<![CDATA[Orthodox Unscripted]]>Welcome to Orthodox Unscripted — real conversations with real Orthodox people.

This is coffee hour, but with better stories. No script, no agenda, just good talk about faith, life, and everything in between.

Sometimes we sit down with one person and hear their whole story from beginning to end. Other times, we gather voices around topics that matter — parenting, prayer, conversion, loss, doubt, joy, and what it actually looks like to live as Orthodox Christians in the real world.

The people beside us at liturgy have stories we've never heard, perspectives we need to understand, and experiences that might just change how we see our own lives. The more we listen to each other, the more we understand what it means to be the Body of Christ.

Orthodox people, unscripted and real.

]]>orthodoxunscripted.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Mon, 13 Apr 2026 20:21:52 GMTWed, 28 Jan 2026 04:05:14 GMT60Elissa Bjeletich Davis<p>Welcome to <b>Orthodox Unscripted</b> — real conversations with real Orthodox people.</p><p></p><p>This is coffee hour, but with better stories. No script, no agenda, just good talk about faith, life, and everything in between.</p><p></p><p>Sometimes we sit down with one person and hear their whole story from beginning to end. Other times, we gather voices around topics that matter — parenting, prayer, conversion, loss, doubt, joy, and what it actually looks like to live as Orthodox Christians in the real world.</p><p></p><p>The people beside us at liturgy have stories we've never heard, perspectives we need to understand, and experiences that might just change how we see our own lives. The more we listen to each other, the more we understand what it means to be the Body of Christ.</p><p></p><p><b>Orthodox people, unscripted and real.</b></p><p></p>episodicElissa Bjeletich Daviselissa@bjeletich.orgno<![CDATA[Cynthia Damaskos on Flourishing, Intentionality & Holy Week]]>Cynthia Damaskos talks about the Filled with Less women's wellness ministry, their approach to flourishing and to living an intentional life, and how we might practice self-care during Holy Week.

]]>c41f58c2-ac2b-4073-abd3-b86c736f0f14Mon, 06 Apr 2026 02:59:40 GMT<p>Cynthia Damaskos talks about the <i>Filled with Less</i> women's wellness ministry, their approach to flourishing and to living an intentional life, and how we might practice self-care during Holy Week.</p>no00:40:12Cynthia Damaskos on Flourishing, Intentionality & Holy Weekfull<![CDATA[Nina Morris, Parenting from the Front Row]]>Over two decades, Nina and Elissa raised their children together in the same parish, and now that the older kids are young adults, they’ve come to a transition point – the days of directing the show are over, but now they’re sitting in front row seats and are looking forward to watching the rest of the story.

]]>fb32dd8a-32aa-4b2b-ae8f-0a4fe0bb0cc5Sun, 15 Mar 2026 22:45:00 GMT<p>Over two decades, Nina and Elissa raised their children together in the same parish, and now that the older kids are young adults, they’ve come to a transition point – the days of directing the show are over, but now they’re sitting in front row seats and are looking forward to watching the rest of the story.</p>no00:36:3016Nina Morris, Parenting from the Front Rowfull<![CDATA[Summer Kinard on Bearing Each Other's Burdens]]>What makes a good Lent? Summer Kinard joins Elissa to talk about Great Lent -- and how we mistake it for an opportunity to bear our crosses, rather than a call to bear each other's burdens.

Summer owns Park End Books, an independent publishing house and bookstore in Greenville, Michigan.

She is the author of Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disablity.

]]>b6aabab0-450f-4361-93ba-a1eca005af74Sun, 08 Mar 2026 23:00:00 GMT<p>What makes a good Lent? Summer Kinard joins Elissa to talk about Great Lent -- and how we mistake it for an opportunity to bear our crosses, rather than a call to bear each other's burdens.</p><p></p><p>Summer owns <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://parkendbooks.com/" target="_blank">Park End Books</a>, an independent publishing house and bookstore in Greenville, Michigan. <br /><br />She is the author of <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://parkendbooks.com/shop/of-such-is-the-kingdom-a-practical-theology-of-disability-signed/" target="_blank">Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disablity</a>.<br /><br /></p>no01:00:17Summer Kinard on Bearing Each Other's Burdensfull<![CDATA[Catching Up with Jeff Holton]]>Elissa catches up with former guest, Jeff Holton, and finds that he's singing in the choir now, and has learned some construction skills at Project Mexico. They discuss the how the years change us, and Jeff reflects on overcoming his fear of failure -- by facing it.

