Sorta Sacred
Honest, human, lightly irreverent, grounded in something deeper. This podcast explores stories, reflections, and conversations about life intersecting with faith.
Hosted by Mark Niethammer and Jessica Taylor. Mark is the senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa. He is a wine enthusiast, enjoys all things outdoorsy, and is optimistically pessimistic by nature. Mark has been in ordained ministry for more than 15 years.
Meanwhile, Jessica is the director of communication at St. Paul. She is a whine enthusiast, enjoys all things indoorsy, and is pessimistically optimistic by nurture.
St. Paul Lutheran Church is a 3,500-member ELCA church located in the Quad Cities.
Sorta Sacred
What the heck is wellness?
What if wellness isn't about green smoothies, gym memberships, or the latest meditation app? In this episode, Mark and Jess sit down with Steve Kalber, St. Paul's counselor and former behavioral health nurse, to unpack what wellness actually means—and why it's not the same thing as being "healthy."
Steve breaks down the four domains of wellness (mental, physical, spiritual, and social) and explains why your version of wellness might look completely different from your neighbor's. We talk about the misconceptions fueling wellness culture, the warning signs when things are out of balance, and practical strategies for staying well that don't require a trust fund or a TikTok algorithm.
Whether you're just starting to think about wellness or you're recovering from one too many failed New Year's resolutions, this conversation offers a refreshing, grounded perspective on what it means to live well—in a way that's actually sustainable.
Plus, we kick things off with the weirdest wellness purchases we've ever made. (No judgment. Okay, maybe a little judgment.)
Thanks to the incredible production team of Sorta Sacred:
Music: Brian Schou
Tech support: Miles Thompson
Design: Lauren Brown
Merch: Allison Winter