The Moth Radio Hour: Acceptance

Date: August 26, 2025
Host: Jodi Powell

Episode Overview

This episode of The Moth Radio Hour revolves around the theme of acceptance—accepting ourselves, circumstances outside our control, and each other. Through five true stories, told live, listeners journey with individuals who faced life’s changes and hard truths with courage, humor, vulnerability, and a search for belonging—even when feet (or hearts) felt unsteady. From college confessions and roller rink revelations to immigration challenges, confronting tragedy as a journalist, and learning to love an “asymmetrical” life, each story explores what it means to embrace what is, rather than what we wish could be.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. “Jump Through the Window, Rob” by Rob Carr

[04:28–13:17]

Key Insights:

• Fitting in vs. Belonging: Rob recounts how, after years prioritizing "cool" and conformity in college, he impulsively declares a theater major despite never having acted in college before—secretly navigating a world where vulnerability, not fitting in, is the currency.
• Taking Risks to be Yourself: His first assignment—“do something that makes you completely vulnerable”—leads him to wear boxer briefs, which pales compared to a classmate's coming out.
• Climax: During a theatrical exercise on the soccer field, he’s mortified when his fraternity brothers see him interpretive dancing as a butterfly. But after revealing his passion—“I finally have the courage to come out and tell the world that I’m a thespian”—he discovers unexpected acceptance.
• Resolution: Rob learns that self-acceptance makes space for others' acceptance; both theater friends and fraternity embrace him—all culminating in a humorous and touching “brotherhood auction” date.

Memorable Quotes:

• “I finally have the courage to come out and tell the world that I’m a thespian.” (Rob Carr, 12:31)
• "I came back truly ready to flutter like no one was watching." (Rob Carr, 13:07)

2. “Skate Great” by Beth Ireland

[14:27–24:56]

Key Insights:

• Myth of Effortless Return: Beth, 42, returns to her childhood roller rink, convinced skating “is just like riding a bike.” Reality (and gravity) prove otherwise when she spectacularly wipes out in front of her daughter and the entire rink.
• Letting Go of Ego and Grand Visions: Humbled, she grapples with embarrassment, physical pain, and longing to join in her daughter’s joy—but is paralyzed by fear.
• Acceptance Through Learning: Eventually, she notices a “Learn to Skate Great” flyer, and musters the courage to join—even if her “classmates” are ages six, eight, and four. Instead of hiding her age, she claims it with pride, accepting both her limitations and her ability to start anew.

Memorable Quotes:

• “I am not reliving my youth. I was facing my age. The truth is, I used to be a skater, but I’m not anymore.” (Beth Ireland, 20:51)
• “Oh no. My name is Beth. I am 42 years old, and I am going to skate great.” (Beth Ireland, 24:05)

3. “Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá” by Jesse Rales

[29:46–35:44]

Key Insights:

• Between Worlds: Jesse describes growing up between Mexico and the U.S., feeling “not from here, not from there,” and how that refrain takes on gravity after her family becomes undocumented immigrants.
• The Invisible Struggle: Hard work in school meets the barrier of lacking documentation—no financial aid, no jobs that require a social security number, invisibility, and constant fear of deportation or discrimination.
• Channeling Anger, Seeking Light: After gaining citizenship, Jesse reflects that her sense of being “from here or from there” was always secondary to her humanity, and the universal struggle for acceptance—of self and by society.

Memorable Quotes:

• “‘Ni de aquí, ni de allá’—not from here, not from there. That became very real to me.” (Jesse Rales, 29:54)
• “It’s constantly living in the shadows...because the one thing your parents teach you is not to make any noise—just to sit still, try not to make a fuss, become as invisible as you can be.” (Jesse Rales, 33:17)
• “If I’m from here, if I’m from there—I was just still a human being in a world that wasn’t really accepting me. And to this day, I think a lot of us are still trying to find that way.” (Jesse Rales, 35:27)

4. “A Reporter’s Call” by Dinesh Ramde

[36:48–42:14]

Key Insights:

• Facing Difficult Assignments: Early in his newspaper career, Dinesh must call a family whose son just died in Iraq. Repeated attempts are met with anger—until he respectfully pleads for just 20 seconds.
• Humanizing the Story: His empathy and tenacity persuade the brother and mother to share, transforming the task into a sacred act of honoring a memory, and helping the family grieve by telling their story.
• Professional to Personal: The experience shifts his outlook from chasing headlines to valuing genuine human connection and kindness in moments of vulnerability.

