In this milestone 50th episode of Soul Decodes, Tia Jolie Phillips returns solo to the mic as Sarah Tirri continues to recover from a brief hospital stay. Holding space with strength and humor, Tia Jolie uses Sarah’s absence as a launchpad to explore one of the most foundational elements of human life—relationships. But in true Soul Decodes fashion, the discussion veers far from convention.

Beginning with family, Tia Jolie questions the usefulness of blood ties as a relational gold standard. Instead, she offers a reframing: real family consists of those with whom we are most familiar. She introduces the idea of surrogate families and encourages listeners to proactively build communities based on shared purpose, values, and joy.

From there, the episode becomes a wide-ranging and deeply personal meditation on  ...