Podcast Summary: The Preamble with Sharon McMahon
Episode: Elyse Myers’ New Book and Harriet Tubman’s Faith
Date: February 23, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Sharon McMahon explores two powerful stories of resilience, self-discovery, and purpose. First, she chats with comedian, storyteller, and author Elyse Myers about her new book, "That's a Great Question. I'd Love to Tell You," diving into Elyse's journey navigating neurodivergence, shame, storytelling, and the importance of community. Next, Sharon is joined by historian Tiya Miles, author of "Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People," for an in-depth discussion on Harriet Tubman's faith, courage, and enduring legacy—offering inspiration for turbulent times.

Elyse Myers: Storytelling, Self-Discovery, and Embracing Neurodiversity

Starts at 04:14

Revisiting a Viral Story: The 100 Taco First Date

• Sharon introduces Elyse by referencing her legendary viral video about a disastrous first date where her date orders 100 tacos at Taco Bell, and Elyse ends up paying (04:23).
  • Quote:
    "It's so funny because like, that video to me is timeless because it reminds me so much of the way that I tell a story sitting at coffee with like a friend."
    — Elyse Myers (05:13)
• Elyse reflects on how that story and others came from her way of reading situations and a lack of boundaries in her younger years.

The Book: Why Write It Now?

• Sharon asks what motivated Elyse to write her book at this moment (06:44).
  • Elyse reveals that writing was a lifelong dream and the process was intricately tied to her personal challenges, especially her son’s health crisis (07:05).
  • Quote:
    "In so many ways, this book is so meaningful to me...getting to complete it when I did matters so much more to me as well. Like, that's just a more personal thing for me that most people won't know of the book. But yeah, I mean, what better time to make a dream come true than when it feels like everything's falling apart?"
    — Elyse Myers (08:25)

Realizing Neurodiversity: “It’s a Different Operating System”

• Discussion around Elyse's realization that her brain works differently—not wrong, just unique (08:44).
  • Quote:
    "I always realized it was different ... as a kid, I was wrong. But I think that's because when you're younger, you're kind of forced to be put into systems that are categorizing you ... I just could not learn the way other people did. But it was when I got older ... I realized that I'm not dumb. I just am way better at teaching myself."
    — Elyse Myers (09:06)
• The adulthood discovery: adapting life to suit one’s needs instead of forcing oneself into ill-fitting systems.

Internalized Shame and Gendered Expectations

• Sharon and Elyse discuss how shame around difference is internalized, particularly for girls and women (11:06).
  • Elyse talks about how neurodivergence manifests differently in women and how cultural conditioning teaches girls to “be nice” and mask their needs.
    • Quote:
      "There are just so many very niche and specific situations women are put in where it seems like suddenly they are presenting in a way that they never have. But you get to this point in your life when you're a woman where all this pressure is all at once from every angle. And your brain's like, I've got to let something go. And usually that's the masking..."
      — Elyse Myers (13:00)
• Sharon points out how classroom behavior norms mask neurodivergence in girls, which leads to underdiagnosis (13:24).
• Elyse highlights the generational shift: today’s parents are more equipped to support different learning and behavioral needs in children (14:56).

On Religion, Belonging, and Content Creation

• Sharon asks how Elyse’s experiences with faith communities have shaped her (19:17).
  • Elyse describes how she was drawn to religion at a time of loneliness, but ultimately realized she could create belonging herself:
    • Quote:
      "So my three goals when I make content are to make people feel known, loved, and like, they belong. And I think that there is not enough of that in the world..." (19:21)
• The power of vulnerability and presenting a whole, authentic self online—balancing humor and seriousness in her storytelling.

The Book’s Purpose: Encouraging Journaling and Honest Self-Reflection

• Sharon asks what she hopes readers take from her book (22:48).
  • Elyse hopes readers are inspired to journal and reflect without censoring themselves:
    • Quote:
      "Even if you have nothing to write about, write about how you have nothing to write about and do it with your hand. Do not do it on a computer, because it changes your brain chemistry and it changes your understanding of yourself." (23:35)
• Journals as cherished, honest chronicles of growth—even the “cringe” is valuable (24:14).

Closing Thoughts (25:01)

• Sharon thanks Elyse for the conversation and encourages listeners to pick up her book.

Tiya Miles: Harriet Tubman, Faith, and the Power of Ancestry

Starts at 28:25

Why Harriet Tubman, and Why Now?

