Who We are Inside was inspired by the following quote, source unknown, that was shared on a whiteboard at the University Child Development Center:
“Just because someone carries it well doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy.”
We all have the people we present as in our different spaces, and then we have who we actually are on the inside. The important parts of who we are on the inside may change, but we are expected to show up as the same on the outside. We recognize that maintaining both who we are and who we are expected to be is exhausting. This podcast provides space for us to share who we really are and invites us to be human instead of being all these roles that we are asked to be on any given day.
We are talking to people from the University of Pittsburgh and surrounding communities to share their “heavy things” – those parts of themselves or lived experiences they carry on the inside that they wish others knew about without their having to repeatedly explain themselves. We offer a space for folks to actively listen to people that they may not have the opportunity to engage with in their daily lives. We believe that the more we listen, the more we will notice people’s heavy things and the more comfortable we will be in offering to help carry them.
