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What if belonging begins with something as simple as returning to the same coffee shop until someone recognizes you?

Wesley Warshawer spent five years as a digital nomad, living throughout the United States, Latin America, and Africa. Along the way, he discovered that unfamiliar places become personal through repeated presence, genuine curiosity, and the courage to begin conversations with people whose lives may look very different from our own.

In this episode, Wesley joins Melissa Kaye to explore the invisible “bubbles” we each inhabit and what becomes possible when we step outside them. He shares humorous and humbling moments from South Korea, Togo, Kenya, and small-town America that challenged his assumptions and helped him see both his country and himself with fresh eyes.

Wesley also offers a hopeful perspective on America’s presumed divisions. When we move beyond political labels and ask people to “paint a picture” of the future they desire, he believes we discover far more shared values than the loudest public narratives suggest.

Together, Melissa and Wesley explore becoming recognizable, creating connection in unfamiliar places, approaching difference without judgment, and choosing to belong wherever we find ourselves.

His closing invitation is timely and powerful: reject the culture of ridicule. When we stop using other people’s mistakes and differences to feel superior, we make room for humility, conversation, and belonging.

Read Wesley’s travel reflections at https://wesleywarshawer.substack.com/ and learn more about Elev8 Villages at https://www.elev8villages.org/.

The Belonging Podcast is generously underwritten by Deana Laughlin.

This podcast exists because we believe belonging is not a luxury. It’s a human need. Every story shared here helps us imagine a world where no one has to walk alone. 

If this conversation resonated with you, please follow, rate, or share the show with someone who might need it today. To learn more about the movement we’re building (or to get involved) visit Elev8Villages.org.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of The Belonging Podcast by Elev8 Villages - where belonging becomes a place we build together.