• Tiya confides she chooses historical subjects based on their relevance to present-day anxieties and the need for hope during “cloudy skies” (29:12).
  • Quote:
    "Harriet Tubman seemed to me to be just the right kind of figure who can help us along right now.... To see that even beneath these cloudy skies, those figures were able to act. They were able to maintain their sense that something could change and they enacted change." (29:12)

Navigating the Impossible: Tubman’s Gifts and Her Head Injury

• Sharon marvels at Tubman's logistical genius and unwavering courage (30:17).
• Tiya recounts Tubman’s traumatic head injury as a teen—a formative moment that catalyzed her spiritual “visions” and deepened her relationship with God (31:38).
  • Quote:
    "She ended up having what we would view now as a cognitive disability... And she started to have a much more intensely alive, psychological, spiritual sensibility. She felt that this sensibility was being formed around and through her relationship with God..." (33:12)

Tubman’s Faith: Creating Her Own Signs

• Discussion of Tubman seeking—and creating—signs of hope in dark times (34:43).
  • Quote:
    "She set up the psychological conditions that enabled her to see signs of hope. In places where other people might just say, oh, there's nothing here for me."
    — Tiya Miles (35:08)

Tubman’s Achievements: Beyond the Underground Railroad

• Tiya details Tubman’s strategic thinking, from negotiating with her owner for paid work, saving money for tools and lawyers, to her direct acts of liberation (35:39).
  • Tubman escaped slavery, then worked perilously to help free others, impacting hundreds directly and indirectly through her missions—including Civil War operations that liberated over 700 enslaved people (39:30).
  • Quote:
    "She was willing to talk with and to enlist and negotiate with whoever it would take to get the job done ... She made her own escape alone. And this is relatively unusual for a woman to escape alone. Tubman did this." (37:07)
• Sharon and Tiya reflect on the exponential impact of Tubman’s legacy—tens of thousands alive today are likely her beneficiaries (40:38).

Black History as American History

• Sharon and Tiya passionately discuss how Harriet Tubman’s story, and Black history in general, belong to all Americans—not just as “black history,” but as core American history (43:08).
  • Tiya underscores the inextricable connections across racial histories, rejecting simplistic separations (43:22).
  • Quote:
    "We cannot separate these things out ... Black and white lives were and are intertwined. Slavery could not have functioned without enslavers. That's just the reality of the thing ... I think it is just much wiser to accept that and to look as clearly as we can at the history and to see what can it teach us about our interconnections and about how we can do things better with the opportunities that we have in front of us." (45:36)

Closing Reflections

• Sharon and Tiya express mutual admiration and hope, with Sharon lauding Tiya’s scholarship and heart (46:05).
  • Quote:
    "I'm just, I'm glad to live in a world where you exist."
    — Sharon McMahon (46:24)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 04:14 – Elyse Myers joins; “100 tacos” viral story revisited
• 06:44 – Why Elyse wrote her book; intertwining with personal crises
• 08:44 – Discovering her neurodivergence; rethinking self-judgment as adult
• 11:06 – Shame, gender expectations, and masking in neurodivergent girls/women
• 19:17 – Elyse on religious experience, belonging, and content goals
• 22:58 – What Elyse hopes readers take from her book: journaling and self-discovery
• 28:25 – Tiya Miles joins; choosing Harriet Tubman as a beacon for today
• 31:38 – Tubman's head injury and its impact on her spiritual life
• 35:39 – Tubman’s practical strategies, self-liberation, and missions
• 40:38 – Generational impact of Tubman’s actions
• 43:08 – Intertwined histories: why Black history is American history

Notable Quotes

• "What better time to make a dream come true than when it feels like everything's falling apart?"
  — Elyse Myers (08:25)

• "When I realized I could design a life that works for me, all of a sudden I didn't feel like I was swimming upstream."
  — Elyse Myers (10:30)

• "She was, in many ways, supplying herself with the signs she needed. Or the encouragement she needed to take an action, to be brave, to be bold, to make a move."
  — Tiya Miles (34:43)

• "Black history is also, of course, American history. How could it not be?"
  — Tiya Miles (43:22)

Final Reflection

This episode weaves personal and historical stories of overcoming adversity through self-acceptance, honest reflection, and faith—both in oneself and in possibilities beyond the present. Elyse Myers and Tiya Miles, guided by Sharon’s compassionate curiosity, offer listeners insights into the power of telling your story and understanding history as a living, shared inheritance.

Further Reading:

• "That's a Great Question. I'd Love to Tell You" by Elyse Myers
• "Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People" by Tiya Miles