Advertise on podcast: The Curious Introvert

Why is sex ed in public schools such a hot topic?   Jon Zimmerman, PhD, is and public school teacher turned historian currently teaching history at University of Pennsylvania. He’s also the author of Too Hot to Handle: a global history of sex education.   In this episode, you’ll hear Iran’s surprisingly explicit curriculum, patriotic sex ed in America, Individualism vs. Collectivism (reversed), where kids actually learn about sex & education vs indoctrination.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 315: IS ASEXUALITY AN ORIENTATION OR A SYMPTOM?  Guest: https://a.co/d/imbo806   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:03 Is Discomfort With Sex Universal? 2:40 Iran’s Surprisingly Explicit Curriculum 3:29 America as a surprising leader in sex ed 4:22 STIs, War & The Real Motive 5:23 Race Suicide & Eugenic Roots 7:43 Can Nuance Survive In A Classroom? 9:39 The American Plan & Patriotic Sex Ed 10:40 Individualism vs. Collectivism, Reversed 11:56 Why Protestantism Shaped The Divide 14:40 Purity Culture, Lived 19:00 The “Confirmed Bachelor” Problem 20:00 Globalization: Diversity Vs. Consensus 21:19 Public Vs. Private School Freedom 22:43 Were Teachers Ever Actually Taught? 24:08 True Love Waits Is Still Sex Ed 25:33 Calling Out BS On Both Sides 27:05 Is Sex Ed Just Political Theater? 28:28 Where Kids Actually Learn About Sex 32:08 One teachers unique approach 35:00 The T.I. Hymen-Check Controversy 37:00 Education Vs. Indoctrination 37:48 Why Is Sex “Impure”? 38:31 Baby Erections & Why We Circumcise 39:18 The complications of diversity Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

What if we could eavesdrop on animals …. Using AI?   Sara Keen, PhD, is a behavioral ecologist, electrical engineer, and Sr Research Scientist at Earth Species Project, a non-profit leveraging AI for interspecies understanding.   In this episode, you’ll hear actual audio clips from Earth Species Project Research, learn about animal naming conventions, regional accents, the spider communicating with vibration, the ethical considerations & why the goal is to listen over two-way communication.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 254: DO WE *NEED* SHARKS? Audio clip credits: Orcas: (Credit: By Raincoast Conservation Foundation, taken under SARA Research License XMMS-2-2022P)  Elephants: (Credit: ElephantVoices)  Birds:https://earthspecies.org/2026/08/20/birdcode-scaling-zero-shot-sound-event-detection-for-bioacoustics/    Guest: https://www.earthspecies.org/  https://www.facebook.com/earthspeciesproject https://www.instagram.com/earth_species_project/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthspecies/   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    2:44 Behavior as the Rosetta Stone 3:31 Chickadees: the town criers 4:52 Interspecies communication 5:49 Orcas & dolphins 6:50 The anthropomorphizing trap 9:19 Listening as the goal 10:02 What the orca boat trip changed 11:45 The orca audio clip 14:30 They're watching us too 15:02 Dolphin names 16:10 Signature whistles explained 17:16 Dolphins & ethics 18:14 Dolphin spy history 19:28 Where's the ethical line? 20:40 Animal surveillance 21:40 Why two-way communication is risky 22:57 The ocean as a sovereign nation? 26:11 Orca boat attacks: playing? 27:47 Do animals have humor? 28:05 Do animals swear? 28:43 Past & future tense 29:34 Do animals talk about humans? 30:04 Elephant research: something new 32:06 The elephant audio clip 33:14 Dogs, cats & button boards 34:40 Animal regional accents 36:00 Humpback whale slang 36:30 Jumping spiders 38:29 Spider Morse code 39:37 Why does this work matter? 40:22 The big why: awe & wonder 41:14 What do we owe them? 41:33 Listening as the remedy to ego 45:08 Aza Raskin & the tech bro paradox 45:39 De-centering ourselves 46:13 Awe without losing yourself 47:14 Aza's three laws of technology 48:30 The AI race & guardrails 49:20 What comes next for ESP Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Do subsidized marriage & reproduction work? What happened to “earth is overpopulated?”   