Everyday Thin Places
In each episode of Everyday Thin Places, birth doula Elizabeth Varaso and interfaith hospice chaplain Rachael Gallagher draw from their experiences supporting birthing people and dying people to explore with honesty, authenticity and humor how we can all become more truly-living people. Although birth and death are two of the only truly universal human experiences, we often think of them as painful, frightening and best kept behind closed doors. But behind those closed doors Rachael and Elizabeth have experienced the wonder and delight of “thin places” - those points in space and time where the line between known and unknown, between temporal and eternal, between the ordinary and the transcendent become beautifully blurred. No matter if you are the kind of person who finds the topics of birth and death thrilling, terrifying or just not all that interesting Rachael and Elizabeth’s conversations with each other and with guests from all walks of life will draw you in and keep you coming back for more. No topic is off-limits and every episode will have you seeking and savoring the everyday opportunities to visit life’s thin places.
Episodes
114 episodes since 2020
REPLAY: Art, Music and Light with Dan Martin and Michael Biello
We’re releasing this magical episode again to remind our steady listeners and to engage our new listeners around the amazing songs and monologues we call Elderland.When this episode was initially published, things were looking...
September 13, 2024
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Episode 96
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1:08:50
Teaching is Emotional with Diane Manser
Slowly but surely making our way back into the podcast feed! Diane Manser is here to talk about being a highschool teacher and an author of the new book,
July 01, 2024
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Episode 95
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50:29
Grandmother Stars, Mother Earth, Auntie Moon
We're celebrating a seven year plan coming together! Ever dreamt of seeing a solar eclipse in totality? Well, buckle up because Elizabeth and her whole family traveled to northeast Ohio and got to see a gorgeous day complete with 2024's solar e...
June 17, 2024
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Episode 94
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43:02
We're Still Here!
We're so excited for another Everyday Thin Places episode after quite a while away! We chat about our energy coming back as we move from winter to spring. We're diving deep into all things spring! The ladies discuss Elizabeth's spring pla...
March 11, 2024
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Episode 93
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32:08
Where'd You Park Your Spaceship?: An Interplanetary Tale of Love, Loss, and Bread by Rob Bell
Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso return with guest Rob Bell to discuss Rob's new book, "Where'd You Park Your Spaceship?". Starting with a discussion about this being a departure from Rob's previous works of nonfiction, we assure you that...
October 30, 2023
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Episode 92
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55:03
Trea Turner and The Rabbit Effect
It's Red October in Philadelphia, and Phillies fever is spreading. Symptoms include yelling, cheering, and . . . kindness? Elizabeth has been gushing to Rachael about Phillie's short stop Trea Turner for weeks now, so it's onl...
October 16, 2023
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Episode 91
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44:50
Psychedeladoula: Nicki Cowan
Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso interview Nicki Cowan, psychotherapist, end-of-life doula, and co-founder of the Philly Death Doula Collective. In this special episode, Nicki discusses awe, existential intensity, and the greater-than-hum...
August 28, 2023
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Episode 90
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1:01:34
Healing and Learning in the Desert with Kay Bruner
Rachael and Elizabeth are back with Kay Bruner. They start the episode with some quick life updates from Kay, then begin talking about Kay's favorite aspects of life in the desert, "Agave Watch", and learning how to be okay with letting go....
August 14, 2023
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Episode 89
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50:24
Neighbors With No Doors featuring Josiah Haken
On this episode, our new friend Josiah Haken, CEO of City Relief in NYC shares about serving those stuggling with housing insecurity and food insecurity. Josiah skillfully walks us through how serving people experiencing homelessness is a...
July 17, 2023
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Episode 87
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1:03:49
Art, Music, and Light with Dan Martin and Michael Biello
Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso are joined by life partners and creative collaborators, Dan Martin and Michael Biello to discuss telling stories through art, music, and light.Dan and Michael skillfully walk us through how they create...
July 03, 2023
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Episode 86
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1:08:50
Come on in, the water's fine! - Elizabeth's Year of Truly Living
After being coy for a while, on this episode, Elizabeth finally shares what has kept her busy most summers, and what's been keeping her busy this year.Featuring:human milk oligosaccharidesfinally welcoming a baby in...
