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I was wrestling with whether I have an enduring identity one day. I wandered into Barnes & Noble and found a book on philosophical Taoism and Jay Garfield's book on mind—Losing Ourselves: Learning to Live Without a Self. I loved it, I told him so in an email, and he agreed to talk to me about his book, his career trajectory, and his ideas gleaned from Eastern and Western philosophy sources on the slipperiness of personal identity. It was marvelous. I hope you like it too ...

I grew up hearing Alan Watts' voice on weekend mornings in Southern California in recorded lectures on KPFK. But it wasn't until, on a whim, I pulled one of Watts' books off the shelf and read it during breaks between classes during my undergrad that I was changed. The book that did it was The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. I have since re-read it at least twice, read most of Watts' other books, followed Watts' pointing to Taoism and Buddhism, and currently listen to Watts' lectures at least weekly on walks. I have recommended the book to folks I know, and none of them liked it as much as I did and continue to. This episode's guest, Brian Wheeler, also probably likes the book less than me, but he has spent many more years deeply studying and playing with ideas in Watts' corpus.  Brian and I discuss his entry point into Watts, Tao, Buddhism, transpersonal psychology (which Wheeler studied in graduate school), and paradox (which Wheeler has written on).  What are you, we wonder in our conversation. Are you a separate you, or a piece of the universe? How? In what ways? Let's play ...

Every tabletop gaming convention is dedicated to fun. But not every one of those wargame-miniature-moving, tabletop-RPG-playing, board-game-winning conventions is dedicated to an even bigger cause.  That’s why Meeple-A-Thon stands out, a 501(c)(3) charity gaming convention dedicated to supporting Kansas City’s at-risk and disenfranchised community members. And why it’s always a special pleasure to announce Meeple-A-Thon’s return as a sponsor for fellow tabletop gaming convention KantCon’s 2026 event July 16-19 at the Overland Park Convention Center. David Watts is Meeple-A-Thon’s director of strategic operations, a bigger role after his work organizing a wargaming section back in 2024. It’s only gotten bigger, he says. “Back when it started, it could all fit in the space of a few basketball courts,” Watts said. “Now, we’re to the point of attracting national vendors, more games, and we’ve moved to the Kansas City Convention Center.” Listen to this episode to find out more Meeple-A-Thon's work, gaming in general, and the behind-the-scenes work of making an event like this happen ...  Further resources: Meeple-A-Thon KantCon

As part of an ongoing volunteering job with Kantcon, a fantastic tabletop gaming convention here in the Kansas City metro area, I record and write up interviews with a few of their sponsors each year. Chris Garbett at Allplay, where he serves as Director of Operations and Logistics, works underground around cool board games all day long. Yes, his job is probably still mostly phone calls, emails, and spreadsheets, but still: A mine! Games everywhere!  Want to learn more about Garbett and the work he does? Listen to this episode, and check out these links: Allplay's selection of games

As part of an ongoing volunteering job with Kantcon, a fantastic tabletop gaming convention here in the Kansas City metro area, I record and write up interviews with a few of their sponsors each year. KJ Davis’ company, A Little Help Company (ALHc), focuses on mentorship and boutique publishing support for indie creatives who may need a little extra guidance navigating public events, creative projects, and business growth. (Note: I interviewed Davis for an episode about her company in 2024.) Want to learn more about Davis and the work she does? Listen to this episode, and check out these links: The all-inclusive directory Davis' books

As part of an ongoing volunteering job with Kantcon, a fantastic tabletop gaming convention here in the Kansas City metro area, I record and write up interviews with a few of their sponsors each year. Walter Stewart is co-owner of one of the best tabletop gaming stores I've ever visited: Tabletop Game and Hobby in Overland Park, Kansas. Want to learn more about Stewart and the games he talks about? Listen to this episode, and check out these links: Gloomhaven Flip 7  Azul King of Tokyo Ark Nova The Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship The Hobbit: There & Back Again Cozy Stickerville Starcraft Magical Athlete Mythic Bastionland Hamsters & Himbos Brindlewood Bay Sword World Old Gods of Appalachia

