Missed Connections The Elizabeths

In this minisode of Missed Connections, we connect with the storyteller you heard from in episode 2 - “How do I find others who love me in the same way?” with Thomas Page McBee to reflect on their experience telling their story and how they feel about belonging in the midst of their trans becoming.
Special thanks to our truly amazing storyteller. You know who you are ;) 
Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok.

We’re back! Just a heads up, tissues are highly encouraged while listening to this episode.
In this episode of Missed Connections, Lizzy presents a story to Beth that has crying at kindergarten drop off, the unconditional love of a grandparent, and a loss that changes everything. It’s a missed connection.
Lizzy and Beth bring in Eman Abdelhadi to talk about the experience of grief and loss and, of course, how connection with ourselves and others fits into that experience.
Eman Abdelhadi is an academic, activist and writer who thinks at the intersection of gender, sexuality, religion, and politics. She is an assistant professor and sociologist at the University of Chicago, where she researches American Muslim communities. She is co-author of "Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072," a sci-fi novel published in 2022 with Common Notions Press. Her academic work has been published in numerous sociology journals and covered by press outlets such as the Washington Post, Associated Press, and NPR. Her public writing has appeared in In These Times, Jacobin, Truthout and other outlets. She is based in Chicago, where she is also a community organizer with the Salon Kawakib Collective, Faculty for Justice in Palestine and other formations.
Be sure to follow Eman on Instagram @eabdelhadi and on X @emanabdelhadi. You can read the short story we referenced in our conversation here.
Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok.

In this Missed Connections minisode, Lizzy and Beth welcome writer, director, and filmmaker Jade Phoenix to explore the ways that storytelling and creativity can help us connect with ourselves and others.
SPOILER ALERT! Jade is the storyteller for an upcoming episode of Missed Connections. In this minisode, she gives a preview of that story while sharing how being a storyteller in her creative, professional, and personal life has enabled her to connect with herself and build meaningful connections in her community. 
Jade Phoenix is a Queer, Trans, Femme, First Generation Filipinx, Parent, LA-based Writer, Director and award winning filmmaker. Jade’s work is a poetic expression rooted in the multiple identities she holds and how they intersect with her day-to-day fight for a collective liberation, while boldly creating art and cultural content in hopes of bringing queer and trans stories to the center of today’s current social, political and cultural landscapes.
Stay tuned to hear her story in the next episode. You can follow Jade on Instagram @jadephoenix_. You can also support her work by becoming a member on Patreon.
P.S. If you haven’t already, check out our recent episode “In those early days with you, I lost myself” with guest Eve Rodsky to further explore the intersection of creativity and connection. It’s a good one!
Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok.

In this episode of Missed Connections, Lizzy presents a story to Beth that has bonding over a shared love of cringey music, a meaningful bond that gets a little messy, and the dark cloud of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” It’s a missed connection.
Lizzy and Beth bring in Ocean Shapiro to talk about context and connection. How does who we are, where we live, where we come from, and the communities we belong to impact our ability to connect? Can connection help us heal from our past traumas?
Ocean Shapiro is a trauma therapist at Woven Together Trauma Therapy. They work with couples and individuals and specialize in dissociative disorders, religious trauma, and cult survivorship as well as working with 2SLGBTQIA+ folks and those with poly, platonic, kink, and other alternative relationship formation issues. They are also a consultant for Sensitive Revolution, an organization that works with leaders to cultivate insight and self-awareness.
Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok.

In this Missed Connections minisode, Lizzy and Beth welcome Dr. Frederic Rabinowitz as a Part Two to our latest episode “I lost you over time like coffee dripping through a Chemex” with Dr. Niobe Way. Go listen to it now if you haven’t already!
Today,  Dr. Rabinowitz helps us dive further into the “male friendship recession” and how adult men today can understand the lack of close friendships they might be experiencing and how to work to build the relationships they desire.
Dr. Fredric "Fred" Rabinowitz is a professor and chair of the Psychology Department at the University of Redlands.  He is also a licensed psychologist whose practice focuses on working with men in therapy. Dr. Rabinowitz has led men's groups in Redlands since 1986 and regularly consults with others who lead male retreats, groups, and other male-oriented enterprises. Fred has authored or co-authored five books and many articles on men and masculinity.  His books include Man Alive: A Primer of Men's Issues; Men and Depression; Deepening Psychotherapy with Men; Deepening Group Psychotherapy with Men; and Breaking Barriers in Counseling Men.
As we mentioned, Dr. Rabinowitz is quoted in many articles on this subject including “Why Friendships Among Men Are So Important”.
Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok.

In this episode of Missed Connections, Lizzy presents a story to Beth that has a whole lot of brotherly love, a spiritual movement, and a search to fill the hole that was left behind. It’s a missed connection.
Lizzy and Beth bring in Dr. Niobe Way to talk about the male friendship recession, the impact of “boy culture,” and the universal human desire for close friendships and emotional intimacy. 
Dr. Way is an internationally-recognized Professor of Developmental Psychology, the founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity at NYU, and the Director of the Science of Human Connection Lab. In this episode, she shares insights from her 40 years of research including through her work as a Principal Investigator of the Listening Project — a school-based curriculum that was created to address the global crisis of connection (including., loneliness, depression, anxiety, suicide, hate crimes, mass violence) by fostering the practice of listening with curiosity in schools, workplaces, and homes. 
Dr. Way’s latest co-edited book is The Crisis of Connection: Its Roots, Consequences, and Solutions (NYU Press). She has also authored or co-authored nearly a hundred journal articles and books, including Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection (Harvard University Press), which was the inspiration for the movie Close,  which won the Grand Prix Award at Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign film. 
Dr. Way’s newest book Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture is available for pre-order now and will be released in July. To learn more about Dr. Way’s work, go to pach.org. Be sure to follow Dr. Way on Instagram and X @pachnyu. 
Missed Connections is produced by the Elizabeths. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Have a Missed Connections story to share with us? Email us at elizabeths@missedconnectionspod.com. To keep up to date on all things Missed Connections follow us @missedconnectionspodcast on Instagram and TikTok.