{"podcast":{"title":"The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being","slug":"the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324","podcast_index_feed_id":7374324,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/the-story-of-us/feed.xml","website_url":"https://thestoryofusproject.com/","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/the-story-of-us/20250613_070615_55ea5e0531b80d159995304592d3c4fc.png","author":"Jeff Ellison","episode_count":38,"summary":"Tell Us Your Story - A captivating and thought provoking podcast that intricately weaves together personal stories with timeless ancient wisdom and groundbreaking modern discoveries to unlock the profound mysteries of life. Personal stories, special edition episodes, guest hosts and our Next Gen series, celebrating the young voices that are helping make the world a kinder and less divided place. Our conversations, preserved for future generations will send the same message as the oldest known hand stenciled cave paintings made by our Neanderthal cousins over 64,000 years ago \"I was here. My life was meaningful.\" www.thestoryofusproject.com Make sure to check out our blog and social media feeds to get the most out of your enjoyment of our show,","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T00:18:17.352306+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324"},"episode":{"title":"We Never Completely Forgot Who We Were with Yaffah Batya DaCosta","slug":"we-never-completely-forgot-who-we-were-with-yaffah-batya-dacosta","published_at":"2026-05-24T13:07:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324/we-never-completely-forgot-who-we-were-with-yaffah-batya-dacosta","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/the-story-of-us/2852295","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/334131/2852295/the-story-of-us/2026_05_23_18_13_08_f9c292b1-deca-4bfc-8d19-720926306eeb.mp3","summary":"What happens when an entire people are forced to hide who they are… for generations? In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Yaffah Batya daCosta—educator, speaker, and advocate for the descendants of the “Secret Jews,” families who were forced to convert during the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions while quietly preserving pieces of their identity in secret. But this conversation is about much more than history. It’s about memory. Identity. Belonging. And the human need to understand where we come from. Together, they explore the story of the Anousim (“the forced ones”), how ancient persecution still echoes into modern life, and what happens when someone begins rediscovering truths their family was never allowed to openly speak about. Along the way, the conversation widens into something universal: How fear divides people. How stories shape identity. And how understanding each other more deeply may be one of the few paths toward healing. 🎯 What You’ll Take Away Who the “Secret Jews” were and why their story still matters today How forced conversion and hidden identity shaped generations of families The surprising connections between history and modern global tensions Why human beings are more alike than different beneath culture and belief How compassion and curiosity can lead to deeper understanding 🌍 Key Themes Identity and ancestry Generational memory Religious persecution and survival Human connection Healing through understanding 👤 About the Guest – Yaffah Batya daCosta Yaffah Batya daCosta is an educator, speaker, coach, and advocate working to support descendants of the Anousim —Jewish families forced to conceal their identity during the Inquisition. Drawing from her own ancestral journey, she has spent decades studying Jewish history, early…","meta_description":"What happens when an entire people are forced to hide who they are… for generations? In this episode of The Story of Us , Jeff sits down with Yaffah Batya…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3643,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324/episodes/we-never-completely-forgot-who-we-were-with-yaffah-batya-dacosta/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-us-from-cosmic-dawn-to-the-depths-of-being-7374324/we-never-completely-forgot-who-we-were-with-yaffah-batya-dacosta.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}