As part of an ongoing volunteering job with Kantcon, a fantastic tabletop gaming convention here in the Kansas City metro area, I record and write up interviews with a few of their sponsors each year. Rikki Tahta in the UK talked to me about his company, MeetMax Games, and why the games are fun, how the games work in groups, and his inspiring and revolutionary take on games for corporations and events: Fun over functional. Want to learn more about Tahta and his team's work? Listen to this episode, and check out these links: MeetMax Games Games of theirs that he mentions in the podcast At the Races Elephants on Mars

Yup. I think it's been 100 or so episodes. So, I thought I'd mark the occasion with a conversation with somebody else who's made podcasts and watched them ... not grow. (That's Jimbo Radio; I've been on a few times and thoroughly enjoy my conversations with James.) The What People Do podcast started more than six years ago with a recording in a library meeting room with a former colleague right as COVID spun up before the lockdown. It continues, every month or so, recorded online now in my apartment living room. Why did I make it? Because I get tired of self-promotional, ad-ridden podcasts. I wanted to make a thing that just ... exists ... to serve my own curiosity and interest in relating to, and asking questions about, people's lives.  There has never been a direction or a focus beyond 1) the people who ask to be interviewed, or 2) the people I ask to interview. There are more rabbis and RPG folks only because that's closer to my wheelhouse as I volunteer to make content for a local RPG convention and pursue my own rabbinate and Judaism in general. Well, don't I normally supply links? Well, here ya go. If you'd like to ever support me financially, feel free to subscribe to my Substack or ask to collaborate on something with me: My rabbinic Substack My random Patreon My random YouTube My sort-of-outdated Linktree

Rabbi Norman Solomon served in many important capacities in the United Kingdom during his decades of service as a pulpit rabbi and educator. But the title of his latest book—which promised a delve into what we might mean in the modern world with our talk of God—promised to be a rich read. And it has been, with its very personal and idiosyncratic writing style and conventions. Anyone with an interest in thinking about God in Judaism or Christianity in the modern world might find much to agree with, smile at, and wrestle with in the book.  I was also delighted to find out Rabbi Solomon has a delightful sense of humor. You will be too.   Further resources Read Making Sense of ‘God’: What God-Talk Means and Does book Peruse Rabbi Solomon’s writing for the Torah.com website

I met Carole as the star administrator of the New York City-based rabbinic school I attended in 2025. (Shout out, Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute!) It always felt like there was a lot more under her surface in the moments when she’d pop up, or in the times she’d email. When she shared a cool introspection exercise with our graduating rabbinic class, I had to learn more about her. Turns out, she’s fascinating herself … nonprofit administration, yoga teaching certification, independent film, commercial work, and community theater. So … I asked Carole about her acting and film experience as a trick to talk to her, because she seemed cool. She is.

A hundred years ago, Judaism’s path of moral self-improvement was stuck mostly in the Orthodox world where the classic books of the field were in their original language. When the wider Jewish world began taking notice of Mussar, study and books in translation blossomed in availability. That’s the beautiful world that Rabbi Greg Marcus and I inhabit today, where the rabbi walks us through his own Mussar origin story, why he became a teacher of it, and where it’s all going from here. So, self-help with a Jewish flavor: Judaism has had it for hundreds of years! Let’s gooooooo …   Further resources: Peruse Rabbi Greg Marcus’ website and his American Mussar website Read The Spiritual Practice of Good Actions: Finding Balance Through the Soul Traits of Mussar book Take the Soul Trait quiz