June 19, 2023
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Episode 85
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43:04
Where Possibility Plays - Rachael's Year of Truly Living
Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso reflect on this past year and catch up on what Rachael's been doing this year. Featuring:"season" in south Florida and how locals enjoy summertimebeing challenged professi...
June 19, 2023
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Episode 84
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40:21
Cheers to three years! Happy Third Anniversary Everyday Thin Places!
In this episode, Rachael and Elizabeth talk through the story of calling this episode an "anniversary" and we talk about what to expect in the future from Everyday Thin Places. Thank you for listening and letting us celebrate this special occas...
June 15, 2023
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Episode 83
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43:30
Special Episode: Philly Sports Fanaticism as a Thin Place featuring Erik Johanson
In this very special episode, it's time for the Super Bowl. Joining us for the first time is Erik Johanson, Philadelphia sports fanatic. In the last 5 months, Philly fans have gotten quite a bit of excitement with both the Phillies and the Eagl...
February 13, 2023
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55:19
Happy (2nd) Birthday, Everyday Thin Places!
Rachael and Elizabeth react to Everyday Thin Places turning two years old, before reflecting on the amazing guests we have had the privilege to host. Plus, what’s next for Everyday Thin Places?!As promised,
June 15, 2022
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Episode 82
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38:05
The Thin Places that Teachers Create
Elizabeth has been keeping busy making teacher appreciation gifts, and Rachael has been watching her teacher friends on social media as they wrap up the school year. It feels like a great time to talk about teachers and the impact the have made...
May 23, 2022
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Episode 81
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40:44
Unbelieve with Marla Taviano
This is a second episode with Marla Taviano because she HAS A NEW BOOK in the world! We explore the poetry within "Unbelieve - Poems on the Journey to...
May 09, 2022
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Episode 80
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1:07:48
Silence - Let's talk about it!
Rachael and Elizabeth record an actual conversation about silence! In their conversation, Rachael discusses her thoughts on how silence can be used as a weapon. Plus, Elizabeth talks about how she's gotten curious and open to silence. SPOILER: ...
April 25, 2022
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Episode 79
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46:59
Silence as a Thin Place
Nope, this isn't a glitch or a mistake. We'll be back to talk about silence in our next episode. But for today we invite you to take 7 minutes of silence for yourself. Think of this as an experiment....
April 11, 2022
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Episode 78
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8:47
Building a Blended Family featuring Angela Dobryznski
Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso are joined by Angela Dobrynski, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Grief Specialist. While Angela has a wealth of professional experience in the world of grief and loss, this conversatio...
March 28, 2022
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Episode 77
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45:40
Advance
Rachael and Elizabeth talk all about ADVANCING (most notably, the Battle of Little Round Top, chemotherapy, and athletic training). Also, Elizabeth shares about an advance she received in order to help her neighbors and her family.Every...
March 14, 2022
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Episode 76
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42:21
Retreat
On this very special edition of "Everyday Thin Places", it's finally time for our first ever Everyday Thin Places RETREAT!!!!! We discuss our differing opinions on taking baths, our motivations for being in water, what we think about retreat, a...
February 28, 2022
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Episode 75
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36:05
Oruguitas y Mariposas
Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso break down the everyday thin places we experienced in the Disney film, Encanto. Encanto is amazing, and if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go watch this movie on Disney+. We will share som...
February 14, 2022
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Episode 74
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43:03
Your Chrysalis with Melissa Jill Clark
Life Coach, Melissa Jill Clark joins us on the Everyday Thin Places podcast to talk about having all we need within us now, yoga as embodied prayer, and Melissa's poem that was recently published in book form:
January 31, 2022
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Episode 73
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32:58
Stories for Community-building featuring Matt Gorkos
Today on the podcast, hosts Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso talk with Philadelphia-area-based pastor and author, Matt Gorkos. Matt has built Storied Church Ministry Consulting , focused on cultivating connections through stories. One of ...
January 17, 2022
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Episode 72
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40:51