Ryan Sides is a writer with some burning questions. In this limited series, he dives into the issues he's been wrestling with and brings in friends, experts, and fellow overthinkers to unpack them together. Topics range from grief to polyamory and nontraditional dating structures, from navigating faith as a queer person to hearing from Black pastors offering queer-affirming perspectives.
Every conversation is guided by curiosity, the understanding that answers are often a process, not a destination. Join us as we get a little messy, a little uncomfortable, and—if we’re lucky—a lot more informed.
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Publisher
Ryan Sides
Category
health & fitness · health & fitness · society & culture
Black Gay Dating Kit | with Araya Baker, Dr. Matthew Brinkley, & Erick Nuñez
In this roundtable discussion, Ryan invites 3 Black, queer therapists to get to the bottom of why dating is so difficult for Black, queer men and what can be done about it. They cover kink and sex positivity, judgment and self acceptance, communication skills, monogamy and non-monogamy, and a number of other topics that are constantly trending in dating conversations.
Get to know each of the guests by finding them across social media:
Araya Baker, M.Phil.Ed (https://www.instagram.com/arayabaker/)
Dr. Matthew Brinkley, PsyD, LMFT (https://www.instagram.com/dr.brinkley/)
Erick Nuñez, LCSW (https://www.instagram.com/erickdabaddesttherapist/)
Follow Important Context on social media!
Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
22 Feb 2026
Get On With It feat. Fr. Paul Anthony Daniels II
I sat with Episcopal Priest Father Paul Anthony Daniels II to learn about his journey in becoming an out gay priest and the adversity I assumed he had to overcome in achieving that. What it turned into was a much different conversation than I'd planned about what queerness can grow into when it's supported and affirmed early, and without the inherited, internalized judgment and homophobia that many of us deal with in our coming out journey.
A lot of this conversation shifted some assumptions I had and I'm really glad Fr. Paul was able to share some really crucial details about his upbringing and experience with me.
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Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
9 Dec 2025
Use Your Brain feat. Pastor Mike Walrond
In this episode of Important Context, Ryan Sides sits down with Pastor Mike Walrond, Senior Pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, to ask a foundational question: Is there biblical justification for queer people belonging fully in the church — without framing queerness as sin?
Pastor Mike traces how his theology evolved from an anti-queer upbringing and the culture he encountered early on, toward a more ethically consistent, deeply studied, and radically affirming approach to ministry. He shares pivotal moments that reshaped his thinking — including the difference between allowing presence and truly offering equitable access to leadership, dignity, and belonging.
Together, you dig into church hurt, deconstruction, and what it means to seek spiritual community after harm. Using his memorable “restaurant vs. learning how to cook” analogy, Pastor Mike offers a practical way for listeners to evaluate faith spaces with discernment rather than despair.
This conversation is part of Ryan’s broader arc exploring what faith can look like for queer people who are navigating grief, longing, anger, curiosity, and hope — especially within the Black church tradition.
Follow Important Context on social media!
Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
17 Sept 2025
What Does This Have to Do With God? feat. jarrett hill
Shortly after his year at Harvard Divinity School and just before taking sabbatical in London, jarrett hill discusses his time at HDS, how it's shaped his artistry and re-shaped his relationship with the Black church.
jarrett hill (https://www.jarretthill.com/)
An Artist Lives Here: jarrett hill on Queerness, the Black Church, and Coming Alive at Harvard Divinity School (https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/news/2025/06/25/artist-lives-here-jarrett-hill-queerness-black-church-and-coming-alive-harvard-divinity-school)
When Gospel Music Slaps (And Leaves A Mark) (https://maximumfun.org/episodes/fanti/when-gospel-music-slaps-and-leaves-a-mark-ft-mychael-chinn/)
Follow Important Context on social media!
Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
9 Sept 2025
My Boyfriend's Boyfriend Pt. II
In part two of this conversation on polyamory, host Ryan Sides reconnects with his former therapist, Dr. Karissa Doster-Hoffman, to explore what it looks like to navigate nontraditional relationships from both lived and clinical perspectives. Together they dig into the challenges of jealousy, new relationship energy, uneven enthusiasm, and the difference between boundaries and rules.
Drawing on her work as a trauma-informed therapist, Dr. Karissa shares practical tools for building emotional intelligence, naming feelings with precision, and setting boundaries that honor both yourself and your partners. Ryan reflects on lessons from his own experiences, including the complexities of metamour dynamics and what happens when communication falls short.
Whether you’re poly, curious, or simply working to build healthier relationships, this episode offers candid insights, real-world examples, and reminders that the work starts within.
