Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla, and I’m the host of this podcast.

I don’t personally identify with any particular religious label, but one thing I know is for certain: Western religion, or at least the way it is often practiced, has never felt like it was made for me. For many people who feel similarly, it is easy to turn this divide into resentment or even hatred. Sometimes, that divide can feel inevitable. When I look at the state of the world and see the ways that religion can intersect with higher institutions, politics, and the lives of people like me, it can feel difficult not to feel entirely disconnected from those who hold different beliefs.

However, I believe it is more important than ever to communicate and have conversations with people who see the world differently and listen to their beliefs in order to find a space where we are all comfortable enough to share.

In this second segment with Deborah, a pastor at the Church of the Good Shepherd, we continue our conversation about this divide and explore its deep roots in American and international politics. If you haven’t listened to the first part yet, I recommend taking a look.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla, and I’m the host of this podcast.

Especially within my generation, I can feel a divide forming; one that has always existed but is becoming especially apparent as politics and society continuously exacerbate it. That divide being the debate of whether or not religion should play a role in higher institutions, and especially in political spaces. On one hand, religion is an inevitable part of people’s worldview and who they are, something that is always going to be represented in politics. On another hand, religion is not everybody’s worldview, and a neutral ground where no religion is involved is just as necessary. This past month, I met with Deborah, a pastor at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this first segment, we discuss the secularization of American society, right-wing Christian Nationalism, and most importantly, the delicate balance between church and state.

Without further ado, here’s Deborah.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla, and I’m the host of this podcast.

I could feel Linda’s eyes on me as I packed up my podcast equipment, hurrying to leave the dim-lit room for my next endeavor. At 83-years-old, Linda had been sober for over 40 years after near decades as an active addict, a journey she had shared in her thirty-minute interview in which we discussed God, happiness, and alcohol. Through her smile, she offered one last piece of her wisdom.

“I feel like, in some way, you understand it all a little more than the average person,” she said to me. “You’re a minority. It’s similar to being the child of an addict—we were born with a price to pay.”

As I left, her words still imprinted in my mind, I was firmly reminded that there are no differences that can separate us from wanting to understand each other in any means possible; that being said, there is always a way to empathize with anybody no matter how different you believe you may be.

Beyond the topic of addiction was an incessant reminder of humanity and how empathy and a desire to understand somebody who shares little in common with you can help those who might be struggling. In the wise words of Maya Angelou, we are more alike than we are unalike.

Without further ado, here’s Linda.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla and I’m the host of this podcast.

A few weeks ago, I got the chance to sit down and talk with Joe Halsch, the director of the Jim Toy Center in Ann Arbor, a community for queer folk and allies, as you might recall from our previous episode. In this continuation of Joe’s story, we further discuss nuances found within modern day queer media and its connection to capitalistic drive, as well as its complications within a hetero-normative society. If this is your first time listening to Joe, I suggest you to also take a listen to the first part of his segment as well before you continue here.

Without further ado, here’s Joe.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla and I’m the host of this podcast.

Since the release of Heated Rivalry, a show commissioned by Canada’s Crave and distributed by HBO Max originally written by Rachel Reid, queer media has had some of the greatest visibility I’ve personally ever seen in my life. From Young Royals to Red, White, and Royal Blue to Girls Like Girls to Leviticus, it seems as if, finally, queer folk are being eagerly represented. Sometimes, though, I cannot help but wonder if representation is inherently progressive, or if the undertones to the sudden intent from large corporations to depict queer folk could be sinister. How does capitalistic demand drive which “type” of queer person is shown in media? Where is the line drawn between fetishization and appreciation? Is there even a “right” way to create and market queer media to a predominantly straight audience?

Joe Halsch, the director of The Jim Toy Center in Ann Arbor, a community for queer folk and allies dedicated to advocacy and community engagement, helps answer these questions during this 2-part segment in which we discuss the history of queer representation and its implications in modern day media, as well as his own thoughts and experiences regarding queerness.

Without further ado, here’s Joe.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla and I’m the host of this podcast.

Tucked in a quiet corner of Ann Arbor, Michigan, The Safehouse is a refuge for any who may be facing intimate partner violence. At the head of the Safehouse is Christine Watson, who has long been an advocate for the protection and understanding of victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and other forms of intimate partner violence. Despite resources like The Safehouse being readily available, many misunderstandings still plague our knowledge of how to approach victims, a topic that Christine and I dive into as she discusses the careful intersection between gender, race, sexuality, and more when it comes to her work. How do you ensure all feel heard, no matter their story and background? Can you acknowledge all sides of a spectrum while still realizing that one demographic may be disproportionately affected? How do you make room for nuance in a topic as sensitive as intimate partner violence? In this episode, Christine and I discuss how she navigates her own understanding of her work and its intricacies, and more importantly, how we can change the conversation surrounding intimate partner violence to better help those without a voice.

Without further ado, here’s Christine.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla, and I'm the host of this podcast.

Following Judith, the founder of Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor who starred in the previous segment, it seemed as if new perspectives could be incorporated in order to gain a better understanding of the increasingly prevalent issue at hand: disordered eating.

While many may know textbook knowledge based on internet think pieces and middle school health classes, it is all too often that when we are faced with helping someone struggling with an eating disorder, we do not know what to do. People cannot be read like articles on the internet or vague social media posts. Unfortunately, they cannot be treated and supported simply based on the quotes you see when you google “what to say if my loved one might be struggling with an eating disorder.” Eating disorders are different for everybody. Some may want advice and a shoulder to lean on during worse episodes. Some may just want an ear to listen. For parents of children with eating disorders, the issue of how to spot, help, and alleviate becomes increasingly difficult as they try to grapple with the nuance of the situation and the individuality of their child.

In this segment, a parent will share their perspective on how an eating disorder made its way into their daughter and the aftermath of its destruction.

Welcome back to This Person I Met! My name is Kayla, and I’m the host of this podcast.

About 28.8 million Americans are currently affected by an eating disorder. That’s about 9% of the entire US population. And yet, nobody seems to truly understand what they are unless they actually struggle with one. Even then, stigma prevents many from ever reaching out and seeking support, or even realizing that they might have one. As you’ll be able to tell by my comments during this segment, the topic of eating disorders is a little personal to me. Not because I suffered from one, but because one of my close family members did, which eventually led to her hospitalization. And so, this episode is dedicated to one simple question: defining an eating disorder. Talking to Judith Banker, the founder and president of Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor, Michigan, felt like I was in a counseling session myself. Even as somebody who witnessed the spiral in somebody else in such close proximity, I quickly realized through our conversation that the complexity of an eating disorder is not something that can quickly be unpacked. Today, I still struggle to understand what happened to my family member and why it did. Despite this complexity, it remains ever important for further treatment, research, and support to be developed for the millions that need it. Treatment is a necessity for saving millions of lives, people that could potentially be your parent, sibling, or neighbor…eating disorders do not discriminate, and they are unafraid to tear through one’s life and harm them in ways that are still misunderstood.

Without further ado, here’s Judith.