A Little Unorthodox: Navigating Faith and Identity as a Young Adult

            A Little Unorthodox is a podcast and weekly radio show exploring the intricacies of young adults' cultural and religious identities. Our podcast finds the nuance in a social climate. Religion is often discussed in false extremes, either as polarizing forces or evidence of a past. Through weekly episodes, our platform offers a space for meaningful conversations that highlight the intersections of religion, identity, and community. Our show was born from the shared curiosity and search for meaningful dialogue of two college students. Our existence in a hyper-connected age, one of social media and oversharing, does not guarantee that we are having deep, valuable conversations. While navigating the connected world, young people today often face challenges related to religion, faith, intersectionality, and identity. Our target audience is navigating major life transitions, such as moving away from home, meeting people from different backgrounds, and questioning what they have always known. That is where A Little Unorthodox comes into play. Our podcast offers a unique, perhaps unorthodox, approach to exploring and addressing the complexity of identity and faith. Our show aims to shed light on the nuances of religion through fieldwork, event coverage, and intimate interviews with experts and real-world people who share their unique stories. Our podcast provides a platform for young people to share their experiences and insights through multimedia elements, while educating and connecting our broader audience. 

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            We are not theologians. We are not clergy. We are not experts. We are two college students, Emily and Abe, united by a shared curiosity: what drives people and what they believe in? Neither of us comes from a formal background in religious studies. Instead, we are equipped with something much more grassroots: a deep interest in people, a respect for lived experiences, and a desire to understand better the systems shaping the lives of those around us. We believe that knowledge of religious practices should be as accessible as possible, specifically for college-aged students. College is the time of self-discovery or reinvention. It is a time when students discover their lifelong beliefs. Students may enter with family-inherited ideals, but their peers, challenging questions, and new freedoms can push their beliefs to a point of tension or intensity. It is a reckoning with religion and our identity.

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            Questions like, “Is this belief system something I want to keep? Is it mine, or was it passed down to me? Can I hold on while questioning my faith?” We felt there was no clear space where these specific questions were being asked in a way that was also accessible for a larger audience. A Little Unorthodox was created to fill that gap. It is an approachable, informal space for having hard conversations about religion and identity without the pressure to agree, convert, or come to a conclusion. Our goal is not to solve religion. We aim to understand why it matters so much or doesn't matter for young people trying to find their place in the world. 

 

            Here’s what we did. 

            We suspected that we weren’t alone in our curiosity. While college is the time of deconstruction, rebuilding, or reimagining who we are, religion and faith direct many crucial daily decisions. We wanted to get to know somebody and their religion in each episode. Asking basic questions, we believed, was the path to allowing someone to open up about complex feelings and emotions related to their religion and faith. The goals for each episode would vary depending on the guest, but the concept/goal of dialogue would hold throughout. We excel at communication, so it would also be a good fit for us.

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            Initially, the show was created as a radio show. We applied through Blaze Radio to create something powerful and fulfilling while rooted in a real-time connection with listeners and guests. We imagined that Sunday mornings would lend themselves to a slower and more reflective time, not only for our dedicated listeners but also for ourselves. That foundation allowed us to evolve into something more polished: a hybrid of radio and podcast. Our episodes aired live every week, but were also recorded, allowing us to edit them for clarity. Each episode is stand-alone, but it contributes to an overarching concept of self-exploration with faith at its center. 

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            Each episode would ideally be cut and curated to create an original podcast that can be found on streaming devices, making it easy and accessible. The show aired live on Sunday mornings to hit our target audience. We also wanted to mix in some expertise. As stated earlier, we are not experts; we are just curious. At a university, we had access to staff members and information that not everyone could access. Our goal was to incorporate it as effectively as possible.

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            Each episode, after being recorded in its roughest and most live version, was downloaded and edited using Adobe Audition. Edits make episodes more digestible by removing awkward pauses, unnecessary content, and occasional but rare mic slip-ups.

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            We navigated clunky equipment, lost audio files, and scheduling nightmares. There were times when the show felt like it was going to fall apart due to pressing exams, job interviews, mental health lows, and the overall unpredictability of life. We each experienced profound losses in our families and personal lives, but we worked together as a team to navigate and overcome them. We continued to show up. We divided our responsibilities, making late-night edits and early morning calls.

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            The result? Six thoughtfully crafted episodes. Each episode was a product of teamwork, empathy, and a belief in the work we were doing. And, for 45 minutes each Sunday, we carved out a space for people to talk about what they believe, what they don’t, and why it all matters.