Relationscapes Podcast: The Journey Through Human Identity And Connection

 Authors are the ultimate podcast guest. They can give an independent podcast instant credibility. Further, they sharply punctuate the concept of quid pro quo. The authors receive visibility and a marketing opportunity for their book, and podcasters receive an interesting, articulate guest who knows their material inside and out because they wrote it. 

The Something You Should Know podcast with Mike Carruthers has been trading on this symbiotic relationship for 20 years. 

Today, we'll discuss a relatively new podcast that interviews authors and has been establishing its presence as an ear-worthy independent podcast. 

Creator / Host Blair Hodges says: "Relationscapes is a journey through the terrain of human identity and connection. Each episode features an interview with a best-selling author whose work helps us understand family, friendship, gender, sexuality, race, and more. Mapping this territory is a must if we hope to create a more equitable world—especially for marginalized individuals and communities."

Hodges adds: "I've been publishing Relationscapes for a year, and the growth has been slow but steady."

Hodges introduces himself this way: "I'm an award-winning journalist with 16 years of podcasting experience (over two million downloads to date). I have a BA in journalism and an MA in liberal studies from Georgetown University. My show is independent and not monetized. It's all for the love of books and humans!"

 

The podcast format is straightforward with intro music, a teaser clip, a return to the intro music and then the author interview. Hodges does some good things right in the beginning. First, he introduces the podcast by name and briefly explains the premise of the show. That small step helps to attract new listeners who are enjoying the show for the first time. Second, the intro music has lyrics and a sweet, uplifting beat.

Hodges has created a nice portmanteau for the podcast title that hints strongly to the podcast's topic -- always a good step -- and, in the spirit of tinkering under the hood of the podcast -- he changed the name of the show from Family Proclamations. That was indeed a smart and courageous move, and an object lesson for independent podcasters about the importance of choosing the optimal podcast title.

 

As an interviewer, Hodges is strong. I suspect his natural style developed from his journalism career, where inquisitiveness and the ability to ask good questions are two must-have skills.  

I must commend Blair Hodges on his choice of topics. He doesn't hold back. At a time in this nation where censorship of LGBTQ, diversity, inclusion, and Black history issues stifles free expression, Hodges bravely tackles all these topics and more.

 

Some of my favorite episodes include the very first one with author Cat Bohannon -- Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. In the episode, Bohannon persuasively makes the case that for far too long, the story of human evolution has ignored the female body. Her new book offers a sweeping revision of human history. It's an urgent and necessary corrective that will forever change your understanding of birth and why it's more difficult for humans than virtually any other animal species on the planet.

A February 2025 episode on dating asks an intriguing question. The dating world today feels like a minefield—swiping, ghosting, endless situationships, and more. What if the problem isn’t just app fatigue, but the very idea of romance itself? In the episode, Sociologist Sabrina Strings unpacks how centuries of racism and sexism have shaped our ideas about modern love, leaving many people—especially women who don’t fit the "white enough" ideal—excluded from the fairy tale of true love.

Drawing from her latest book, The End of Love: Racism, Sexism, and the Death of Romance, and her own experiences, Strings challenges everything we think we know about love. 

In the book, she asks: Is something better possible?

 During his first year, Blair Hodges has tackled issues that include being in a cult, being a transsexual as a Mormon, finding happiness in single life, busting myths about only children, interracial adoption, and the tale of an entire church-going family that came out of the closet.

With such complex topics, the runtime of the show routinely exceeded one hour. 

Wisely, Hodges has begun to incorporate more mini-episodes into the lineup, like the December 23, 2024, show about no-fault divorce with Heather Quick that ran a slim 31 minutes.

Check out Relationscapes. It's a superb independent podcast with fascinating authors discussing the broad topics of human identity and connection and then drilling down to the ground level with discussions of gender identity, Black womanhood, JD. Vance's childless cat ladies, the choice to remain childless, and learning about masculinity from the Romans.

I'll end at the beginning of this article, where creator / host Blair Hodges said, "My show is independent and not monetized. It's all for the love of books and humans!" Hodges displays the passion and commitment that so many independent podcasters have in abundance. Since humans are social animals, Blair Hodges has decided to investigate the essence of humanity -- our relationships to one another.