Advertise on podcast: Conversation ex Nihilo

Carrington Smith is an author and an attorney. Her new book Blooming  is a candid account of surviving sexual assault, two divorces, disfiguring surgery and a slew of other curveballs that life has thrown at her. She addresses her past with a sense of humor as well as with a newfound compassion for herself. She joins Billy via Zoom to talk about her relationship with a narcissistic father, the destructive force that the love of money conducts, reconciling with her past and reasons for putting it all on paper at this juncture in her life. You can check out her website here and pick up a copy of her book here. 

Frank King is "The Mental Health Comedian." He is a former writer for The Tonight Show as well as a renowned stand-up comedian. He currently specializes in suicide prevention and gives talks to that end. He isn't shy about saying he knows what the barrel of his gun tastes like. Frank joins Billy to talk about his depression, how COVID-19 has effected his speaking career, how the market crash of 2008 had prepared him for the slump of 2020, Christopher Columbus's mental illness and a few other choice topics. You can check out his website here and check out his TEDx talk Born to be Funny here.

Ricky is a filmmaker, screenwriter and author. He joins Billy to talk about his projects, some of which included Billy. The conversation goes from the twenty year anniversary of 9/11, to reminiscing about Oliver Stone films and a fondness for iconic film locations over other historic sites, to just a relaxed talk about their shared experiences working together on various short films (link here)

Mike joins Billy via Zoom to talk about Battleship Potemkin in what they hope to be the first in a series (perhaps a whole new podcast) on Russian cinema. 

P.J. Agness from Archangel Protective Intelligence joins Billy via Zoom to talk, shark repellant, the O.S.S. self-defense and a mess of other stuff. 

Sean McGrane is a Veteran of both the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. He joins Billy via Zoom to talk about the U.S. departure from the war in Afghanistan, what it means to him as a vet and an American as well as some general thoughts on military service. 

Jewels is an author, speaker and bodybuilder. Her newest book The Making of a Woman: From the Inside Out chronicles her journey of abuse as an adolescent to her jobs in healthcare and as a touring stripper while continuously spinning out of control. Jewels got sober at 35 and began a career as a professional femdom, from there her story captures the ascent of her spirit as she gets married and becomes a competitive bodybuilder. Jewels joins Billy via Zoom to talk about her life and her book. They also find time to discuss the BDSM culture, recognizing signs of abuse, the power of asking "are you alright" and many other things pertaining to the subject of trauma meeting contemporary culture. Watch the trailer for her book here

After a career in corporate and nonprofit communications, Suzanne Munson went back to her first loves of teaching and writing about colonial America. In 2018 she published the book Jefferson's Godfather the Man Behind the Man: George Wythe, mentor to the founding fathers.  Her 2021 book The Metaphysical Thomas Jefferson is the focus of this episode. The book is a transcription of interviews with Thomas Jefferson's spirit as channeled through the medium Jana Ana. The book has Jefferson commenting on his own life and his thoughts about the current state of politics and media in America. Whether one is a believer or not there is much to be gained from listening to Suzanne talk to Billy via Zoom about her interest in history, the spiritual world and how this book came to be. 

Sara Long is a former professional makeup artist turned U.S. history professor. She hosts the podcast The Makeup Historian and she joins Billy via Zoom to talk about the founding fathers and mothers, the politics of education, whether we as a society need textbooks as well as some of the other challenges facing modern academics. 

Michael Belfer was the guitarist of The Sleepers and Tuxedomoon both highly influential San Francisco bands from the late 70's. He is also the author of When Can I Fly?  a book chronicling his time with these two bands as well as his stint in Black Lab in the early 90s. Michael lead the proverbial rockstar life and has lived to tell his tale. Michael joins Billy via Zoom to discuss the book, seeing the Sex Pistols live at Winterland in 1978, Jello Biafra, rehab, receiving recognition from Joey Ramone and John Cale, his long friendship with The Sleepers charismatic frontman Ricky Williams and more. Listen to the Sleepers here 

Dr. Bahman Baktiari is the executive director of the Baskerville Institute an organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening the bonds of friendship between the people of Iran and the United States.  He joins Billy via Zoom to talk about the institute's origins, the assassination of Quasem Solemani and its impact on U.S. / Iran relations, the need to mutually "deSatanize" one another in the eyes of each country's populations and much more. Learn more about Dr. Baktiari and his work here

Since 1994 Wendi was worked as a hypnotherapist. Her work has been featured in GQ, on HBO, The Man Show, Men's Health and several other outlets. She joins Billy via Zoom to talk of her humble beginnings as an unemployed single mother of two and how she became a success in the early days of the internet. She offers some insight into how to treat addiction and trauma as well as dealing with the underlying conditions of feeling unworthy. They also touch on the subject of the poor outcomes of commercial rehab centers. Learn more about Wendi's work here