Before there was a world, there was a family problem.

In Episode One, we meet Apsu and Tiamat, watch the first generations of gods turn cosmic noise complaints into murder, and follow Tiamat from protective mother to dangerous enemy. Then Marduk steps into the mess with an offer: he’ll save everyone, but he wants something in return.

This week, we’re talking about grief, fear, power, who gets labeled “chaos,” and what people are willing to hand over when they’re scared enough.

In Episode 0 of Many Voices, One Conversation, I’m starting with the question behind almost everything I do: why?

I talk about losing my voice, finding it again, and the phrase my dad gave me that shaped the way I think: every no has a reason.

This podcast isn’t about giving you one right answer. It’s about reading the sources, respecting different perspectives, questioning what we’ve been told, admitting what we don’t know, and making room for disagreement without turning each other into enemies.

I’ll bring you what I notice, what I learn, what I think, and sometimes a good old-fashioned “okay, but what if?”

You don’t have to agree with me. In fact, I hope sometimes you don’t.

Pull up a chair. There’s room at the table.