The Vibe Shift
The Vibe Shift is a podcast of the Gen Z Role Models Project, based at King’s College London. We explore the fast-changing spiritual lives of the first smartphone generation—diving into original research on religion, influencer culture, and the search for meaning in a digital age. From lifestyle gurus to papal TikTokers, we’re tracking the saints and cynics shaping Gen Z’s world. Featuring fresh voices and participatory research methods, each episode invites you into conversations that matter.
Episodes
Michelle, a business professor whose research focuses on calling, purpose, and human flourishing, joined Edward’s week-long seminar on Gen Z at the 2025 Oxford Theology Summer School. In this conversation, she reflects on what the experience revealed to her about Gen Z’s hunger for meaning, the importance of authentic community, and the surprising places young people now turn when seeking order and purpose. Drawing on...
Kasun on Sri Lanka, Saints, and a Simple Faith / The Gen Z Role Models Project / Season 2, Episode 3
Kasun Fernando, a young Roman Catholic deacon from Sri Lanka, joined Edward's week-long seminar on Gen Z at the 2025 Oxford Theology Summer School. In this conversation, Kasun reflects on what the experience taught him about listening, and how the five themes—or narrative-types—of The Gen Z Role Models Project has helped him better understand his generation.
The Vibe Shift Podcast is part of The Gen Z Role Models ...
Phoebe, the Young Adult Mission Enabler for the Diocese of Durham, found faith at the age of 18. A Gen Z Christian herself, she now helps churches listen more deeply to a generation rediscovering spirituality. In this conversation, she reflects on why some young adults experience faith as a direct encounter with God—the “Simple Faith Narrative”—and how that insight shapes her ministry. We also discuss online spiritual...
James, a London-based student, grew up in a religious home but now calls himself “pro-faith" but not practising. In this conversation, he reflects on why some Gen Zers turn away from organised religion and move toward self-help, how social media shapes shared anxiety and belonging, and why curiosity—and conversation—might be the best kind of therapy.
This episode is part of The Gen Z Role Models Project, a study e...
In this episode, Edward sits down with Claire, Communications Officer at the University of Oxford, to talk about her role as collaborator on the Gen Z Role Models Project.
They discuss the rewards of doing collaborative research and explore the lessons that Claire is taking forward. They also discuss Gen Z religion in light of what Edward and Claire learnt at the European Academy of Religion in Vienna.
They talk about:
<...In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Edward talks with Noah, a theology graduate and study participant who reflects on the power of asking big questions—and finding simple but profound answers.
Noah shares how reading the medieval theologian, Saint Thomas Aquinas, transformed his understanding of religion, why our study's Simple Faith Narrative resonated with him, and how teaching with stories helps students navigat...
In this episode of The Vibe Shift, we sit down with Mollie, a undergraduate student in the UK, to reflect on what it means to be young, questioning, and spiritually curious in today’s world.
Mollie shares how she encountered our Gen Z Role Models study, why she connected with the Self-help Narrative, and what it’s like to be a co-researcher exploring faith in partnership with academics. From TikTok religion to particip...
In this final episode of The Vibe Shift mini-series, Edward brings the essay to a close—an essay that shaped the theoretical foundation of the Gen Z Role Models Project. Building on narrative theology, moral philosophy, and the method of reflexive thematic analysis, the episode explores how exemplarist narratives appear across religious and cultural traditions.
Drawing on thinkers like Linda Zagzebski and Alasdair MacI...
In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Edward continues reading from the foundational essay that shaped the theoretical framework of the Gen Z Role Models Project. Written early in the analysis phase, the essay brings theological reflection into dialogue with qualitative research methods—especially story completion and reflexive thematic analysis.
This episode explores the theological claim that humans are not just storyte...
In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Edward—lecturer at King’s College London and research lead on the project—steps back to share the theoretical foundation that shaped how the research team approached the story data.
At the heart of the study is a method called story completion, which asks participants to finish a fictional narrative involving Jesse, a Gen Z character encountering a spiritual or religious role model on...
In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Claire and I speak with Grace, an international student from Malaysia whose family is part of the Chinese diaspora there. Now based in the UK, Grace took part in our study and connected with what we’ve called the Simple Faith Narrative—a story in which Jesse, a fictional Gen Z character, finds peace and meaning through a sacred text shared by a religious influencer.
Together, we read ...
In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Claire speaks with Saadadden, a former research assistant on the Gen Z Role Models Project with a background in both law and theology.
Drawing on the Islamic tradition, Saadadden reflects on the importance of moral exemplars—and why face-to-face encounters are so central to understanding them. He explains how online interactions often strip role models of their values and context, red...
Episode 2: Faith Under Fire and the Urgency of Connection
In this episode of The Vibe Shift, Claire sits down with Mariia, a young professional from Ukraine and one of the participants in the Oxford workshop of the Gen Z Role Models Project.
Mariia opens up about the role of faith in times of challenge—how it sustains not just individuals, but whole communities facing daily uncertainty. She shares how the quiet strength...
In this first episode of The Vibe Shift, we sit down with Iris—a London-based student from Southeast Asia and one of the first participants in the Oxford pilot of the Gen Z Role Models Project. The project uses a research method called story completion to surface the unspoken beliefs young people hold about religion and spirituality.
Together, we explore stories of “divine disillusionment”—moments when religious figure...
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