Elizabeth Nolan Brown is Senior Editor at Reason Magazine, a libertarian magazine that promises to exist outside the left/right echo chamber. Her biweekly Sex & Tech newsletter covers issues surrounding sex, tech, bodily autonomy, law & online culture.   In this episode, you’ll hear about global government efforts to get more babies, why families might be getting smaller, why people used to have lots of kids, current-day efforts that sound fake and what actually might work to get families to have more children.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 136: VIRTUAL SIGNALING. CAN WE MAKE IT STOP? NACHOS & NARCISSISM    Guest: https://reason.com/  https://reason.com/2023/05/02/storks-dont-take-orders-from-the-state/ https://x.com/ENBrown https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine  https://www.instagram.com/reasonmagazine/  https://reason.com/people/elizabeth-nolan-brown/    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:14 From overpopulation panic to birth rate bust 06:00 Pronatalist policies of the past: Russia, Hungary, Romania 09:24 Can money make anyone want a baby? 11:53 South Korea, the 4B movement & gender equality 14:01 Why families are getting smaller 15:19 Why the right cares more (and the teen birth drop) 20:16 Status symbols, child mortality & sex ed 21:41 The Great Recession & the smartphone theory 24:21 Should government even be doing this? 26:13 Is it rage bait or is it real? 28:00 Why marriage? The selection effect 31:27 The soulmate myth & who marriage is "for" 33:16 Does capitalism need marriage? 34:48 Social media, gender wars & the Handmaid's Tale 37:00 What's actually working? 38:32 France's fall from pronatalist poster child 39:37 So... is it a big deal? 40:39 Fertility tech & the older-mom contradiction 42:45 Government, get out of the way 47:30 Where to find Elizabeth Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Why do we shrug at grown men in body paint at a football game but cringe at an adult in Mickey ears? Are we judging an entire community by the loudest 1% the algorithm shows us?    AJ Wolfe is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, and media creator. She is a New York Times Bestselling author of  Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture. She is also the founder and owner of Cambrick Yard Media, The Disney Food Blog and is a multi-million follower personality.    In this episode, we speculate on why Disney adults get so much other hate compared to similar levels of fandom in other areas of society, unpack how much of the cult following is addiction by design on behalf of Disney & how even Disney adults can’t escape criticism from each other.     If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 334: FOOTBALL: ARE WE CHEERING FOR BRAIN TRAUMA?  Guests: https://www.instagram.com/ajwolfeofficial https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-wolfe/ https://www.facebook.com/DisneyFoodBlogAJ https://ajwolfe.com/  https://a.co/d/09yHGTjm    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:01 Stereotype vs. reality 05:12 Why football fans get a pass 06:40 Walt wanted adults all along 10:08 Are Disney adults making it pricier? 13:41 Resorts, adolescence, and who gets judged 16:05 Who can really afford Disney? 19:11 Is it Disney or big corporations? 22:18 Attacked from both sides 23:47 Youth group meets Mean Girls 27:35 The rose gold ears frenzy 30:43 Blame the algorithm? 33:27 Disney and FOMO 34:47 From suing fans to courting them 36:53 Is Disney hacking your biology? 43:11 Disney’s $1.5B betting bet 44:33 Stop judging from one-liners Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Why isn’t there a consistent message about alcohol and health? How do you know if you’re putting yourself at risk? Is it really “all things in moderation”?   Courtney Conley, D.C holds a doctorate in chiropractic medicine & 2 bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology & human biology & is the founder of Gait Happens. Milicia McDowell, DPT holds a doctorate in physical therapy & has over 20 years of experience. Together, they are the authors of Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost your Health & Longevity One Step at a Time.   