Episode Description

For episode 166 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with Reverend Cathy Bristow. Rev. Cathy is an ordained Interfaith Minister and the founder and principal of Bridges, a consulting firm whose mission is to re-language and initiate fresh conversations about race, gender, and diversity. She is deeply involved in social justice work and provides free seminars on Brain Health and the impact of spirituality. Rev. Cathy and Sharon begin the conversation together, speaking about how New York City is recovering from the effects of COVID-19. Rev. Cathy then shares her history of how she organically found her ongoing prayer life through the practice of “going quiet.” She talks about the power and purpose of storytelling as a healing vessel in her mentorship work and how she is embarking on the research of storytelling as a contemplative practice as connected to brain science for women who identify as black. They discuss the power of love (and self-love) as a force for change and personal resilience. Rev Cathy shares the importance of leadership training in her mentorship programs for black women and the modeling of vertical and horizontal inclusion. They also dive into a few of the topics of Sharon’s yet to be titled new book: the life cycles of expansion and contraction. The episode ends with Rev. Cathy leading a Gratitude Practice to close out the conversation.

Additional Resources

To learn more about Cathy’s work, you can visit her website.

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