Sarah Willen

In a world where so many of us are living in a state of reaction, how often do we take a moment for ourselves to pause, breathe and reflect before reacting? Will we ever fully grasp the cultural impact of living through a global pandemic? Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm excited to welcome Sarah Willen to the podcast. Sarah is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Research Program on Global Health and Human Rights at the University of Connecticut. She is also the author of the book, Fighting For Dignity: Migrant Lives at Israel's Margins and the co-founder of the Pandemic Journaling Project. This was one of my favorite conversations not only because I went to high school with Sarah and I haven't seen her for almost 30 years, but she and I talk about a cornucopia of timely topics that I find fascinating.  Sarah and I discuss Covid-19, the emotional toll it's having on our culture and Sarah explains what ultimately led to the creation of the Pandemic Journaling Project. We talk about the complexity of social media and why she doesn't allow cell phones in her classroom. We discuss the value of asking questions and promoting curiosity in a world that is so quick to judge. We chat about health literacy, the impact the media may be having on our decision-making and how challenging it is to create a sense of balance and equality in such a chaotic world. You can purchase Sarah's book by clicking HERE and be sure to go to the website or on Instagram @pandemicjournaling to take a look at The Pandemic Journaling Project which I'm 100% positive you'll find interesting and inspiring. If you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please consider sharing the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn where you can access full episodes and exclusive content only available to subscribers. You can also visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. I also released a brand new song on Bandcamp which you can purchase by clicking HERE. You can find me on Substack by clicking HERE and as always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on Twitter or IG @eddiecohn with any questions.