Memorable Quotes:

• “I said, look, the fact that Joe died was an absolute tragedy. But what would be even more tragic is him dying in anonymity halfway around the world...I feel like I owe that to him.” (Dinesh Ramde, 38:39)
• “I realized this is what it’s really about. It’s about these human connections. It’s about telling the stories that really matter.” (Dinesh Ramde, 41:40)

5. “Asymmetry” by Devorah Ajami

[46:01–55:21]

Key Insights:

• When Life Changes Your Face: During late pregnancy, Devorah develops Bell’s Palsy—suddenly, the right side of her face is paralyzed and healing is slow and incomplete, compounding postpartum depression.
• Appearance and Identity: In a world obsessed with perfect symmetry (and social media perfection), she mourns her “asymmetrical smile.”
• Finding Beauty in Imperfection: At her husband’s urging, she tries to see beauty in all asymmetrical things: a stained couch, a chewed-up bookcase, her daughter’s messy, joyful imperfection. She aspires to model acceptance—not perfection—for her daughter.
• The Power of Sharing: Devorah’s follow-up reveals that her open story spurred another person to share their Bell’s Palsy experience—proving everyone’s struggle, big or small, is valid and, when spoken, can be healing not just for oneself but for others.

Memorable Quotes:

• “My mouth going up on one side and down on the other…the reason it was making me so sad is because I was asymmetrical in a world that expects perfect symmetry.” (Devorah Ajami, 47:46)
• “Now that I have a daughter, I would really like to be able to embrace my asymmetry. Because I want to model—not perfection—but acceptance.” (Devorah Ajami, 50:50)
• “Nobody’s story is too small or too insignificant, and everybody’s struggling with something. So I think it’s helpful to share.” (Devorah Ajami, 55:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Theme Introduction & Host’s Reflection — [03:09]
• Rob Carr’s story: Declaring a Theater Major in Secret — [04:28]
• Beth Ireland’s story: Adult Beginner’s Humility & Motherhood — [14:27]
• Jesse Rales’ story: Immigration, Identity & Belonging — [29:46]
• Dinesh Ramde’s story: The Human Side of Reporting Tragedy — [36:48]
• Devorah Ajami’s story: Bell’s Palsy, Self-Image & Motherhood — [46:01]
• Devorah’s follow-up on acceptance and sharing stories — [53:04]

Notable Episode Moments & Quotes

• Rob Carr on self-acceptance:
  “My world didn’t crumble. You know, they tried to understand… but they accepted me. And then it helped me start to accept myself.” [12:35]
• Beth Ireland, confronting fear:
  “Maybe it’s not that I can’t skate again...maybe it’s that I need to learn how to skate again.” [23:00]
• Jesse Rales, on the undocumented experience:
  “It’s constantly living in the shadows, not being able to speak up, or say anything about the injustices that you live through every day.” [33:12]
• Dinesh Ramde, on the core of journalism:
  “If you respect those human connections… even in a moment of tragedy, any of us could play some small part in helping someone smile.” [41:53]
• Devorah Ajami, modeling for her daughter:
  “I want my daughter to be able to enjoy all those asymmetrical, imperfect, potholed, spasmodic moments that life has in store.” [50:58]

Tone, Style, and Takeaways

• Stories are intimate, honest, and often humorous even in their vulnerability.
• Themes of courage, finding community, and self-acceptance recur across diverse backgrounds.
• Listeners are encouraged, in Jodi Powell’s opening, to “be okay even when you find yourself up to your knees in snow wearing sneakers,” a metaphor carried through all stories.

Final Thought

Acceptance—as these tellers prove—is less about resignation and more about honest, sometimes awkward, sometimes beautiful, courage. Whether it’s stepping onto a rink, a stage, or into a new country, embracing imperfections, or making space for grief and joy, The Moth’s storytellers show us that being seen and seeing ourselves—truly as we are—is the beginning of belonging.

For more information or to listen to these stories again, visit themoth.org.