Grub & Grace

Cultural Gaslighting of American Mothers w Sandra Maurer

Motherhood in America is often sold as a beautiful, fulfilling dream wrapped in matching family photos and inspirational coffee mugs. The reality, however, tends to involve exhaustion, impossible expectations, political whiplash, and a society that insists everything is “fine” while mothers quietly drown beneath the weight of it all. In this episode of the G&G Podcast, we unpack the cultural gaslighting surrounding American motherhood — the constant messaging that women should feel grateful, fulfilled, and supported despite systems that often leave them isolated, overworked, and blamed for struggling. From reproductive healthcare and bodily autonomy to economic instability, immigrant family fears, childcare costs, and the emotional labor mothers are expected to absorb without complaint, this conversation examines the widening gap between public narratives and lived reality. Why are mothers expected to function as emotional shock absorbers for society while receiving so little structural support in return? And what does that disconnect do to a person psychologically over time? Joining the conversation is Sandra Maurer, a licensed professional clinical counselor and reproductive mental health specialist from Minnesota, who helps explore the mental and emotional toll these contradictions create. Together, we discuss chronic stress, anxiety, societal conditioning, maternal identity, and the impossible balancing act many women are pressured to perform every day. If you’ve ever felt like the messaging around motherhood sounds suspiciously different from what mothers are actually experiencing, this episode is for you. Because sometimes the most destabilizing part of dysfunction is being told you’re overreacting to it. American Mother-load is Sandra Maurer's future book that she is hoping to get out later in 2026. IG: @mn_therapist TT: @mn_therapist Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Doubting Faithfully w Keith Long

In this episode, we sit down with the ideas from Doubting Faithfully by Keith Long to explore what it means to deconstruct faith without abandoning it entirely. Instead of treating doubt as failure, we examine how it can be a sign of growth—a willingness to move beyond inherited certainty and into something more honest, even if it’s less comfortable. We also dig into the unsettling pull sometimes felt within high-control religious spaces—the sense that questioning could cost you everything, yet not questioning might cost you yourself. From there, we wrestle with what it means to hold tension: to entertain difficult ideas without immediately accepting or rejecting them. Why is that so hard? What systems, fears, or social pressures keep people from engaging deeply with their own beliefs? And how might learning to sit with uncertainty actually reflect a deeper kind of spiritual maturity? Ultimately, this conversation invites us to loosen our grip on needing to be right. What if being wrong isn’t something to fear, but something to learn from? What if faith isn’t about certainty, but about curiosity, humility, and the courage to keep going anyway? Pull up a chair—this is a space where doubt isn’t the end of faith, but part of how it becomes something real. Keith Long has been a Lutheran pastor for 14 years and is the author of three books, Doubting Faithfully: Confessions of a Skeptical Pastor, Growing Spirit Wise: A Heretic’s Guide to Resurrection and Eternal Life, and Moviemakers, a novella. Keith has also written for New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman's blog, studies expanded consciousness in his free time, and loves his home state of Minnesota where he resides with his family. His website is www.authorkeithlong.com [http://www.authorkeithlong.com] and is currently developing a Lecture Series entitled "Jesus Beyond Christianity" 7 in-person and online presentations exploring pre-Christian culture and the future of religion. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Xtian Leftists Against Christofascism

Episode Notes — Xtian Leftists Against Christofascism Welcome to Grub & Grace, a space that pushes back on the idea that Christianity belongs to one political ideology. Here, we take seriously the need to question what we’ve been taught—especially when faith gets tangled up with power. In this episode, we confront how Christian Nationalism continues to shape public life, and how certain church leaders have traded prophetic witness for proximity to empire—dressing up domination, exclusion, and nationalism in the language of “God’s will.” We dig into what some are calling an “attack on empathy”—how compassion itself is being reframed as weakness or even heresy in certain spaces. From policies that harm marginalized communities to rhetoric that dehumanizes immigrants, queer folks, and BIPOC communities, we explore how systems built to benefit cis-het white power structures ultimately dehumanize everyone. This includes a hard look at the realities of immigration enforcement and the fear it instills in families and communities, raising urgent questions about justice, dignity, and who gets to be seen as fully human. At its core, this episode is about reclaiming faith from the grips of empire. What does it look like to follow a tradition rooted in liberation rather than control? How do we resist forms of Christianity that align with fascism while building something more honest, more just, and more life-giving in its place? Pull up a chair—this is a conversation that refuses easy answers but insists on something better. Anthony DePice is an activist and an organizer. You can find him on all social platforms under the name Anthony DePice. Attributions: ON8FDNIHEAKJ8GXS

Won't You Be My Neighbor w Ian McConnell

In this episode, we start with a simple but disarming question: Who is our neighbor? And we don’t stop there—we flip it on its head and retort with: Who acts LIKE a neighbor? Using Fred Rogers as a guide, we explore what emotional intelligence looks like in practice—how curiosity, empathy, and emotional awareness can shape the way we show up for one another. We revisit his well-known idea of “the helpers,” asking what it really means to look for them—and more importantly, to be one—in a world that often feels fractured and overwhelmed. From there, we wrestle with the moral weight of First They Came by Martin Niemöller, reflecting on silence, complicity, and the cost of failing to see others as our neighbors until it’s too late. This episode holds together tenderness and challenge—inviting us to expand who we include in our circle of care, to resist the instinct to look away, and to consider what it might actually take to answer that question, not just in theory, but in practice. Ian McConnell is a pastor of The Fabric church in Minneapolis, MN. He is a partner to the platform “Reclaim The Church” with Rozella Haydeé White and Pastor Tuhina Rasche (ReclaimTheChurch.substack.com [http://ReclaimTheChurch.substack.com] and @ReclaimTheChurch on IG). You can also find him on TikTok @iangmcconnell.

BSE: Once An Addict, Always An Addict & J-O-Y

In this episode, we examine two common ideologies often promoted in religious rehab and recovery spaces: “Once an addict, always an addict” and “J-O-Y: Jesus first, others second, yourself last.” While these ideas are frequently presented as spiritually grounded wisdom, we explore how they can become harmful when used as the foundation for addiction treatment. We discuss how “once an addict, always an addict” may reinforce shame, hopelessness, and a fixed identity around addiction rather than recovery, and how the J-O-Y framework can encourage chronic self-neglect, poor boundaries, and the belief that personal needs are inherently less important than everyone else’s. This episode looks at why these teachings persist, why many people find comfort in them, and how even well-intentioned beliefs can create damaging outcomes when applied uncritically in recovery settings.