Found Family with MaryB. Safrit

This week, we will depart from our usual format and dabble in the world of storytelling. Because, let's be real, sometimes escapism is actually a great way to reset when feeling overwhelmed. It's Christmas time, so it's the time of year for Hallmark movies. I am a woman living in the big city who travels to my family's small-town farm every year, and thus I've decided to u...

During today's episode, you won't just hear from me. You'll also hear clips from past conversations with Jason Adam Miller, Joan Watson, and Ekemini Uwan. I've chosen these clips to create a larger arc about how singlehood can give us a fresh perspective on the time leading up to Christmas. These three are theologians, speakers, and writers and their perspectives can help us si...

Today, we'll be covering awkward questions. Thanksgiving and Christmas can mean interacting with humans who don't get us, which leads them to say derpy things. In today's episode, I'll break down my tried and true communication tips for these kinds of scenarios. Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite single pal--or for a holiday treat for yourself? We just launched a li...

Welcome to the first episode of our holiday mini-season! You won't be seeing any guest appearances by David Tennent or Katherine Tate, but you will be getting practical tips to help you have a healthy and meaningful holiday season as you are, where you are. First up we are talking about everyone's favorite topic... money! Don't worry. I won't be giving any high-level financial...

Season 11 officially launches next week.  It’s that time of year. Things are ramping up as we barrel toward the end of 2023. The holidays, with all they entail, are upon us. The family centricity of our culture dials up to 11. Commercials for the perfect gift for that special someone run 24/7. Regardless of our exact situation, there isn’t a lot of messaging that says, “Isn’t it great to be single...

This snippet is from my fantastic conversation with Beth Collingridge. Beth is a passionate advocate for inclusion within the church community. As the Communications Director at UK-based charity Single Friendly Church, Beth works tirelessly to create welcoming spaces where single individuals of all backgrounds are valued and embraced. Our merch store is now officially live! Check out our totes, te...

This mini-episode features a clip from my conversation with Mel New. Mel is the founder and owner of IYKYK Dating, a Christian dating coach, and runs a singles community with over 5000 members across the USA. Our new merch line is live and we are offering a launch week discount because we are just too excited to get these items in your hands. Browse shirts, hoodies, stickers and more at marybsafri...

Today's mini-episode features a clip from my conversation with Anna Broadway. Anna has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TheAtlantic.com , Christianity Today and other publications. She is the author of the forthcoming book Solo Planet: How Singles Help the Church Recover Our calling , due out from NavPress. In case you missed it, we're launchi...

 First up we have a snippet from my conversation with Vernique Esther. Vernique Esther is an Atlanta-based therapist and coach who specializes in Relational Trauma and Healthy Relationships. She is Author of When Seasons Change: A Divorce Recovery Interactive Devotional, Speaker, and founder of Authentically Wed— a faith-based community for all relationship statuses. This clip was originally part...

In this episode, Lyvonee and I talk about  The link between body positivity and sex positivity—and the path towards both  The power of knowing yourself and loving yourself The orgasm gap And reinterpreting scripture—aka Ruth, Tamar, and the Song of Solomon Lyvonne Briggs, MDiv, ThM, an Emmy Award winner, is a body- and sex-positive womanist preacher and speaker. She is the host of Sensual Faith Po...

In this episode, Carole and I discuss The link between grief and hospitality  The secret behind our 3 am come to Jesus moments  The spiritual dimensions of food  Grief, food, and other distractions: how to navigate healthy coping mechanisms Social reentry through food: connecting with others in our grief  Who our “stretcher people” are—and how to find them  A divorce survivor and late-in-life thri...

In this episode, you'll hear Katie and I talk about  The God moment / Carrie Bradshaw moment that turned Katie towards her calling  How to invest in and bet on yourself—even on a budget (read: student loans!) All things creative entrepreneurship: how to take your ideas seriously, create a plan, and build sustainably  And so much more! Katie Ellis is the Ceramicist & Founder of Dear Gloria...

