Experts say that hate against AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) communities has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, Steph and I are joined by my friend, Dr. Su Wang. Su and I grew up together in Pensacola, Florida. Su says that during those days, she tried to assimilate into the White community and sometimes felt embarrassed by her family’s …

What does your name say about who you are? In this episode, Steph and I have an honest conversation about the connection between name and identity. I talk about my ill-fated middle-school attempt to go by my actual name (Elizabeth). I also talk about the decision to change my children’s names when they were adopted. While their Russian names were …

Prayer is the ultimate honest conversation. God is not a vending machine and prayer is not about putting in our order. Why do some people have an active prayer life? What do they get out of it? And talking to God is one thing, but what about hearing from God? Is it weird to hear an audible voice and know …

This episode of Discovering Our Scars almost didn’t happen. Steph and I pride ourselves on honest conversations and we tend to look for topics that have the potential to create discomfort, but friends, this topic made me really uncomfortable. This week’s episode is titled, “Is Steph Asexual?“ A few weeks ago, Steph and I released an episode titled “Love? Actually…” where …

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, …