In this episode:

Project Mexico

Community of Grace -- about Eagle River, Alaska

Sacred Alaska

]]>3fe12342-27b8-4850-9dc1-4ae48d6369c3Mon, 02 Mar 2026 02:38:13 GMT<p>Elissa catches up with former guest, Jeff Holton, and finds that he's singing in the choir now, and has learned some construction skills at Project Mexico. They discuss the how the years change us, and Jeff reflects on overcoming his fear of failure -- by facing it.<br /></p><p>In this episode:</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.projectmexico.org/" target="_blank">Project Mexico</a></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/Community-Grace-Mary-Alice-Cook/dp/1936270072" target="_blank">Community of Grace</a> -- about Eagle River, Alaska</p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sacredalaskafilm.com/" target="_blank">Sacred Alaska</a></p>no00:35:59Catching Up with Jeff Holtonfull<![CDATA[Juliana Joyce on the Integrated Life and Classical Education ]]>Juliana Joyce joins Elissa to talk about a dramatic change she made after the pandemic -- and how her life has changed for the better because of it!

Juliana co-founded the Saint George Classical Academy in Boxford, Massachusetts: https://www.stgca.org/

]]>63fdc6f4-b5d3-445f-af99-8b73e1574b31Mon, 23 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT<p>Juliana Joyce joins Elissa to talk about a dramatic change she made after the pandemic -- and how her life has changed for the better because of it!<br /><br />Juliana co-founded the Saint George Classical Academy in Boxford, Massachusetts: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.stgca.org/" target="_blank">https://www.stgca.org/</a></p>no00:50:2413Juliana Joyce on the Integrated Life and Classical Education full<![CDATA[2/15/26 Luke Gilstrap]]>Elissa talks with Luke Gilstrap from Orthodox Prison Ministry about the powerful book they’re releasing on Bright Monday:  Suffer with You: Lessons on Forgiveness from Prison. OCPM’s first book aimed at those outside of prison, it offers three moving narratives of crime and forgiveness, followed by the Liturgy of Forgiveness, +Mother Siluana Vlad’s method designed to help you too to embrace radical forgiveness and grow closer to Christ.

Luke was an English professor, writes and edits books, and is the Annual Giving Manager at the OCPM.

Preorder at: https://theocpm.org/sample-page/suffer-with-you/

]]>e6675291-2b99-44b6-bc35-461ec896b330Mon, 16 Feb 2026 01:00:00 GMT<p>Elissa talks with Luke Gilstrap from Orthodox Prison Ministry about the powerful book they’re releasing on Bright Monday:  <i>Suffer with You: Lessons on Forgiveness from Prison.</i> OCPM’s first book aimed at those outside of prison, it offers three moving narratives of crime and forgiveness, followed by the <i>Liturgy of Forgiveness</i>, +Mother Siluana Vlad’s method designed to help you too to embrace radical forgiveness and grow closer to Christ.<br /></p><p>Luke was an English professor, writes and edits books, and is the Annual Giving Manager at the OCPM.</p><p></p><p>Preorder at: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://theocpm.org/sample-page/suffer-with-you/" target="_blank">https://theocpm.org/sample-page/suffer-with-you/</a></p>no00:54:09122/15/26 Luke Gilstrapfull<![CDATA[2/8/26 Brandi Willis Schreiber]]>We check in with Brandi Willis Schreiber, whose first book, A Long Walk with Mary touched so many people -- and impressed Elissa mightily with her poetic skill at making the desert landscape of West Texas achingly beautiful. They talk about writing, and about life's many chapters. Brandi has a children's book coming out soon, and shares her insights on making a place our own, the joys of being jiu jitsu-chopped by a five year old, and on beauty in general.

Find Brandi on substack: brandiwillisschreibersubstack

]]>de4a7f3e-9e0d-4933-8bba-b3a31e70a1deMon, 09 Feb 2026 01:01:39 GMT<p>We check in with Brandi Willis Schreiber, whose first book, <i>A Long Walk with Mary</i> touched so many people -- and impressed Elissa mightily with her poetic skill at making the desert landscape of West Texas achingly beautiful. They talk about writing, and about life's many chapters. Brandi has a children's book coming out soon, and shares her insights on making a place our own, the joys of being jiu jitsu-chopped by a five year old, and on beauty in general.<br /><br />Find Brandi on substack: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://brandiwillisschreiber.substack.com/" target="_blank">brandiwillisschreibersubstack</a></p>no00:48:18112/8/26 Brandi Willis Schreiberfull<![CDATA[Trailer]]>Orthodox Unscripted begins soon - new episodes drop on Sundays at 7pm Eastern. This Sunday, February 8, will feature Brandi Willis Schreiber.

]]>402bc9a6-32d3-4ced-b8c7-2dd404e53b99Mon, 02 Feb 2026 03:56:28 GMT<p>Orthodox Unscripted begins soon - new episodes drop on Sundays at 7pm Eastern. This Sunday, February 8, will feature Brandi Willis Schreiber.</p>no00:00:291Trailertrailer