In this episode, you’ll hear the BEST kind of footwear (& why it lasts longer than what you’re buying right now), why strong feet matter & all the ways walking could make your life better for FREE.     If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 130: BAREFOOT IN CANADA: REWILDING, BRAIN FOG & STARBUCKS  Guests: https://a.co/d/0c20BNFz  https://www.drcourtneyconley.com/  https://www.instagram.com/gaithappens/  https://www.instagram.com/drcourtneyconley/  https://www.facebook.com/gaithappens  https://www.milicamcdowell.com/  https://www.instagram.com/drmilicamcdowelldpt   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    5:57 Functional, minimal, or wrong? 12:34 Why minimal shoes outlast conventional ones 15:41 Stop fearing pronation 18:38 I went barefoot for a year 27:39 So why do podiatrists still say cushion? 28:45 Fashion is the real enemy 29:41 The status symbol on your feet 34:28 How strong should your big toe be? 36:17 Can walking really prevent dementia? 37:32 The 6th vital sign nobody checks 41:42 Is 10,000 steps a lie? 43:56 The step count that beats depression 45:09 What CrossFit and yoga can't give you 48:49 Do antidepressants fix foot pain? 57:27 Weighted vests: helpful or harmful? 58:13 Heel striking: good or bad? 1:00:00 Why some people bounce when they walk Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Why isn’t there a consistent message about alcohol and health? How do you know if you’re putting yourself at risk? Is it really “all things in moderation”?   Rachel Bernstein is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Cult Specialist & the Host of the IndoctriNation Podcast. She has spent the last 35 years helping former cult members & those who have had loved ones in cults, focusing on emotional abuse recovery, identity repair & moral injury.    In this episode she explains the psychology of political allegiance, why religion & politics always fuse together, thought stopping cliches & media influence vs media manipulation.   This episode originally aired August 18, 2025     If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 229: IS YOUR HAPPINESS BEING POLITICIZED? CULTURE, CORTISOL & THE BRAIN   Guest: https://rachelbernsteintherapy.com/  https://www.facebook.com/rachelbernsteintherapy https://www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ https://open.spotify.com/show/1prXo4iIxUfjYpfX671cUD?si=3522f54be4ae456f https://rachelbernsteintherapy.com/book--journal.html  Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    2:15 When We Get Vulnerable 4:18 Easily Offended, Easily Swayed 5:04 Are Parties Actually Cults? 6:19 High-Control Groups, Explained 8:13 The Death of Diplomacy 9:35 Identity Over Ideas 11:16 Why Religion and Politics Fuse 13:34 Thought-Stopping Clichés 16:34 Two Magnets, Same Playbook 18:35 The Theocracy Blind Spot 19:17 Allergic to Gray Areas 20:15 The Seven Mountain Mandate 22:32 Anything But Them 23:06 Education as the Antidote 25:35 Reacting vs. Acting 27:54 You're Being Played 31:12 Chasing Likes, Losing Truth 32:59 Data Mining Is Grooming 35:02 Nobody Taught Us This 38:31 Where to Find the Truth 42:10 Shrinking Your Data Footprint Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Why isn’t there a consistent message about alcohol and health? How do you know if you’re putting yourself at risk? Is it really “all things in moderation”?   Dr. Sarah Wakeman is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School & Sr. Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham. She is also the author of Treatable: Rethinking Addiction and How to Get Care Right.   In this episode, she shares why we hear conflicting messages on alcohol, why what “one drink” means is subjective, the actual health risks even for moderate drinkers, drinking stigma & what real sobriety means.     If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 265: HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE AN ALCOHOLIC? [REMASTERED]   Guest: https://www.drsarahwakeman.com/ Book https://a.co/d/0afUgsLE https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/ https://www.instagram.com/massgeneralbrigham/ https://www.instagram.com/drsarahwakeman/  https://www.facebook.com/MassGeneralBrighamInternational/?brand_redir=45556346121#    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:04 — How People Measure Their Own Drinking (Spoiler: They Don't) 2:08 — Why the Science Is So Confusing: CDC vs. WHO 3:35 — What "Class 1 Carcinogen" Actually Means 4:39 — Why We Can't Study Alcohol the Way We Study Other Things 6:09 — What’s “a” drink? 