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Currents: the Big Ocean Women Podcast

Currents: the Big Ocean Women Podcast

By: Big Ocean Women
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 Interesting discussions aimed at gathering women together to engage as powerful forces for good in their homes, communities, and world.Copyright 2020 All rights reserved. Economics Management Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 5.5 Moms Get Real about Christmas: the holidays and an abundant life

    5.5 Moms Get Real about Christmas: the holidays and an abundant life
    Dec 18 2025
    Carolina Allen, Dana Robb, and Shelli Spotts talk Christmas traditions, how to have an abundant holiday, and how to decide what really matters with your family during the holiday season. “The world around us is so rich in natural abundance, and yet we’re so distracted from it by the abundance of worry and the abundance of tasks.” - Shelli Spotts “Gift giving is a beautiful expression of love and that someone else is on your mind and in your heart, and it’s a genuine offering from you to them. I think that when we understand what a true gift is . . . you will come to recognize the bounty all around you, found in nature, found in service, found in repurposing things, and your eyes change so you’re able to see things in a more beautiful way.” - Carolina Allen “Christmas can be a time of an abundance of patience with other people.” - Carolina Allen “Maybe sometimes there are going to be those moments that don’t feel like abundance, but we push through and we get this beautiful experience on the other side and it’s worth it.” - Dana Robb “I think if we don’t teach our children and include our husbands as well in creating the magic of the season that it falls all on the mother, and that’s robbing them of their opportunities to learn and grow and develop this capacity to be active participants in creating the family magic.” - Carolina Allen To read guest bios and to find out more about what we do go to www.bigoceanwomen.org. 00:00 Introduction to Currents Podcast 00:25 Exploring the True Meaning of Abundance 03:31 Gift Giving and Financial Strain 06:10 Creating Meaningful Family Traditions 08:56 Navigating Strained Relationships During Holidays 12:56 Personal Reflections on Holiday Traditions 19:24 Involving Family in Holiday Preparations 24:42 Encouraging Family Participation and Abundance 26:41 Family Traditions and Unique Contributions 27:50 Connecting Through Technology 29:55 Embracing an Abundance Mindset 31:50 Finding Joy in Small Moments 35:09 Creating New Traditions 36:03 The Power of Music and Prayer 38:43 Cherishing Small Moments and Memories 40:26 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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    42 mins
  • 5.4 Your Internal Compass: A Beacon for Faith and Action

