Memory, Faith, and Becoming Mini-Season (Episode 12)
A Note from Charlotte
I’m so glad you’re here for our third mini-season of All of This & More, where we’re diving into the themes of memory, faith, and doubt—and how these powerful forces shape who we are and who we’re becoming.
Why It Matters: For as long as I can remember, I’ve been captivated by the ways memory weaves through our lives—connecting us to our past, grounding us in the present, and guiding us into the future.
Memory isn’t just about what we recall; it’s about how the stories we carry, both our own and those handed down to us, form our sense of self and who we become.
>>> My own journey with memory, faith, and doubt has been anything but straightforward.
>>> There have been seasons of certainty and seasons of questioning, moments when memory has felt like a gift, and others when it’s been a weight to carry.
>>> What I’ve come to realize is that faith and doubt are not opposites, but companions—each shaping us in ways we might not expect, each inviting us to become more whole.
This third mini-season features conversations with four remarkable authors, each bringing a unique lens to these themes. Together, we explore:
How personal and collective memory influence our identities and relationships.
The ways faith and doubt can open us to deeper connection, growth, and transformation.
The role of storytelling in honoring our histories, healing wounds, and imagining new possibilities.
I hope these episodes encourage you to reflect on your own memories, to honor the questions you carry, and to notice how faith and doubt are shaping your own becoming.
Thank you so much for joining me here. More soon.
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As you listen to this season, I invite you to reflect on your own memories, both personal and collective. Consider how faith and doubt have shaped your path and how the stories you carry have formed you.
Where do you see glimpses of those who came before you?
How might embracing uncertainty open new doors for growth and connection?
What does it mean to become more of your full self, your whole self, not in spite of memory, faith and doubt, but because of them?
This mini-season is an invitation to lean into the fullness of your human experience, to honor the complexity of your history, and to find more belonging as you continue to become more of who you are through your own memories, faith, and doubt.
Transcript:
Welcome to All of This & More. I'm Charlotte Donlon, and I'm so glad you're here. During this third mini-season, we're exploring the intricate, sometimes tangled threads of memory, faith, and doubt, and how these forces shape and form us over time.
Memory is more than a personal archive. It's a living, breathing force, one that connects us to our past, to each other, and to the communities and traditions that have shaped us over the years and will continue to shape us. Memory is both individual and collective. It's the stories we carry in our bodies, the histories we inherit, the moments we return to again and again-- sometimes consciously, sometimes without even realizing it.
This season, you'll hear from four authors, each of whom brings a unique lens to the work of remembering. Across our conversations, we return again and again to the idea that memory is not just about what happened, but about how what happened continues to live in us and how it shapes our sense of self, our relationships, our faith, and even our doubts. Faith and doubt are often seen as opposites, but this season's guests invite us to see them as companions, two sides of the same journey. Faith is not a static state, but a living process. Doubt is not a failure, but an invitation to question, to wrestle, to deepen, and to grow.
Some of our guests describe faith as a kind of ongoing conversation, a practice of continuing to show up, listening for the divine, and making meaning even when certainty feels out of reach. Others speak to the ways doubt has opened them up to new forms of connection, new ways of seeing, and a more expansive sense of belonging.
Collective memory is woven throughout these episodes. It's present in the stories passed down, in the rituals and traditions that ground us, in the shared histories that shape our communities-- whether those histories are sources of pride, pain, or both. We hear how ancestral memory can be a source of strength and resilience, but also a channel for generational trauma. We talk about the ways storytelling can be a form of justice and a way to honor those who came before us and how it can be a means of healing for ourselves and others. We explore how collective memory can help us understand who we are, not just as individuals, but as part of something larger.
In the first author conversation of this mini-season, Leyla King shares about the legacy of her Palestinian heritage and the power of matriarchal faith and how those stories of her ancestors live on in her, shaping her identity and her vocation.
In my second author conversation, Salaam Green brings us into the world of memory activism, and poetic reckoning, showing how storytelling and ritual can transform both personal and communal wounds, and how the act of remembering can be a radical healing force.
In my conversation with Martha Park, she invites us into the generative space where faith and doubt coexist and where uncertainty is not a problem to solve, but a place to dwell, one that can lead to deeper self knowledge and more authentic connection with others.
In the final episode of this mini-season, Liz Charlotte Grant challenges us to embrace spiritual autonomy and to trust our own voices. She asks us to see faith as a dynamic and evolving process shaped by the stories we inherit, the questions we ask, and the communities we inhabit.
Throughout all of these conversations, storytelling emerges as a central practice. Stories are how we make sense of our lives, how we connect across difference, and how we carry memory forward. They help us name what is true, even when it's complicated or painful. Stories allow us to honor our ancestors and to witness each other's journeys while imagining new possibilities for ourselves and our communities.
As you listen to this season, I invite you to reflect on your own memories, both personal and collective. Consider how faith and doubt have shaped your path and how the stories you carry have formed you.
Where do you see glimpses of those who came before you? How might embracing uncertainty open new doors for growth and connection? What does it mean to become more of your full self, your whole self, not in spite of memory, faith and doubt, but because of them?
This season is an invitation to lean into the fullness of your human experience, to honor the complexity of your history, and to find more belonging as you continue to become more of who you are through your own memories, faith, and doubt.
Thank you for joining me here. Let's begin.