Production Note:
Soulfully Rooted Wellness is no longer an affiliate of DHTC, however, the wonderful owner of that private practice remains in practice: Courtney Butts, LCSW-S
You can find the practice's Dr. Karissa leads with her husband here:
dnhtc.org (http://dnhtc.org/) —> DHTC
BPOQe.org (https://bpoqe.org/) —> BPOQe
wholehealingtherapy.org (http://wholehealingtherapy.org/) —> WHT
-Facebook (DHTC; BPOQe; WHT)
-Instagram (@dnh_tc (https://www.instagram.com/dnh_tc) ; @bpoqe_dnhtc (https://www.instagram.com/bpoqe_dnhtc) ; @wht_dnhtc (https://www.instagram.com/wht_dnhtc))
-TikTok (@bpoqetherapy (https://www.tiktok.com/@bpoqetherapy))
-LinkedIn (Doster & Hoffman Therapy and Consultation, PLLC (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bpoqe/))
And the books that were mentioned (Bookshop links, support local bookstores!!)
Polysecure by Jessica Fern (https://bookshop.org/p/books/polysecure-attachment-trauma-and-consensual-nonmonogamy-jessica-fern/14490932?ean=9781944934989&next=t)
Polywise by Jessica Fern & David Cooley (https://bookshop.org/p/books/polywise-a-deeper-dive-into-navigating-open-relationships-david-cooley/18957274?ean=9781990869143&next=t)
The Ethical Slut by Janet W. Hardy & Dossie Easton (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ethical-slut-third-edition-a-practical-guide-to-polyamory-open-relationships-and-other-freedoms-in-sex-and-love-revised-janet-w-hardy/11368130?ean=9780399579660&next=t)
Follow Important Context on social media!
Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
28 Aug 2025
My Boyfriend's Boyfriend Pt. I
We're talking about polyamory! For Black and brown queer people, and queer people in general, polyamory, open relationships and dating in nontraditional relationship structures has been a really sticky topic. In part 1 of this 2-part episode, Ryan Sides speaks with his former therapist, Dr. Karissa Doster-Hoffman, about what what his experience in poly relationships have been like, things he's learned through trial and error and what are some tools to develop in ANY relationship.
These are Ryan's experiences and may not be yours; but if they aren't yours (or if they are!) let us know at wave@byryansides.com
Production Note:
Soulfully Rooted Wellness is no longer an affiliate of DHTC, however, the wonderful owner of that private practice remains in practice: Courtney Butts, LCSW-S
You can find the practice's Dr. Karissa leads with her husband here:
dnhtc.org (http://dnhtc.org/) —> DHTC
BPOQe.org (https://bpoqe.org/) —> BPOQe
wholehealingtherapy.org (http://wholehealingtherapy.org/) —> WHT
-Facebook (DHTC; BPOQe; WHT)
-Instagram (@dnh_tc (https://www.instagram.com/dnh_tc) ; @bpoqe_dnhtc (https://www.instagram.com/bpoqe_dnhtc) ; @wht_dnhtc (https://www.instagram.com/wht_dnhtc))
-TikTok (@bpoqetherapy (https://www.tiktok.com/@bpoqetherapy))
-LinkedIn (Doster & Hoffman Therapy and Consultation, PLLC (https://www.linkedin.com/company/bpoqe/))
And the books that were mentioned (Bookshop links, support local bookstores!!)
Polysecure by Jessica Fern (https://bookshop.org/p/books/polysecure-attachment-trauma-and-consensual-nonmonogamy-jessica-fern/14490932?ean=9781944934989&next=t)
Polywise by Jessica Fern & David Cooley (https://bookshop.org/p/books/polywise-a-deeper-dive-into-navigating-open-relationships-david-cooley/18957274?ean=9781990869143&next=t)
The Ethical Slut by Janet W. Hardy & Dossie Easton (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-ethical-slut-third-edition-a-practical-guide-to-polyamory-open-relationships-and-other-freedoms-in-sex-and-love-revised-janet-w-hardy/11368130?ean=9780399579660&next=t)
Follow Important Context on social media!
Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
19 Aug 2025
The Dead Dad Club
In the inaugural episode of Important Context, host Ryan Sides sits down with two friends in the Dead Dad Club to explore life after loss and how grief shapes us. Writer and strategist Robert (Rob) Herring III, and journalist and educator Niki McGloster navigate the messy, tender terrain of loving, grieving, and learning from the memory of their beautifully complex fathers.
Follow Important Context on social media!
Instagram - @ImportantContextShow (https://www.instagram.com/importantcontextshow)
Tik Tok - @ImportantContext (https://www.tiktok.com/@importantcontext)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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