Virtue signaling generally refers to an empty act, but is virtue signaling all bad? We each have virtues that we deem important and sometimes we want to signal them. Plus, awareness is valuable and what seems like a meaningless gesture might bring attention that generates change. But then, what do we do when companies signal virtues we disagree with? Do …
Discovering Our Scars Podcast, Episode 69 How often have you heard someone say, “I’m a good person. I’m not prejudiced!”? Are the two mutually exclusive? Is our desire to label people good and bad at the heart of our inability to admit and address our prejudices? In this episode, Steph and I admit and explore some of our prejudices, where …
Six years ago Steph’s friend David began revealing to people that he is gay. In this episode, he joins Steph and me for an honest conversation about what that was like. Straight people never have to “come out” to their parents, declaring their attraction to another gender. When we step back and look at what our LGBTQ+ friends go through, …
A mentor once told Steph that her hobby and her job had to be two different things. On this episode, she and I have an honest conversation about jobs and hobbies. The dichotomy between the work you do for money and the things you do for fun is an old way of looking at things that doesn’t represent today’s lifestyles. …
Steph and Beth have an honest conversation about the use of #Blessed. While it can be intended to show appreciation, it also has some troubling implications. If you aren’t #blessed, are you #cursed? Also, what do we mean when we say “God Bless America?” And why do we say “God bless you” when someone sneezes? It turns out if you …
2020 has been a year like no other. It brought us together and tore us apart all at the same time. We endured debates about the efficacy of wearing a mask AND we endured presidential debates. Police misconduct and brutality brought our need for anti-racist ideas to the forefront. And in the midst of it all, we stopped shaking hands, …
Just as Samuel Moore-Sobel was about to start his sophomore year in high school, his face was burned by sulfuric acid. In a flash, his life was changed forever. Samuel endured many surgeries to address the physical injuries, but soon he realized the emotional trauma he suffered was just as real as the burns on his face. In this episode, …
In 2015, I released a Christmas Bible Trivia game. I released it as a printable PDF that you could pass out at a Christmas party. I was inspired to create the game after reflecting on the time the Bible embarrassed me at a Christmas party. So many of you loved it! In 2020 we couldn’t easily gather in person, so …
What does it mean to “cancel” someone? Why does it happen and who gets to decide? Steph and I have an honest conversation about canceling, boycotting, and harnessing the power of group think on social media. We talk specifically about JK Rowling and the questions about her support for transgender individuals, but also about the broader question of why people …
When we are young children, we think our parents are practically super-human. We think they can do no wrong. We think they follow the rules, especially the ones they set. But, at some point, we realize they are just humans who make mistakes and sometimes break the rules—even rules they come up with themselves. When Steph was 14-years old, her …