Margo Guernsey
8 min read ⭑
“My projects take a long time because I am interested in bringing viewers into the emotional lives of the people in the films. It can be a healing process for the protagonist of the film and for us as filmmakers as we figure out how to do that.”
Margo Guernsey puts her heart and soul into creating documentaries she believes can help change the world — by listening to marginalized voices and telling their stories. As a director, producer and founder of Time Travel Productions, she and her team explore the struggles and joys of those who have gone before us and give space to learn from those experiences. Today, she’s giving an insider’s look at her work on The Philadelphia Eleven and her favorite ways to rest and enjoy life.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
I grew up in the mountains of Western Massachusetts. I’ve lived in Rhode Island, where I met my spouse, and we also spent time in Miami. Now, we call Boston home. My meals are all about parenting and family. It makes me happy when my 11-year-old daughter asks for kale (I’m a health nut) and my 15-year-old son makes eggs and cheese and offers me some (he is growing up!).
My favorite way to spend a Sunday is when my mother-in-law makes Sanchoco (a type of stew with lots of meat and veggies, typical of the Dominican Republic), and the whole family sits around the table to share a meal.
Attribution
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity (or activities) do you love engaging in, which also help you find essential spiritual renewal?
My favorite way to spend my downtime is with family. But sometimes, I need a break from those responsibilities as well. Our dog loves to run in the woods. About 15 minutes from our house, there are some paths in the forest. Officially, dogs are not supposed to be off-leash, but I love watching her run free. We get up at 6 a.m., just around sunrise, before most people are out. That way, she can run off-leash without running into many other humans or pets. She explores all the nooks and crannies, chases squirrels and chipmunks, takes some detours to explore and always comes sprinting back to find me. I get to breathe the fresh air from the trees and relish in nature’s glory.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you hide it?
I’m a very sensitive person. People often don’t assume that because I am not shy, but I am rocked easily by criticism or disagreements. Sometimes, this means I am the great negotiator, which perhaps comes with being the oldest in my family and having always felt some responsibility to keep everyone together.
This can be a strength, but it can also be a challenge. It is hard for me to sit in the discomfort of disagreement, recognize that criticism or rejection is just someone else’s opinion, and continue to shine in who I am. I am learning that I don’t have to solve all the conflicts. We can love each other as neighbors without always resolving disagreements or difficult encounters.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I make documentary films for a living. My projects take a long time because I am interested in bringing viewers into the emotional lives of the people in the films. It can be a healing process for the protagonist of the film and for us as filmmakers as we figure out how to do that.
For the past nine years, I’ve been working on a film about 11 Episcopal women who were called to the priesthood. They were told they could not follow that call because they were women. After a long process of discernment and lobbying for change, their allies helped them organize a service that was against the Episcopal Church’s official rules. The film tells their story. It is called The Philadelphia Eleven.
We all have a call or a purpose for our time on Earth. Some of us spend our entire lives figuring out what that is, and others know early on. We all face barriers of one kind or another. Sometimes, they’re financial. Other times, they’re psychological because we doubt ourselves, and far too often, earthly institutions tell us we can’t do what we are called to do because of a marginalized identity. It can be that we don’t have the right education, the right gender or ethnicity, or the “accepted” sexual orientation. This story speaks to so many of us who have a call that is denied by others. From working with these women, I’ve learned how important it is to stand in solidarity with others who are not able to fulfill who they have been called to be in this world.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
To be honest, I need to tell you that I don’t know how to separate what is the Holy Spirit and what is hard work. This film was very hard to finance. It was mostly supported by volunteer hours devoted by many people from all walks of life. One could say that it was that hard work and determination to never stop that got us to the finish line.
Over many years, every time it felt like an insurmountable task to finish, someone would email me and tell me how important this story was to them and thank me for telling it. Or someone would reach out and offer to help in their own way. For example, one of the women ordained as a priest in Philadelphia in 1974 sent me a ream of paper with addresses of every woman ordained a priest. She thought we should reach out to all of them, which we eventually did. Other times, someone would step up to help organize archival footage, transcribe interviews or simply talk through the next steps for fundraising. If the Holy Spirit has a hand in creative work, this is how she showed up for this story to be told and preserved.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you right now?
I have recently started practicing finding the Holy Spirit in my daily routine. If I notice my body tensing up because of a long list of tasks to accomplish, or due to stress in my work life, or if my children are arguing, I try to take a deep breath, land in the present moment and channel the Holy Spirit. Once I feel my body relax and I know he has come, I can also feel the beauty of being alive. I focus on a detail nearby, such as a drop of water on the window. The beauty in all that surrounds me brings peace, a sense of timelessness and an unexplainable joy.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed the game and changed your heart? What radically altered your life? What changed your reality?
I am a total nerd. I make movies, but I really love to read more than anything. I’ve read so much that has changed my life that I’m struggling to call out one or two suggestions for this audience. For our white readers, I am thinking about White Fragility by Rogin DiAngelo. As a country, we need to figure out how to have these conversations across differences in order to heal, and I think her ideas about why white folks get so defensive are a start.
A film that comes to mind is Frida Kahlo, out on Amazon Prime this year. Frida’s spirit is a guide for how to live a full life, overcoming physical and psychological pain and guided by spirit.
I would be remiss not to mention the Rev. Alla Bozarth’s poetry. She was one of the women ordained a priest in Philadelphia in 1974, and her poetry is life-changing. It tells the stories in my heart about love, grief and spirit in a way that I cannot articulate, but I can relish in her words.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or even thrive) in tough times—times like these! Name one resource you’re savoring and/or finding indispensable in this current season, and tell us what it’s doing for you.
I am reading the Seven Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism. In full disclosure, it was written by the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, one of the women in my film who was ordained a priest in Philadelphia in 1974. Her message about committing ourselves to increasingly generating justice and love for all people is resonating right now. I am also reading The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer. It is a game-changer. He lays out a very clear way for us to separate our consciousness from our thoughts, and by doing so, he has given me greater access to a practice that can bring peace and timelessness to my life. I am finding joy in so many parts of my day where I had not imagined it possible.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Believe it or not, my biggest dream right now is to take a break. After many years of a grind to bring stories to life through film, I’m ready for some space to listen and be present with the Holy Spirit and myself. All of my work has been telling stories about the everyday labor that is invisible in our economy and the marginalized voices of people who are following their calls despite the barriers. I know that my future work will also follow that path. I want to do that with peace in my heart and a healthy balance of work and play.
We appreciate Margo’s desire to take a break after years of hard labor. Taking time to be still, reflect on God and his Word, and connect with him in prayer can prepare us for whatever he has in store for us next.
May your days this week be filled with meaningful work and true rest.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15, ESV).
Margo Guernsey (she/her) is a documentary director and producer and founder of Time Travel Productions. Her feature films include Councilwoman, No Time To Fail and The Philadelphia Eleven (in theaters). Her work has received support from Chicken & Egg Pictures, ITVS, Catapult Film Fund, GoodPitch, Perspective Fund and the Ford Foundation. Margo teaches producing at Emerson College and is a member of the Documentary Producers Association.