Why is She Acting Like that? Interpreting Black Women from Reality TV to the Workplace

Why is She Acting Like that? Interpreting Black Women from Reality TV to the Workplace

Reality television has never been just entertainment. It is a social text — a window into what we collectively believe about power, belonging, desire, and who deserves to be treated as fully human. In this episode of The Liberation Garden Podcast, I sat down with cultural critic and podcast host Alexandria Baetol (@abaetol on Instagram and Spotify), whose work on TikTok and at the Southern Poverty Law Center has helped thousands of people — particularly Black women — finally see themselves clearly in stories that were never designed to serve them. All views that Alex shared are her own.

Religion as a Social Determinant of Health w/ Nick Young

Religion is a social determinant of health. Theologies shape how we see our bodies, our worth, our communities, and even who gets access to care, dignity, and belonging. In our latest episode, I sat down with Nick Young to unpack how religion impacts mental health, social systems, exclusion, healing, and the ways we move through the world. This conversation meant so much to me. Follow Nick on TikTok, Instagram, and Threads @Nickyoungslife

The Body is Not the Problem: Deconstructing Ableist Theology and Structures w/ Connie Chen

In this episode of The Community Garden, I’m joined by Connie Chen—an MDiv-educated theologian from Harvard, artist, and disability rights activist—for a conversation about what access, embodiment, and dignity reveal about the kind of communities we’re actually called to build. Follow Connie @Connie Together, we explore how theology has too often been used to justify exclusion—and how disability justice helps us imagine something more honest, more spacious, and more humane. We talk about bodies, systems, creativity, belonging, and what it means to move from “accommodating people” to transforming the environments we share.

Questioning Our Answers w/ Kristian Smith

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by public theologian Kristian Smith to talk about his new book Question Your Answers — a powerful invitation to rethink the way we approach faith, certainty, and spiritual growth. Together we explore why deconstruction alone isn’t enough, the limits of binary thinking, how sin-consciousness shapes our spirituality, and what it means to read the Bible as a library of human voices rather than a single unquestionable authority. We also talk about spiritual bypassing, the grief that comes with losing certainty, and why the work of liberation in our spiritual lives doesn’t end with asking questions — it begins there. If you’ve ever wrestled with faith, power, or what it means to rebuild a spiritual life after certainty collapses, this conversation is for you.

Hush Harbors and Sacred Spaces w/ Tamice Spencer Helms

In this episode, I sit down with powerhouse theologian, Tamice Spencer Helms, M.A/ThM @blackmodernmystic. In this episode, we discuss Hush Harbors, Black, Queer Spirituality, and their book, Faith Unleavened! Tamice Spencer-Helms [https://www.theblackmodernmystic.com/] (they/she) is the founder of The Black Modern Mystic, a theo-activist, speaker, pastor, and scholar-practitioner based in Richmond, Virginia. With two master’s degrees in theology and leadership and a doctorate in Social Transformation, Tamice’s work merges spiritual practice, cultural critique, and liberative theology. They lead public speaking, workshops, retreats, and spiritual direction rooted in womanist thought, soulful leadership, and queer liberation. Tamice is also the author of Faith Unleavened, a manifesto for those reimagining the sacred on their own terms. Follow Tamice on their social platforms to stay up to date on all their amazing work. @blackmodermystic on all platforms!