REPLAY: Special Episode: Philly Sports Fanaticism as a Thin Place featuring Erik Johanson Artwork

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.

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Everyday Thin Places

REPLAY: Special Episode: Philly Sports Fanaticism as a Thin Place featuring Erik Johanson

February 07, 2025 • Rachael Gallagher and Elizabeth Varaso • Episode 99

We first aired this episode 2 years ago when the Philadelphia Eagles were preparing to meet the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl. With a rematch scheduled this Sunday, we figured a replay of one of our favorite episodes was in order.

From 2023 - 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 Eagles competing in championship games. We talk to Erik about how his love for Phladelphia and it's sports teams developed, and how it has become a thin place for him. And we explore one more important piece of Erik's story: his complicated relationship with his father and where Erik is left after his father's death last summer.