The Unspeakeasy With Meghan Daum Extreme Religious Conversion - Kelsey Osgood on women, religious transformations, and what anorexia has to do with it. (FULL INTERVIEW)
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Aug 4, 2025 Kelsey Osgood, author of 'Godstruck' and 'How to Disappear Completely,' dives into the transformative journeys of women who exchanged secular lives for religious communities. She intertwines these experiences with her own battles with anorexia, exploring how societal pressures and personal struggles converge. The conversation sheds light on resilience, the impact of social media, and the quest for identity through faith. Kelsey also reflects on how her Jewish conversion reshaped her understanding of suffering and belonging.
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Skepticism Links Her Two Books
- Both anorexia and religious conversion reflect a quest for meaning beyond secular culture's accepted "goods."
- Cultural skepticism about health trends powers Kelsey's exploration of deeper questions in both books.
Kelsey's Personal Spiritual Journey
- Kelsey grew up in a nonreligious, intellectual environment and equated intelligence with atheism.
- Her search for meaning during adolescence included anorexia and later led to her Orthodox Jewish conversion.
Cognitive Rigidity Meets Faith
- Individuals attracted to religious systems often have cognitive tendencies favoring structure and measurable certainty.
- Angela's move from utilitarianism to Quakerism reflects a search for an ethical framework valuing all lives equally.
