What's It All About? Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:04:07 -0500 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2223547 en-us © 2026 What's It All About? yes 56cf52f0-1b3b-5601-9e16-fb2a21cf72dd smerahn@merahn.com Steven Merahn, MD episodic false Dr. Steven Merahn -- physician, parent, artist, teacher --  shares stories to help us navigate both old and new institutions and systems  as well as other social forces influencing our quality of life. Passionate, aspirational and accessible, Dr. Merahn helps us to discover what can really make an impact in our daily lives. Every episode seeks to create some clarity on a complex issue and help listeners connect with the one thing they can do to support positive, productive changes in their lives. 

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Steven Merahn, MD smerahn@merahn.com https://storage.buzzsprout.com/qnhz5y7gl76atyj1fa1esynostxk?.jpg What's It All About? Hurting Others Doesn't Help Anyone Hurting Others Doesn't Help Anyone A slap in the face triggered some thoughts on the risks of throwing social accountability to the wind, discarding the shackles of civility, and living like a disinhibited 10-year-old. Retaliation and self-protection may provide a level of personal relief, but it offers no secure foundation for our future as a society.

]]> A slap in the face triggered some thoughts on the risks of throwing social accountability to the wind, discarding the shackles of civility, and living like a disinhibited 10-year-old. Retaliation and self-protection may provide a level of personal relief, but it offers no secure foundation for our future as a society.

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13690027 Sat, 30 Sep 2023 10:00:00 -0400 267 full false Me First, YOU Wait. Me First, YOU Wait. Some thoughts on how others treat us, how we are teaching children to treat others, and how we might respond...(4:45 minutes)

]]> Some thoughts on how others treat us, how we are teaching children to treat others, and how we might respond...(4:45 minutes)

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13608098 Sun, 17 Sep 2023 21:00:00 -0400 287 full false When I Was 12, I Thought I Was Gay... When I Was 12, I Thought I Was Gay... Some thoughts on personal identity and social constructs, and why gender-neutral pronouns can be liberating.  

]]> Some thoughts on personal identity and social constructs, and why gender-neutral pronouns can be liberating.  

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13521726 Sun, 03 Sep 2023 18:00:00 -0400 188 1 5 full false Dear Children: It’s Your Country Now, Please Take It. Dear Children: It’s Your Country Now, Please Take It. Kids, it’s time for you to take control of things.  You may not be able to drink at 18, but you can vote.  And in many states, you can run for an elected office.  Please wrest control of the country.

]]> Kids, it’s time for you to take control of things.  You may not be able to drink at 18, but you can vote.  And in many states, you can run for an elected office.  Please wrest control of the country.

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13436379 Sun, 20 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0400 276 1 4 full false Dear White People Dear White People Some thoughts on race from the White father of Black children.

]]> Some thoughts on race from the White father of Black children.

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13392900 Sat, 12 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0400 296 full false Hate is Easy Hate is Easy I have lived with hate, and I can tell you, it’s so much easier to hate than love.  
But what are the consequences?  

]]> I have lived with hate, and I can tell you, it’s so much easier to hate than love.  
But what are the consequences?  

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13315861 Sun, 30 Jul 2023 12:00:00 -0400 136 1 2 full false Teaching Sex In Prison Teaching Sex In Prison The first time I drove there, the red brick building with the white steeple and belfry looked like a 19th century private school, but, upon closer inspection, the barbed wire and barred windows revealed more of its true nature:  a New York State Correctional Facility.  

I was a 21-year old teaching assistant about to embark on a life changing experience, discovering more about myself than I could have ever taught my ‘students’ --  inmates from whom I learned that, while two groups may appear superficially different, it is usually a matter of context and privilege, and the space between our lives is, in reality, hair-thin. 

]]> The first time I drove there, the red brick building with the white steeple and belfry looked like a 19th century private school, but, upon closer inspection, the barbed wire and barred windows revealed more of its true nature:  a New York State Correctional Facility.  

I was a 21-year old teaching assistant about to embark on a life changing experience, discovering more about myself than I could have ever taught my ‘students’ --  inmates from whom I learned that, while two groups may appear superficially different, it is usually a matter of context and privilege, and the space between our lives is, in reality, hair-thin. 

]]> Steven Merahn, MD Buzzsprout-13278543 Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:00:00 -0400 458 1 1 full false