

Amateur Activist with Isabela Herrera
Isabela Herrera
Hi, I’m Isabela, host of the Amateur Activist Podcast where we talk about big social, political and sometimes theological issues. Join me and my guests as we try to understand topics that sometimes seem too big or too nuanced. We don’t have all the answers and we certainly don’t have the resources to make a big impact but we have our voices. I invite you to join me in these conversations that are sometimes complex and uncomfortable. I’m not qualified nor do I have the capacity to be all in all the time. But I’ll attempt to change the world regardless because I believe we deserve better.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 29, 2025 • 21min
SEASON FINALE
Join Isabela for the season finale of Amateur Activist!!!As always, we are so grateful for everyone who listens and shares. When you get a moment, we'd be so grateful if you left a review on Apple Podcasts, rated us on Spotify, or tagged us in your stories on Instagram, @amateuractivistpodConnect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllFollow @amateuractivistpod on Instagram to keep up with all things podcast in the off-season. Follow and read my writing on Substack. Who knows, you may get some podcast sneak peeks. A massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here

Oct 26, 2025 • 27min
Joy as Resistance
Join Isabela to talk about the concept of “joy as resistance.”As always, we are so grateful for everyone who listens and shares. When you get a moment, we'd be so grateful if you left a review on Apple Podcasts, rated us on Spotify, or tagged us in your stories on Instagram, @amateuractivistpodConnect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here

Oct 14, 2025 • 21min
Amateur Book Club: Hell Bent by Brian Recker
Welcome to the Amateur Book Club! In this episode, Isabela talks about Hell Bent: How the Fear of Love Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love by Brian Recker. Isabela explains what the book is about and why she thinks it’s an important book for both Christians and non-Christians. She talks about the big takeaways and the confronting moments and feelings she’s decided to sit with and explore. This is the last book for the Amateur Book Club 2025. Follow us on Instagram @amateuractivistpod or on TikTok @belagiiirrrlll.As always, we are so grateful for everyone who listens and shares. When you get a moment, we'd be so grateful if you left a review on Apple Podcasts, rated us on Spotify, or tagged us in your stories on Instagram, @amateuractivistpodConnect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllCheck out the chapter breakdowns on TikTok A massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here

Sep 24, 2025 • 28min
Sleepover Chat with Isabela
Join Isabela for a solo episode in bed!! As always, we are so grateful for everyone who listens and shares. When you get a moment, we'd be so grateful if you left a review on Apple Podcasts, rated us on Spotify, or tagged us in your stories on Instagram, @amateuractivistpodConnect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here

Sep 13, 2025 • 1h 10min
Monster Theory: Looking at Revelation Through its Monsters with Joel Hingston (revist)
This week Isabela is joined by Joel Hingston. Joel used to teach biblical studies and theology, specifically Johannine literature and Revelation. He is passionate about apocalyptic literature, ancient texts & cultures, music, guitares, Magic the Gathering, and myth.In this episode, Joel and Isabela briefly go over key aspects of Revelation, providing quick context and settling some confusion of discomfort aroung some of the unsettling and weird imagery within the book. Joel explains the history of monster theory, it’s main claim and goal, how it can be used within biblical studies, and why it might be important for us as activists. When you get a moment, I’d really appreciate it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts and/or rated us on Spotify.Connect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here.

Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 4min
Gender Expansive Faith with Steff Fenton
This week, Isabela is joined by Steff Fenton - a genderqueer pastor, speaker, and author. As of 2025, Steff has co-founded an affirming church in Sydney, Australia, been featured on national TV, radio & press, graduated with a Masters of Divinity, published a book, Gender Expansive Faith, and MORE!This week, Isabela and Steff talk about Steff’s new book - where they found inspiration to write about a gender expansive faith, why this message is important, especially right now, and how the central passage of the book is an invitation to Christians to embrace gender expansiveness for the Kingdom of God. You can connect with Steff Fenton, here.You can buy their new book, Gender Expansive Faith, here.When you get a moment, I’d really appreciate it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts and/or rated us on Spotify.Connect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here.

Aug 13, 2025 • 56min
Abuelita Faith: Looking to the Margins with Kat Armas (revist)
This week, Isabela sits down with Kat Armas - a Cuban American writer, theologian, and podcast host. In 2021, Kat released her debut book, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us about Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength. Isabela got her hands on this book at the beginning of 2022, and it transformed how she engaged with her faith. In this week's episode, Isabela and Kat discuss the book, the importance of having an embodied faith, the centrality of food to our spirituality, and how to hold in tension the harm our faith has inflicted with the hope and liberation it also brings to marginalised communities.You can connect with Kat Armas, here.You can buy her first book, Abuelita Faith, here.Her second book, Sacred Belonging: A 40 day Devotional on the Liberating Heart of Scripture, is available here.Her upcoming book Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanising World is available for pre-order here. When you get a moment, I’d really appreciate it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts and/or rated us on Spotify.Connect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here.

Jul 31, 2025 • 55min
HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY AMATEUR ACTIVIST!
IT’S OUR 4TH BIRTHDAY!! In this episode, Isabela sits down to yap and reflect on the last 4 years of Amateur Activist. Isabela listens back to a couple of old episodes and answers some of the questions you all sent in.More than ever, I am so grateful for every single person who listens and shares anything involved with the podcast. Whether this is your first episode or you’ve listened to every single episode, I am so grateful. When you get a moment, I’d really appreciate it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts and/or rated us on Spotify.Connect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here.

Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 26min
Bridging the Gap in Sexual & Reproductive Health with Jocelyn Rojas Clark (revist)
This week Isabela is joined by Jocelyn Rojas Clark. Jocelyn is a registered nurse who specialises in women's health, has a Master of Women's Health Medicine, is a midwife and currently juggles multiple roles, one of which is her work as a clinical nurse specialist working to help women experiencing barriers accessing mainstream health care. She is extremely passionate about helping women and education.This week, Isabela and Jocelyn discuss a variety of topics regarding the body - how to examine your breast and chest area, what vaginismus is, the myths and misconceptions about the vulva and vagina, and how they both feel about hormonal birth control. They cover it all (or at the very least, a lot).As always, we are so grateful for everyone who listens and shares. When you get a moment, we'd be so grateful if you left a review on Apple Podcasts, rated us on Spotify, or tagged us in your stories on Instagram, @amateuractivistpodConnect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllA massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. https://www.instagram.com/mossyheartmedia/?hl=en A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here.

Jul 2, 2025 • 32min
Amateur Book Club: Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates
Welcome to the Amateur Book Club! In this episode, Isabela talks about Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pick-up Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How it Affects Us All by Laura Bates. Isabela begins her review of the book by introducing listeners to the ten chapters and the groups Bates outline in each chapter. She talks about the authority Bates has to talk about this topic & how she went about researching the manosphere.This is book 2 out of 3 for the Amateur Book Club. Follow us on Instagram @amateuractivistpod or on TikTok @belagiiirrrlll and keep an eye out for book 3, which we’ll vote and decide on in July. As always, we are so grateful for everyone who listens and shares. When you get a moment, we'd be so grateful if you left a review on Apple Podcasts, rated us on Spotify, or tagged us in your stories on Instagram, @amateuractivistpodConnect with me on Instagram, @belagiirrllConnect with Laura on Instagram here. Check out the chapter breakdowns on TikTok. A massive thank you to Mossy Heart Media for designing the cover art and logo. A big thank you to David Andrew for producing the music for this season. Follow him here


