Stay Curious. Grow Compassion. Choose Courage.
About Judy Sandiford
People's stories are powerful.
I consider it an honor and privilege to be able to share in people’s story; to ask questions to help draw them out. When we hear a person's story, when we really enter into the story with them, whether or not we agree with everything they say, there is something powerful that happens. We expand our horizons, and everyone wins. As a bridge-builder, I have a strong desire to help people understand each other.
Because I’ve had the privilege of living in 5 different countries, I appreciate and am drawn to people who are different from me. That’s one side of my story …
loving diversity. But at the same time, I grew up in a very conservative faith community. I liked the “certainty” of those beliefs at that time. It gave me a sense of safety. So a big piece of my growth has been becoming comfortable with uncertainty.
Part of the journey for me has been to lean into trying to understand other points of view – even if it doesn’t always come naturally to do so. I’m learning to live with the seeming dissonance of standing strong for what I believe, while at the same time leaving space for the discomfort of uncertainty. It’s a work in progress for sure.
This podcast is for those who are willing to stay courageously curious.
How it all began…
It's always been so confusing to me how people I know and love can have such different ways of seeing an issue. That came to a head for me years ago when I learned about the abuse of some young boys (who I loved) at the hands of a couple of Sunday School teachers at a church I used to attend.
When I saw the response of some people’s responses, I remember thinking to myself … “Am I living in an alternate universe?” Why did the first response seem to be one of protecting the church -- rather than acknowledging the horrible injustice that had been perpetrated against these now young men, and a willingness to do whatever was needed to right this wrong?
I did what I always do when someone I love is hurting … I started researching and learning as much as I could about abuse and how to help advocate for survivors. Along with a sense of justice, strong empathy for those who have been hurt and marginalized, and a desire to be a bridge builder, I wondered what more I could do? I couldn't help wondering -- if they had heard the stories of the survivors, how the abuse had affected their lives, would it have made a difference to how they saw the situation and how they responded? And that is where this podcast was born.