11:04 — Does It Matter Why You Drink? 12:27 — The Capsule Wardrobe Approach to Alcohol 14:21 — Health Risks for Moderate Drinkers 16:08 — Breast Cancer and Light Drinking: The Uncomfortable Truth 17:42 — Toxic Load: Can We Blame the Country We Live In? 20:04 — The Challenge of Counseling Patients on Alcohol 25:00 — What Alcohol Does to the Brain 25:34 — Alcohol-Induced Dementia: How Would You Know? 27:17 — Alcohol, Anxiety & Depression: A Two-Sided Coin 29:10 — Dry January: Helpful Reset or False Start? 33:00 — Moral Incongruence and the Drinking Stigma 34:38 — The "Alcohol Puppy" in Your Brain: Dopamine & Reward 36:20 — The Endorphin Connection: Why Alcohol Feels Like a Painkiller 37:17 — Naltrexone & the Sinclair Method: Medicine for Moderation 39:22 — How to Talk to Your Doctor About Drinking 41:40 — The South Dakota 24/7 Sobriety Experiment 44:00 — Is Alcoholism a Disease, a Behavior, or Both? 46:31 — Contingency Management: Rewarding Sobriety 48:23 — "The Opposite of Alcoholism Isn't Sobriety — It's Connection" 49:31 — Where to Find Dr. Wakeman & Her Book Treatable Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Can you befriend someone OUT of racism? Are Klan members just misguided? Is racism a permanent state?   Daryl Davis is a musician & author. He’s also a black man who chooses to be friends with Klansmen. Over his lifetime, he has inspired over 200 Klu Klux Klan members to give up their robes.    In this episode he shares about the boyscout parade where he got a race reality check, FBI files, the connection between travel & racism, his first encounter with a klansmen, his first KKK friend & true transformation in the age of cancel culture.       This episode originally aired April 29, 2024   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 134: HE VOTED OBAMA & JOINED THE KKK: the How & the Why (PART 1)   Guest: https://klanwetalk.com/  NEW BOOK! https://a.co/d/06vMvFop https://x.com/realdaryldavis https://www.instagram.com/realdaryldavis/  https://www.facebook.com/realdaryldavis    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    02:22 – Ambushed at a Boy Scout Parade 04:27 – The Day His Parents Had to Explain Hate 06:29 – 63 Countries, 50 States, One Missing Piece 08:14 – What Mark Twain Got Right About Prejudice 10:00 – The Fight in a Parking Lot at 2 A.M. 12:07 – Why the Cops Wouldn't Arrest Him 17:39 – "I Never Sat Down With a Black Man Before" 22:26 – The Question That Had Been Waiting 15 Years for an Answer 29:22 – A Bodyguard, a Gun, and a Bible in a Motel Room 32:50 – The Noise That Almost Got Someone Killed 37:02 – The Four-Step Chain That Leads to Destruction 38:30 – Why Diverse Companies Still Eat Lunch Segregated 42:49 – The Five Things Every Human Being Wants 45:07 – The History Books Left This Out 51:20 – The Year America's Racial Majority Flips Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

What's the difference between a fetish, a kink, and just really liking something? Where do fetishes come from?   Niki Davis-Fainbloom’s entire job is to help people make peace with their fetish. She holds a masters in psychology, studied sex therapy at the Kinsey Institute & has been working with clients for 8 years. She’s also the author of Fetish: smash taboos & celebrate what turns you on.   In this episode, you’ll hear about some of the more unusual fetishes, where fetishes come from, where we draw the line in ethical fetishes (Race? Disability? Yikes!), the difference between a kink & a fetish, why people hide what turns them on (& what happens when they don’t).   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 286: WHAT IS MEDICALLY ASSISTED SEX [REMASTERED]?   Guest: https://a.co/d/0165o2Qg  https://www.instagram.com/missbloomsexeducator/  https://www.facebook.com/niki.davis.7 https://www.nikidavisf.com/about-niki  https://x.com/nikidavisf?lang=en   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00:56 — What Actually Makes Something a Fetish (vs. Just Being a Preference) 00:03:50 — Fetish vs. Kink: What's the Difference? 