creativity, Suffering & The Two Types Of Creator
Episode 71 | Anita Wing Lee on How Creativity Can Change The World
Episode 70 | Nish Weiseth on the US Presidential Election
My dear friend Nish Weiseth returns to James Talks today, in a special episode to discuss the imminent US Presidential election. Nish and I are both passionate about politics, and it's role in the world - and the US election result affects us all, which is why we...
Episode 69 | Sarah Simmons & A Story Of Grace
Today Sarah Simmons, writer & blogger, shares her own powerful testimony. It’s a story of suffering, lost dreams, but also one of hope, restoration and grace which is truly inspiring. Sarah shares about how we can find grace even in the midst of our own imperfect...
Episode 68 | Kyle Strobel & The Beloved Dust
Kyle Strobel, teacher, writer and preacher, joins me today. He is the assistant professor of Spiritual Theology and Formation at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and helped start Metamorpha Ministries. He’s also author of several books, including ‘Beloved...
Episode 67 | Pamela Hodges On Creativity, Identity & How To Be A Cat
Author Pamela Hodges returns to the podcast today, and we have a lot of fun talking about creativity, identity, authenticity, being a creative entrepreneur - but above all, how to be a cat. Pamela talks about her late cat Pooh Hodges, who was an author she...
Episode 66 | Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas & Sarah Plummer Taylor on Resilience, Yoga & Personal Wellness
Neuroscientist Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas returns to James Talks today, and with her is Sarah Plummer Taylor, who is a Denver-based holistic health and wellness wellness counsellor. As a mental health professional, Sarah mentors people and organisations to help them...
Episode 65 | ‘Science Mike’ McHargue on Finding God In The Waves.
‘Science Mike’ McHargue is back on James Talks this week, to discuss his new book, ‘Finding God In The Waves’ & answer some searching questions about science, and how it connects with our spirituality. Mike talks about how he lived anonymously as an atheist for...
Episode 64 | Chasing Lovely Interview James Prescott – James Talks 1st Birthday Roast
James Talks turns 1 year old this week! And to celebrate, today we have a very special edition - Chloe & Taylor Turner, AKA Chasing Lovely, who were my first guests on James Talks, are interviewing me, James Prescott! And it’s a combination of a total roasting,...
Episode 63 | Faith Circus with Kathy Escobar & Karl Wheeler
Today Kathy Escobar & Karl Wheeler of the Faith Curcus podcast join me to share their powerful, unique & inspiring story. They share about the challenges of starting a new type of faith community, dealing with issues of theological difference & the issues...
Episode 62 | David Mike on Dishonour & Grace
David Mike, author & former solider, joins me today to share his challenging and inspiring story. David was a solider who became a drug addict and dealer, resulting in a term in prison. But whilst in prison he experienced the transforming love and grace of both...
Episode 61 | Glennon Doyle Melton on Grace, Divorce, Addiction & Being A #LoveWarrior
Episode 60 | Cindy Brandt on Art & Justice
Author & blogger Cindy Brandt joins me today to talk about creativity, faith, culture and justice. Cindy shares her own powerful story and talks about authenticity in her art, being vulnerable in our art, as well as her passion for justice, and building a church...
Episode 59 | Alexander Shaia Takes Your Questions
Alexander Shaia is back on James Talks and this week he’s taking your questions! Today Alexander answers questions sent in by listeners, including ike: What’s your favourite gospel, and your favourite passage from the four gospels - and why? What are your thoughts on...
Episode 58 | Amy Boucher Pye on The Intersection Between Creativity & Faith
Author & blogger Amy Boucher Pye joins me today. Amy is an American married to a Vicar living in the UK, and recently launched her first book ‘Finding Myself In Britain’. In today’s episode Amy shares about her creative journey, which on top of authoring books,...
Episode 57 | Kent Sanders & The Artists Suitcase
Kent Sanders - author, coach, teacher, blogger, joins me today. Kent shares his own creative journey and about strategies he has discovered which can help artists overcome fear, take action in their creative path, and be more productive in their creative life, which...
Episode 56 | Luke Strickland & Potting Shed Creativity
My friend Luke Strickland of ‘The Potting Shed Podcast’ (& others) joins me today. Luke is a podcaster, creator, blogger and author, and a great guy. Here he shares his creative journey and how it intertwined with his own faith journey. We talk writing, creating,...
Episode 55 | Jim Woods & How To Be Authentic In Our Art
My friend Jim Woods, an author, writing coach, and blogger, joins me today. We discuss his own creative journey, and the challenge of leaving a stable job behind to risk it all on a creative career, in his case, as a writer. Today we talk about how to maintain...
Episode 54 | Christine Sine & The Spiritual Rhythms Of Life
Christine Sine of Mustard Seed Associates, blogger, author, missionary & gardener joins me today. Christine shares her fascinating journey which took her from Australia all over the world, led her to found Mustard Seed Associates, a Christian charity, create and...
