Is Blood Really Family? In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers sits down with Traci Thomas, creator and host of The Stacks Podcast, to explore the deeply personal terrain of identity, family, and legacy. Traci opens up about growing up mixed-race with older parents, navigating loss at a young age, and the impact of her Black and Jewish heritage on how she views belonging.

Their conversation weaves through themes of grief, motherhood, and emotional inheritance, as Traci reflects on what it meant to lose her father in her twenties—and how that absence continues to shape her relationship to parenting and selfhood. She shares insights on the expansive nature of chosen family, the cultural roots of inclusion in Black and Jewish communities, and the quiet power of forging your own path in the absence of clear models.

Traci’s honesty about not feeling naturally inclined to motherhood—while fully embracing the role—offers a fresh and nuanced view of modern parenting. This episode challenges traditional definitions of family, makes space for contradiction, and honors the complexity of claiming one’s story.

Guest: Traci Thomas

Host: Nabil Ayers

Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji

Production by: Palm Tree Island