On this week's episode we talk with Courtney Sams, an ex-mormon now living life (and thriving) in the Big Apple. 

For one of the first times publicly, Courtney shares her journey into and out of the LDS church along with how the church played a role throughout  her relationship, marriage and ultimately her divorce. 

We're in the midst of a global pandemic and a national crisis. Yet, how do we respond? As followers of many faiths and beliefs, how does faith guide us during these times? Do we protest? Do we pray? And how do we grieve? How do we look towards a better future for our country and for our fellow neighbors? We asked people of all faiths and backgrounds to let us know what they think.

What role does religion play in racial politics? 

On this week's episode we talk with Mandisa Thomas, the founder and President of Black Nonbelievers Inc. about her experience as a black atheist living in the Bible Belt.

Black Nonbelievers, is a non-profit, secular fellowship. Its goals include eliminating stigma, increasing visibility, and providing support and networking opportunities around non-belief in the African-American community. Through her work with Black Nonbelievers, Mandisa has had a number of major media appearances to her credit, including Playboy, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN.

What do you know about Buddhism? 

On this week's episode we talk with Darren Littlejohn, a best selling author, retreat leader, Certified Yoga Teacher, Reiki healing practitioner, a recovering addict and a practitioner of Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. Darren shared how the teachings of Buddhism played a pivotal role in his recovery and dives deeper into the core of Buddhist teachings. 

What makes someone a mother? On this week's episode of the podcast we interview Erin S. Lane about the influence American Christianity has on women who don't have, want, or center children of their own. Erin shares her personal journey, the origin of Mother's Day, her definition of Off-Script Mothering and much more.

In addition to her upcoming book on the topic of Off-Script Mothering, Erin is also the author of Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe and co-editor of Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank About Faith. Raised Catholic, former Evangelical, trained Quaker, and married to a Methodist, Erin lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her improbable kin. 

Often times we think there is a direct correlation between race and faith in an American context. But what if that's not necessarily true? What if majority of religions are actually very diverse with different ethnicities, backgrounds and perspectives? On this episode we have an amazing conversation with Shekhiynah Larks about her experience navigating faith as a black Jewish convert. 

Shekhiynah is the program coordinator and a diversity trainer at Be’chol Lashon, an organization advocating for a paradigm shift in how Jews see themselves and are seen by others. She holds a BA in politics from the University of San Francisco, is a native of Oakland and is very involved in Jewish life in the Bay Area.

On this episode we talk with Dale McGowan about his personal journey being an Atheist, navigating a multi-faith relationship and what he thinks Atheists often get wrong about religion. Dale is the editor and author of several books on nonreligious life, including Parenting Beyond Belief, Raising Freethinkers, Atheism for Dummies, and In Faith and In Doubt. He was named Harvard Humanist of the Year for his work in support of nonreligious parents.

Fasting is an important spiritual traditional across many different religions. On today's episode we talk with Amanda Martinez Beck about her personal journey with food and faith and get a better look at the relationship between the two. Amanda is a fat activist and storyteller. Her first book, “Lovely: How I Learned to Embrace The Body God Gave Me”, is her journey of accepting her body as it is today—good and fat at the same time. 

Welcome to What The Faith! In our first ever episode we share our individual faith journeys, the motivation to start the podcast and why we're ultimately choosing curiosity over certainty.  

A little taste of what's to come.