Episode 53 | Alexander Shaia & Our Gospel Journey 3: Luke
Today it’s the final part of our series with Alexander Shaia on the gospel journey of Quadratos. Today, we examine the book of Luke, and how we mature in service, and take the lessons we’ve learned, and the good news of the Christ out into the world. Alexander &...
Episode 52 | Alexander Shaia & Our Gospel Journey 2: John
Alexander Shaia returns in the second of our three part journey through the gospel(s). Today we focus on John, and how we discover joy, even in the midst of the most terrible suffering, and then enter into a resurrection path into a new tomorrow.
Episode 51 | Alexander Shaia & Our Gospel Journey 1: Matthew & Mark ,
Alexander Shaia returns to James Talks today, for the first of a new series over the next three weeks, walking us through the Gospel Journey of Quadratos in much more depth. In our previous discussion, in Episode 43, we briefly covered all four stages of our journey...
Episode 50 | The Fiftieth – Back Forward Now
It’s the 50th episode of James Talks! Today I share some updates on my latest work, including my upcoming book, blog posts, the podcast, and mostly, a personal reflection on my recent journey. I talk about what I’ve been facing & what it’s taught me about the...
Episode 49 | Orlando & Guns – An Outside Perspective
We’ve all been shocked & deeply moved by events in Orlando this week. Today I posted a blog post about Orlando itself, and in this podcast I discuss the issue of guns, gun crime, and the myth of redemptive violence. From the perspective of a UK citizen living in...
Episode 48 | Redefining Rich with Matt Ham
Author, speaker & radio host Matt Ham shares his powerful story today. It’s a story of how he nearly lost everything, but instead discovered a life and a faith richer than anything he had known, and learned how to redefine what it means to be rich. It’s a story of...
Episode 47 | Brandan Robertson: In & Out, A Nomad’s Journey
Brandan Robertson joins me today to share his powerful, moving and often painful story of reconciling an emerging faith in Jesus as a teenager, with his own sexuality. His is a powerful story of being in, then suddenly finding himself out, again and again - and...
Episode 46 | Spiral Dynamics with Dr Don Beck
Dr Don Beck, who joins me today, is a leading authority on Spiral Dynamics. This is a theory about the development of human consciousness, and the human journey. It divides the human journey up into 2 levels of consciousness, and within those two levels are different...
Episode 45 | Jory Micah & Breaking The Glass Steeple Of Gender Equality
Jory Micah joins me today to share her own story, and discuss the important issue of gender inequality in the church today. We discuss her own vision, and what gender equality looks like for Jory in her day to day life, marriage and church. Jory then shares some...
Episode 44 | Deconstructing Faith with The Deconstructionists
John Williamson and Adam Narloch, AKA The Deconstructionists join me today. John & Adam are two friends with a nerdy passion for discovery, deconstruction, grace, acceptance, authenticity and humble wrestling. They run a hugely successful podcast, ‘The...
Episode 43 | Alexander Shaia & The Four Stages Of Quadratos
Alexander Shaia joins me today to explore a revolutionary way of reading & understanding the gospels which he calls ‘Quadratos’ - a four fold journey of identity & transformation. We explore how this journey takes us back to Jesus as ‘the’ Christ, and opens...
Episode 42 | Lisa Delay & Ignatian Spirituality
Lisa Delay from the Spark My Muse podcast returns to James Talks today to talk about spiritual practices from what’s called ‘ignatian spirituality’. Lisa shares how these can help give us spiritual discernment and make wiser decisions about what we’re going to do with...
Episode 41 | ‘Science’ Mike McHargue on Becoming An Atheist & Rediscovering Jesus Through Science
Mike McHargue, from the ‘Science Mike’ & ‘Liturgists’ podcasts, joins me today and shares his powerful and deeply moving testimony, of how he lost his faith, became an atheist, and then rediscovered the way of Jesus in a whole new way - grounded in reason,...
Episode 40 | The Two Doctors: 3 Proven Secrets to Healthy Balance with Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas & Dr Theresa Larson
Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas & Dr Theresa Larson both return to the podcast today, as we discuss in more detail the three scientifically proven principles for a healthy balanced life, as Kate outlines in her book, ‘Brave Strong True’. Kate, Theresa and I discuss the...
Episode 39 | Chasing Lovely Return – Creativity, Spirituality & Other Interesting Things (Wolfie Part II)
Chasing Lovely, the musical/creative duo of Chloe & Taylor Turner, return to James Talks today. They were my first ever guests, and appropriately enough, are my first returning guests. Today I catch up with the Taylor sisters, talk about their latest work,...