In this episode, you'll hear Kaitlyn and I talk about:  How spiritual formation impacts political engagement—and why this is gets more human, accessible, and impactful on the local level.  Why self-sufficiency is a myth--for individuals and families and all people.  The ways collective engagement beats isolation, even within family units.  And why reciprocity is crucial within church communit...

In this episode, Beth and I talk about:  Identifying the pain points of exclusion—and how to get serious about including and being led by singles in the church.  Barriers to single leadership—unpacking the biases, assumptions, and misunderstandings about singles.  The lonely church: why we need to deliberately create an atmosphere of kindness, connecting people, saying hello and then some.  Beth i...

In today's episode, you'll hear Anna and I talk about:  Expanding coming-of-age rituals beyond graduation and marriage.  Marking a moment and remembering God's faithfulness.  How to celebrate the moments that might feel small.  And cultivating your own practice of celebrating.  Anna has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TheAtlantic.com , C...

In this episode, you'll hear Moriah talk about  The importance of finding spaces where you don't need to explain your identity to people Why everyone should be doing identity development work The ‘second puberty’ of coming out as an adult  How to find *your* people within the queer community All things self compassion, grace, and time when it comes to coming out later in life Moriah is a...

In this episode, you'll hear Mel and I discuss How to cultivate a growth mindset in dating The ingredients of a fun mixer for single Christians The secrets for maintaining hopefulness in dating And how to use dating apps (yep, we think Christians should use them). Mel is the founder and owner of IYKYK Dating, a Christian dating coach, and runs a singles community with over 5000 members across...

In today's episode, you'll hear Vernique and I talk about The hard, beautiful work of learning to show up authentically Letting go of "ideal" and/or fake versions of ourselves Why emotions are indicators, not dictators  How our relationships are impacted by emotional health Vernique is an Atlanta-based therapist and coach who specializes in Relational Trauma and Healthy Relatio...

In today's episode, you'll hear Jason and I talk about  Strange blessings for life's impossible moments What the Beatitudes have to say to single folks The power of finding joy in our right-now lives And finding belonging when the church doesn't know what to do with you.  Jason is the founder and lead pastor of South Bend City Church, an eclectic Christian community known for i...

In this episode, you'll hear Nate and I talk about  How to get the most out of therapy What happens when we use therapy as a dress rehearsal for our life How to practice addressing conflict with your therapist  The key ingredients for therapy and growth Nathaniel is a licensed marriage and family therapist, group facilitator, writer & wellness advocate based in New York City. He has five...

In today's episode, Audre and I are talking about  Inviting vulnerability in a safe way in singleness. How to combat cultural expectations of instant gratification when it comes to our spiritual interior  How to hold space for spiritual exploration  And questions to ask yourself when exploring a feeling, experience, or something new.   Audre is a trauma-informed certified spiritual director....

In today's episode, we're getting into it on all things solo travel with Rachael K. Rachael is a teacher, and Christian lifestyle blogger and content creator. She is currently based in Kenya with the organization Africa Inland Mission. Outside of teaching, she enjoys hosting friends and students at her home, reading, working out, and playing with puppies.  Today you'll hear Rachael...

Season 10 is here! Next week, aka July 11, we are officially launching season 10 of the Unsuitable podcast! We are stoked to be in the double digits and even more stoked to share what we've been cooking up for ya.   For our tenth season, we've decided to get super practical. In each episode, we'll interview an expert who happens to be single and Christian about one nitty gritty face...

In this episode, you'll hear us talk about: how we singles tend to overexert ourselves to prove our value to the church the social privilege of marriage and how not having it empowers us to rely on the sufficiency of the gospel how to really become part of each other's lives and a bonus Q & A segment!  Today, you're getting a special between-the-seasons treat. A few weeks back,...

Welcome to a special between-the-seasons episode of Unsuitable. Y'all loved Jason's episode from Season 8 so much we are releasing the extended cut for ya! In this episode, Jason and I cover:  navigating relational boundaries as a single pastor what we miss when we require pastors to be married how our assumptions create barriers in our friendships and why equating marriage with righteou...