Being Different with Liz Durham

Liz Durham
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Welcoming lively debates and personal discoveries that will prompt you to question the status quo - and maybe even change your mind.

  1. 3H AGO

    Ashley Sartelle on Why Local School Board Elections Matter

    I’ll be honest. I never paid much attention to school board races until I had kids. Then suddenly it hit me that these decisions actually matter, and I probably needed to stop pretending I had no reason to care. In this episode, I sit down with Ashley Sartelle, who is running for Knox County School Board, to ask the questions I actually wanted answered. What does the school board really do? Why are reading scores still so low? How much power does the board actually have? And why are our kids spending so much time on Chromebooks? We get into reading proficiency, technology in the classroom, teacher burnout, parent accountability, standardized testing, school budgets, and the very weird reality that some kids can just not turn things in until the end of the semester. This conversation made me realize how many pieces of the education system most of us do not understand, and how much we should probably be paying attention. - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    1h 2m

  2. APR 23

    110. What a Sheriff Actually Does (And What’s Really Going On in Our Communities) with Brent Gibson

    I’ve never paid much attention to a sheriff’s race before…until now. So I sat down with Brent Gibson, who’s running for sheriff here in Knox County, and asked him everything I actually wanted to know, not the polished campaign answers, the real ones. What does a sheriff even do day to day? What’s actually happening with homelessness? Are we safe? And how much of what we see online about policing is even accurate? We get into all of it. Brent brings over 25 years in law enforcement, from SWAT to training to leadership, and what stood out to me most wasn’t just experience, it was how much of this job comes down to people, trust, and showing up in the community.  We talk about:  Why homelessness isn’t something you can “arrest your way out of”  The reality of mental health and why jails are filling that gap  School safety and what’s actually being done locally  Immigration, ICE, and how local law enforcement fits into that  Why community trust matters more than people realize  And what policing really looks like vs what social media shows What stood out to me is how much of this job comes down to people, not politics. If you’ve ever wondered what’s actually happening behind the scenes in your community, this is a real conversation about it. Support Brent: https://www.electbrentgibson.com/ Facebook | Instagram  - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    38 min

  3. APR 16

    109. A Real Conversation About Running for Office with Angie Lawless

    Angie Lawless and I go way back. She was my co-host on a previous podcast before life got busy and we both went in completely different directions. But we made time to catch up again to talk about how she’s running for office in Nashville! So we sat down and talked through everything. How she got here, what finally pushed her to jump in, and what she’s actually seeing behind the scenes. We get into what campaigning actually looks like, what people in her district really care about, and why so much of politics feels disconnected from real life. We do not agree on everything, and we don’t try to pretend we do. But the conversation doesn’t fall apart because of that, which honestly feels rare nowadays.  If you’ve ever wondered what it actually takes to run for office, or what’s happening behind the scenes of a campaign, this is a real look at it. Angie is the democratic candidate for TN State House 59 and Election Day is August 6th. Be sure to follow along with Angie on Instagram @angielawless4tn and support her campaign at angielawless.com.  - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    1 hr

  4. APR 9

    108. Homework Isn’t the Problem… It’s How We’re Forcing Kids to Learn

    It’s just me today, and yes… we’re talking about homework again. But this time, I’m not just venting, I’m actually getting to the root of why it bothers me so much. Because I don’t think this is about worksheets or math pages. I think it’s about how we’re trying to force every kid into the same mold, and what happens when they don’t fit it.  In this episode, I break down the difference between kids who thrive in structured, detail-oriented environments and the ones who are wired completely differently… the ones who need to move, build, explore, and learn in a way that doesn’t involve sitting still for eight hours a day. I talk about:  Why homework feels like it’s cutting into the only real family time we have  The “beaver vs. bower bird” personality types and why that matters more than we think  How traditional school systems reward one type of kid and frustrate the other  My own experience with homeschooling, procrastination, and how I actually work best  Why I think making homework optional could change everything (for kids and teachers)  And what it looks like to actually lean into how your kid is wired instead of fighting it This is me trying to put words to something a lot of kids feel but don’t know how to say. They’re not “problems.” They’re just different. And if we don’t start paying attention to that, we’re going to keep crushing the very traits that might matter most later in life. If you agree, disagree, or think I’m completely off here… I want to hear it. - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    43 min