Episode 38 | Dr Theresa Larson on Wellness, Grief & Finding Our Inner Warrior
Dr Theresa Larson joins me today. Dr Larson is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the founder of Movement Rx, a physical therapy and wellness company that offers support to wounded warriors and individuals with health and movement issues. She has just released her first...
Episode 37 | Nish Weiseth on Mental Illness, Hope & Speaking Our Story
Nish Weiseth, author, speaker, mom & fan of Dr Pepper, joins me today. With great vulnerability, Nish shares her own powerful story, including her struggles with depression, and how this shaped both her faith & her creative life. Nish also shares how she...
Rob Bell on James Talks (& Why Asking Matters)
Today I'm delighted to welcome the one and only Rob Bell to my podcast. When you start a podcast, and a lot of it is taken up with interviews - as many podcasts are - you know there's some people you'd absolutely dream to interview. In truth, I'm interested in sharing...
Episode 36 | Rob Bell Is Here!
Episode 35 | Anita Wing Lee & The Soul Of Humanity Project
Anita Wing Lee, Periscoper, communicator & writer, joins me today to talk about a really important cause. The Soul Of Humanity is a book of stories, photos and creative work surrounding the story of refugee crisis, with all profits going to aid awareness and give...
Episode 34 | Shane Blackshear & Seminary Dropout
Shane Blackshear of the ‘Seminary Dropout’ podcast joins me today, to share his own powerful story of being a seminary dropout, then pastor & planting a church. He shares lessons he’s learned about faith, and what led him to start his ‘Seminary Dropout’ podcast. ...
Episode 33 | Pete Rollins on Certainty, Critiquing Faith & Confronting Truth
Today philosopher, poet & theologian Pete Rollins & I discuss the problem of certainty in our spirituality & daily lives, why we need to critique our faith and how important it is to confront the truth of who we are to have true spiritual growth. We...
Episode 32 | Andy Gray & The Karma Shema Drama
Today pastor & author Andy Gray shares his own powerful story, and talks about the revolutionary yet Biblical idea of Shema. Shema means to hear, and Andy passionately explains how God wants us to hear His call to live lives overflowing with God’s love. A love...
Episode 31 | Steve Chalke & A Vision For Inclusive Church
Today I host pastor, speaker & author Steve Chalke. Steve shares the powerful story of how Oasis Trust - a network of churches, schools and more - started and the impact it’s had on individual’s lives. He outlines his vision of what church can and should be, and...
Episode 30 | Repentance Part 2 – Turn & Return
Today is the second & final part of my series on repentance. In this episode I unpack the true meaning of the word ‘repent’ & reflect on what this might mean for us. Ending with a message of hope, and a challenge as to how we might respond. ***** This series...
Episode 29 | Repentance Part 1 – Archery & Living Out Of Tune
Today is the first of a two-part series on Repentance, unpacking & exploring sin, and what we really mean when we use that word. Because our understanding of sin is fundamental to understanding repentance. This series is linked to this months #synCREATE theme of...
Episode 28 | Lorna Kopp On The Links Between Creativity, Vulnerability & Faith
Lorna Kopp (aka Lorna Faith) is my guest today. Lorna, a writer, author & coach, shares her story and we talk about the importance of vulnerability in creating authentic work. We also discuss how her faith has impacted her creative work, and the power of...
Episode 27 | Pamela Hodges on Creativity, Cats & Meeting Bono
Today I’m joined by writer, blogger, painter & author Pamela Hodges. Pamela shares her unique story - including when she met Bono - and talks about maintaining authenticity & artistic integrity in our creative work. Finally, Pamela talks about about her...
Episode 26 | Andi Cumbo on Writing, Calling & The Spirituality Of Farming
Andi Cumbo is an experienced writer, coach, author and editor, and a good friend. Today on the podcast she shares her powerful & challenging story, with wisdom about creativity, calling, and how this ties in with her spirituality, and her life running a farm. Andi...
It’s Time To Write: Christine Niles on ‘James Talks’
Episode 25 | Start To Write with Christine Niles
Today I talk to my good friend, writer, blogger & coach Christine Niles, about writing and the creative process. Christine has years of blogging & writing experience, and like me has spent a lot of time coaching writers. She’s seen the ups & downs, the...
Episode 24 | Calling: Part 5 – Don’t Ask Permission
The series on calling concludes with a call to action - talking about how we don’t need to have permission to pursue our calling, the role of wise counsel, and challenging us to have the courage to step out & embrace the life we were created for.
Episode 23 | Calling: Part 4 – Curious Ache
We’ve discussed what calling is…but how do we discover our calling? Today in this series I talk about following our curiosity, and listening to that ache inside of us. Our callings often reside both in the things we are curious about, or in the inner aches, desires,...
Episode 22 | Calling: Part 3 – Have Fun
In part 3 of this series on calling, I explore the a simple but forgotten truth about calling - that callings can, and should, be fun. To be enjoyed. To be something we ultimately find joy in. We may not initially want to do what we’re called to, but if we’re really...