00:04:27 — Unusual Fetishes: Vore, Macrophilia, and the Wet Floor Sign Guy 00:08:46 — Balloon Fetishes, Online Communities, and SizeCon 00:09:57 — Where Do Fetishes Come From? The Conditioning Theory 00:12:34 — The Baby Fetish, Pregnancy Kink, and Stress as a Factor 00:15:23 — Culture, Decades, and How Your Childhood TV Shapes Your Desires 00:17:02 — Japan's Panty Vending Machines: Normalization and the Fetish Question 00:19:47 — The Most Common Fetishes by Volume 00:21:21 — Sneezing Fetishes, Feet Everywhere, and the Can't-Unsee Phenomenon 00:25:15 — The Neuroscience of Foot Fetishes: Somatosensory Cortex and Amputation Studies 00:27:38 — Is There a Genetic Component? Dopamine, Novelty-Seeking, and Risk 00:30:11 — Disgust, Arousal, and Why Evolution Had to Make a Compromise 00:32:45 — Fetishes and Trauma: Separating Myth from Reality 00:34:28 — Rape Kink, Survivors, and Reclaiming Control 00:35:38 — Is Shame Part of What Makes a Fetish Work? 00:37:50 — Grindr at the RNC, Anti-Gay Preachers, and the Forbidden Fruit Effect 00:40:08 — Tools for Working Through Shame: Postponing Worry, Self-Compassion Letters 00:43:42 — How and When to Disclose Your Fetish to a Partner 00:50:51 — The Ethics of Fetishes: Race, Disability, and Objectification 00:55:21 — DSM Paraphilias, Non-Consent, and Where People Can Get Help 00:57:31 — AI Romantic Partners, Dirty Talk Experiments, and the Capitalism Interruption 01:02:32 — Niki's Documentary, the Book, and Where to Find Her Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Could the very thing that makes America work also be what's quietly breaking us?   James F Richardson is a cultural anthropologist who has studied American society for twenty years. He’s also the author of Our Worst Strength: American Individualism and Its Hidden Discontents.   In this episode, we cover the impact of boundless optimism, options & the playground of autonomy. He speaks to the impact our individualism has on our work, mental health, friendships & romantic relationships.   This episode originally aired on October 7, 2024.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 192: AM I A BAD FRIEND/? 7 DEADLY SINS OF FRIENDSHIP  Guest: https://jamesrichardson.substack.com/  https://a.co/d/3cmICjE   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:10 Cowboy vs. Businesswoman Archetypes 2:13 Why the Founder Myth Wins 5:37 Innovation Without Asking "Then What?" 7:56 Is Restriction the Real Opposite? 8:44 Decades of Unlocked Life Choices 9:52 Failure Happens in Private 11:24 What Community Oversight Could Look Like 12:06 We Traded Neighbors for Apps 13:00 Stage-Gate Checks for New Businesses 13:45 The Untouchable 95% Fail Rate 16:08 Shame, American-Style 18:29 Radical Personal Responsibility, Examined 20:44 The Case for Individualism 25:00 "How Do I Make Friends?" 25:54 Friends as Entertainment 27:13 Open vs. Closed Reciprocity, Explained 31:29 James's Own Alienation Cycle 32:42 Asperger's, Therapy, and Energy Management 40:13 Where Does Responsibility End? 44:13 One Life Tip That Matters Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

How does a suburban dad end up addicted & sleeping in a Tenderloin doorway?   Tom Wolf was a suburban Dad & city employee when he became addicted to drugs. He soon found himself sleeping in a doorway in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco getting high every 90 minutes.     Now six years sober, he serves on the leadership council of Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions & is a bridge between the reality of the streets & the meeting room of policy makers.  In this episode, you’ll hear his story, the down and dirty about “live & let die,” Chinese fentanyl and Mexican cartel, if housing plus services is really the answer & should we follow the Portugal model?   This episode originally aired on September 9, 2024.