People talk about "main character energy" when it's a bad thing: You're the center of the universe, you're the hero or heroine in your story, and your story is how you see the world. Everyone is important only in how they connect to, or affect, you. You need your needs met (Karen!) before others, because, well, you're the most important person. But there's another more playful way to become the main character: in story. Pretending to be a hero—whether you get lost in a movie, a novel, or a tabletop role-playing game—can be fun, give you agency, allow you to see possibilities in your life that are papered over in the regular day-to-day grind. With that, I present to you the journal I've been using the past week or so: Just Roll With It from ParadoxPort. The habit-making, goal-seeking, fantasy-RPG-inspired notebook uses character sheets, callings, spells, maps, and monsters as playful stand-ins for a regular journal's more pedestrian language. Are you forming a new habit or weaving a spell? Are you facing a roadblock to success, or a fishy-faced Deep One? Did you die ... or did you just run into some bad luck, make some bad choices, or make a new habit that didn't quite stick? You get the idea. I'm still enjoying the journal, and I think I explain why well in this conversation with its creator, Ari Levari ...  Enjoy. P.S. No, this podcast episode is not an ad. I just really like the journal. Further threads to follow Just Roll With It: Hardback Edition (also available in printable PDF) Online storefront YouTube channel, where you can find Ari's own podcast Wondering whether to try it? "What makes Just Roll With It different from other journals or planners?" Most planners optimize productivity. ParadoxPort focuses on meaning, identity, and momentum. Instead of "do more," we help you explore how and why you change, using play as the engine. "Do I need to be a gamer to use the journal?" Not at all. While the journal is inspired by tabletop RPGs, it's designed to be approachable for beginners. If you enjoy creativity, structure, or exploring goals in a playful way, you'll feel at home.

I stumbled onto Christina’s name in my quest for one of my favorite Jewish folk tales. Turns out, she’d shared a version from a Christian book on her blog, which was also filled with marvelous thinking on men and women, trauma and therapy, and ways for folks to flourish. It was a fascinating conversation touching on evergreen topics of psychology as well as a vision of problems she sees in contemporary life, especially in romantic entanglements and families. Enjoy.   Further resources Peruse Christina’s blog Read “The Sorrow Tree” post that brought me to her e-doorstep Explore her Facebook posts

There is Jewish music, with melody and harmony and rhythm. There is chanting for Torah reading, with melody and meaning.  And then there is Jewish chanting.  Rabbi Shefa Gold talks about her entry point into it, demonstrates what it sounds like, and explains how it works in this insightful conversation ...   Further resources: Rabbi Shefa Gold’s website Are We There Yet? Travel as a Spiritual Path Flavors of Gratefulness app and sample chants (link) Flavors of Praise app and sample chants (link) In the Fever of Love: An Illumination of the Song of Songs Love at the Center: Immersing in Shir Hashirim (link) The Magic of Hebrew Chant: Healing the Spirit, Transforming the Mind, Deepening the Love Torah Journeys: The Inner Path to the Promised Land

You’ve experienced this before, right? You know you’re supposed to do something. You’ve learned that a good habit is what you need or a bad habit needs to be changed. You know you should spend more time on this and less time on that. You know it’d be good for your emotional health, your body, or your soul. But you don’t do it. There’s a gap. Dr. Kyra Bobinet, MD-PhD, calls it the “Know-Do” gap. It all stems from work she’s done for years studying, researching and trying to make practical information about how your brain works, namely your habenula (huh-BEN-yuh-luh). It’s the part of your brain that tracks your failure. It can keep you out of trouble: “Last time you tried between those trees, you fell and almost died. Don’t do it. Bad!” But it can also keep you mired in bad habits, indecision, and self-doubt: “Remember when you tried that diet, and you fell off it? What a failure. Don’t try losing weight again. You’ll never do it! You’ll fail again!” Dr. Bobinet has a magic (but, really, not so magic) way to calm down your habenula and self-critic: the iterative mindset, which she details in her book Unstoppable Brain (2024, Forbes Books). You’ve got to change from focusing on failures and trying to keep adding good habits and removing bad habits the same way … and recognize that every time you hit a bump, it’s time for a new iteration. Change things up! What worked to help you last year, last week, yesterday, may not work again. Iterate, iterate … change, change … try, try …  I interview Dr. Bobinet here about all that, plus, especially, her nearly brand-new smartphone app Fresh Tri, which offers a platform to learn about her research and how it applies to your habits and health as well as anonymous community support and tips and ideas to change your thinking when your habenula gets going and you’re sure this one’s the absolute failure. It’s all free content and functionality right now with the possibility that more targeted videos and help might be pay-to-play. But for now … go play with all that’s there! So, stop logging failures, start logging iterations … and listen in …