Episode 21 | Calling: Part 2 – Before You Begin
Before we begin exploring what our calling is & how to pursue it, we need to ground ourselves in the right place. In part 2 of my series on calling, I explore how often put our security in our calling or vocation - and how if we are to really thrive, we need to...
What Is Calling? – A Podcast Series
Episode 20 | Calling Part 1: What Is Calling?
This week I’m doing a five-part series on the subject of calling. Calling is a word we use more and more often, but can be misunderstood. In this series I examine various questions/issues/misunderstandings around calling, and how we can discover our own calling. Today...
Episode 19 | The Neuroscience Of Spirituality with Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas
Dr Kate Hendricks Thomas is a health educator & author who has conducted research which proves there is a science to our spirituality. Today I talk with her about the three things her research has shown are required for healthy living - and an evidence basis for...
Episode 18 | Life Happens – Choosing Your One Word For 2016
It’s the time of year man of us choose our goals for the coming year. What I’ve done in recent years is choose one word to give me focus and direction, and which sums up all my goals - and it’s had a massively positive impact. So today I share about the #OneWord365...
Episode 17 | Darkness & Light – A Christmas Reflection
From Dec 21st there will be a little more sunlight coming into the world. Christmas is a story of new hope. It’s a symbol of new light coming into a world of darkness. And that metaphor is demonstrated in God’s creation. Today on the podcast I reflect on the metaphor...
Episode 16 | Hope Awakens: The Spirituality Of Star Wars (#GeekSpirituality)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens this week. And today is the beginning of an occasional series called ‘Geek Spirituality - where I & others explore the connections between spirituality & the stories told comic book movies, sci-fi classics like Star Wars...
Episode 15 | Lisa Delay & Sparking The Creative Muse
Lisa Delay of the Spark My Muse podcast is my guest today. Lisa is an author, podcaster & communicator, and the co-founder, with myself, of #synCREATE, a collaborative creative community, as well as a friend. She’s passionate about inspiring people to discover...
Episode 14 | #synCreate – Creativity, Community, Collaboration & Fun
Today I introduce synCreate - a new creative community, where every single person is invited to create art of any kind you like - words, music, painting, drawing, photos, videos, podcasts, blog posts, animation, films - anything - on monthly themes, sharing them in...
Episode 13 | Taylor Duvall & The Creative Journey
Today I have writer & blogger Taylor Duvall on the show. Taylor has a powerful, challenging story to share, which takes in writing, moving from traditional church to a more progressive spirituality, discovering a new life and purpose beyond her divorce at 22, and...
Episode 12 | Troy McLauglin (Project Pastor)
Today I talk to podcaster, blogger and pastor Troy McLaughlin about creativity, calling, faithfulness and keeping integrity in our work. Troy shares about his own powerful journey of calling & how it’s led him to where he is today, and his online work on Project...
Episode 11 | Sarah Bessey
Today I’m joined by Sarah Bessey, blogger, speaker & author of the new book ‘Out Of Sorts’, and ‘Jesus Feminist’. Sarah shares her own story of faith, leaving & coming back to the church & finding Jesus in the process. Sarah & I chat about what it...
Episode 10 | Be Evangelical: A Way Of Life, Not A Members-Only Club
What does it mean to be ‘evangelical’? Today I share parts of my own story try to encourage those questioning what is called the ‘evangelical church’. And I explore how in fact an ‘evangelical’ is a type of person, a way of being in the world, not a label,...
Episode 9 | The First Act Of Faith
Before we progress in our spiritual journey, there is one big step of faith we have to take….and it’s not just about belief.
Episode 8 | Lauren Ward – Feminism & Faith
Lauren Ward from FeministFaith.com shares her story today. Lauren talks about what she calls ‘Christian Feminism’, and how her feminist and Christian beliefs have shaped her story and her life choices, including her recent engagement. Finally, Lauren offers...
Episode 7 | This Is How It Rolls
We need to have the courage to admit to ourselves, and eventually to others, who we really are, what we really believe and where we are in our journey. It’s time to have the courage to say ‘this is how it rolls with me’. And if we do, we’ll find freedom, we’ll find...
Episode 6 | Chasing Lovely (The Wolfie Episode)
Today I’m joined by multi-genre musical duo Chloe & Taylor Turner, aka Chasing Lovely. Chloe & Taylor share their story, talk about creativity & their own spiritual journey. Plus, there’s an exclusive live acoustic performance of the title track from their...
Episode 5 | Matt Damon & The Myth Of Success
Creativity isn’t about money, stats or awards. All art matters - because it exists.
Episode 4 | A Tale Of Two Fathers
Episode 3 | Hearing Our Subconscious
Creativity & Our Subconscious Self