What If Project

Episode 361: Better Than Normal w/ MaryAnn McKibben Dana

May 04, 2026

Most of us were handed a script, right? THIS is what success looks like. THIS is what a good life is. THIS is what it means to be normal. BUT. What happens when that script starts to crack, when it just doesn't work anymore? In this episode, I’m joined by MaryAnn McKibben Dana, author of the amazing book, Better Than Normal; and we talk about what it means to step off that script - especially when that might be scary, costly, or misunderstood. We get into topics like anxiety, parenting, decon...

Episode 360: Liza Rankow - Soul Medicine for a Fractured World

April 05, 2026

Today we are talking to Liza Rankow about some things that just might hold the power to change the world. Liza J. Rankow, PhD, MHS, is an interfaith minister, educator, activist, and author. Her lifework centers the deep healing that is essential to personal and social transformation. Liza is the founder and former executive director of OneLife Institute, which for almost 20 years supported the well-being of frontline changemakers. She has been a spiritual counselor and teacher for more than ...

Episode 359: Scott Gelfand - Ethics, Morality, and a New Way Forward in Divisive Times

March 03, 2026

What happens to morality when the old rules no longer work? For many of us raised in Evangelical or fundamentalist Christianity, ethics once felt clear: follow God’s commands, trust the Bible, and do the right thing. But when that framework begins to fall apart, moral decision-making can suddenly feel confusing ... even frightening. In this episode of the What If Project, I’m joined by Dr. Scott Gelfand, author of Thinking Ethically: A Handbook for Making Moral Choices, to explore what it mea...