A. Paige Rawson

Dr. A. Paige Rawson

Pa(i)ge: Welcome, Wandering & Wondering

Dr. A. Paige Rawson (Ph.D., M.A., M.Div.) is a certified life coach, interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner, spiritual teacher, healer, writer, public speaker, and professional enthusiast. Having survived five years of reparative therapy, Paige knows firsthand the trauma inflicted by toxic theologies and exclusivist ideologies as well as the way to personal healing and spiritual wholeness. Dr. Rawson focuses her energy and attention on serving clients who struggle with self-love, religious trauma, embracing their own authority and embodying their truth. Paige spent over a decade in the ministry as a youth pastor and teaching pastor before transitioning into academia in order to study and teach the Bible, religion and philosophy, through feminist, queer, and postcolonial lenses. As a professor of Religion and Philosophy, Paige taught at Wingate University, The New School, and Seton Hall University. Paige's writing is animated by a fierce commitment to spiritual wellness and social justice as well as her own queer, antiracist epistemological activism. Integrating the spiritual, physical, mental, and psychological, Dr. Rawson's coaching eschews traditional Western European individualism and its methodologies, emphasizing instead the communal, interdependent and embodied nature of knowing, loving, being and becoming the best version of yourself.

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About Me

Paige on Pa(i)ge

I was born and raised in Florida's Panhandle, a.k.a. the buckle of the Bible belt, the Redneck Riviera, L.A. (Lower Alabama). Faithful attenders of First Baptist Church in Pensacola, my Grandfather was a Baptist preacher and my family never missed a Sunday. I "gave my life to Christ" at the tender age of 8, after a week away at Church Camp, and by 13 I had walked the aisle to rededicate my life to Jesus no less than 25 times. (it was so excessive, in fact, that my youth pastor finally had to take me aside and assure me I was saved and no longer needed to profess my dedication to Christ before the church.) I share this by means of introduction because if you know me, you know this: if I am anything, I am passionate and I always have been. Passion and authenticity have been core qualities since I was a kid. I have also always been goofy, curious and intense. (I am hoping you will come to see/feel this through my blog.)

I was never satisfied with pat answers. I needed to know "why?" and I refused to do anything I did not believe in or could not commit to wholeheartedly. I also wanted to lead and help others in any way I could, which often involved creating fun and making people laugh. As much as I have seen and done and changed in the 40ish year I've been walking around in this body, those things haven't.

Stay tuned for more on my life, my travels, my jobs, my education, my role now...

I've kept a journal since I was 5. While there were days, weeks, and sometimes even months that I'd neglect my journal, I'd never stray for long. In the face of the impermanence, inconsistency, and instability that is day-to-day life, my journal and the process of writing my thoughts, feelings, and prayers was a constant. Journaling has always been a source of grounding, centering, and healing. This blog is an extension of and an expansion on that practice because it is also an invitation and a conversation...to and with you. I may or may not know you personally, but I am asking you to join me on this journey. You are welcome to write your reflections to my posts in your own personal notebook, but I hope you also feel free to use this space to articulate your responses, so this conversation becomes an interactive dialogue engaging as many voices and stories as possible. In fact, that is one of the reasons I decided to "go public." I want to inspire conscious self-reflection and meaningful and mindful inter-action with and in the world. I believe this blog has the capacity to do just that, but your presence and participation (in whatever way) are integral. Read more about the blog below!

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About the blog

Individual to Communal: From Journal to Blog

Just like my personal journal, there is no one theme for this blog. Each entry will revolve around a new topic, but there is no definitive plan or outline. I will write on what is relevant in that day, space, moment, or season. It may at times get political, but most of my entries will be spiritual and even when theoretical, I hope you'll find them practical in their application. I suppose, however, if there is any common thread it is living life fully, intentionally, and authentically. If you have something on your mind, a concern or a question, you are always welcome to contact me with your ideas and, while I may not be able to answer your question or resolve the issue, I will listen, reflect, and write honestly and openly from my experience and education. Though I do have a PhD in Biblical Studies and Women and Gender Studies and my institutional credentials and training will influence my perspective, they will not be the focus or force of this blog. In fact, I have learned just as much, if not more, from traveling and living both in the USA and all over the world. This is not a space for intellectualism, nor is it an exercise in the egoic expression of aggrandizement or effacement through comparison and/or critique. This blog is a safe space, where I will get raw and real about my self, my struggles, and the wisdom I have found on this search and I ask that you do the same. Let us commit to compassion with ourselves and with one another.

As a visitor and guest here, you are part of an emerging community, committed to authenticity and living life in compassion, curiosity, creativity, and courage. As much as each blog is written from and about my experience, you are always already an active part of this place and this process. You influence my story simply by being present and engaged here. Knowing that you are sharing this experience with me gives me the motivation to continue. However, your words of encouragement, thoughtful reflections, and your willingness to share your own stories contributes in profound ways to keeping this dialogue interactive and evolving.

Thank you for being part of this adventure, conversation, and community. Just as I have taken my personal process and gone public, I encourage you to share yourself, your voice, your story, your gift with the world. I will write much more about this in future posts, but for now, let me say (er, write) this: pursue your passions and share them with the world, one person at a time. Each of us is an important part of this puzzle. We are individuals but we only thrive when in authentic community, however it manifests. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or to find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube!