What do we do with the painful parts of our life story?

Anybody familiar with Philip Yancey’s work knows that it has cost him more than time to be a bestselling author and journalist. It has cost him a lifetime of pain, loss, and deep spiritual struggle.

Philip intentionally waited until recently to write down his story to protect some of the people in it, but now in his seventies, he’s released “Where the Light Fell,” his memoir that shares all the messy details about growing and beyond - losing his father, childhood poverty, parental abuse, ruinous fundamentalist Christianity, militant atheism, a nearly fatal car accident, and more.

In this episode he shares how he managed to come to new understanding in the face of suffering. “A writer really only has one gift,” says Philip Yancey, “and that's the gift of his or her own life.”

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

William Paul Young: Author of The Shack

Amy Grant: Fame, Vulnerability, and Staying Grounded

Kelly Corrigan: How Vulnerability Leads to Connection

Christian Wiman: The Opposite of Faith is Certainty

Resources mentioned this episode:

Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcription Link

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This is our unabridged interview with Tara Brach.

How do you accept yourself fully, just as you are? And if you did, would you ever grow?

“Being at peace with how we are in the moment is the precondition to transformation,” says psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach.

In this episode she provides us with a simple practice to find peace and transformation known by the acronym RAIN.

“We have amazing potential to change some of the habits that cause ourselves or others harm,” she says, “but we won't be able to access that if we're at war with ourselves.” Hear Tara’s stories from a life of practicing mindfulness, putting on display the wisdom and healing that come from pausing to accept the world as it is.

This episode contains a brief mention of disordered eating. If you are in need of support, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

Kristin Neff: Self Compassion

Curt Thompson: The Power of Being Known

Suzanne Stabile: Enneagram Wisdom and Living Well

William Paul Young: Author of The Shack

Resources mentioned this episode

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

RAIN meditation with Tara Brach

Tonglen meditation with Pema Chodron

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcript for Abridged Episode

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube

How do you accept yourself fully, just as you are? And if you did, would you ever grow? 

“Being at peace with how we are in the moment is the precondition to transformation,” says psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach. 

In this episode she provides us with a simple practice to find peace and transformation known by the acronym RAIN. 

“We have amazing potential to change some of the habits that cause ourselves or others harm,” she says, “but we won't be able to access that if we're at war with ourselves.” Hear Tara’s stories from a life of practicing mindfulness, putting on display the wisdom and healing that come from pausing to accept the world as it is.

This episode contains a brief mention of disordered eating. If you are in need of support, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

Kristin Neff: Self Compassion

Curt Thompson: The Power of Being Known

Suzanne Stabile: Enneagram Wisdom and Living Well

William Paul Young: Author of The Shack

Resources mentioned this episode

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

RAIN meditation with Tara Brach

Tonglen meditation with Pema Chodron

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcription Link

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube

This is our unabridged interview with Malcolm Gladwell.

You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell.

He is, after all, a New York Times bestselling author of “Outliers,” “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and other books. He’s the host of the wildly popular podcast “Revisionist History.” His work is heralded and his opinion asked by many folks on a wide array of issues. But what makes him so different that he has become one of the most successful journalists of our day?

In this episode, Malcolm tells a host of stories - from receiving endorsement from his mother to cut class, to attending a Mennonite barn-raising with his mathematician father, to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult - all which help explain how he became the wildly curious and unpinnable person that he is, bent on getting to the bottom of things.

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

David Brooks: Can We Save Society by Knowing Each Other?

Bill McKibben: The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon

Heather Holleman: The Art of Conversation

Resources mentioned this episode:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Revisionist History Podcast

Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcript for Abridged Episode

JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube

You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell.

He is, after all, a New York Times bestselling author of “Outliers,” “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and other books. He’s the host of the wildly popular podcast “Revisionist History.” His work is heralded and his opinion asked by many folks on a wide array of issues. But what makes him so different that he has become one of the most successful journalists of our day?

In this episode, Malcolm tells a host of stories - from receiving endorsement from his mother to cut class, to attending a Mennonite barn-raising with his mathematician father, to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult - all which help explain how he became the wildly curious and unpinnable person that he is, bent on getting to the bottom of things.

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

David Brooks: Can We Save Society by Knowing Each Other?

Bill McKibben: The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon

Heather Holleman: The Art of Conversation

Resources mentioned this episode:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Revisionist History Podcast

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcription Link

JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube

This is our unabridged interview with Tim Alberta.

At No Small Endeavor, we try to talk about the things that really matter to people. Two such things - politics and religion - are notoriously tricky to discuss without generalizing, proselytizing, or stoking division.

But in an election year, we can’t ignore a sub-group in the United States that is adamant about combining faith and nation: Christian Nationalists.

In this episode, we called in Tim Alberta, author of “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory” and an expert for the job. He shares what it was like growing up around the movement, offers his criticism of a subculture he knows inside and out, and presents the clear and present danger of conflating religious identity with national identity.

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

Kristin Du Mez: Jesus and John Wayne

Kristin Du Mez Sits with David French

David French: Conservatism without Trumpism

Russell Moore: Against, and For, the Tribe

Randall Balmer – name?  Link?

Resources mentioned this episode:

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Du Mez

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcription Link for Abridged Episode

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At No Small Endeavor, we try to talk about the things that really matter to people. Two such things - politics and religion - are notoriously tricky to discuss without generalizing, proselytizing, or stoking division.

But in an election year, we can’t ignore a sub-group in the United States that is adamant about combining faith and nation: Christian Nationalists.

In this episode, we called in Tim Alberta, author of “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory” and an expert for the job. He shares what it was like growing up around the movement, offers his criticism of a subculture he knows inside and out, and presents the clear and present danger of conflating religious identity with national identity.

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

Kristin Du Mez: Jesus and John Wayne

Kristin Du Mez Sits with David French

David French: Conservatism without Trumpism

Russell Moore: Against, and For, the Tribe

Randall Balmer – name?  Link?

Resources mentioned this episode:

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Du Mez

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcription Link

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube

Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Follow Lee: Instagram | Twitter

Join our Email List: nosmallendeavor.com

This is our unabridged interview with Eboo Patel.

“Diversity is a treasure,” says President and Founder of Interfaith America Eboo Patel. But what does “diversity” really mean?

The term is found these days in public discourse and political debate, in boardrooms and on athletic fields. But Eboo argues that the way it plays out in the United States often misses the point entirely: instead of honoring identity and leaving room for disagreement, we settle for a flattening of culture, calling it “diversity.”

“Coherent doesn’t mean univocal,” says Eboo. “In a democracy, you actually get to articulate your identity.” In this episode, Eboo describes why we should treasure our differences - especially religious differences - rather than treat them as insignificant, and provides new ways to frame polarizing issues around religion, race, and politics.

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

David Brooks: Can We Save Society by Knowing Each Other?

Eddie Glaude: On James Baldwin’s America

David Desteno: Can Religion Make You Happier?

Kristin Du Mez Sits with David French

Resources mentioned this episode

We Need to Build by Eboo Patel

Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel

Interfaith America’s website

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcript for Abridged Episode

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Stitcher | Google | YouTube

Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Follow Lee: Instagram |

“Diversity is a treasure,” says President and Founder of Interfaith America Eboo Patel. But what does “diversity” really mean?

The term is found these days in public discourse and political debate, in boardrooms and on athletic fields. But Eboo argues that the way it plays out in the United States often misses the point entirely: instead of honoring identity and leaving room for disagreement, we settle for a flattening of culture, calling it “diversity.”

“Coherent doesn’t mean univocal,” says Eboo. “In a democracy, you actually get to articulate your identity.” In this episode, Eboo describes why we should treasure our differences - especially religious differences - rather than treat them as insignificant, and provides new ways to frame polarizing issues around religion, race, and politics.

Show Notes

Similar episodes:

David Brooks: Can We Save Society by Knowing Each Other?

Eddie Glaude: On James Baldwin’s America

David Desteno: Can Religion Make You Happier?

Kristin Du Mez Sits with David French

Resources mentioned this episode

We Need to Build by Eboo Patel

Acts of Faith by Eboo Patel

Interfaith America’s website

PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes

Transcription Link

Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Stitcher | Google | YouTube

Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Follow Lee: Instagram | Twitter

Join our Email…

Sharing an episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are.

Every week, host Michele Norris talks to guests like Michelle Obama, Glennon Doyle, José Andrés and more. Together they explore the complexities of family life and how their earliest culinary experiences helped shape their personal and professional lives—and of course, each guest shares a recipe for a favorite dish from their youth so you can taste a bit of their story.

In this episode, singer-songwriter Jon Batiste serenades us with his harmonica-keyboard while reminiscing on the sounds of his childhood kitchen in New Orleans. He describes what it was like to grow up in a big, musical family of jazz legends, and shares some of their favorite Christmas traditions—including competing to see who could make the best and truest gumbo.

You can find more Your Mama’s Kitchen here.

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