Episode 21: Outlier of Outliers: Verónica Ann Castañeda, part 1
Verónica is a neurodivergent indigenous woman who doesn't fit-in anywhere but belongs everywhere; "ni de aqui, ni de alla" ("neither from here, nor there"). Verónica was born in San Jose, California and was raised in the border-town of Calexico, California; she is the daughter of an urban Native-American vietnam war veteran father (protestant pentecostal) and a rural-farming Mexican immigrant mother (former roman catholic). While earning her master's of arts in theology, Verónica served at a Presbyterian church in Highland Park, where she realized the glass ceiling for women in ministry was lowered but removed. While working with various populations with similar traumas as hers and her families, she decided to pursue a master's of science in marital and family therapy. After working 13+ years as a psychotherapist in various contexts and settings, Verónica now considers herself an "outlier of outliers" clinician who's calling in life has, is and always will be, to serve the marginalized communities that surround her, while "following the Jesus way", as elder Richard Twiss (Lakota/Siux) would say. *(Book reference: One Church, Many Tribes: Following Jesus the Way God Made You).
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
David is a University of California Santa Barbara alum and leads Santa Barbara’s Beloved Community Church, and also Jesus Collective, an online community which exists to foster wholeness and equity by healing relationships and cultural divides, honoring the dignity of all peoples, and protecting the biodiversity of our planet, through actively listening, understanding, partnering, and serving. He is the author of Making America Great Again: Fairy Tale? Horror Story? Dream Come True? Learn more at www.davidnmoore.com
Kerry Connelly, (she / her) MDiv, CCLC is the author of Good White Racist? Confronting Your Role in Racial Injustice and Wait, Is This Racist? A Guide to Becoming an Antiracist Church. Kerry holds her Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, where she is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Ministry. She is a Certified Coach with additional certifications in DISC personality styles, conflict resolution (Cornell University), + she is a NYC Leadership Fellow. Passionate about all things spiritual, she is also trained in a number of intuitive energy healing modalities, including traditional Usui Reiki and Angel Reiki. When she is not consulting with predominantly White churches to help them deconstruct White pseudosupremacy in their daily operations, she is working 1:1 with clients to help them connect with their own higher guidance and to live deeply intuitive lives. You can learn more about Kerry at www.kerryconnelly.com.
