Episode 106: Liz Kleinrock on Bi, Jewish, and an Advocate for Mental Health

Dr. Moon interviews Liz Kleinrock on her lived experience of being bisexual, and the intersection of her queer and Jewish identity. She shares about the misconceptions of being bi, what helped her queer identity development, the ways therapy has helped her as she processed her intersecting identities, and how she works to de-stigmatize mental health in her classroom.

This episode was recorded before the war on Gaza began, so we do talk about Judaism and Liz's Jewish identity without mentioning the horrendous attacks occurring in Gaza right now.

Liz Kleinrock (she/her) is an award winning educator and best selling author, as well as a Korean-American transracial adoptee, queer, Jewish woman. In 2018, Liz received the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2019 delivered her TED Talk, “How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics." In the spring of 2021, Liz released her first book, Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community with Heinemann Publishing, and is excited to announce the publication of "Come and Join Us" a children's book that was released in October of 2023, which is the first of four children's books she is set to publish with HarperCollins. She currently resides in Washington DC with her partner, cat, and two bunnies.

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This episode was sponsored by Inclusive Therapists, a simpler, safer way for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and marginalized folks to find culturally-responsive, identity-affirming mental health care. You can find them at inclusivetherapists.com or @inclusivetherapists.