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What I DO Believe

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by Zachary Bryant

5.0(1 reviews)
8 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview

What I Do Believe is a podcast about hope, curiosity, and the experience of being human. Host Zach Bryant is a writer and spiritual director whose faith has changed a lot over the years. What has remained is a sense that life is still meaningful, still mysterious, and still worth paying attention to. Each episode is a conversation about the things that matter most. Faith, doubt, relationships, grief, joy, desire, identity, and the surprising ways growth happens over time. Some conversations go deep. Some are light and funny. Most are both. <br/><br/><a href="https://zacharybryant.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">zacharybryant.substack.com</a>

Language

🇺🇲

Publishing Since

3/9/2025

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Recent Episodes

Episode thumbnail for "Traveler, There is No Path" with Julianna Tate Zoch

February 27, 2026

"Traveler, There is No Path" with Julianna Tate Zoch

<p><strong>Episode Summary</strong></p><p>It’s been a minute. I’m back with a new direction for the show. More conversations instead of monologues, with a focus on humor, hope, and depth.</p><p>In this episode, I’m joined by my friend, Julianna Tate Zoch, an Ignatian trained spiritual director and fellow MDiv. We talk about what it looks like to keep believing by staying open to possibility, even when certainty changes.</p><p>Along the way we explore power, vocation, grief, spiritual freedom, and the quiet ways new life keeps showing up after loss.</p><p>We close with the poem that gave this episode its name, Traveler, There Is No Path.</p><p><strong>Guest</strong></p><p>Julianna Tate Zoch<a target="_blank" href="https://wonderingcompany.com/">Julianna’s Website</a></p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/Rsol0hQ3IV8?si=SgjjrAZWo2YK1EZ5&#38;t=6863">Matthew McConaughey on the Blocks Podcast with Neal Brennan</a></p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://XXIX Traveler, there is no path. The path is m... Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com &#8250; quotes &#8250; 289625-xxix-tra...">“Traveler, There Is No Path” (commonly attributed to Antonio Machado)th” (commonly attributed to Antonio Machado)</a></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://zacharybryant.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">zacharybryant.substack.com</a>

Episode thumbnail for 7: Why I Hate Hot Takes

September 8, 2025

7: Why I Hate Hot Takes

<p>🎙 <strong>Episode 7 – Why I Hate Hot Takes</strong></p><p><br/></p><p>Hot takes are everywhere—and not just from the usual suspects.</p><p><br/></p><p>In this episode of What I Do Believe, I talk about why hot takes frustrate me so much, not only when they come from culture warriors, fundamentalists, or angry atheists, but even when I see them from thoughtful people I normally respect. Quick outrage and snappy one-liners might get attention, but they don’t build understanding. They just pile more noise onto the noise.</p><p><br/></p><p>I share my own story of getting caught up in hot-take culture back in 2020—firing off posts and callouts from a place of anger—and how a simple question from Kayla made me realize I was losing my voice instead of helping people actually listen. From there, I explore why “calling people out” rarely leads to change and how the way forward is learning to call people in instead.</p><p><br/></p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>​Why hot takes are addictive but rarely helpful</li><li>​How call-out culture builds audiences on anger instead of healing</li><li>​The difference between calling people out and calling people in</li><li>​What I’ve learned from my own experience of losing my voice online</li><li>Why relationships and listening change people more than arguments ever will</li></ul><p><br/></p><p>If you’ve ever felt stuck in cycles of outrage—or wondered if there’s a better way to share what you believe—this episode is for you.</p><p><br/></p><p>🔗 <strong>Links & Resources</strong></p><p>🌐 <a href="https://whatidobelieve.com/">Website – whatidobelieve.com</a></p><p>📰 <a href="https://zacharybryant.substack.com/">Substack – Zachary Bryant</a></p><p>📖 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Deconstruct-Jesus-Rethinking-Faith-Again/dp/B0DTT9K6JX">Zach’s Book: Deconstruct with Jesus — Get it on Amazon</a></p><p><br/></p><p>👉 If this episode resonates, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://zacharybryant.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">zacharybryant.substack.com</a>

Episode thumbnail for 6: Can We Let The Church Die?

September 1, 2025

6: Can We Let The Church Die?

<p>🎙 <strong>Episode 6 – Can We Let the Church Die?</strong></p><p>What if faithfulness doesn’t always mean staying loyal to an institution?</p><p>In this episode of What I Do Believe, I talk honestly about why I haven’t been part of an institutional church for years—and why I don’t feel guilty about it. While I still experience God in silence, prayer, and small contemplative communities, I no longer feel the need to keep the larger church “on life support.”</p><p>I name the common “shoulds” people use—like community, teaching, accountability, and sacraments—and share why I’ve found those things in other, more life-giving spaces. Then I wrestle with the bigger critique: that leaving the church is unfaithful. Maybe the more faithful response is to accept that the institution is dying and trust in resurrection.</p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Why community, teaching, accountability, and sacraments don’t only exist in church buildings</p></li><li><p>How loyalty arguments and “faithfulness” often miss the point</p></li><li><p>Why the institutional church feels more like life support than resurrection</p></li><li><p>Why letting go of the institution might be the first step toward new life</p></li><li><p>How God shows up outside the walls of the church</p></li></ul><p>If you’ve stepped away from church—or wondered if it’s okay to—this episode might help you name your experience without shame and see faithfulness in a new way.</p><p>🔗 <strong>Links &amp; Resources</strong>🌐 <a href="https://whatidobelieve.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_new" rel="noopener">Website – whatidobelieve.com</a><br/></p><p>👉 If this episode resonates, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://zacharybryant.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">zacharybryant.substack.com</a>

8 total episodes available

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What is What I DO Believe?

What I Do Believe is a podcast about hope, curiosity, and the experience of being human.

Host Zach Bryant is a writer and spiritual director whose faith has changed a lot over the years. What has remained is a sense that life is still meaningful, still mysterious, and still worth paying attention to.

Each episode is a conversation about the things that matter most. Faith, doubt, relationships, grief, joy, desire, identity, and the surprising ways growth happens over time. Some conversations go deep. Some are light and funny. Most are both. <br/><br/><a href="https://zacharybryant.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">zacharybryant.substack.com</a>

How often does this podcast release new episodes?

This podcast updates daily.

Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

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