    5.4 Your Internal Compass: A Beacon for Faith and Action
    Nov 5 2025
    Your Internal Compass: A Beacon for Faith and Action Shannon and Dana are joined by Shandra Madson to discuss following our Internal Compass which is our ability to hear from God and be inspired and directed in our lives. Shandra Madson started a campus of the Columbus Adult Education Center in her community which teaches English to refugees and immigrants. Shandra had become aware that about one in every five people in their community did not speak English because of a large influx of refugees. She said, “They were new to our city, new to our country, and it created a lot of different dynamics and concerns and ways that these people needed to feel loved and just helped along their path. So the Columbus Center is basically there to teach English, but really it's just a beautiful place where people were able to come and feel God's love for them. And I think that was kind of our main goal. English obviously was important, but they needed somewhere that they could come just to feel safe and feel loved, and just have that humanity where they weren't feeling it otherwise in their lives.” 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 00:39 Meet Shandra Madson 03:23 The Columbus Center: A Beacon of Hope 07:07 Trusting in the Lord: Shandra's Journey 09:30 Success Stories and Impact 19:06 Encouragement and Final Thoughts “God doesn't care where we live. He doesn't care what our address is. He wants people to feel loved no matter where they are.” - Shandra Madson “We don’t have to know everything to be able to contribute and support.” - Dana Robb “I think it's a beautiful thing that all of God's children are born with that light, and I think it's just a matter of are we willing to flame that light and just help grow it. and I think every little choice we make, every way we help God's children, that light just grows brighter and brighter. . . .It takes effort to recognize and effort to follow.” - Shandra Madson “Another thing that's been really interesting is that some maybe came in with different biases or prejudices against another nation. And because we serve so many nations, and they're learning together and have become united through that, I've seen some of those guards that they came with be let down, and actually become friends with [eachother] and realize that they have more in common than they thought at first, and that some of these prejudices that they had in the beginning were really unfounded. . . . That's been such a beautiful, one of my favorite parts to witness, that happening at the center.” - Shannon Russell “I think anytime we just reach out a hand of love and fellowship and kindness, it doesn’t go unnoticed. People notice and feel that love of God as they serve.” - Shandra Madson “One thing I love is just that we all came here with different talents, and it's so easy to compare with somebody else of like, “Wow, they've done this thing,” or “They have this ability or this talent,” but it's neat to see how God can use all of our talents differently, and it can help grow to be something beautiful for all of us.” - Shandra Madson “I love that you said be still, you know, let's quiet yourself down. We live in such a rushed world, but really in order to connect to that internal compass, we have to take moments of stillness every day and quiet our minds and, and listen in.” - Dana Robb Shannon Russell treasures her roles as a wife and mother, finding that the journey of learning and growing alongside her family is the most rewarding experience of her life. At her core, Shannon is passionate about helping others. Whether it be as a real estate agent guiding her clients to one of their most significant investments – their homes, or volunteering at the Columbus Center supporting refugees in learning English and become assimilated in the United States, or creating nonprofits focused on educating youth, she loves serving those around her and is committed to making a positive impact in her community. Shannon loves connecting with women from diverse backgrounds and perspectives through Big Ocean Women where women are empowered to generate solutions that enable them to live a life of joy and abundance. Her favorite pastimes are playing pickleball, board games, hiking, anything that puts her in nature, and being a beach bum. Whenever presented with the opportunity for adventure, Dana Robb is all in. Currently, this includes riding the local mountain biking trails with her husband, canyoneering, and climbing the hills of southern Utah. She loves to learn and explore with her six kids. She is drawn to the opportunities being involved with Big Ocean Women provides. Dana loves connecting to a global sisterhood where women’s issues are being addressed through reframing and an abundance mindset. Shandra Madsen is an entrepreneur at heart and has owned several businesses over the past couple decades.. Shandra and Todd have been married for 26 years ...
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    25 mins
  • 5.3 Understanding AI: Ethical Concerns and Everyday Impacts

    5.3 Understanding AI: Ethical Concerns and Everyday Impacts
    Oct 8 2025
    In this episode of the Big Ocean Women Podcast, hosts Shelli Spotts, Carolina Allen, and guest Darrin Gates engage in a comprehensive discussion about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various facets of life. Shelli, a professor of persuasive writing, sets the stage by emphasizing the importance of understanding different types of literacies. Darrin, a philosophy professor specializing in ethics, provides insights into the ethical considerations of AI, specifically generative AI like ChatGPT. Carolina, the founder of Big Ocean Women, highlights the organization's focus on faith, family, and motherhood, and introduces the topic of AI's rapid advancement and its implications for parenting and education. The conversation delves into definitions of AI, its limitations, the ethical issues surrounding data use, and the potential pitfalls like job loss, privacy concerns, and the erosion of human interaction. The group underscores the importance of critical thinking, media literacy, and maintaining human-centric values in the face of technological advancement. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introductions 02:21 Defining AI and Its Implications 04:54 Ethical Concerns and Data Set Issues 08:06 AI's Impact on Human Interaction 12:00 Manipulation and Deception in AI 17:19 AI's Limitations and Future 28:39 Ethical Dilemmas in AI Resource Allocation 29:55 The AI Arms Race: Global Implications 32:16 Privacy Concerns and Data Misuse 36:10 Job Loss and Economic Impact of AI 37:47 The Push for Human-Centric AI 40:32 Teaching Critical Thinking in the Age of AI 47:07 Parental Guidance and Media Literacy 51:58 Conclusion: Embracing Failure and Authentic Engagement
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    56 mins
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