"Am I a Humanist?" Shay Leonia on Discovering Humanism in Public
The American Humanist Association's Shay Leonia on finding humanism through a job posting, learning out loud, and meeting people where they are.
"I've never heard of humanism, but is this what I've been all along?" What happens when you discover the word for what you've believed your whole life? Shay Leonia came to humanism only recently, and rather than hide the learning curve, she has made it the heart of her work. In this episode, James Hodgson talks with Shay about her journey into humanism, the art of admitting what you don't know, and how to bring humanist values to people who have never heard the term.
We discuss growing up with everyday kindness as a lived value, letting go of the supernatural without losing what matters, the AHA Creator Program and building coalitions beyond the secular space, and why humanism needs to become more accessible and more representative if it is going to grow.
About the guest
Shay Leonia is the communications manager at the American Humanist Association (AHA), where she hosts the How to Humanist podcast and runs AHA's Creator Program, partnering with content creators to bring humanism to new audiences. A lifelong musician based in Philadelphia, she founded the media company 44th Minute Media and came to humanism recently, arriving, as she puts it, curious, a little confused, and glad she stayed.
In this episode
- How Shay discovered humanism through a job posting and realised it named the values she'd held all along
- Learning out loud: the "fourth wall break" behind How to Humanist, and why admitting what you don't know builds trust
- The AHA Creator Program, giving people a "soft landing" into humanism, and why the movement must become more accessible and representative
Chapters 00:00 Introduction: meet Shay Leonia
01:18 Growing up, and early humanist values
03:11 A reformed Jewish upbringing
04:01 Discovering humanism through a job posting
05:17 Learning humanism in public
06:00 Talking across belief systems, and reforming your own views
08:53 Letting go of the supernatural
10:05 Breaking the fourth wall on How to Humanist
14:39 The AHA Creator Program
17:12 Building coalitions beyond the secular space
19:59 Giving people a "soft landing" into humanism
22:57 Humanism's blind spots: accessibility and representation
25:51 What role should the AHA play?
28:24 Advice for talking with allies
31:04 Leading with curiosity and compassion
31:32 Changing minds and letting go
Links and references
- How to Humanist podcast: https://americanhumanist.org/how-to-humanist-podcast/
- American Humanist Association: https://americanhumanist.org
- Greg Epstein, Good Without God (mentioned in the episode): https://www.gregmepstein.com
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Music: Blossom by Light Prism
Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible and should not be treated as a fully accurate record of the conversation.
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