Today we return to the foundations, the brick laying of humanism, if you will. In this episode, Greg Epstein — Harvard and MIT's Humanist Chaplain and author of the NY Times bestseller Good Without God — joins us to break down what humanism actually is, where it came from, and why some of our biggest existential questions have been getting wrestled with for millennia, by regular people who just wanted to live a good life without being strong-armed into it. Welcome to humanism... we're glad to have you.

ABOUT GREG EPSTEIN
Greg M. Epstein serves as Humanist Chaplain at Harvard & MIT, where he advises students, faculty, and staff members on ethical and existential concerns from a humanist perspective. TechCrunch's first “ethicist in residence,” he has been called “a symbol of the transition in how Americans relate to organized religion” (The Conversation). He is author of the New York Times-bestseller Good Without God, and the multi-award-winning Tech Agnostic, and has written for TIME, CNN, and The Boston Globe.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregmepstein
Good Without God: https://bit.ly/goodwithoutgodbook
Tech Agnostic: https://bit.ly/techagnosticbook

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For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

We're chatting with actor, director, writer (and humanist) Jon Huertas today, traveling down the memory lane of his iconic roles and learning some of our favorite tidbits from his career. Jon also shares how humanism has impacted his career and just how cuddly cows are. Enjoy this conversation with Jon as we continue to honor Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month. #meetyourheroes

ABOUT JON HUERTAS

Agnostic Humanist. Air Force vet. Musical Theatre grad. 31 years in the game. Jon Huertas is Miguel on This Is Us, Esposito on Castle, and Poke in HBO's Generation Kill. Now he's calling the shots, directing The Rookie, Tracker, Ballard and more, prepping his feature debut Letters From Lebanon, and building series through his company WestSide Stories. Academy member. Lives on a horse ranch in Nevada City, California.

Follow Jon on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jonhuertas

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For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

Why wait? We're still on a kick from celebrating AHA's 85th annual conference this past weekend which included honorees Jordan Klepper, Anthea Butler, and Hank Green. And although we sold out of tickets for it (not once, but) twice, we know that not everyone got a chance to attend all the wonderful sessions. So we figured, let's give the people what they want -- and what everyone wants -- is more Klepper.

ABOUT JORDAN KLEPPER

Jordan Klepper, our Humanist of the Year Awardee is a three-time Emmy Award winner and co-host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. He is also a recipient of the Peabody Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Journalism for his work on The Daily Show, where he created and hosts the acclaimed Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse series, which has been viewed over 100 million times.

Klepper has written essays and op-eds for CBS Mornings and The Boston Globe on politics and civic life. He is also a nationally touring performer whose show Suffering Fools has sold out theaters across the country, and he recently delivered a top-ranked TED Talk on democracy and public discourse that has been viewed by millions.

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For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

It's a humanist crossover episode!

"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 SHAY LEONIA

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

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AHA Conference 2026: https://conference.americanhumanist.org
For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

Have a question about Humanism that you'd like answered on an upcoming episode of How to Humanist? Great! We'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to ->-> podcast [at] americanhumanist.org for your chance to hear your question on a future episode!

podcast [at] americanhumanist.org

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AHA Conference 2026: https://conference.americanhumanist.org
For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

As humans, we can find comfort in the most uncomfortable environments as long as it means we don't have to face change and sacrifice the only life we've known. Well, not only did Rev. Leika Lewis take that brave step and live to tell the tale -- they did it twice! As a professional Change Management expert, who better to assist us than Rev. Lewis on the windy road that can be deconstructing our beliefs, and helping us to build something even better this time around. Something like... joy.

ABOUT REV. LEIKA LEWIS

Rev. Leika Lewis (they/she) is a secular minister, chaplain, coach, and consultant. After a career as a corporate change management expert, Leika turned their skills to guiding secular folx and seekers who want to map their own path post-deconstruction and beyond dogma. Leika is a past president of the UU Humanist Association; a queer, kinky, polyamorous poet; and an unabashed Trekkie and Rennie. Heretics are their favorite people.

Leika Lewis Free Masterclass: https://masterclass.leikalewis.com

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AHA Conference 2026: https://conference.americanhumanist.org
For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

Where there's one of us, there's many. All around the country, people are searching for like-minded community, something AHA's 2025 Humanist Volunteer of the Year, Elizabeth Hegwood, knows very well. AHA has over 230 chapters and affiliates, but far more are needed to reach the communities that want them. That's why we're so grateful to have Elizabeth and Jake walk us through exactly how to start a humanist group near you.

For any additional questions on starting a chapter, contact Jake at jake [at ] humanist [dot ] org.

ABOUT ELIZABETH HEGWOOD

Elizabeth Hegwood is the president of Gulf Coast Humanists as well as the Mississippi State Director for American Atheists.

Gulf Coast Humanists: https://gulfcoasthumanists.org
Get in touch with Elizabeth: elizabeth.hegwood [at ] atheists [dot ]org

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AHA Conference 2026: https://conference.americanhumanist.org
For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist

Ever wonder if it's possible to give your children and teenagers books they will love purely for their entertainment value, while also teaching them about capitalist societies and the giant tapioca balls that can destroy evil? Oddly specific, but Jordan Ifueko is up to the challenge. The NYT Bestselling Author joins us this week to discuss children's rights, her journey through deconstruction, and her acclaimed novels that are being sought after around the world.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Jordan!

ABOUT JORDAN IFUEKO

Jordan Ifueko is the NYT Bestselling Author of the RAYBEARER series & the Disney-Marvel comics MOON GIRL & DEVIL DINOSAUR. She's been featured in People Magazine & NPR Best Books. She writes about magic Black girls who aren’t magic all the time, because honestly, they deserve a vacation.

Jordan on Instagram: https://instagram/jordanifueko
Invite Jordan to speak near you: https://jordanifueko.com/authorvisits

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AHA Conference 2026: https://conference.americanhumanist.org
For more on humanism: https://linktr.ee/americanhumanist