  5. APR 2

    107. Kindergarteners Don’t Need Homework.

    It’s just me today, and I’m saying something I know not everyone is going to agree with… kindergarteners should NOT have homework.  I’ve been thinking a lot about how much structure, pressure, and constant direction kids are under now, starting earlier and earlier, and how little space is left for them to just be kids. To play, to be outside, to figure things out on their own without someone telling them what to do every second of the day. This isn’t about being anti-school or anti-teacher. It’s about asking whether we’ve pushed things too far, especially for five and six year olds. I also get into the idea that not all kids are wired the same. Some thrive in structured, sit-down environments while others don’t. And when we force all of them into the same box, especially after they’ve already been at school all day, it’s no surprise things start to break down at home. So this is me laying out my thoughts childhood, family time, and what we’re prioritizing… whether we realize it or not. - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    43 min

  6. MAR 26

    106. Chris Woodruff on Burnout, Identity, and Life After Pro Tennis (Part 2)

    Chris Woodruff is back, and this is where the conversation gets deeper. In Part 2, we pick up after his comeback from injury and get into what actually made him walk away from pro tennis, what it feels like when your identity is no longer tied to performance, and why the hardest part isn’t always the grind… it’s what comes after. We talk about burnout, regret, and the question a lot of high performers quietly wrestle with: what could have been if I stayed a little longer? Chris shares how his perspective has shifted over time, and why he’s now so focused on helping his players get everything out of themselves while they still can. We also get into parenting, screens, and raising kids in a world that looks nothing like the one he grew up in. From handwritten thank you notes to limiting phone use (for both kids and college athletes), Chris explains what he believes actually builds confident, grounded humans — not just successful ones. And then we go even bigger: faith, identity, and what it means to live a life that’s actually your own. This episode is about more than tennis. It’s about discipline, purpose, and having the courage to choose your own path, even when it’s harder. - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    44 min

  7. MAR 5

    105. Raising Tough Kids and Building Champions with UTK's Tennis Coach, Chris Woodruff (Part 1)

    I sat down with my friend Chris Woodruff (“Woody” if you know my husband), Tennessee’s men’s tennis coach, former top U.S. junior, and a guy who went pro, lived out of dark hotel rooms in places you can’t pronounce, and clawed his way up the rankings the hard way. We talk about what childhood looked like before screens and everything being scheduled out for kids. Chris breaks down why playing one sport too early can backfire, why the youth tournament hamster wheel messes with kids’ heads, and what he thinks actually builds durable confidence. Then we get into the pro years: starting from zero with no ranking, the brutal loneliness of tennis, why “success” doesn’t feel like success when you’ve got 24 hours to do it again, and what it’s like to represent your country when your stomach is in your throat. And then we ran out of time... so yes, he’s coming back for Part 2. And we’re picking up right where we left off: injuries, comeback, the mental health side of being “the athlete,” and what happens when the whole thing ends and real life starts. - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    1h 7m

  8. FEB 26

    104. Why I’m Reconsidering Hunting as a Mom

    This week I’m sitting down with one of my oldest friends, Zach Ivey, and we’re talking about hunting. Not as a hobby, but as a way of raising boys who can face real life without flinching. I didn’t grow up around hunters and honestly, I didn’t “get it.” For a long time I resented what hunting took away from families, but now that I have sons, my perspective has shifted. A lot. We talk about what ethical hunting actually looks like (and what unethical hunting looks like), why hunters fund conservation in ways most people don’t realize, and why wild turkeys literally wouldn’t exist today without hunters. We get into population control, respect for animals, what a “clean kill” really means, and why disassociating from death doesn’t make us more compassionate — it just makes us more comfortable. But the core of this conversation is this:  I want my sons to learn how to handle power without becoming cruelI want them to learn patience, discipline, respect for life, and responsibility for their actions.I think hunting (when done right) teaches those things in a way very few modern experiences do.If you’ve ever judged hunters, felt judged for hunting, or you’re raising boys and wondering how to teach them masculinity without turning it into something hollow or destructive, this episode will probably mess with your assumptions (in a good way). - - - - - - - - - - - Liz Durham Instagram | Website Subscribe Apple Podcast | Spotify Being Different with Liz Durham is a Palm Tree Pod Co. production

    56 min
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About

Welcoming lively debates and personal discoveries that will prompt you to question the status quo - and maybe even change your mind.

Information

  • Creator
    Liz Durham
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    113
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Being Different with Liz Durham
  • Show Website
    Being Different with Liz Durham

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