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 317: LIFE IN THE VEGAS TUNNELS: CLOWNS, CRICKETS & CRANK [REMASTERED]  Guest: https://x.com/gooddrugpolicy https://x.com/Twolfrecovery https://gooddrugpolicy.org/papr/ https://www.facebook.com/gooddrugpolicy https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundation-for-drug-policy-solutions/   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:07 The Foot Surgery That Started It 2:23 Buying Pills On The Street 4:21 Switching To Heroin 5:02 The OxyContin Crisis Origins 6:32 Should Purdue Pay? 7:38 Fentanyl's Chinese Precursors 9:09 Working For The Cartel 10:38 Arrested And Released 15:09 Why Not Get Shelter? 16:40 Using Every 90 Minutes 19:43 Housing Isn't Enough 22:20 Six Strikes And Jail 24:37 Sober vs. In Recovery 28:57 Portugal's Decriminalization Model 33:24 Decriminalization vs. Legalization 35:33 Could Plant Medicine Help? 39:25 Pivoting San Francisco's Approach 42:31 A Hostage Takeover Of The Brain 43:12 Alberta And Houston's Success 45:42 Closing Thoughts And Hope Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

What if your "chemical imbalance" was never actually in your brain — but on your plate?   Dr. Georgia Ede is a Harvard trained psychiatrist who began to experience a host of mystery symptoms in her 40s, including fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, and IBS.    When she got relief after experimenting with her diet, she began her path of nutritional studies & later became a nutritional psychiatrist. In this episode, she covers questionnaire collecting vs research, a warning about experimenting on yourself, chemical imbalances vs inflammation & 3 tests you can do at home.   This episode originally aired on July 8, 2024.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 251: FOOD ADDICTION: CHARACTER FLAW OR REAL DEPENDENCE? [REMASTERED]  Guest: https://www.instagram.com/georgiaedemd/ https://twitter.com/GeorgiaEdeMD https://www.diagnosisdiet.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaEdeMd https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaedemd/   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:31 Skeptical Psychiatrist's Turning Point 3:11 Why Nutrition Studies Lie 5:38 Rethinking Chemical Imbalances 7:10 Metabolic vs Nutritional Psychiatry 8:52 Two Diets, Two Goals 11:12 Testing Diets in Prisons? 12:04 How Fast Results Come 14:05 Special Forces Eat Keto 15:00 Is Inflammation to Blame? 18:14 Try 30 Carbs a Day 21:02 Self-Experimenting Without a Doctor 24:25 Test Your Insulin at Home 28:58 Does Red Dye Cause ADHD? 31:06 The Chocolate Craving Mystery 34:00 Inside Food Addiction Research 39:32 Escape the Glucose Rollercoaster 42:11 Her 90-Year-Old Mom's Keto Win 46:08 Hope Is on the Menu Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

What happened to ontological shock?   Michael Glawson, PhD, is a philosopher of science and technology with a background in theology. He’s also the host of the podcast Anomalous Review & the UAP Studies Podcast. In this video, we cover the public’s love affair with cryptids, why new information is unlikely to smash our world view, ancient aliens, data vs entertainment & how the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies collects data.   This episode originally aired on April 14, 2025.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 276: ARE ALIENS HUMANS FROM THE FUTURE? [REMASTERED] Guest: https://www.explorescu.org/podcast https://www.instagram.com/michaelglawson/ [email protected]   https://www.facebook.com/michaelglawson  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmglawson/  https://x.com/MichaelGlawson   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    2:14 UFOs as "the cryptid we're bored with" 3:24 The double-talk that primed us 5:56 Diana Pasulka and denominations of belief 8:00 The "aliens are demons" camp 9:19 The Alien Resistance Christian group 10:28 Why nothing smashes a worldview 12:24 Michael's personal crisis moment 13:57 Inside the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies 15:16 MUFON, NUFORC, and the data problem 16:53 300 best cases and emerging patterns 19:44 The missing taxonomy for non-human intelligence 21:09 The career risk of studying this openly 23:04 Defending the "petty" reputation concern 25:38 Philosophy vs. data as competing lenses 28:12 Why doesn't the public care? 28:40 Could disclosure hurt our "galactic reputation"? 