Our story begins in the woods of New Hampshire...no, but really...
We're two best friends who met at Dartmouth College and have been bonding over our nerdom since. We started Name It! to share the ideas we've picked up from books, classrooms, sister-friends, and ancestors. Ideas that have helped us name what it means to live at the intersections. Each episode we do the reading and research on one of those ideas so you don't have to. Whether it's Audre Lorde's notion of "the erotic" or Toni Morrison's "safe harbors," consider Name It! your encyclopodia of big ideas that are gonna change how you talk about the world... and you can go ahead and consider us your newest internet besties!
What's the Difference Between Religion and Spirituality?
What's the difference between religion and spirituality? This is the second most frequently asked question I get as a scholar of religion, next to “Oh, so you're a minister?" And to be honest, folks tend to be disappointed by my answer to both.
When it comes to the religion versus spirituality question, that is often because my answer focuses less on defining the terms and more on the question itself. I am fascinated by what is really going on in people’s thought worlds when they want me to distinguish between religion and spirituality in the first place.
This week, I'm thinking through my own experiences alongside Robert Orsi’s Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them (Princeton University Press, 2005).
If you like the episode, don’t forget to follow me over at the grounded pages (on spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ce8Yfr7B095nKpa9Ptucr?si=611839fdcccb48ae) and apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grounded/id1876643267)), share Grounded, with a friend and follow me @imanabdk on socials.
9 Mar 2026
Are We Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams?
Hey Name It! fam, if you’re liking these episodes be sure to follow Grounded over at the main pages to not miss an episode!
New ones everyday Monday✨
FOLLOW US HERE! (https://linktr.ee/GroundedwithDrIman?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=d9fd9105-5e76-4685-9758-85f7ec37e3e9)
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I have a very complex, sometimes maybe a little too intense, relationship I have had with time. One that left me extremely skeptical of the saying "we're our ancestors' wildest dreams" when I first heard it. I’m coming to this reflection during the cross-over episode that is Ramadan intersecting with Black History Month, which has got me thinking its time to heal my own relationship to time.
This week, I'm finding grounding in a beautiful concept written about by Alexis Pauline Gumbs: dream time. This idea really changed how I think about my responsibility to, as they say, use my time wisely.
Follow me @imanabdk on socials for more at the intersections of the spiritual and the intellectual!
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I did the reading so you don't have to, but as always, I'd love to hear what you think about it too! Send me a DM or comment on the show directly on Spotify.
Alexis Pauline Gumbs, “Prophecy in the Present Tense: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee Pilgrimage, and Dreams Coming True,” Meridians 12, no. 2 (2014): 142–152.
2 Mar 2026
Grounded: Where the Spiritual Meets the Intellectual
Hey Name It! listeners! If you enjoyed the reading, research, and connections we made here, then you'll for sure enjoy this new podcast with Dr. Iman (https://open.spotify.com/show/6Ce8Yfr7B095nKpa9Ptucr?si=558d7e4def084fab). Follow Grounded for new episodes every Monday!
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Welcome to the Grounded podcast with your host, Dr. Iman. This is a space where the intellectual meets the spiritual. I'm a professor, scholar of religion, and someone trying to find her footing. I will introduce you to the people, discussions, and schools of thought that have changed how I see the world. Together we'll seek clarity, not in passivity or bypassing, but in intuition, critique, and imagination. Some episodes are just me reflecting on where I'm finding my footing. Others draw more closely from my own research on religion and spirituality, tracing where I've seen others find theirs. And sometimes we're joined by experts, friends, and even you, the listeners, learning with each other and seeking rootedness together. So wherever this episode takes us, I'm really glad you're here. Let's get grounded.
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