29:22 The nuclear weapons parallel 30:39 The game theory of disclosure 33:48 UAP apathy vs. religious apathy 35:27 Kahneman's fast and slow thinking 36:23 Economic survival crowds out big questions 37:35 Why the NJ drones felt different 38:23 Michael's anatomy of the NJ drone panic 40:33 The Iran mothership claim debunked 41:07 The germanium-68 "missing nuclear material" myth 42:45 Thousands of unexplained military incursions ignored 44:35 If you could interview an alien Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Should voters have to prove their competence? How do balance ethics & efficacy in the world of politics?   Dr. Jason Brennan is a Flanigan Family professor at Georgetown Business School who agrees that democracies outperform most historical alternatives, but suggests that some form of Epistocracy (meaning the rule of the knowledgeable) could be worth experimenting with. In other words, the more of an informed voter you are, the more weight your vote carries.    He covers why democracy may not be as bullet proof as we believe, what the practical applications of epistocracy could look like, education’s disappointing impact on informed voting & the right and wrong way to become a more informed voter.   This episode originally aired on April 15, 2024   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 136: VIRTUE SIGNALING. CAN WE MAKE IT STOP? NACHOS & NARCISSISM  Guest: https://a.co/d/3INKj7z   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    3:05 What is epistocracy? 7:25 Is a "statistically informed" vote really informed? 8:52 When IQ tests get weaponized 11:00 Let citizens write the test 12:52 Why civic education backfires 13:37 The forgetting curve of civics class 15:47 Voting as a collective action problem 19:38 Do you have a duty to vote? 22:05 Reproductive rights and the bottle-in-the-ocean problem 23:45 Lottocracy: voting by lottery 25:50 Should we vote on issues, not parties? 26:41 Politics as tribal signaling 28:55 Your brain on politics 29:41 More parties, less tribalism 30:50 Duverger's Law and the two-party trap 34:28 How the electoral college shapes campaigns 36:09 Finding trustworthy information Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

What if the villain isn't high cortisol, but low? Does the idea of relaxing make you cringe?   Erin Kinney, ND, is a Naturopathic Doctor who specializes in helping type A patients use cortisol as a currency to generate energy, handle stress, heal, & perform. She is also the author of The Cortisol Cure: The Secret to Resetting Your Stress Response, Boosting Energy & Feeling Better Than Ever.   In this episode, she describes two patients with wacked out cortisol (is this YOU?), the relationship of burnout & cortisol, how to understand your HRV, if your fasting & exercise could be making your stress worse, when stress is GOOD, free tips to rebalance your stress hormones & how to find the right doctor to work with you   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 61: REDUCING STRESS THROUGH BREATHING: HACKS FOR THE NON-HIPPY  Guest: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dr-kinney-show/id1547023817  https://a.co/d/06TmZ6hw  https://www.thekinneyclinic.com/about-dr-erin-kinney  https://www.instagram.com/TheKinneyClinic https://www.facebook.com/TheKinneyClinic   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    4:20 What your labs should say 6:58 The cortisol bank account 9:06 The real ideal numbers 11:34 Introvert vs extrovert stress 14:28 CGM spikes as a clue 16:10 What HRV is really telling you 23:51 Two muscles: stress and rest 25:21 Mold, trauma, and fight or flight 27:14 The 90/10 rule 31:15 Is burnout just low cortisol? 31:51 The top 3 culprits 37:29 Meditation and the off switch 39:31 The compressed vagus nerve 43:30 Why exercise isn't relaxing 44:30 Are you overtraining? 45:17 Fasting: his vs hers 47:22 Alcohol, weed, and your bank account 48:57 Free tips you can use today 53:24 Finding the right doctor Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  [email protected] https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert