Teacher, seeker, musician, traveler, visionary, professor, husband, father, scholar…. Lama Thupten is all these and more. I was lucky enough to hang out with him a bit recently here in Crestone, where he was visiting the Yeshe Khorlo retreat center. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Nick has spent a good chunk of his adult life on an island off the coast of Antarctica at McMurdo Station. He’s a cool guy who is living an extraordinary life in a humble, low-key way. I’m really glad to have met him and, with any luck, we’ll be neighbors before too long! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle Thiermann first made headlines as a teenager when he released a YouTube video detailing how Bank of America was one of the largest financiers of dirty energy worldwide. This video garnered international media attention, landed him on the stage at TEDx, and caused people to move significant sums of money out of B of A and into local banks around the country.Through his 20s, Thiermann worked at Discovery Digital Networks as a writer and on-camera host. His work has appeared in Men’s Health Magazine, SURFER Magazine, and Outside Magazine.A few years ago, Kyle and I came up with an idea for making environmental activism fun (and funny), and thus was born The Motherfucker Awards, a red-carpet event where the worst polluters were recognized for their outstanding contributions to fucking Mother Nature.Thiermann also worked as Head of Editorial and Senior Copywriter at MUD\WTR, a brand known for its irreverent marketing and distinct tone. While there, he launched Trends w/ Benefits, a storytelling platform that focused on psychedelics and mental health.As a Patagonia-sponsored surfer he continues to use his travel opportunities to cover environmental issues around the world, interviewing all sorts of folks on his podcast The Kyle Thiermann Show.Join his Substack newsletter here:Here’s a link to the story Kyle tells about Derek Sivers riding his bike with just a little less effort, and a lot more enjoyment.This will give you some sense of my own haircut debacle:The vid, if you wanna see Kyle’s haircut: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comAmerican Beauty, Love Has Won, Down By Law, Stranger Than Paradise, and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Narrative Song,” from Lowland Tribes of Ecuador, recorded by David Blair Stiffler; “Harlem 2 Bole,” from Bole 2 Harlem; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comYou know this guy. Big wave surfer, environmental activist, co-creator of the Motherfucker Awards, world traveler, standup comic, beet taco pusher, driveway squatter and as close to a son as I’ll ever get … the one and only Kyle Barrett Thiermann. This is the first part of a two-part conversation recorded a few weeks ago. We were so much younger then…. …

Matt Evers and Pete Van Horn both moved to Crestone in pursuit of freedom, independence, and community. If those concepts strike you as being in opposition to each other, you may learn something important in this conversation. We talk about the challenges and joys of building your own house, what DIY DOESN’T mean, the tension between being self-reliant and being a good neighbor, the unique qualities of life in Crestone, and a slew of other things. These are two solid dudes who overcame the doubt and fear and built themselves a comfortable, safe home without getting dragged into the rat race of endless debt and needless extravagance. In 2023, this is a rare manifestation of wisdom. Check out their YouTube channel: Owner Builders Unite.Show Notes:Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.30% off all merch on my site through the end of the year.Check out Jake’s mom’s tallow balm at thebeekeepersgranddaughter.com. Use the code HOLIDAY15 to get 15% off til the end of the year.Here’s a funky drone video of Pete’s place. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comI talk about some fascinating documentaries I’ve seen lately:* Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (Amazon Prime)* 28 Up (Amazon Prime)* Love Has Won (HBO/Max)How/when/why do our “gods” become our human sacrifices?When does a potential mass murderer qualify as an unknown, solitary hero?How should we handle a nice guy who takes some mushrooms,…

Daniele is one of the deepest, kindest, most thoughtful guys around. He’s an author of several books, a university professor, and the host of the History on Fire podcast, where he unpacks historical figures and events, both known and obscure, with his unique insight and narrative skills. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Anya has produced and hosted her podcast for precisely five years, and she recently decided that was enough. We talk about the experience of letting go of a project that has brought so many wonderful people, so much intrigue and intelligence into one’s life. We talk about the natural trajectory from big ideas to small gestures, from global thinking to local acting. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIn this episode, I chat with a guy we’re calling “Aaron,” about some of the challenges of life and how I’ve approached them, for better or worse. He’s a thoughtful dude, and I really enjoyed our conversation.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIf you saw your friend standing naked on a spire, would you cheer or boo? Have you held bear shit in your hands? How can we measure injustice? Is there any way to stop the wheels of cruelty from turning, generation after generation? Why weren’t we invited to Hanna’s sex party? (Some of these are only addressed in the bonus version.)

Simon is a Canadian comic with a particular talent for going places that scare the shit out of most of us. He looks into the shadows and finds the humor. From my perspective, that’s the kind of mind that deserves our respect, admiration, and gratitude. Sometimes, laughter is the only antidote to despair, so I consider Simon to be something like a hospice nurse. However I go out, I hope I manage to choke out a chuckle at the beautiful absurdity of it all.Simon in Insta. Simon’s YouTube.Here’s that Amazon link I keep forgetting to mention. Hope your fall is going well so far.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Joshua Wright grew up living in Africa and Asia. While still a kid, he became an environmentalist watching the timber industry clear-cut around his family home in Washington State. Recognizing the urgency of what was happening around him, he dropped out of high school at 14 years old to make Eden's Last Chance. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comCameron holds black belts in three martial arts, is the founder of Budokon Mixed Movement Arts and has worked with the Bellator world champion Lovato Jr. fight team as well as Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Slash, Courtney Cox, Rene Russo, Meg Ryan and Jennifer Aniston. He's also a funny, smart, deeply sincere guy.

In this third and final (for now) episode with “Nathan,” we talk mainly about the creative process and how to pursue “success” without being ensnared in ego and shallow motivations. What incentives to creativity are legitimate, and not just chasing after fame, fortune, power or immortality? What might a truly “optimized” life look like? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comMichael just got back from riding his bike from Alaska to Chile. A few years ago, he rode all over China, Mongolia, Burma, Thailand, and Malaysia, to Singapore. Dude has lived!

Hamilton Morris is an American journalist, documentarian, and scientific researcher. He is the creator and director of the television series Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, in which he investigates the chemistry, history, and cultural impact of various psychoactive drugs. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Moby and Lindsay are pals, neighbors, and amateur tick-removal specialists. We talk about their new podcast, the many uses of dental floss, the mysterious birthday gift I gave Moby years ago and it’s unexpected repercussions, and the lures and dangers of fame and fortune. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter Anderson is an author, traveler, observer, story-teller, and a million other things. He’s the whole package. His books include, Heading Home: Field Notes (Conundrum Press), a collection of short essays, flash prose, and prose poems, which Colorado novelist Laura Pritchett describes as offering "gorgeous meditations on traveling, the natural world, small towns, parenting, and...the cultural eccentricities of of the modern day west." His collection of essays, First Church of the Higher Elevations (Conundrum Press) explores the ecology of story, spirituality, and landscape. His poems have appeared in various anthologies including New Poets of the American West (Many Voices Press) and Storied Wheels (Somos Publications). His latest project, an anthology of placed-based writings called Reading Colorado: A Literary Road Guide, came out from Bower House Books in May of 2023. Apply for the Sex at Dawn Budokon retreat here. The Byrna anti-bear weapon is here.The article about “Border Country” is here.My conversation with Lodhy is here.You can read about the Berrigan brothers here.You can redirect a few crumbs from Jeff Bezos’s pocket to support this podcast by using this link when you shop on Amazon.Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Border Country,” by The Paper Stars; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.R.I.P. Sinead. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a follow-up to ROMA 66, in which I further discuss the dangers of ignoring or silencing people we disagree with. Here’s the profile of Andrew Tate I mention. Here’s “Fix Your Mind,” the video that distills some of his teaching. Here are my notes on the cycle I mention.* With the intention of making the world better, we deny obvious reality (race doesn’t exist, men and women are the same, trans women are just like biological women, it’s not too late to stop climate change, we can buy our way out of global collapse, etc.);* We silence and shame anyone who openly questions these narratives: fire professors who say there may be innate differences in math skills between boys and girls (Larry Summers), cancel culture, deplatforming, etc.* Control acceptable language: force us to use weird pronouns and respect whatever identity people claim, Latinx, “non-men,” “people with vaginas,” n-word, c-word, etc.* This creates a huge market for anyone willing to speak these forbidden truths. But it’s very risky. So who steps up?* The already wealthy (invulnerable) Berlusconi, Trump, Murdoch. Those with nothing to lose (Fuck the Police), punk, early rock. Podcasters/comics (insulated from economic impact). The wounded (Tate: “I get bored too fast. I need to be distracted. I need to be stressed at all times. I need to be entertained.”)Note: I was wrong in claiming that this quote was from a Founding Father of the United States: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” This was actually written by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, who wrote under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre, in her biography of Voltaire, The Friends of Voltaire. (1906) This was her summary of Voltaire’s passion for free speech. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Here’s the interview with Andrew Tate I mentioned. The Milgram study. The article calling Jonah Hill’s texts “monstrous.” Excellent conversation between Hasan Minhaj and Obama. That Fluidstance contraption I mentioned.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Global House,” by Øystein Sevåg.A little something just for subscribers: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kizzen and Janet have not only been in and around Crestone for decades, they’ve played a large part in shaping it into the funky, unique little town that drew me in. The heart and soul of the local paper, the Crestone Eagle, from its founding until recently, they’ve seen it all — or most of it, anyway. It was an honor to sit at their table and talk about past, present, and future with these two wise and funny ladies.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Party at the End of the World,” by Carsie Blanton.If you use Amazon, please consider using this link, which will divert some of what you spend away from a certain bald billionaire toward a balding thousandaire who could use the extra scratch. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve been a big fan of KnowMads for several years now. Finally got to hang with them for a while, if virtually. I’m an even bigger fan now. These dudes bring it all: a deep pocket, great stories, thoughtfulness, kindness, and lots of heart. Check their site for upcoming dates in the PNW. Very proud to debut “Imperfect,” a new tune that wraps up our conversation. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The Unabomber, EarthFirst, the Monkeywrench Gang, and the constant hum of humiliation in 2023. How to live in a shitstorm without getting covered in shit. Poem: “The Conditional,” by Ada Limón.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Skim Milk,” by Jemma and the Good Thing. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rich travels around the US with his dog, Louis, transforming plain, boring walls into scenes of imagination and beauty. Our conversation ranges from what lies on the other side of comfort, to how health challenges can inspire and inform one’s creative process, to the ups and downs of being an itinerant artist. Rich’s murals are sumptuous, full of life and color and even humor. If you have a blank wall that could use some added vitality, get in touch with this guy. richayers.artIntro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Along with his buddy Ryan Nicodemus, Joshua hit a wall about a decade ago. These friends realized that they had it made, on paper, anyway. They had the money, the “good jobs,” the big house, the cars, the watches, the suits. What they didn’t have was peace of mind. Maybe they didn’t own stuff, the stuff owned them? Thus were born The Minimalists. I hope you enjoy this conversation, where Josh and I go beyond closet space to talk about how our consumerist illusions manifest in non-material realms: death, love, aging, health, and spirit.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.A little something just for subscribers: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comNote: If you’re hearing some mess in the first minute or so, please delete and download again (or just jump ahead a few minutes). The first version of this had an editing error. Apologies. My editing team has been given a stern talking to.Dipping back into it with “Nathan,” a very smart therapist/scientist in his early 30s who wanted to pick my brain ab…

Along with her partner, Peter, Miriam has walked the planet for the past decade or so. India, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Europe. They travel light and spontaneous. Here’s the program that convinced me to reach out to them, a very touching portrait of these unique, lovely people. In 2017 Miriam wrote the International bestseller Woman in the Wilderness. It was translated into German, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Chinese. In 2020 the sequel Wild at Heart came out.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Sometimes,” by Daniel Lanois. Outro: “Summertime,” by Fort Frances.My Amazon link.Ponderosa Millworks.A little something just for subscribers: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comJohn Colapinto has written two novels, About the Author (2001) and Undone (2015). In 2000, he published As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl (2000), about the tragic case of David Reimer, who had undergone a sex change as an infant after a medical mishap.

“The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is, there’s no ground.” ― Chögyam TrungpaIntro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Too Much Reality,” by Brett Newski. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comTrying something a little different here. A guy we’re agreeing to call “Nathan” wrote to me asking for some life advice, but suggested it could be interesting to record our conversation, in that much of what he wanted to talk about could be useful to many people, not just him. Seemed like an interesting idea, so we went for it.

Alex wrote a book called Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan (beautifully illustrated by Joan LeMay). It’s a fantastic book about one of the most interesting bands of all time. They were a rock/pop/jazz band that wasn’t really a band, decided not to tour cause it was too much hassle, settled for nothing short of perfection, had no interest in fame, so cool they didn’t care a whit about being cool. I’m guessing Banksy is a fan of Steely Dan. Hope you dig the convo. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Should we be excited or concerned about AI? Is technology learning to mimic us or are we learning to mimic technology? Who’s colonizing whom? I talk about some upcoming interviews I’ve got cooking. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Turner Osler studied anthropology at Princeton, before becoming a surgeon and research epidemiologist. After 30 years working at the University of Vermont’s trauma center, Dr. Osler left the operating room and began a career as a research epidemiologist, which required hours of sitting at a computer, resulting in unrelenting back pain. Being an expert on the spine, he decided to try to design a chair that would work with, rather than against human anatomy and physiology. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hey. I hope you missed me as much as I missed you! This is the podcast where I explain where I’ve been for the past few weeks and why. I also talk about some ways to get in touch with each other, including the retreat that photo is teasing, and facilmap. I missed you all. But I’ve finally dug out my recording gear, so I’m back, baby!Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Masterpiece,” by Big Thief, covered by Tara, of Raapta. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Thoughts while driving:— Why are teenagers so unhappy?— Are we drowning in a bullshit tsunami?— Shouldn’t there be a word for the current partner of your ex?— Are there love songs written to a former partner? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eric Czuleger is currently banned from entering Turkey due to an accusation that he is a spy. He is not a spy. He is however, the author of books and plays as well as long form nonfiction and journalism. Most recently he spent a year living and working in countries that don’t exist. His travel book, You Are Not Here: Travels Through Countries That Don’t Exist, will be released when it’s good and ready. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mike is a breathwork coach from the UK. After 15 years in the corporate world, Mike decided to leave to teach breathwork full time. Mike has trained with many of the world’s leading breathwork innovators; such as Wim Hof, James Nestor and Patrick McKeown. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

At age nine, Marc was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome due to incessant vocal and motor tics that interfered with every aspect of his life. Every medical professional concluded that his condition was uncontrollable and incurable, but Marc overcame Tourette’s in 2013, drawing from innovations from courses in emotional intelligence (NXIVM), using only mind over body, and sheer will. (Adapted from Marc’s website.) Marc is a passionate advocate for NXIVM’s founder, Keith Raniere, arguing that Keith didn’t get a fair trial and that his actions have been misrepresented in the media.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Only a Fool Would Say That” by Steely Dan; Outro: “Homens,” by Manu Chao. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Are you a proud optimist? A glass half-full sorta person? How much is too much to spend on feline medical care? Should I stay or should I go? Do we actually love our pets or just convince ourselves we do? Is there wisdom to be found in ruthlessness? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tony grew up in an intentional spiritual community in West Virginia that many called a hippie commune. His new book, Red, White & Blind looks at how censorship, propaganda, and disinformation are woven into American history and are becoming increasingly corrosive in the digital age. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

On September 16, 1994, sixty-two students at Ariel School in Zimbabwe witnessed something incredible. In his fantastic documentary, Ariel Phenomenon, Randall Nickerson explores the close encounter these schoolchildren experienced. Over twenty-five years later, this incident is still fresh in their memories. They continue to search for answers – and the courage to speak their truth. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I respond to a lobster fisherman’s question about why he gets restless in relationships. I yammer on about the difference between a “romantic” approach to loving women vs. an “epic” approach, and how each can play out in terms of loving her righteously. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIn which I talk about the difference between scarcity and value, and how conflating scarcity with value gets us into trouble. Diamonds aren’t your best friends. A few words about some of the reasons we’re in Crestone and the life-boat we’re designing.

I “met” Charlie when he wrote to gently correct me on some nonsense I’d said on the podcast about climate change. I could tell from the content of his email that he knew what he was talking about, and I could tell from the tone of his email that he was a good dude. So I asked if he’d be willing to join me to talk about climate change next time I was in the area (he teaches at University of California, Irvine). Eventually, it came to be. Then we had dinner.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Weather With You,” by Crowded House; Outro: “Better World,” by KnowMads.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My friend Allison Pelot was a gymnast from about the age of 5 to 22. Then, she studied pre-physical therapy before switching over to exercise science and personal training. She went on to study holistic health, energy work metaphysics, spirituality and whatever seemed related to physical health, holistic healing, and using food to both regenerate our bodies and keep them healthy. Her book is called Finally Thriving: Your Guide to Empowered Wellness. She’s also Murphy’s mom — episodes 121 and 547.If Allison seems familiar, she and her husband, Liam were on the podcast a while ago, episode 285, where they talk about confronting every parent’s worst nightmare when their 8 year-old son fall off a 40-foot cliff, just an arm’s length away from them.You can learn more about Allison and Finally Thrive here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Stranger on the Shore,” by Acker Bilk; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. (She’s on tour!)Here’s my chat with Tao Ruspoli. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Murphy first appeared on this podcast seven years ago, in episode 121. He was 13 1/2 years old at that time, getting ready to swim across the river of adolescence. Seven years later, he’s experienced many of the things he was anticipating then. He’s every bit as thoughtful, kind, and insightful as I figured he’d become. If you sometimes feel despair about “kids these days,” people like Murphy can melt your cold, cold heart into a puddle of liquid hope. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve known Stanley Krippner since the mid-1990s, when he invited me to join him on a three week trip to Brazil. He’s a world-famous researcher and author who has has hung out with everyone from Timothy Leary to Alan Watts to the Grateful Dead. He and I have traveled together to all over the planet, from a shamanism conference in Bavaria to a Psychoneuroimmunology conference in Buenos Aires to an adventure in search of the desert spirits in Morocco. We entered the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art” together at Lascaux, France and visited religious scholars in Kerala, India. I’m leaving out A LOT. He’s been a close friend for 25 years, and was one of the first (and most frequent) guests on the podcast. Here are links to previous episodes: 5, 24, 82, 169, 211 (with Wim Hof), and 263. He celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday. This conversation was recorded (with Anya Kaats) recently. As you’ll hear, he’s sharp as ever and full of wisdom and humor.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “A Memory from a Past Life Keeps Calling Me Back,” by The KLF; Outro: “Homens,” by Manu Chao.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers, Stan discussing gender and sexuality from an anthropological perspective: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I love this guy. He exudes kindness, generosity, and intelligence. This is the fourth time Rick’s been on Tangentially Speaking, but the first time we’ve met in person, so it’s a special conversation. We don’t talk about music as much this time around, but we go deep on family, dads, and how life looks from sixty. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This mini-ROMA was recorded streamside at a Lund Park campground in Oregon. It includes an update on my dance with covid and some thoughts on a very strange word: bosom. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

DEBORAH EDEN TULL, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator who trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years. Her most recent book is Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown.Click here to listen to Anya Kaats’ conversation with Deborah Eden Tull on A Millennial’s Guide to Saving the World.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Dark Cloud,” by Chris Thomas King; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Here’s the link to our meetups. Check in, if you’re somewhere between Whitefish and Santa Cruz.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers. I’ve been listening to Peter Zeihan’s geo-political thinking lately. Here’s his take on Covid (recorded while on a month-long hike in the Sierras). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alex Cody Foster’s next book, The Man Who Hacked the World: A Ghostwriter’s Descent into Madness with John McAfee, will be published November 15th (2022). In the meantime, the crazy story is told in the Netflix documentary called “Running with the Devil.” He’s ghostwritten eight #1 Amazon Bestsellers, written for one of the U.K's most successful thriller writers, and worked as John McAfee's biographer for six months. Before all that, Alex built a solar-powered trike, hitchhiked across America, was homeless in LA where he was nearly murdered, lost his mind, got it back, crewed on a yacht, and became a writer.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “The Mark of a Good Man,” by Bimini Road; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers:If you prefer to watch, click through to the Substack page and you’ll find a video of our conversation (including extra bonus content I edited out of the podcast recording, including a look at his shiner and a reference to an orgy with Mick Jagger). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Katherine Halper is an American comedian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and political commentator. She is the host of the podcast The Katie Halper Show and co-host of the Useful Idiots with Aaron Maté. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Zappy Zapolin is driven by his belief that psychedelic medicine is the most powerful tool available to quickly raise consciousness and alter humanity’s direction from a destructive path. He has made it his life's mission to increase accessibility to psychedelic compounds through education, media, research, clinical development, and commercial enterprises. Zappy’s Instagram account is here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Pop Culture,” KnowMads; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. Here’s the map tool for Tangentialistas.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I was recently on Cory’s podcast, and I enjoyed our conversation so much that I proposed we keep it rolling on mine. That’s how it works with us podcasters. Dinner at my place, dinner at your place. In addition to hosting his very successful podcast, Cory has published a book about mindfulness, and has written, produced, and engineered his own music and helped lots of other musicians through the creative process. Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Jungle,” Tash Sultana; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Info about the Ancestral Health Symposium is here. You can get tickets to Rick Beato’s event in LA here.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

On his second visit to the podcast, Frans discusses his latest book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, as well as one of my favorite books, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, which he co-authored with photographer Frans Lanting.Frans received his Ph.D. in Biology and Zoology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, in 1977. He completed his postdoctoral study of chimpanzees while associated with Utrecht University, in 1981, and moved the same year to the USA. He is C. H. Candler Professor Emeritus of Primate Behavior at Emory University and the former director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. If you’d like more, here is my previous conversation with Frans, from 2015:Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Monkey,” by Joe Henry; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers:Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To receive bonus material, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris and Nani manage the amazing Kisima Ngeda Camp, on Lake Eyasi, Tanzania. Chris grew up nearby after his German parents moved to Africa on an impulse, and stayed on, while Nani stumbled into this oasis while adventuring through as a penniless, apparently fearless traveler. The story of how they met, fell in love, and built a world will make you feel good about life, people, and chance. (I never got around to taking a photo of Chris and Nani, but they’re even more attractive than you’re imagining.)Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “N'Jariñu Garab,” by Cheikh Lo; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.To receive bonus material, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.And now something extra just for you lovely Substack subscribers, further proof that Africa really does look like Africa: This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Here’s a ROMA in which I talk about some oddities of backwards greetings in Tanzania, driving in Georgia, the financial realities of world travel in 2022, the conundrum of hydraulic toilets seats (and other luxuries), and what it means (and doesn’t) when you say a woman is “beautiful.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The folks at Gladioloa Adventure in Arusha thought Elia would be a good guide to show us around northern Tanzania for 9 days. They were right. Raised by his Maasai grandfather, Elia has a deep understanding of animal behavior, not only spotting lions, leopards, and cheetahs at a distance, but anticipating where they would move so we could position ourselves and wait for them to wander by. His knowledge of the animals and how best to interact/photograph them, combined with his insights into the geology, cultures, and history of the region enriched our experience more than I can say. Plus, he’s an easy guy to be around.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Wassiye,” Habib Koité; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Some extra goodies, just for Substack subscribers:Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To receive bonus material, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chip Kime was an utterly unique young man who was a huge presence in my life once, then he became an abstraction when our paths diverged in our 20s, and now he’s gone. But not really. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Craig's Sholley’s experiences with wildlife and conservation began in 1973 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire. As an L.S.B. Leakey grant researcher in the late 1970s, Craig studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey and, in 1987, became director of Rwanda's Mountain Gorilla Project. Craig has acted as Scientific Advisor for the award-winning IMAX film, "Mountain Gorilla," and with National Geographic, he surveyed the conservation status of mountain gorillas in the aftermath of Rwanda's civil war. Craig’s direct involvement with AWF began as a Senior Associate and member of AWF’s Board of Trustees. He became a full-time employee of AWF in 2001 and now serves as Senior Vice President. The day we chatted, Craig was in Arusha, Tanzania, putting the final touches on the Mkapa Wildlife Photography Exhibition. I’ve embedded a few amazing photos from the show below.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Like the Love but Love the Pain,” Kwesi; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.A little something just for you sweet subscribers:You can view all the finalists in the competition here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dario is a science journalist based in Madrid who was instrumental in getting Sex at Dawn published in Spain (En el Principio era el Sexo). We’ve been friends since around 2011, when he interviewed me about that book. In this conversation, we talk about Spanish culture and history, the challenges of writing about science for Spanish publications, and some of the personal challenges Dario has worked his way through over the past few years and the loving friends who stood by him (but not too close by!). Dario’s intelligence, courage, and kindness are on full display in this chat. I hope you enjoy it.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Mulata,” Raul Paz; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kevin is an actor, comedian, and host of the RISK! podcast — which Slate.com called “Hilarious, jaw-dropping and just plain touching,” and Rolling Stone named it one of its top podcasts. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I met Gym when I rented her place on Airbnb in Chite, Spain. Just looking at the photos of the funky space she’d created, I had a sense that this woman would be fascinating, and my hunch turned out to be 110% on target. As it happens, Gym is an accomplished painter, has worked on many TV and film sets, and has published a book of autobiographical stories and reproductions of selected paintings called Zigzag: Flashbacks of a Painter. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My friend Debra is a magical woman living a magical life. She’s the hub of many wheels, the grain of sand in the oyster, the sun in solar systems, the log that breaks the logjam. She hangs out with movie stars, billionaires, artists, and visionaries. Her energy, generosity, and spirit attract the kinds of people most of us spend our lives hoping to meet — and nothing makes her happier than connecting them to one another and watching amazing things ensue. Be sure to check out our previous episode as well.You can check out some of Debra’s creations in Vejer de la Frontera here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Party at the End of the World,” by Carsie Blanton.A little something just for subscribers: This song/video of “Make Art not Friends,” by Sturgill Simpson keeps blowing my mind.Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In the first part of this month’s bonus ROMA (BROMA), available to everyone, I talk about a new feature to help listeners find each other. I also talk about my thoughts concerning whether we’re all in some kind of simulation, the difference between sound and music, and my personal feelings about and experience with abortion.Part 2 (where I talked about navigating unconventional relationship structures, when to “go for it” vs. when to play it safe, and when having sex with friends is dangerous) is for paid subscribers only. Click here to access it.Here’s the doc I mentioned about the dude living in the jungle in Hawaii.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “V Nebi,” by Dirty Losers; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Here’s the map feature and instructions for use:People who want to add their location on the map should use this link:https://facilmap.org/tspeaking.editThis link is for viewing only:https://facilmap.org/tspeakingThe map is very easy to use:To add your location, click "add" in the upper right corner-> click "marker"-> click your location on the map-> click "edit data" in the info box in the upper left corner.- Write your name and description of yourself, don't forget to add contact info and/or social media links.-> Done!Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

To boil it waaay down … After suffering a freak road-rage incident in LA, Robert came to Spain to visit an old friend seven years ago, then went back to LA, quit his job, sold his house under the Hollywood sign, and brought his two daughters to live in a village by the “Playa de los Muertos,” where hundreds of dead sailors washed ashore after the Battle of Trafalgar two hundred and a few years ago. These days, you might see Robert riding his horse down that beach. Or you’ll find him painting, reading, swimming in the Atlantic, or just looking up at the night sky, taking in the majesty of it all. What more is there? It’s been a long road, and it’s led to an amazing place for this man.The Ancient Order of the Hermetics can be found here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Intro messages from Mike in Washington, Adam in the UK, and a human from an undisclosed location. I discuss a few topics suggested by listeners, including: “Should I have kids?” “What about yoga?” “What’s the deal with asexuality?” “How has your sense of your personal future changed as you’ve aged?”Also, what’s the deal with ice machines in hotels? Who’s using all that ice? What are they doing with it? Here’s the promised link to the discussion thread where you can chime in on these fascinating topics and anything else that moves you.To receive new posts and support this nonsense, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

If you’ve read my recent post of the same title, you can skip this one, which is mostly for folks who listen to the podcast, but haven’t checked out what’s happening at Substack yet. Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Zen Rahmoun is living what may be the story of our age: that of the refugee. Whether triggered by war, climate change, political upheaval, or economic collapse, one in 95 people around the world have been forced to leave their home, resulting in over 82 million refugees. Well over a thousand people drown every year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to find a better life in Europe. Zen was almost one of them. Please consider subscribing to my hybrid newsletter/blog/podcast.Also, if the frequency of these emails is too much for you, I’ve set up a monthly option, so you’ll just get a summary of what I’ve posted once in a full moon. You can find instructions on how to set that up here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Here’s a charmingly raw rendition of one of my all-time favorite Funkadelic songs, “Can You Get to That?,” covered by Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers in their car. (Don’t miss the photobombing by the guy in the way back.)Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In the past year or so Simon Rex’s life has changed in ways nobody could have anticipated, but the man himself has changed very little. He’s just as funny, thoughtful, kind, and generous as ever. I love this guy. I’m pretty sure you will too. Check him out in Red Rocket, streaming on Redbox, Prime Video, VUDU, Vudu Movie & TV Store or FlixFling on your Roku device.Please consider subscribing to my hybrid newsletter/blog/podcast. Also, if the frequency of these emails is too much for you, I’m asking for ways to cut it down to one a week/month for folks who prefer that. Stay tuned, and please forgive the inbox clutter while I work this out. Should be soon.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Featured tunes: “These Days,” by Robert Harley; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mike Lang taught me to enjoy beer and Rush when we were 16 years old in 1978. We’ve been brothers-by-choice ever since. In addition to being one of the smartest people I know, Mike has direct family ties to Ukraine, speaks Russian fluently, and is deeply interested in the history of the region, so he seemed like a good person to chat with about what’s going on there now. Please consider subscribing to my hybrid newsletter/blog/podcast. Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Featured tunes: “Down in Belgorod,” by The Paul Winter Consort; “Smoke Alarm,” Carsie Blanton.Questions about the process? Technical issues with your feed? Email podcasting@substackinc.com for support.Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is a reader-supported publication. To get access to bonus content including bonus episodes, newsletters, and exclusive blog posts, please become a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What's the relation between "truth" and meaning? Can we scientifically verify our visions while tripping? Are psychedelics tools or teachers? Is astrology "real?" Why has "myth" come to mean something that isn't true in recent years, when no one ever claimed that myths were any truer than novels or poems? These and other questions are discussed (but not really answered) in this episode recorded on a bright, chilly Sunday afternoon in Kaş, Turkey. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range; "Blue Sky," by Dwayne Hoover; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com. Click here for 10% off your lifetime membership. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Should I welcome you, or thank you for welcoming me? My appreciation for the Blindboy podcast. Lifeguard lessons. Why a dog with a bone isn't your friend. Do circles explain more than lines? (Is an NFL locker room the closest thing in the straight world to a gay bath-house?) Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range; "Free Your Mind (And Your Ass Will Follow)," by Funkadelic. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com. Click here for 10% off your lifetime membership. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Try to imagine a culture in which children aren't taught that their bodies and desires are dangerous, shameful, and disgusting. What would that be like? Also, I discuss what I got wrong (and right) about the current invasion of Ukraine, and the dangerous phrase, "freak of nature." Lastly, I talk about how life presents a series of "should I stay or should I go?" choices that are kind of like rowing away from the island you're on, not knowing when/if you'll find another. Turns out, there may be almost magical indications that can lead us to safety. The situation with the Queen of Dark. The article about "Te lapa," or "the flashing." Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range;  This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com. Click here for 10% off your lifetime membership. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In this one, I discuss the totally cliche notion that happiness is to be found in simple pleasures (and bodily functions), the strange wisdom of Thai gender identity, the ramifications of the illusion that we can live without causing pain to other beings, my sense of what's really going on with Putin and Ukraine, and the idiocy of toilet paper. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range; "Mr. Man" and "4AM in Gharo," by Raapta. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com. Click here for 10% off your lifetime membership. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Made it to 60! Too late to die young. This is just a very brief, very personal message to you, if you listen to this podcast. Many thanks. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range; Closing: "Down in Belgorod," by Paul Winter Consort. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Coming to you from Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand, in this one I discuss my insights into Joe Rogan (and the current controversy), my thoughts on Whoopie Goldberg's race mess, the practical costs of being in Thailand these days (rent, food, etc.), and I wonder why rich podcasters still run ads (just before asking you to donate to THIS podcast, hosted by a decidedly unrich guy). Then I play a lovely song called "13 or So," by friend of the podcast, Nick Hornbuckle. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rachel Krantz is the author of the reported memoir, OPEN: AN UNCENSORED MEMOIR OF LOVE, LIBERATION, AND NON-MONOGAMY (JAN 25, 2022). She’s the recipient of the Peabody Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights International Radio Award, the Investigative Reporters and Editors Radio Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for her work as an investigative reporter with YR Media. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES.com, the sane, smart, research-based site where you can learn more about how to increase women's sensual pleasure. Use this link to get 10% off your one-time subscription to the site. Rachel on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Worried About You," by the Rolling Stones; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Meet my Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan, two of my all-time favorite humans. As a little kid, I felt an extra layer of love and protection from these two, knowing that if anything ever happened to my parents, one or both of them would take care of me. Every kid should be so lucky. You can listen to my previous conversation with Uncle Dan here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; last minute of "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," by CSNY; "One Step Up," by Bruce Springsteen. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Is it really "darkest just before the dawn?" And if things need to get worse before they get better, isn't a step in the wrong direction actually a step in the right direction? Wouldn't an optimist hope things get worse so they can then hit rock bottom and start the process of getting better? Isn't "hope" the thing that keeps the losing gambler at the table until all is lost? I discuss these and other uplifting questions in the 50th ROMA episode. Pour yourself a beer and join me. Music: "Civilized to Death," by Jack Stafford; "Carefree Highway," by Gordon Lightfoot. This episode is sponsored by OMGYes, your source for smart, science-based information about women's sexual pleasure. Click here for 10% off, or go to www.omgyes.com/chrisryan.  Ponderosa Millworks Michael (with the busted Achille's) who makes incredible things from trees. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Harley is the author of Lost in the Valley of Death, about the life and (probable) death of my friend (and former podcast guest), Justin Alexander. Pico Iyer, one of the best living travel writers, described Harley's book as, “One of the most haunting books of recent times. ... Somerset Maugham’s classic Razor’s Edge updated to the Age of Instagram." My conversations with Justin are here and here. His Instagram feed is here. Harley on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Border Country," by the Paper Stars.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

First episode of 2022. We made it through another weird-ass year. Gonna make some tweaks to the podcast. Thanks for taking this ride with me. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Mulata," by Raul Paz; "Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul" by The KLF.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Timo (aka Tim Killian) is one of my favorite people. Former Mormon, long-time political consultant in Washington state (he helped get marijuana legalized), crisis communicator (he represented the first businesses hit by Covid), motorcycle vagabond, deep thinker, Airbnb host, animal lover, expat, future cult leader.... Just listen. Timo on Instagram. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES. Click here for 10% off. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Society," sung by Eddie Vedder (from the Into the Wild soundtrack); "Smoke Alarm" by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Blake Webb is an actor originally from Phoenix, Arizona. He lived in Tamaulipas, Mexico for over two years as a Mormon missionary. He later left the Mormon church, and devoted himself to acting, having appeared in several television shows, including: Good Trouble (recurring), 13 Reasons Why, NCIS, Criminal Minds, American Horror Story, The Last Ship, TURN: Washington's Spies and Colony. We met and hung out in Guatemala. He's a sweet guy who keeps getting cast as a serial killer for some reason. Blake on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Make Art Not Friends," by Sturgill Simpson; "Smoke Alarm" by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rick Beato is the kind of guy who will make you hopeful for humanity. After decades producing and teaching music, he's found a way to spread knowledge and joy to millions of people from his basement studio by showing us What Makes This Song Great. In the past few months, he's come to the attention of amazing musicians such as Brian May (Queen), Larry Carlton (Steely Dan), Pat Metheny, and Sting -- all of whom have sat down to talk about their musical lives with Rick, after realizing that he's not a journalist trying to understand music, he's a fellow musician who speaks their language. If you've felt the magic of music (or haven't yet), go check out Rick's YouTube channel. Your life will never be the same. This episode is sponsored by OMGYES. Click here for 10% off. Rick's on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Waterfalls," by TLC, covered by Ten Fé; "Smoke Alarm" by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Justin “Jud” Kaliszewski is an author, artist, and adventurer. The renowned creator of OUTLAW Yoga, he is a best-selling yoga teacher and author of “The Outlaw Protocol – how to live as an outlaw without becoming a criminal”, and the children's picture book “The Adventures of Babu – from there to here”. His latest novel “The Adventures of Larry Wampler – The Case of The Koreatown Car-Jumper” is available NOW for digital download on Amazon.com.   He creates connection by delivering transformational yoga-experiences across the country. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram @outlawyoga and @outlawyogi. Take his class NOW at www.outlawyogaclub.com and www.youtube.com/outlawyoga, and find his writing and art at www.justinkaliszewski.com. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Desert Land," by Elena B. Williams; "Party at the End of the World" by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dallas is a functional medicine practitioner, Certified Sports Nutritionist, and licensed physical therapist who specializes in treating lifestyle-related hormonal, digestive, and metabolic health issues. In 2009, he co-created the original Whole30 program. In 2012, he co-authored the New York Times bestselling book It Starts With Food, and founded his functional medicine practice, mentoring under Dr. Daniel Kalish and enrolling in the Institute for Functional Medicine's certification program. Dallas has presented more than 200 health and nutrition seminars worldwide, is a member of the Paleo f(x) and Fitwall advisory boards, and provides support and lifestyle recommendations to more than 1.5 million people a month through the Whole30 and Whole9 websites. He lives in Salt Lake City, UT. Dallas on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Breakdown," by Tom Petty; "The Seed 2.0" by The Roots.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Paul Conti is adept at helping people untangle complex problems – and he also happens to be a psychiatrist. Dr. Conti is a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his training at Stanford and Harvard, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Conti is the author of Trauma: The Invisible Epidemic, a book that brings his valuable insights about how we can collectively heal from trauma’s effects to a larger audience. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Suffer," by Seydu; "Suffer Well," by Simon van Gend Band.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alex owns and runs Caoba Farms, just outside of Antigua, Guatemala. It's a Farm-to-Table restaurant where the tables are literally ON the farm. Best food I had in my two months in Guatemala, hands down. We talked about how he got started (growing weed in CA, then selling lettuce to restaurants back in Guatemala), why Alex loves to experiment and learn about nurturing plants and animals, and why this knowledge is so important to share. I really enjoyed hanging with this guy. Here's the article I discussed in the intro. Caoba Farms on Insta. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Mistica," by Orishas; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dave Pell is a modern-day columnist, meaning that his column is independently produced and distributed as a daily newsletter (NextDraft). He's been meaning to write a book for about 30 years, and finally got around to it. Please Scream Inside Your Heart is his take on the insanity of 2020.  Dave on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "The Message," by Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

That's right, this is episode 500, beatches! You can watch the recorded live stream on my YouTube channel, co-hosted by Anya Kaats and Mike Maher.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Homens," by Manu Chao. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Coming to you from Antigua, Guatemala (the original "banana republic"), in this one, I get a few things off my chest, including American foreign policy, why Henry Kissinger is not welcome on my podcast, how group identity becomes desperately attractive in a time of crisis, and how that plays out in the LGBTQ anger-fest at Dave Chappelle. The essay I read from by Molly Frances is here. Join us Sunday (10/24) at 2:30pm (EST) for the festive live-stream of episode 500 on my YouTube channel, hosted by Anya Kaats and Mike Maher. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "You Haven't Done Nothin," by Stevie Wonder. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ian Urbina is an investigative reporter who writes for a variety of outlets, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. Urbina is the author of The New York Times bestseller The Outlaw Ocean, based on more than five years of reporting, much of it offshore, exploring lawlessness on the high seas. As a journalist, his investigations typically focus on human rights, worker safety and the environment, and he has received a Pulitzer Prize and a George Polk Award, and has been nominated for an Emmy. (Wikipedia) The Outlaw Ocean Project is here, and the Outlaw Ocean Music Project is here. Find Ian on Twitter and Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Mother Moana," by Joel Havea; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew is the host of the On the Edge with Andrew Gold podcast. A journalist and TV presenter who speaks 5 languages & lived in 6 countries, Andrew has produced docs on bizarre and controversial subcultures. He has battled an abusive exorcist, dueled with the Crazy Baby Lady and hunted UFOs. He's currently working on a book and TV doc on pedophilia in Berlin. Andrew on Twitter and Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Bul Ma Miin," by Orchestra Baobab; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  About the song: " “Bul Ma Miin” was originally sung by the wife of longtime Baobab singer, Ndiouga Dieng, whose background was as a traditional Wolof singer set the arrangement for the group. Rudy Gomis told us “Bul Ma Miin” is a sort of advice about not just getting used to someone and forgetting who they are or take their presence simply for granted. The lyrics state that “showing affection doesn’t equate with being weak.” “You know, when you’re together for a long time, it can come to an end when you forget the other person,” Rudy said. “Like couples where they run into these huge problems because they just forget the other person.” This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tiensirin was born and raised in Bangkok, but has been living in the US for most of her adult life. We met by chance at Tao Ruspoli's place in Joshua Tree, and she allowed me to pick her brain a bit about the different cultural worlds she's moved between. The conversation took unexpected turns that left me feeling sincere admiration for this woman. Find more about her on Instagram or her web site. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Texas Sun," by Kruangbin (with Leon Bridges); "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alexandre Ribeiro is a legendary jiu-jitsu competitor and one of the founding members of the Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Association. Under the tutelage of some of the world’s top coaches, including Royler Gracie, Vini Aieta and Xande’s own brother Saulo Ribeiro, Alexandre earned numerous grappling titles, including IBJJF and ADCC World Champion, while earning also the #1 rank in BJJ Heroes’ Top BJJ Competitors of All Time list, up until 2020. Xande has just opened the Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Austin, Texas. (Bio is adapted from bjjheroes.com) Xande on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Pie," by Strange & the Familiars; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Owen and Christina Dargatz and their brood are pushing the boundaries of what people see as possible with a large family. (Their kids range from under 1 to 11 years old.) They traded their comfortable house in Canada for a two room shack in Guatemala with a leaky roof, but to them, this seems an upgrade (most of the time). Instead of seeing how much they could take from the world, Christina and Owen decided to see how much they and their kids could give. Hence, "The Giving Experiment." One of the current projects is "Children for a better San Juan," an environmental/educational club that focuses on teaching children to take the initiative of cleaning up their neighborhood along the shores of Lake Atitlan. They're setting up public trash cans in the areas cleaned, and feeding the children involved a full, nutritional weekly lunch at the end of the program. Find them on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. "Rapunzel," by Harley Barton; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Three podcasters walk into a shipping container.... Sounds like a joke, right? Tao's podcast is called Being in the World. He's a filmmaker, photographer, AirBnb host, desert dweller, musician, Airstream lover, philosopher, and creator of spaces and events. Anya's podcast is called A Millennial's Guide to Saving the World (semi-ironically). She's a writer, thinker, traveler, photographer, and adventurer. You know my list. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Come for the yoga, stay for the Charlie Sheen impersonation. Cameron Shayne is considered the father of the Mixed Movement Arts culture. Based in Los Angeles, CA, during the 90's, at the time the mecca for yoga in the Western world, Cameron established himself as one of the pioneering voices and transmitters of contemporary yoga, martial arts and the movement culture. He is the movement coach for the Bellator world champion Lovato Jr. fight team as well as Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Slash, Courtney Cox, Rene Russo, Meg Ryan and Jennifer Aniston and Olympians Kerrie Walsh-Jennings and Sugar Ray Leonard. He currently lives and runs Budokon Big Sky Retreat Center with his wife Budokon University Director Melayne Shayne. Cameron on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Additional music: "Night Moves," by Bob Segar; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Brian MacKenzie and I had a good chat about how "working out" should be more like play, how psychological issues manifest in our physiology, and how rejection can hit the body like a car wreck. Brian is the Founder & CEO of Shift. He is also the President and Co-Founder of The Health and Human Performance Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching how breath and innate tools can optimize and help health and human performance. Brian has also co-authored the book Power Speed Endurance, The New York Times Best Seller UnBreakable Runner, and UnPlugged, which assesses the integration of emergent technology and human performance. Brian on Instagram, Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Move with Me" by Nena Cherry; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Christa is a PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, researching endangered species and the stressors on ecosystems that lead to extinction events. She schools me on everything from evolutionary theory to the fascinating worlds of viruses and bacteria to what it's like to hang from tall trees in Madagascar. My favorite kind of podcast: a chance encounter leads to a surprising conversation with a very smart person. I've got the best job in the world! Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Nganga Kisi" by Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

As a kid Sean was fascinated by the look of the cars that were built in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. The shape and design gave each one it’s own personality. He never would have imagined that he would one day make a living off of them the way he does. Using cut up sections of those old brilliant chrome bumpers, he reshapes and welds their pieces into larger than life sculptures, preserving their essence. Follow Sean on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Lost Cause," by Beck; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Daniele Bolelli is a writer, martial artist, university professor, and host of two excellent podcasts: The Drunken Taoist and History on Fire. He was born in Italy and currently lives in Ojai, CA. He's also a great dad and an awesome friend. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Civilized to Death," by Jack Stafford; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Nate Hankes is founder of the Veteran Artist Residencies nonprofit, a scientist, and bestselling author of the adventure travel and war memoir Waking Up On the Appalachian Trail. To learn more about artistic residency opportunities for post-9/11 veteran writers and how to support them, visit veteranarts.org. Follow the journey @nbhankes Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "War Rages On," by Jordie Lane; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael worked his way down from the treetops with a chainsaw hanging from his belt to owning a company (Ponderosa Millworks) that repurposes urban trees, making uniquely gorgeous tables, chairs, bars, countertops, etc. But he's so much more than a businessman. Michael is a guy who GETS THINGS DONE. He's got tremendous energy and a tremendously generous spirit. He's a lovely man, teaching us all better ways to interact with each other and the other living things around us. (Photo) Check out some of Ponderosa Millworks' creations on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Fuzzy Freaky," by David Byrne; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle Kingsbury is a guy you want on your side when the shit goes down. Big, strong, smart, kind, and thoughtful, he's a good example of how to do this thing called being a man. A former UFC fighter, Kyle now works at Onnit, and hosts a podcast. Kyle on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "My Baby Blue," by John Hiatt; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tony Gonzalez is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League for 17 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons. Widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends of all-time, Gonzalez played college football and college basketball at University of California, Berkeley. Since retiring, he has served as an analyst for Fox Sports. Gonzalez, a 14-time Pro Bowl selection and six-time first-team All-Pro, holds the NFL records for total receiving yards (15,127) and receptions by a tight end (1,325). Known for his durability and rarely fumbling, Gonzalez missed two games between 1997 and 2013 and lost only two fumbles on 1,327 touches. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Beyond all that, Tony is smart, curious, and totally into challenging his assumptions and biases. I have no idea why a guy like this agreed to do my podcast, but I'm honored that he did. Tony on Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Star People," by George Michael; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Yannetty has been around the block a time or two. He's been doing standup comedy around the world for a couple decades, as well as writing for film and TV. Amidst all that, he went through a cancer ordeal and emerged a better man. Thoughtful, funny, and deeply kind, Joe is an inspiration. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "A Good American Life," by Ed Dupas; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Miguel Romero is my pal in Mexico City. He writes for The Daily Grail, does graphic design, and has interests ranging from crop circles to psychic phenomena to UFOs to ... you get the idea. He's a smart dude with informed, thoughtful perspectives on the current mess we're in. Miguel on Twitter and Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Three Stripes on a Cadillac," by Otis Taylor; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I first met Richard Schweid over a poker table many moons ago. A native of Nashville, he has lived in Barcelona for a good spell. He is a founder and senior editor of the city magazine Barcelona Metropolitan. His previous books include Consider the Eel, Hereafter: Searching for Immortality, and The Cockroach Papers: A Compendium of History and Lore. He served as production manager for the Oscar-nominated film Balseros, a documentary feature about Cuban refugees. Richard's latest book is The Caring Class: Home Health Aides in Crisis. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "He was a Friend of Mine," by Willie Nelson; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Buddies since their tours in Iraq in the Marines, Joe and Jesse founded Solution Point + in order to use their experience as police officers to bring better training models to police departments around the country. Their approach relies on collaborative partnerships within local communities and prioritizing  behavioral and cultural change within law enforcement agencies to better handle calls involving mental health crises. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "101 (The Good Stuff)" by Knowmads; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tao Ruspoli is a dear friend of mine and one of the most creative, magical people I know. He makes films, music, photographs, festivals ... worlds. We had this conversation in the music studio (former garage) at his compound near Joshua Tree, CA. Tao's podcast is called Being in the World. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "A Thought is Just a Passing Train" by John Moreland; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kraig Adams is a filmmaker, hiker and minimalist living in New York City. I like this dude. Kraig on Instagram and YouTube. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Little Gardens," by Eric Vitoff; "Faith," by Joshua Redman; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Paul Saladino is the author of The Carnivore Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Optimal Health by Returning to Our Ancestral Diet. He has used the carnivore diet to "reverse autoimmunity, chronic inflammation and mental health issues in hundreds of patients, many of whom had been told their conditions were untreatable." In addition to his personal podcast, Fundamental Health, he can be found featured on numerous podcasts including The Minimalists, The Model Health Show, Bulletproof Radio, The Dr. Gundry Podcast, The Ben Greenfield Podcast, Dr. Mercola, Health Theory, Mark Bell’s Power Project, and many others. Paul on Twitter on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. The article I discuss from The Washington Post is here. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Fake Woke," by Tom MacDonald; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.  Carsie's tour dates are here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dean Radin, PhD, is Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and Associated Distinguished Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He earned a BS in electrical engineering (magna cum laude, with honors in physics), and then an MS in electrical engineering and a PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the IONS research staff in 2001, Radin worked at AT&T Bell Labs, Princeton University, University of Edinburgh, and SRI International. He has given over 600 talks and interviews worldwide, and he is author or coauthor of over 300 scientific and popular articles, four dozen book chapters, two technical books, and four popular books translated into 15 foreign languages: The Conscious Universe (1997), Entangled Minds (2006), Supernormal (2013), and Real Magic (2018). Dr. Radin on Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Living in a Dream," by Kbong; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A few amazing intro snips from listeners (including a guy up a tree rescuing a cat), some talk about the nature of "friendship" in Hollywood, and an in-depth rant about this article and the problem with contemporary tendencies to argue backwards from a desired belief, rather than forward from data. Music: "Beyond Belief," by Elvis Costello. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Here's the audio from this month's video ROMA that I make for supporters of the podcast. No video for you (!) but some extras, including talking about when/how to offer advice to friends, and how sometimes it's not about what the friend needs, it's what YOU need. Plus, what to do when you can't find your path, how to negotiate (or not) at the beginning of a relationship, and lots of other interesting issues.  Music: "The End," by the Stereo MCs; "Daniela," by the John Butler Trio. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

ERIC BERKOWITZ is a writer, lawyer, and journalist. He has a degree in print journalism from University of Southern California and has published in The Los Angeles Times and The Los Angeles Weekly, and for the Associated Press. He was an editor of the West Coast’s premier daily legal publication, The Los Angeles Daily Journal. He lives in San Francisco. He is the author of: The Boundaries of Desire: Bad Laws, Good Sex, and Changing Identities and Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire. His new book, Dangerous Ideas: A Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News is out now. Eric on Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "A Little Bit of Soul," by Kid Loco; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jamie is an expert in peak performance and leadership, specializing in neuroanthropology––the intersection of culture, biology and psychology. He is the co-author of the global bestseller and Pulitzer Prize nominated Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, Navy SEALs and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work and the founder of the Flow Genome Project, an international organization dedicated to the research and training of ultimate human performance. His new book, Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind is now available. This episode is sponsored by Lelo, makers of the world's best erotic devices. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "There will Be a Light," by Blind Boys of Alabama; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

"Tracy Clark-Flory grew up wedged between fizzy declarations of “girl power” and the sexualized mandates of pop culture. It was “broken glass ceilings” and Girls Gone Wild infomercials. With a vague aim toward sexual empowerment, she set out to become what men wanted—or, at least, understand it." Tracy's book, Want Me: A Sex Writer's Journey Into the Heart of Desire, is intimate, courageous, vulnerable, and beautifully written. Follow Tracy on Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Dancing in the Moonlight," by King Harvest; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Steven Donziger is a renowned lawyer, writer, and public speaker with a focus on addressing human rights abuses and corporate malfeasance.  He is part of the team working with indigenous and farmer communities in an area of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest suffering from high cancer rates and other health ailments related to the massive oil pollution caused by Texaco, now owned by Chevron. Due to highly suspicious legal maneuvers on the part of Chevron and their lawyers, Steven has been under house arrest since August, 2019. Please support Steven's case here. Follow Steven on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Robert Wright is an American journalist and author who writes about science, history, politics, and religion. He has written five books: Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information (1988), The Moral Animal (1994), Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny (1999), The Evolution of God (2009), and Why Buddhism is True (2017). He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Bloggingheads.tv and the founder and editor-in-chief of Meaningoflife.tv. (Conversation begins at 35 minutes in.) Bob on Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Fair Game," by CSN; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rafe Kelley is an unusual guy. As focused on ideas as he is on physical movement, Rafe has studied martial arts, philosophy, parkour, anthropology, gymnastics, and evolution. He comes from an unusual family background (to put it mildly), and now teaches natural movement to everyone from UFC fighters to retired grandmothers. Super interesting, introspective, honest guy. Rafe on Insta and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"The Way You Move" by Outkast, "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is one of those "flush the pipes" ROMAs, where I talk about a slew of things that seemed unrelated until I started talking about them. By the end, I realized that they're all aspects of the same issue. Anyway, it goes from a defense of Dan Savage to the demise of organized religion to the necessary irrationality of group identity to institutional momentum to whether sex and gender are biological or merely cultural phenomena. This episode is sponsored by Lelo, creator of the world's most amazing pleasure machines. Use the code: CHRISRYAN at checkout to get 20% off full priced items through the end of March, 2021. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"It's Different for Girls," by Joe Jackson. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jenny is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer based in Oakland, California, whose work generally involves acts of close observation, whether it's birdwatching, collecting screen shots, or trying to parse bizarre forms of e-commerce. Her work has been exhibited at many prestigious museums and galleries, and she was the artist in residence at the San Francisco dump! Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Believer, The Paris Review, McSweeney's, SFMOMA's Open Space, The Creative Independent, and Sierra Magazine. Her NYT bestselling book, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, was published by Melville House in 2019. Jenny, on Twitter, and Instagram. Check out Trends with Benefits. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Mouhamadou Bamba," by Orchestra Baobab; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Brian Hare is a core member of the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience, a Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology, and Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. He received his PhD from Harvard University in 2004, and in 2005, following his work at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig was awarded the Sofia Kovalevskaja Award, Germany’s most prestigious award for scientist under 40. In 2007, Smithsonian Magazine named Hare one of the top 35 scientists under 36. Hare has published over 100 scientific papers and his research has received consistent national and international attention. In 2019, Hare and his research were featured in Steven Speilberg’s documentary series Why We Hate. Hare’s first book with co-author Vanessa Woods, The Genius of Dogs is a New York Times Bestseller. Brian's Twitter feed is here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Seamus," by Pink Floyd; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Roger Nygard is perhaps best known for his acclaimed documentary Trekkies, about the most obsessive fans in the Universe. Nygard’s previous documentary The Nature of Existence, addressed the subject of the world’s philosophies, religions, and belief systems. Nygard has also directed television series such as The Office and The Bernie Mac Show. His work as a film editor includes Grey’s Anatomy, The League, and Emmy-nominated episodes of Who Is America? and Veep and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Nygard has made several other award-winning films, including the car-salesman cult-film Suckers, and a profile of UFO fanatics Six Days in Roswell, and now the documentary The Truth About Marriage, accompanied by The Truth About Marriage book. Most recently he co-produced and edited The Comedy Store, a documentary about the comedians who came though this world-famous LA club, as well as editing scenes from Borat 2 (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm). Roger on Twitter and Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Check out Trends with Benefits. My chat with Anya Kaats is here, and my chat with Brett Newski is here. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Life Upside Down," by Brett Newski; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Bryan Callen is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, and a friend of mine.  Bryan, on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range;"Sometimes," by Daniel Lanois; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

John Colapinto is a journalist, author and a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 2000, he wrote the New York Times bestseller As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl, which exposed the details of the David Reimer case, a boy who had undergone a sex change in infancy—a medical experiment long heralded as a success, but which was, in fact, a failure. In 2007, The New Yorker published John's fantastic story of his time in the Amazon with the Pirahã people and linguist Daniel Everett. John's latest book is This is the Voice. John's Twitter feed. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Say Goodbye," by Eva Cassidy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Over the past few years, people keep asking me if I'd read The Way of the Superior Man, by David Deida. Having long ago given up on being a superior man, I hadn't. Finally got around to reading it, and as you'll hear in this episode, I have some things to say about what I think Mr. Deida gets right and some equally passionate thoughts on what he gets very, very wrong. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. This episode is sponsored by Lelo, maker of the world's best sex toys. Use the code CHRISRYAN at checkout for 20% off all full-priced items. You can also enter a give-away this month. Details on my Instagram feed. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"She Drives Me Crazy," by The Fine Young Cannibals. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Niles is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, and essayist who's work focuses around themes of ageless wisdom for our modern times. Sharing insights in his films, spoken-word essays, podcast "An Infinite Path," alternate media appearances, street photography blog "Philosophical Photography," and in mentorships with others. He is the director of the feature film Transmutation, the documentary series Shamans of The Global Village, the shorts Balanced Opposites and Mystery of History, and a collection of short-form documentary narrations. (from nilesheckman.com) Find me on Instagram or Twitter. This episode is 100% commercial free. Sponsored by listeners. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Slow Down," by The Grid; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What a woman! Deborah Copaken has slept in caves in Afghanistan, produced documentaries, raised three kids, and written best-selling books on the A train under the cold streets of Manhattan. She's smart, funny, tough, and honest. A perfect podcast guest, in other words. Deborah on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. This episode is sponsored by Lelo, maker of the world's finest sex toys. Use the code ChrisRyan at checkout to get 20% off any and all full-priced items. Enter this month's giveaway of a Soraya 2 (details on my Instagram feed). Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Go with God (Topless Shoeshine)," by Joe Henry; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to another Ramblin' ROMA. Lots to cover in this one. I talk about: Current events (of course); How/why to compliment the women/men in your life; Why we need to think globally, but act locally; The life and death of my friend Diego Fresco; Why there's no shame in changing course in life; Some suggestions for taking advantage of COVID; Ideas for how to communicate with people enthralled with conspiracy theories; A new consulting service I'm offering, here; Some ideas for seminars I'm considering offering online. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"You Make Loving Fun," by Fleetwood Mac; "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin," by Colin Hay; "N Dey Say," by Nelly; "Playaz Club," by Rappin' 4-Tay.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hear that? That's the sound of shit hitting the fan. In this episode (not for the faint of heart), I trace current events back to the marriage of modern advertising and politics in the 1980s and the fragmentation of media. We're in for a wild ride, folks. It's just beginning.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"American Kid," by Carsie Blanton; "If I had a Rocket Launcher," by Bruce Cockburn; "Blind Willie McTell," by Bob Dylan.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eleanor Janega is a very smart, very funny medieval historian, specializing in late medieval sexuality, apocalyptic thought, propaganda, and the urban experience in general, and in central Europe more particularly. She teaches medieval and early modern history at a number of universities across London. She considers herself to be "a sad, sad medievalist," who hopes to "explain the medieval influences on the everyday world, and hopefully to get people through the quotidian grind of life in late stage capitalism." A worthy cause if ever there was one! Dr. Janega's site, Twitter feed, and Patreon account. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"The Summer of My Mind," by Highly Portable; "Star People 97," by George Michael. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I answer listener questions about whether to savor or defend a world that may be dying, how to be single but not alone, how to choose a safe place to make a stand, and my feelings about the holiday season. Check What Makes This Thing Great? Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, I talk about how to think independently, why it's an important skill, and how to cultivate it -- all while dipping in and out of Paul Graham's essay, "How to Think for Yourself." Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Disturbed," by Peter Gabriel; "Distinto," by Orishas; "Graceland at 4AM," by Bobby Weidman.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Anya and Erin are two of my all-time favorite people. Whore Rapport is their podcast, where they explore and discuss a version of sexuality that is healthy, strong, and aware, by "delving into topics such as gender, orientation, intimacy, and power without pathologizing desire, victimizing femininity, or demonizing masculinity." Follow Whore Rapport on Instagram and Patreon. This episode sponsored by Lelo -- maker of the world's best sex toys. Use the code ChrisRyan for 20% off all full-priced items. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Sexual Healing," by Ben Harper; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

For my money, Rick Beato is the most knowledgeable, most enthusiastic, most open-hearted guide to the world of music. Dude can break a song down to its essence without draining its magic and beauty. Quite the opposite, in fact. After a few episodes of What Makes This Song Great?, you'll understand music -- and hear it -- in a whole new way. Here's a link to our previous conversation. Follow Rick on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Pygmy Lullaby," by Jan Garbarek; "Don't Fear the Reaper," by Blue Oyster Cult.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Ted Achacoso attained a college degree in biology at the age of 18 and a doctor of medicine at the age of 22. A polymath who has professionally trained in interventional neuroradiology, pharmacology, neurology, medical informatics, neuro-interventional radiology interventional endocrinology, and nutritional medicine. Dr. Achacoso's current mission revolves around HOMe: "Health Optimization Medicine". Instead of waiting for a patient to develop a reason for medicine, Dr. Achacoso hopes to swing the pendulum towards optimizing health by detecting and correcting imbalances in your body (hormones, nutrients, toxins, etc). Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range, “Where Is the Love?,”  by Black Eyed Peas; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

"Hey Chris, this is Whitney. I love the podcast! You should come visit me in the pyramid next time you're in Montana." It had been four decades since I'd heard from Whitney Lake, who was a legend at Cazenovia High School in 1979-80. His reputation for brilliant disruption greeted me when I moved to town, halfway through senior year. He still excels at brilliant disruption. He lives in a pyramid he designed himself, is a multi-instrumentalist, designs and builds string instruments, wind turbines, and various other devices (patents pending). Dude is mad smart, funny, charming, and generous. And his BBQ sauce is amazing! Learn more about his work at AERI.net. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range, “Drinkee,”  by Sofi Tukker. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chad came to my attention via his always thoughtful, articulate posts on the Tangentially Speaking subReddit. I wanted to know the guy behind this intelligence. I'm really glad he agreed to come on the podcast. Chad's musings on Substack can be found here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range, “You Haven't Done Nothing,”  by Stevie Wonder. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rutger Bregman is a historian and author. He has published five books on history, philosophy, and economics. His books Humankind (2020) and Utopia for Realists (2017) were both New York Times Bestsellers and have been translated into more than 40 languages. He also dared to speak truth to billionaires at Davos and provoked Tucker Carlson to melt down into a pool of frustration and rage. Rutger's site and Twitter feed. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range, “Son of a Preacher Man,” cover by Menno Roymans. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My fetid thoughts on the perfect sh*tstorm that is sweeping through America in 2020. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Morning in America,” by Durand Jones and the Indications. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

After extensive adventures in Europe, Joey Rositano found himself on Jeju Island, South Korea, teaching English. During those initial years he heard about a mysterious practice of shamanism on the island that he decided to explore for himself. What he found was the fascinating world of mystical shrines, indomitable grandmas, and spirits among us. Rositano set out to record the voices and stories of the island in his documentary Spirits and the associated photobook.  Joey's work, on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Big Sky Blues," by Phil Griffin. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Cahill is one of the best writers of his generation. His work is funny, surprising, and deep. I first read him back in the 80s, when I was a young dirtbag hitchhiking to Alaska in search of adventure and a disgusting job. (Found both.) He's inspired generations of writers, travelers, and humorists. Here's a link to Tim's conversation with Kyle Thiermann. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Side of the Road," by Jemma and the Good Thing. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eric Weiner is a popular speaker and author of the New York Times bestseller The Geography of Bliss, Man Seeks God, The Geography of Genius and The Socrates Express. He is a former foreign correspondent for NPR and the author of numerous articles about travel and culture. He spent a decade overseas for NPR, based in New Delhi, Jerusalem and Tokyo. This episode is sponsored by Lelo. Find Eric on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range,"Big Jet Plane," written by Angus and Julia Stone, performed by Tuka. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I respond to some of the feedback I've received in the past day or two in response to my posts on wearing masks. The article I mention in Nature is here. Music: "I Don't Think You Understand," by Goliath Flores. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Some thoughts on the difference between ignorance and stupidity, competing authority figures, the corruption of institutions, and the role of common sense in navigating all of the above. Music: "Watch it Fall," by Billy Strings. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This commercial-free episode of What Makes This Book Great? includes listener responses to "Cat Person," and a reading of Ursula K. LeGuin's story, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," written in 1974. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jake and Belinda are close friends of mine and have been married to each other since before either of them can remember. This is what happens when the three of us hang out WITHOUT wine. Belinda's show on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram. Jake on Twitter, Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Making Do," by Lake Street Dive; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

TK Coleman is a writer, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, teacher, and a few other things -- but that's enough to give you the idea. He's smart, funny, thoughtful, and overflowing with optimism. We talk about race, Muhammed Ali, and whether the free market can save us from the free market. Learn more about TK and what he's up to at fee.org/rev1. TK on Instagram and Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Sometimes," by Daniel Lanois; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Miguel has become a good friend, due to his always-smart comments on many episodes of this podcast, his help with editing and graphic design, and his insights on everything from UFOs to Mexican culture and history (which can be found at The Daily Grail). I always enjoy our conversations, and am thrilled we finally got around to recording one! Miguel's graphic design site, and his Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "God's Child," by Selena and David Byrne; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Too bad it’s usually boring as sh*t. Enter Kyle Creek, aka "The Captain," the ultimate storyteller who brings history to life (and to your life) in this hilarious, intelligent, brutally honest, and crude compendium to events that happened before any of us were born. Find F*cking History on Amazon here, and The Captain on Twitter and Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Contract on the World Love Jam," by Public Enemy; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Beth Ryan, my younger sister, has lived in a multitude of places and now resides in Los Angeles. She attended college in Boston and worked for two start-up computer companies. Wanting to get a better work-life balance, she took a year off and traveled around the world. This trip allowed her to find her passion and her voice.  She now runs a non-profit called Stepping Forward LA (www.steppingforwardla.org) supporting foster youth who age out of the foster care system. She was my first "listener" and probably has more embarrassing stories of me than anyone else. Stepping Forward LA Instagram feed. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "I Wish," by Stevie Wonder; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Julie Carr married my dad, Frank Ryan in 1960, and had me two years later. My sister, Beth, was born four years after that. While raising us, she worked as a teacher in Middle and High Schools and in various administrative positions. She's smart, sweet, and a hell of a mom. She doesn't do social media, bless her heart, but you can leave her messages when you order swag from "the cottage," as many of you have done over the years -- much to her delight. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "All Along the Watchtower," by Bob Dylan; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Daoist Monk Yun Rou (his name means Soft Cloud) has been called the new Alan Watts for his Daoist teachings and the zen Gabriel Garcia-Marquez for his works of magical realism set in China. Born Arthur Rosenfeld in New York City, he received his academic education at Yale, Cornell, and the University of California. He was ordained a monk at the Chun Yang (Pure Yang) Daoist Temple in Guangzhou, China. His award-winning books, optioned for film in both Hollywood and Asia, bridge spirituality, philosophy, and history. From 2010 – 2013, he hosted the national public television show "Longevity Tai Chi with Arthur Rosenfeld." Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Callie is the original bada$$. She spends months at a time alone in the wilderness with her goats, living off the land. She was among the last three people on this season's "Alone," on the History Channel, lasting 89 days before frostbite ender her run. (This episode is co-hosted with Anya Kaats, host of A Millennial's Guide to Saving the World.) Learn more about Callie at caprakhan.com // Instagram: caprakhan Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Long Time Coming," by Leela James; "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew has been a pal since he showed up in Topanga in the same van I drive (2006 Dodge Sprinter), with a cool little mutt named Pele and a plan to drive from Alaska to Chile. He and his wife, Tiffany (and Pele) got as far as Costa Rica before things went sideways. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "I Got So High (That I Saw Jesus)," by Warren Delaney, "Smoke Alarm," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

J.R. Martinez is a burn survivor (over 40% of his body) and Army veteran who, after many surgeries and months of healing, went on to win Dancing with the Stars, become a New York Times best-selling author, star in the television series All My Children and become a keynote speaker at events all over the world. Dude's on quite a ride. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Take a Ride" by The Vegabonds;  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I've been falling behind on the ROMAs, so here's a mega-ROMA. Lotsa music, lotsa my dumb opinions on things like toilet paper, camp chairs, sexual communication, the Me Too movement, and how to have a good time on a sinking ship. Hope you find something of value in this tossed salad. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Inner City Blues,” by Marvin Gaye; "Moment of Surrender," by Nick Mulvey; "I Don't Want to Be a Billionaire," by Theo Katzman; "Two Warm Hands," by Out of the Pine; "Mississippi," by Afroman.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Anya Kaats hosts A Millennial's Guide to Saving the World podcast, and co-hosts Whore Rapport, with Erin Ginder-Shaw. Anya consistently challenges her listeners to reconsider what's really going on within discussions of gender, power, sexuality, spirituality, regenerative agriculture, trauma, grief and community. Through curiosity, creativity and conversation, Anya hopes to encourage others to dream new dreams, ask new questions & interpret the world in new ways.  Anya's Instagram and Website Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Border Country" by The Paper Stars;  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I guess when you grow up surfing waves taller than the trees that tower over your house, you learn to be careful. Kyle is one of the most deliberate, thoughtful, open-hearted dudes I know. He makes as many mistakes as the rest of us, but he squeezes every possible lesson from each one of them. Check out his podcast here, follow his adventures on Instagram here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Your Wicked Ways" by The Mighty Olas; "Suffer Well," by Simon van Gend Band; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Diana Rodgers, RD, is a “real food” nutritionist and writer living on a working organic farm. She runs a clinical nutrition practice, hosts the Sustainable Dish Podcast, and speaks internationally about human nutrition, sustainability, animal welfare and social justice. Together with Robb Wolf, Diana has created Sacred Cow, a documentary film and book exploring the ways regenerative agriculture can lead to better health for humans, animals, and ecosystems. Far from being the destroyers of land, she argues, cattle can help bring it back from desertification. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "I Wish I Was a Cowby" by S.E. Rogie; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Fabian has been around. A bout with malaria in Congo somehow led to a high-pressure job in Silicon Valley which somehow led to running a company from a Range Rover while bumping through African backroads. He's now teaching free-diving in Montenegro. (Of course he is!) No idea what's coming next in this guy's life, but I'm looking forward to hearing about it. Fabian's links: Instagram Freediving in Montenegro Website Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Good American Life" by Ed Dupas; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ben Horton's passion is to use photography as a means to inspire people to take stewardship of the planet. He aims to give people who may not be able to see something for themselves a vicarious experience through his images that will instill a passion in them they would never have otherwise. Ben started his career with National Geographic by telling the story of the sharks of Cocos Island. He traced the illegal fishing industry from Costa Rica to China, and as a result of his work helped to increase the park boundaries and protection of two of Costa Rica’s national parks. He was awarded the National Geographic Society’s first ever Young Explorer Grant for his work, and he has since moved on to receive a number of other National Geographic grants, assignments, and recently stared in a documentary for National Geographic featuring his work in Thailand. Ben is based in southern California, where he works primarily on adventure campaigns Ben's Instagram. (Trust me on this one!) Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Iwoya" by Angelique Kidjo (with Dave Matthews); “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, where he directs the Berkeley Social Interaction Lab. He is also the founder and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. and host of the podcast The Science of Happiness. He is the author of The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence (2017), Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, (2009) and a slew of academic books and scientific articles. Many thanks to Kyle Thiermann for letting me sit in on this one. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Intro music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Into the Country" by Three Dog Night; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Doty, is an EVRYMAN co-founder and former director of cult hit TV show MeatEater. His many media appearances include multiple segments on the Joe Rogan Experience and Today Show, always sharing that today to be a man means to be yourself all the way through. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "One Good Man" by Janis Joplin; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Theo Rossi is an American actor, producer, and podcast host (THEOry). He's best known for his portrayal of Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014). He is also known for his portrayal of Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in Luke Cage (2016–2018). Despite his fame and success, Theo has both feet on the ground and is a no BS dude. You can listen to Theo picking my brain on his podcast here. This episode sponsored by Kettle and Fire. 15% off your first order when you use code CHRIS at checkout. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; "Old Green House," by Sail Cassady (Colin Craveiro) -- Check out the video here; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Together with Saagar Enjeti, Krystal Ball co-hosts Rising, a show featuring sharp political analysis seemingly free of commercial bias. Ball has worked for over a decade as a political consultant, analyst, and journalist -- having appeared on MSNBC, Real Time with Bill Maher, Fox News, and elsewhere. Ball has published two books: The Populist's Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left are Rising (2020, with Saagar Enjeti), and Reversing the Apocalypse: Hijacking the Democratic Party to Save the World (2017). Follow Krystal on Twitter: @krystalball This episode sponsored by Kettle and Fire. 15% off your first order when you use code CHRIS at checkout. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “To Ndje” by Kaissa; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rick Beato is a multi-instrumentalist, music teacher, producer, dad to Layla and Dylan, and host to three deaf animals (2 dogs and a cat). His YouTube show (What Makes This Song Great?) is the best guide to the magic and mystery of music I know. This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Matt and Winston lived in China for years, learning to speak the language, love the people, and distrust the government. Their insights are surprising and fascinating.  This episode sponsored by Kettle and Fire. (Use code CHRIS for 15% off your order -- free shipping for 6 or more items.) Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. Matt - http://youtube.com/laowhy86 Winston - http://youtube.com/serpentza ADVChina - http://youtube.com/advchina ADVPodcasts - http://youtube.com/advpodcasts   Documentaries - Conquering Southern China https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B06W52SN47/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r Conquering Northern China  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/conqueringnorthernchina Stay Awesome China  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/stayawesomechina This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A reading and discussion of "What You Can't Say," a very powerful essay by Paul Graham, that shows the importance of tolerating thoughts and statements that may be "offensive," "inappropriate," and/or "heretical." More importantly, Graham shows how to find wisdom in our taboos and prohibited speech and thoughts. This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Bill Lee,” by Warren Zevon. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Bryan Callen is an American actor, comedian, and podcaster. He is most known for his recurring role as “Coach Mellor” on ABC’s Schooled and The Goldbergs; which he has played since 2014. Callen has also appeared in such TV and films as Kingdom, 2 Broke Girls, Ride Along, Hangover 1 & 2, Sex and the City, Old School, MADTv, Entourage, Californication, and many more. Callen performs in theaters and comedy venues across the world, but most often can be seen at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. His third one-hour comedy special, “Complicated Apes”, topped the iTunes charts upon its release in March, 2019, and is also available on Amazon. Callen is co-host of the top-rated iTunes podcast, The Fighter & The Kid alongside Brendan Schaub. Bryan is also a regular on The Joe Rogan Experience and Fight Companion podcasts. This episode sponsored by people who send me money! Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Civilized to Death” by Colby Kent and the Stomping Ground; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My discussion of "Cat Person," by Kristen Roupenian. The story offers a subtle, nuanced look at power, eroticism, and the confusion that often results when a man and a woman try (and fail) to understand each other, taking us inside the heads of people who share physical space -- but are miles apart.  This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Mean Flower,” by Joe Henry. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

"Cat Person" offers a subtle, nuanced look at power, eroticism, and the confusion that often results when a man and a woman try (and fail) to understand each other, taking us inside the heads of people who are together -- and yet miles apart. This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Wicked Little High” by Bird York; “Lost Cause,” by Beck. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mike had a tennis scholarship to college, but things went a different way. Within a few years, he was helping to run Reality Kings, one of the biggest Internet porn companies in the world, and managing the career of Kimbo Slice, who Rolling Stone called "The King of the Web Brawlers." Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Uluaki Fepaki” by Joel Havea Trio; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This first episode of What Makes This Book Great (WMTBG) features "The Liar," one of my favorite short stories, by Tobias Wolff. Music: "Home Again," by Michael Kiwanuka; "Lovely Day," by Bill Withers. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Unhinged opening rant from the good people at Profit-Driven Pharmaceuticals, followed by a mention of this very funny animation of Joe Rogan and I having a picnic together, this article about the parallels between the fall of Rome and right here right now. Then a mention of Kyle Thiermann's chat with his dad, this conversation with psychologist Dan Ariely, a few Tiny Desktop Concerts I really enjoy, and the beauty of Tobias Wolff's writing and Dispatches, by Michael Herr. Music: Watch It Fall, by Billy Strings 8 Años, by Hermanos Guitierrez How the West Was Won (And Where it Got Us), by REM Time After Time, covered by Miles Davis (written by Cindy Lauper) Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eli and his buddy, Jesse, run Back to Earth, an organization created to take groups of boys and young men into the wilderness for ten days and nights. What happens is powerful, magical, and utterly natural. Eli is trained through The Tracking Project in Corrales, New Mexico, a non-profit led by John Stokes devoted to peacemaking, nature awareness and cross cultural respect. He is a NOLS alumnus and a certified Wilderness First Responder. In addition to his work at Back to Earth, Eli is PhD candidate in Geography at UC Berkeley, working on a dissertation about public space and the politics of belonging in Oakland. He has previously conducted research in Haiti and India, and holds a double bachelor's degree and a master's degree in international development studies from Brown University. Eli is also a poet, dancer, songwriter and spoken-word performer. He was a first generation Youth Speaks poet, and was (maybe still is) the youngest member of a winning Brave New Voices National Slam Team, as well as the youngest to win the Bay Area Slam. He continues to perform original work in a wide variety of venues. This episode sponsored by Sanny Ceramics. Be sure to catch Eli on A Millennial's Guide to Saving the World. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Key West Run” by Bobby Weidman; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jody Armour is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California and author of Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism: The Hidden Costs of Being Black in America, but don't think this dude is some dry, boring, law professor type. Hell no. Jody's father taught himself law in prison and Jodi struggled to get where he is today. There's no chance of his ever forgetting where he came from. We talk about race, language, justice, shame, and redemption. Zero fluff in this one. Jody's Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Nothing to My Name” by István Varga-Roman; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I caught up with Zofia in Patong, Phuket (Thailand), along her journey from Poland on her motorcycle. She's a fascinating woman, who's been riding bikes -- with and without motors -- all over the world for years. Her courage and hunger for life are inspirational. Plus, she's a lot of fun to hang out with! This episode sponsored by listeners like you. Come see me at Meetdelic! Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “American Kid,” and “Smoke Alarm” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Richard survived the surgery -- or did he? When he regained consciousness, his memory was wiped clean. Nothing remained of his life before that day. No memory of his wife, children, friends ... nothing. His life was effectively over, but another was just beginning. You can read a book about this experience (from his wife, Sonya's perspective): Wondering Who You Are. You can also hear Sonya discuss the experience on this previous episode of Tangentially Speaking. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Green Grass” by Cybelle; “Into the Mystic,” by Van Morrison.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Georgy Gusev is a graduate of the famed Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He performs at major music festivals and events around the world. He does things with a cello that are unimaginable until you hear/see him perform. This episode is sponsored by Lelo - makers of the world's most elegant sex toys. Georgy's on Instagram and Facebook. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tom Sewell is a multi-media artist, designer, photographer, filmmaker, sculptor, environmental visionary; self-proclaimed "Master of mischief, maker of dreams". Tao Ruspoli is a filmmaker, musician, bohemian visionary, and soul-connector. This is one of my all-time favorite conversations. Tom on Instagram. Tao on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Op 130, Alla danza tedesca; Allegro assai” by Beethoven (performed by the Tokyo String Quartet); “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis put the thuggery into Thug Kitchen, a multi-media empire built around the idea of eating like you give a f*ck and writing like you don't. These two came from nowhere with nothing but a great idea and the courage to stick to their guns. Now look at them! Social Media: @thugkitchen Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Stay Here” by Manna Ray; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Trainer is a traveler, thinker, and innovator. One of the co-creators of Global Citizen, Michael hosts a podcast called Peak Mind. Social Media: @michaeltrainer Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “I Don't Want to Be a Billionaire” by Theo Katzman; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Thoughts on returning to Chiang Mai 30 years after my first visit. Why it's hard to be young. How long should we linger when we travel? Why do people say such nasty shit online? Thoughts on ambition. This episode sponsored by Lelo. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Long Roads” by Neil Sorsby; “N Dey Say,” by Nelly. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ramesh Srinivasan has been a faculty member at UCLA since 2005 in the Information Studies and Design Media Arts departments. He is a surrogate for Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign on issues of technology policy and the founder of the UC-wide Digital Cultures Lab, and studies technology’s impact on the lives of people across the world. He is an author as well. His most recent book, Beyond the Valley (MIT press), explores the the relationships between new technologies and our political, economic, and social lives. This includes such themes as tech’s relationship to democracy, social movements, and elections; automation, the gig economy, and worker futures; algorithmic bias and AI; and the relationship between tech and the nations and peoples of the global South. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Frohmut” by Poetenleben (PL); “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What's the word for your ex-wife's husband, who you love more than a brother? How is "never enough" different from "never too much?" Music by Sail Cassady, Gypsy Chicken, and Bimini Road. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Rex is utterly unique. Actor, fashion model, MTV personality, rapper, social media star, intellectual, spiritual seeker, goofball, #vanlifer.... There's nobody like him -- or even similar. No category broad enough to contain him or his unlikely career. He's my brother, and I love the dude. Check out his new podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Simon's hilarious Instagram feed is here. This episode sponsored by Lelo. Use discount code "chrisryan" at checkout for 15% off all full price items. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “The Logical Song” by Supertramp; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jon and Cassie met in high school. Jon played guitar and wrote some songs. One day, he was invited to join a band. That band blew up, and the next thing he knew, he was on stage before tens of thousands of screaming teenagers. Money, fame, pressure, and confusion soon followed. Then Jon and Cassie decided to jump off the train of "success" and head down to Costa Rica for a while. Cassie wrote a book about all this, called, Everything is Moving. Link to Anya's podcast episode mentioned in the intro. Follow Jon and Cassie at: http://www.instagram.com/cassiewalkermindbody/ http://www.instagram.com/iamjonwalkersphotos/ http://www.twitter.com/iamjonwalker www.jonwalkermusic.com Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Everyone but You” by Jon Walker and The Young Veins; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Akshay is an extraordinary guy living an extraordinary life. He's battled addiction, searched for IEDs in Iraq, dragged a sled across Greenland, climbed mountains, and sat in total darkness for 7 days and nights. These experiences and others informed his book, Fearvana -- endorsed by the Dalai freakin Lama, among others. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Detox Mansion” by Warren Zevon; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

For 3 1/2 Years, Mike was the co-host of the popular libertarian podcast, Part Of The Problem with stand up comic & Fox News regular Dave Smith. He now hosts his own podcast called Mikeadelic, which focuses on the benefits of psychedelics and our right to cognitive liberty. He's traveled widely and was a stand up comic for 3 years in New York. This episode sponsored by Lelo. Use the discount code "ChrisRyan" for 15% off all full-priced items. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Back in the High Life Again” by Warren Zevon; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is the soundtrack to the first Video ROMA I recorded for the good folks who support the podcast via my new web site. I found the experience to be surprisingly intimate. For as little as $2/month, you get a monthly video ROMA, access to all the podcast-related ebooks (so far, Tangentially Reading, and Tangentially Talking Drugs -- Tangentially Talking Sex coming soon). I decided to make this one available to everyone. I'll keep doing occasional ROMAs on this open platform, but not as often. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Life Upside Down” by Brett Newski; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Shawn is a deeply thoughtful man who helps other men confront and tame their demons. He's worked with addiction and men who have been abusive to themselves and the people around them.  This episode sponsored by Lelo. Use discount code “chrisryan” at checkout for 15% off full price items. Click here to order a copy of my new book Civilized to Death - out now. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Tear Shit Up” by Paris; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Doreen is a surfer who lives in Montana. She's planted over a million trees, and guides trips to Africa. My kinda woman! Click here to order my new book Civilized to Death - out now.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Poem” by She Drew the Gun; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jeff is a legend in the extreme sports community. He's one of those seemingly insane guys who jump off cliffs thousands off feet high -- either in a wingsuit or with a parachute. His thoughtful, calm demeanor presents an interesting contrast to the realms of sheer terror he's drawn to. This episode sponsored by Sun Basket. Get 50% off your first two orders here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Flip, Flop, and Fly” by Big Joe Turner; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

After over a decade carrying a gun (first with the Marines in Iraq and then as a member of a SWAT team), Daniel is now living off the grid in Idaho with his family, starting a different kind of life. We go deep into what it means to be a man, how to integrate caring and courage, and whether the military is a good place to get one's life together. This episode sponsored by Sunbasket. Click here for 50% off your first two orders -- no obligations at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Low Rider,” by War; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Lierre spent twenty years refining and restricting her diet in search of better health -- but her health was getting worse, not better. Finally, a doctor told her she'd die if she didn't eat animal-derived foods. This led to a major shift in perspective and a deeply controversial book: The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability  This episode sponsored by Lelo. Use discount code "chrisryan" at checkout for 15% off full price items. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “River," by Ibeyi; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tony Perrottet is a journalist and author fascinated by the area where history and sexuality overlap. His latest book, Cuba Libre, includes lots of new material on the sexual lives of Fidel, Che, and the other characters (including many women) who pulled off what may be the most audacious revolution in history. He’s written other books about the Naked Olympics and Napoleon’s Penis. You get the idea. This episode sponsored by Sunbasket. Click here for 50% off your first two orders -- no obligations at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Don’t You Miss Me” by Seamus Og; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When is love toxic? Should we insist on the "meaning" of words, or let them change over time and context? Is English the best f*&king language in the world? Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Trampoline,” by Joe Henry; “Daniel,” by Elton John; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kevin is one of the smartest, most thoughtful people you’ve never met. His 15 minutes of fame came when he and his daughter were featured on a TV show, focusing on his technique of helping her overcome fear by balancing on his hand. Formerly a leader in the world of Techno Optimism, being a dad has led him to rethink some of his previous positions. We talk about everything from God to AI to drugs to the importance of podcasting. This episode sponsored by SunBasket. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Studebaker,” by Jordan Zevon; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Drs. Nathan and Sunil have more degrees and certifications than I can list here. Even more impressive than all that paperwork is the fact that both of them have dedicated their lives to finding innovative ways to help people who are suffering in the deepest ways. At the AIMS Institute in Seattle, WA, they are exploring the use of Ketamine, psilocybin, and other modalities to treat the toughest forms of dis-ease. If you’d like to support their research (tax deductible), please go here. This episode sponsored by Sunbasket. Get $30 off your first two orders, here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Long Time Coming,” by Leela James; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Lori Brotto conducts research on women’s sexual health and difficulties, develops and tests psychoeducational interventions for women with sexual desire and arousal complaints, and studies many aspects of sexual health including: culture and sexuality, hormones and sexual desire, cancer and sexuality, concerns about HPV and sexuality, asexuality, and more. This episode is sponsored by Lelo. Follow Dr. Brotto on Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Like She Was a Hammer,” by Joe Henry; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Derrick Jensen is a coauthor of Deep Green Resistance, and the author of Endgame, The Culture of Make Believe, A Language Older than Words, and many other books. He was named one of Utne Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World” and won the Eric Hoffer Award in 2008. We discuss animal communication, the trajectory of history, and the dangers of comfort. This episode is sponsored by Sunbasket. Get half off your first two orders using this link. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Summertime,” by Fort Francis; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Ellis has been around. His goal in life has been to excite and educate people about the rhythms of the natural world and biological processes, thereby stimulating an active participation in the protection of the valuable resources of the planet. By acting as a communication bridge between academicians and interested but untrained individuals he hopes to make the world of science less threatening but still wondrous. (Shamelessly lifted from Footloose Forays) This episode is sponsored by Sunbasket. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Nothing Turns My Lock,” by Kate Vargas; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Astrid honored me by sharing a story that is both profoundly personal and, in some ways, not terribly uncommon. If you’ve ever felt that a relationship (or partner) was absorbing you into an alternate reality, this conversation will speak to you. This episode is sponsored by Sun Basket. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “101 (The Good Stuff),” by Knowmads; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

SEANE CORN is an internationally acclaimed yoga teacher and public speaker known for her social activism, impassioned style of teaching, and raw, honest and inspired self-expression. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Rise the Moon,” by Kate Vargas; "A Good American Life," by Ed Dupas; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

There’s nobody quite like Mickey Avalon. His perspectives on art, music, fame, performance … are unique, thoughtful, and always sincere. He’s on tour with our mutual friend, Dirt Nasty (Simon Rex) this summer, so go see them if you get a chance. Their show is some strange and wonderful mix of comedy, rap, rock, and raunch. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Fuzzy Freaky,” by David Byrne; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hunter likes to think about how we think. And he's plenty good at it.  This episode is sponsored by BMC Bikes. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Leigh Ann is an American dancer and former actress. She is best known for playing Brad's second girlfriend, Ashley, on the sitcom Home Improvement. Also featured as Hannah in the 1994 film, The Favor starring Brad Pitt. She's currently trying to get Facebook to allow ads for pole dancing as exercise.Find me on Instagram or Twitter.Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon.This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Slip Sliding Away,” by Paul Simon; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

John Harrison has enjoyed much of his time on the planet exploring both the inner and outer landscapes. A therapist with a practice based in San Diego specializing in Addiction Treatment and Personal Transformation, John was Principal Investigator for MAPS’ (Multidisciplinary Assn. for Psychedelic Studies)  pilot study investigating the efficacy of the plant medicine ibogaine in the treatment of opiate addiction. John studied and was trained in Clinical Psychology at the California Institute for Integral Studies, and was formerly a resident at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Ca. A Zen Buddhist practitioner for over 30 years, John is the founder of Blue Dragon Zen Community in San Diego. John is an avid hiker and high altitude mountaineer. John is also a connoisseur of amazing and breath-giving sunsets! Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Down Under,” by Colin Hay; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Charles is a public intellectual, speaker, and the author of five books, including Climate: A New Story, Sacred Economics, and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Don't You Miss Me,” by Seamus Og; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

We recorded this one during a pig hunting trip. Our conversation ranges far and wide, to put it mildly. Check out Simon's podcast, Nervous Rex, and The Kyle Thiermann Show. This episode is sponsored by SC Medicinals. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin,” by Colin Hay; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris Paine is an American filmmaker and environmental activist. His notable works as director include the documentaries Who Killed the Electric Car? Revenge of the Electric Car and Do You Trust This Computer? Paine received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay for Who Killed the Electric Car? This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Fences,” by Chris Frisina; "Canzoni d'Amore," by Neil Sorsby; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Daniele Bolelli is a writer, martial artist, university professor, and podcaster. He was born in Italy and currently lives in Los Angeles. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr and SC Medicinals. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “If 6 was 9,” by Axiom Funk; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

James Ostrer has been known to dress himself in the flayed flesh of pigs and take self-portraits as a commentary on, what? How we're all encased in the suffering of other animals? How humans are both sacred and just meat? How "art" is both absurd and utterly serious? I don't know, but James's work is never boring or pretentious, always provocative and thoughtful. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Water from the Sky,” by Elena B. Williams; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I call out Gandhi, question the narrative of a recent Hollywood sex scandal, share some thoughts on hunting, and discuss my fear of becoming a douchebag guru. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a somewhat chaotic conversation involving Kyle Thiermann (big wave surfer), Mark Healey (surfing legend), Ben Greenfield (fitness guru), and a little bit of me (flabby imposter). It was recorded on the island of Molokai, Hawaii, at the end of a week-long hunting trip. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr, and Santa Cruz Medicinals. (Discount code: CHRIS5) Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Canto para Elewa y Changó,” by Orishas; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dan De Lion is an Earth Herbalist, Forager, Musician, and Teacher dedicated to working with Nature to facilitate the reunion of the people with our planetary purpose.  He teaches through Return to Nature, providing classes, lectures, and seminars on wild food foraging, mushroom identification, herbal medicine making, as well as primitive and survival skills with a focus on wild foods and forest medicines. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr. Dan on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “What You Won't Do For Love,” by Victor Wooten; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Shane wasn’t mad at coffee, he was disappointed. He was sold the dream that coffee would allow him to do more and do it faster. But, he noticed that he was reliant on it just to get to baseline. The jitters, the anxiety, shitty sleep. He loved the ritual, but questioned whether it was helping or hindering his mental and physical performance. So he created Mud. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr, obviously. Find Shane on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “When We Grew Older,” by Chris Vince; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Philip is a South African Christian missionary working with the Moken people (aka Sea Gypsies) on the island of Ko Phayam, in Thailand. When the tsunami in 2004 destroyed their boats, they were forced to live on land. Philip is trying to help them make the transition to a new way of life. He sees his role as striving to be the embodiment of God's love, not as trying to convince anyone to adopt his particular beliefs.  This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Life Upside Down,” by Brett Newski; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Are vaccines dangerous? Is meat important? If so, why? Does love always have to hurt? What are the dangers of humility? Can people and animals sense your vibe when you're tripping? These and other pressing issues are featured in yet another ROMA episode. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Nobody writes songs like Carsie. They come from straight from her heart, her head, or her ... genital chakra. No filters. No shame. No prepackaged commercial nonsense. She's unabashedly political, sexual, and animal. She's one of my favorite Homo sapiens. This episode sponsored by MudWtr and Santa Cruz Medicinals (discount code: CHRIS5). Carsie's site is here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Jacket” and "To Be Known” by Carsie Blanton. Kyle's episode with Brenden Ruh of SC Medicinals. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mike/Igor is half of the duo known as The Yes Men. These guys combine humor, political outrage, and medial savvy to convey radical ideas through the tools of the oppressor. Drawing on techniques that date back to the ever-present trickster-shaman, The Yes Men deliver harsh truths with a straight face. This one's co-hosted with Kyle Thiermann. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Boa Sorte (Good Luck),” by Vanessa da Mata and Ben Harper; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Greg is a sound engineer who is working hard to try to save some of the endangered music of Asia. We met on Ko Phayam, Thailand, where he’s spent a lot of time with the Moken people (aka “Sea Gypsies”) who have been living on shore since the tsunami swept away their boats in 2004. Greg leads small groups on trips in India, Nepal, Laos, and elsewhere, recording songs and languages that are in danger of being lost forever. You can learn more about Greg’s work here and here. This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Author and co-author of more than 20 books and numerous articles on Indonesian art, culture and history, Bruce W. Carpenter is considered a leading expert in the field of Indonesian studies. He's also an accomplished traveler and an old friend of Stanley Krippner's. His publications include Ethnic Art of Indonesia (2010), Gold Jewelery of the Indonesian Archipelago (2011), Nias Sculpture (2013), Lempad of Bali, the Illuminating Line (2014) and Indonesian Tribal Art (2015). This episode is sponsored by Mud/Wtr Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Sunglasses,” by Chase and the Barons; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tony is an old friend of mine and the author of several books of sexy history. Among them are Napoleon's Penis, The Naked Olympics, and most recently, Cuba Libre -- a book that reads like an adventure novel, but is the juicy true story of the Cuban revolution. If you have any interest in Cuban history, political revolution, or hot Latin sex, you'll dig this conversation and Tony's book. If you don't, what's wrong with you? Tony's site and Twitter feed. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Do You Want My Job?,” by Little Village; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Johann is a journalist, columnist, and the author of Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, and Lost Connections. His TED talk on addiction has been seen over 9 million times. His mind goes a mile a minute, so strap in for this one! Find Johann on Twitter and Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Minor Swing: For Django,” by Children of the Revolution; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Greg knew he wasn't going to make it in the normal world. He craved the disapproval of hypocrites and scolds. He wanted to be an outlaw, but didn't want to risk getting shot or put in a cage. And he liked sex. So he fought his way to the top of the adult entertainment industry by being smarter, working harder, and betting it all on himself. Follow Greg on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Nouveau Western,” by MC Solaar; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ben Joseph Stewart is a filmmaker, musician, veteran, traveler, thinker.... Lots going on with this guy. Find him on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Inexile,” by Capercaillie; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

How to laugh on a dying planet? How to lose a dad? What do you wish you'd known when you were young? And 70s party music. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Sonfo,” by Sekouba Bambino; "Dancing in the Moonlight," by King Harvest; "Come and Get Your Love," by Leon Redbone; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jake Johannsen is a comedy legend. He was on David Letterman's show 14,682 times (more or less). His standup is so good that I often steal his jokes. And he's one of my closest buds. Join us in Jake's kitchen for a co-released wide-ranging conversation featuring the sexual frustration of marijuana plants, #metoo from a middle-aged white man's perspective (everyone loves to hear that!), and my awkward innuendos about how hot Jake's wife is.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Deja Vu All Over Again,” by John Fogerty; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Karley Sciortino is a writer, television host, and producer. She is the founder of Slutever, a website that focuses on sex and sexuality, and executive producer and host of the Viceland documentary series of the same name. She also writes Vogue's online sex and relationships column, Breathless. Karley is @Slutever on Twitter, @KarleySlutever on Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Fun for Me,” by Moloko; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Janelle is a lot more than a pretty face. She spent months exploring Colombia while bringing attention to the problem of illegal trafficking of endangered wildlife. She's a passionate defender of the natural world and an excellent photographer. Plus, she looks real good on two wheels. Janelle on Instagram: @motogypsy Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Le Monde est Fou,” by Balla Tounkara; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Adam's writing ranges from surprising to insightful to necessary -- normally all of the above. He's been published everywhere from the New York Times to Men's Health to Outside. He's also written a slew of Lonely Planet guidebooks. With no experience or contacts, he decided he wanted to make a living traveling, and he's pulled it off.  Adam's Instagram and Twitter is @adamskolnick Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Ride,” by Brett Newski; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Connor lives on a piece of desert that he and his family have shaped and caressed into Paradise. East End Eden is a living, working demonstration of what's possible with knowledge, planning, patience, and hard work. Hell yeah! Learn more about the land here. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Run on for a Long Time,” by The Blind Boys of Alabama; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Bruce Parry is an English documentarian, indigenous rights advocate, author, explorer, trek leader and former Royal Marines commando officer. His documentary series for the BBC: Tribe, Amazon, and Arctic have shown Bruce exploring extreme environments, living with remote indigenous peoples and highlighting many of the issues on the environmental frontline. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Fern,” by Zoe Keating; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eleven listener messages and my rambling, non-sensical responses. Hey, it's free! Plus, some cool world music: "Tajabone," by Ismael Lo (Senegal); "Bubi Chen," by Sabah Habas Mustapha and the Jugala All-Stars (Indonesia); "Vivre," by Zap Mama (Democratic Republic of Congo). Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Lloyd Kahn is the founding editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications, Inc., and is the former Shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog. He is also an author, photographer, and pioneer of the green building and green architecture movements. Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “I Don't Think You Understand,” by Goliath Flores; “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Stephen is a teacher, author, storyteller, spiritual activist, farmer, and founder of the Orphan Wisdom School, a teaching house and learning house for the skills of deep living and making human culture. It is rooted in knowing history, being claimed by ancestry, working for a time ​yet to come. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

During his long existential journey, Wim Hof came face to face with nature’s most primordial elements. Staring right back, the merciless cold and bountiful air revealed an energy now lost to most of modern society, dormant inside all of us and waiting to be reawakened. Having embraced these majestic forces, and breaking record after record in a range of death-defying feats, Wim resolved to share this discovery with the rest of the world. He gradually whittled his accrued insight down to the core essentials, so that people young and old, healthy and sick could tap into this potential without having to invest the same decades worth of study, travel and daring. (from wimhofmethod.com) Harmonies from Intro snip by Foxglove. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I first met Charris at a beach party near Barcelona almost ten years ago. He remains one of the most creative, charming, and inspiring people I know. He’s off the grid, in pretty much any sense you can think of. If you’d like to know more about him and his family, check him out on the MonkeyTooth podcast. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Wednesday Martin's fantastic new book is called Untrue: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust, and Infidelity Is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free. The book, like it's author, is smart, funny, surprising, and unapologetic. Twitter: @WednesdayMartin Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alexandra played Lt. Stephanie Holden for 5 seasons on Baywatch, and has appeared in over 100 feature films and many TV programs. She's a serious activist, using her platform to support voting rights, animal liberation, progressive energy policies, and family planning. Want more? She's an athlete who completed the World Ironman Championship in Hawaii (a grueling 2.44 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon), in 13:18:52. In 2012, Alexandra swam around Key West, a 12.5 mile race and in 2014 swam the 14 mile Reto Acapulco off the coast of Mexico. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In 1969, 18 year-old Paul left Holland, hitchhiking east, with a vague sense that he wanted to spend time with Tibetans. His life has been a stream of adventure and insight ever since. Traveler, philosopher, builder, designer, artist, forager ... this is a man who knows how to live with depth, passion, and integrity. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

  Mr. Money Mustache is a very early retiree who writes about how we can all live a frugal yet badass life of leisure. Based in Boulder, CO, he helps young people get their finances arranged to maximize freedom and minimize wasted time and money. Mr. Money Mustache's blog is here. Twitter. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Theo Von is funny, smart, and deeply kind (and not necessarily in that order). He’s a guy on the fame train, wondering where to get off. I am really enjoying the process of getting to know him better, as you’ll hear. Theo's podcast is called "This Past Weekend." I was his guest on episode 100, here. Music: “Hot Air Balloons,” by Tennessee Bum. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Aron Ralston is an avid outdoorsman, author, and motivational speaker. In April of 2003, he dislodged a boulder while descending a slot canyon at Blue John Canyon, in Eastern Wayne County, Utah, crushing his hand and pinning it against a canyon wall. After five days of entrapment with little water and food, Aron resorted to amputating his arm in order to free himself. The incident is documented in his autobiographical memoir Between a Rock and a Hard Place and is the subject of the Oscar-nominated film 127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle, and starring James Franco. Aron's Instagram, Twitter, web site. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ricardo happened to meet my pal Andrew (host of the Monkeytooth podcast) on the road, and Andrew thought we should hang. So we did. A few hours later, we were planning a motorcycle trip to Patagonia together. Trust me on this one. This dude is legit. Ricardo's site. His Instagram. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Susan is a healer, therapist, and Zen buddhist chaplain. She is also the founder of Willow Farm Contemplative Center, where she works with people facing end of life issues. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

If we don't grieve for the dead, are we necessarily cold-hearted? What's behind the collapse of the American empire? How to deal with the chaos and uncertainty of being young? How did disabled people fare among hunter-gatherers?  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What is music, anyway? Does a Beethoven sonata elicit the same emotions if played for someone who's never heard western music? Do any other animals experience music? Is singing related to crying? To laughing? These are the sorts of questions an ethnomusicologist thinks about. I learned a lot from Steve, and suspect you will, too.  Steve's site. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Duncan is qualified to receive your reverence. He deserves it, too. You could live many lifetimes without meeting anyone who combines as much humor, wisdom, and sincerity as this guy. I'm always happy when we find some time to hang out, and especially when we're both living such pivotal moments in our lives. Check out The Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast. Music: "Suffer Well," by Simon van Gend.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Adi Jaffe, Ph.D. is a nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction and stigma. He lectures in the Psychology department at UCLA. He is passionate about the role of shame in destroying lives and aims to greatly reduce the stigma of mental health in this country. In this context, Dr. Jaffe has used his personal experience as an incredibly effective inspirational and motivational tool. During his undergraduate career, Adi began struggling with drug issues himself, eventually leading to a 4 year hiatus from studies and into the Los Angeles drug-dealing world, where Adi's days looked more like a re-enactment of a beatnik novel or a Quentin Tarantino film than the life of an upper-middle class suburban kid. Following a SWAT team arrest in his apartment, and extended court case and a year-long jail sentence, Adi began rebuilding his life. This eventually led to his attainment of a Ph.D. from UCLA's doctoral program in psychology.  Music: "Ride," by Brett Newski.  Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast on Patreon. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Weston likes a challenge. He gets things done. At the moment, he's off on a month-long hunting trip in the Colorado Rockies. He took up falconry as a way to transition out of a hyper-vigilant war consciousness back into something more appropriate to suburban Boulder. Thoughtful, generous, tough. I like this guy.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In his mid-20s, Seth took a look at his life and realized it made no sense. Rather than doubling down on a losing hand, he basically started over. He changed his life and lost half his body weight in the process. Ten years later, he's a very different man on a path with heart. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Layne's research has been focused on extraordinary abilities in people with cognitive deficits. She's recently left a stellar academic career in order to consult directly with families facing the challenges an atypical child will generate. She has been featured on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, SiriusXM Doctor Radio, The Coffee Klatch – Special Needs Radio, and Rhode Island PBS ‘School Talk’. She is now based at Ghost Ranch, in Arizona. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael has devoted his life to the simple, radical notion that a home can provide the essential elements of a good life: shelter, food, water, waste management, and energy. His designs for Earthships provide all of this and more, as they're largely made from discarded materials: tires, bottles, cans, and so on. If your home can provide what you need, you've suddenly become free, revolutionary, and very dangerous. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Abby Martin is an American journalist who asks questions and challenges assumptions in a way very few journalists ever dare. She speaks truth to power with a snarl. You can see her show, The Empire Files on TeleSur and YouTube. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Patrick House explores the brain, how it works, what it is, and the tiny creatures that invade it and rearrange the furniture. This raises fundamental questions like: What are we? What does it mean to be alive? and How conscious are we of our consciousness? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Captain James Nash is the fifth generation of his family to live on the 6 Ranch, raising cattle near Joseph, OR. James served in the US Marine Corps as a tank officer and fought in Afghanistan after which he was awarded two Purple Hearts. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

From J's site: "Dr. Wallace "J" Nichols - called “Keeper of the Sea" by GQ Magazine, “a visionary" by Outside Magazine and a "water warrior" by AQUATICS International - is an innovative, silo-busting, entrepreneurial scientist, movement maker, renown marine biologist, voracious Earth and idea explorer, wild water advocate, bestselling author, sought after lecturer, and fun-loving Dad. He also likes turtles (a lot)." This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I got together with my buddy, world-famous comic Jake Johannsen, to catch up after his tours in Asia and Europe. We cover a lot of ground in this one, mainly focusing on how comedy works (or doesn't) in different cultures. Check out Jake's podcast, JakeThis, where this episode was co-released. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Raam's father was a prominent Iranian environmentalist who was arrested and interrogated for supposedly being a foreign spy. After he mysteriously died in prison, Raam and his brother decided to pressure the Iranian government for answers. Telling his story here is part of that pressure. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rayanne Irving is an accomplished kickboxer, writer, horse trainer, public speaker, and all-around badass. As a homeless teenager, she was drawn into prostitution in Vancouver, Canada. Her understanding of her own decisions and the behavior of the people who have crossed her path is one of compassion, forgiveness, and hard-won wisdom. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Jim Fadiman is considered America's wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use. Kyle Thiermann is a professional big wave surfer, documentary filmmaker, and podcast host.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Angela came by to chat. Aside from the harassment we suffered from a very persistent insect, we had a great time talking about her roles as actor, producer, and director, the meditative and transporting qualities of sex, what it's like to be a wildly horny young woman in a world that both celebrates and denigrates you, and some of the hang-ups one has to face in order to have sex on camera. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter Gorman is an award-winning journalist, former editor of High Times magazine (from 1986-1998), and pioneer in the understanding and use of psychedelic substances from the Amazon, such as ayahuasca and kambo. His most recent book is Sapo in my Soul: The Matsés Frog Medicine. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ryan is a very smart dude who knows a lot about how the human body works: diet, exercise, healing plants, etc. If you know someone with a medical issue that isn't responding well to conventional approaches, he may be able to help.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew is living the dream. A few days after recording this, he, his wife, and a dog named Pele set off for Argentina via the Arctic Circle (the scenic route). Follow their peregrinations via their site, where you'll find a blog, photos, and the latest episodes of their podcast. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

John is fascinated by the things that frighten him -- from nudity to venomous snakes. He's been studying rattlesnakes for around 50 years. He's been bitten 15 times, so far, but has no intention of giving up on the pursuit of his passion. He's a fully realized, no-bullshit human being.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The abbreviated version, for non-Patreon supporters. I talk about the recent dust-up between Sam Harris and Ezra Klein, the questions around racial differences in "intelligence," and a bit about my thoughts concerning Jordan Peterson and the underlying hunger for the sort of guidance he offers young men. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alexandra was a nerdy kid who grew up to be a bombshell. No doubt. We get into it all: What it's like to be a pro-dom; Why Star Trek is important; How sex is like travel; The therapeutic aspects of dominance and submission. Music: "Vim and Vigor," by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Wednesday Martin is the real deal. Her memoir, Primates of Park Avenue is a hilarious, touching, and insightful look into the exotic world of Manhattan motherhood. Stepmonster, a finalist for the prestigious Books for a Better Life Award, is widely considered the “go-to” source for stepmothers, adult stepchildren, therapists and others who seek a uniquely candid, interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and comprehensive look at the topic. She is also the author of Marlene Dietrich, tracing the actress and cabaret performer's life, career, and impact on the image of women. Her next book, Untrue, is a look at the emerging science of female desire and some of the most prominent women behind the controversial research. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I came across Wil's blog years ago, while researching primate penises, and have been a fan of his insightful, comic take on life ever since. What more do you need to know? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tony was our door into Terlingua, Texas. Thanks to his quick response to an Instagram, we met all the good folks of that town, and ended up staying way longer than we'd planned. If you get out that way, drop in at his bar: TABC (Terlingua Adventure Beer Company), and give him a big hug from us. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Cyrus believes in creating films which promote curiosity and ecological literacy. He's been directing documentary films for fifteen years since his award-winning surf film Riding Waves in 2003. He won a Southwest regional EMMY when he was 23 and has directed hundreds of short films since. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

These dudes are smart, funny, and talented. I caught up with them on tour, after their show in San Diego. If you like to have fun, catch them if they come to a town near you! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Lisa Menna uses the wonder provoked by her magic tricks to trigger real magic: the kinds of thoughts that can make the world a better place. Having performed in over 40 countries, Lisa and her organization (Cause to Wonder) are working to show people around the world that good things come to those who respect and protect women and girls. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I caught up with Oscar-nominated director Josh Fox in New Orleans (Gasland, How to Let Go of the World and Love All The Things Climate Can't Change), where he's doing his Josh Fox things: writing, organizing political protests against a fracked gas power plant, playing music, creating art (paintings), and eating a lot of crawfish. His cat Sandy joins us to rub her face on the microphones. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Diana is the founder of a boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm based in New York City and Frankfurt, Germany, serving primarily same-sex couples and non-nuclear families. Diana is about supporting  healthy, stable families, whether between same-sex couples, platonic co-parents, polyamorous families, or different-sex couples, by facilitating conversations that support the creation of clear personal agreements, as well as solid legal agreements to protect their families. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Like millions of people, I first became aware of Jeff Leach when I read about his attempt to transfer a hunter/gatherer's fecal matter to his own colon as a way to study the human microbiome. Little did I know I'd find myself sitting at the table with him in rural Texas a few years later or that he'd agree to share his insights with me on a podcast. Jeff's published in Science, Nature and everywhere else a groundbreaking researcher could dream of, but he's too busy with new projects to reflect much on past success. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Cassie and I met John Duarte at a highway rest stop in Dateland, AZ. He was riding his bike from El Paso to San Diego, which is a short "training run" for him. Join us for this spontaneous conversation in the van. #vanthropology2018 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mike has been my best-buddy since I was 15 years old. The Mr. Spock to my Captain Kirk, he's kept me marginally out of trouble for 40 years now. Mike's a talented musician, speaks several languages fluently, and comes out of a confluence of culture and history. There's nobody quite like him. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Zhana is a NYC-based sex researcher, writer, and educator. She has a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University, where she studied how different aspects of sexuality (especially casual sex/promiscuity and mostly heterosexuality) are linked to health and well-being. Currently an adjunct professor at the NYU Psychology department, Zhana teaches the first Human Sexuality course this department has offered in a long, long time. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Bruce Damer is a Canadian-American multi-disciplinary scientist, designer, and author. He collaborates with colleagues developing and testing a new model for the origin of life on Earth and in the design of spacecraft architectures to provide a viable path for expansion of human civilization beyond the Earth. He began his career in the 1980s developing some of the earliest user interfaces for personal computers, led a community in the 1990s bringing the first multi-user virtual worlds to the Internet, and since 2000 supported NASA and the space industry on numerous simulations and spacecraft designs. He has spent 25 years chronicling the history of computing in his DigiBarn Computer Museum and curates archives of counterculture figures such as Dr. Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna and others. He currently serves as Principal Scientist at DigitalSpace; Associate Researcher in the Department of Biomolecular Engineering at UC Santa Cruz; Associate of the NASA Astrobiology Center; Member of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, and Founding Director of the Contact Consortium. He also served as Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington and as a member of the Faculty at Charles University, Prague. Bruce also hosts a podcast called Levity Zone. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Johann is the author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections -- both of which are largely about the traumas created by trying to live in a pathogenic society. He's a brilliant writer and conversationalist. In the first part of this podcast, we're in his hotel room in Beverly Hills (Thanks, Rupert Murdock!). The second part is in my car, headed south on the 405. I had a great time hanging with Johann, and hope you enjoy it, too. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Steve Silberman is an award-winning science writer whose articles have appeared in Wired, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, the MIT Technology Review, Nature, Salon, Shambhala Sun, and many other publications. He is the author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity (Avery 2015), which Oliver Sacks called a “sweeping and penetrating history…presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity.”  Follow Steve on Twitter: @stevesilberman. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Host of the Michael Brooks Show, and contributing host for the four time award winning independent political talk show, The Majority Report, Michael appears regularly as a political and cultural analyst on outlets including Huffpost Live, SirusXM, AlJazeera English, CCTV and France 24. His writing has appeared in Al Monitor, Al Jazeera, the Washington Post, among others, and he has blogged for leading trend watch site PSFK. He is also know for his impressions of cultural figures from Donald Trump to Nelson Mandela.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jamie was a prominent stand-up comic before he drifted into political commentary, eventually becoming a leading voice among the social justice warrior crowd, with his radio show (Citizen Radio). That ended when he was accused of "inappropriate behavior" and he suddenly found himself the target of the same kinds of uncritical condemnation he'd directed at others. It's been a wild ride, but he's back on his feet, and wiser for it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

David Stansfield has spent many years studying Arabic and the cultures of the Middle East. Together with his partner and wife of 42 years, Denise Boiteau, he has produced documentaries for television and written several books. He's a sophisticated, kind, and fascinating man. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

David Beckingham is a Canadian musician who drove down to Oregon to catch the eclipse with me this summer. Afterwards, we hung out in the woods and on the slopes of Mount Hood for a few days, where we recorded this podcast. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Charlotte McKinney is a sweet, kind, smart young woman who happens to occupy the sort of body that many men would sell their soul to get close to. To say that's been a mixed blessing for her is to put it mildly. She's been featured in Super Bowl commercials, on the cover of GQ, in a slew of ads for Guess, and everywhere else sexy women's images are used to sell stuff. In this conversation, we get behind the image and meet the woman who lives there. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skepticmagazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches Skepticism 101. He is the author of Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, and The Moral Arc. His new book is Heavens on Earth: The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality & Utopia. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Just a quick message, wishing you a smooth transition to 2018. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle Thiermann is a professional big wave surfer, Patagonia surf ambassador, documentarian, journalist, and pal of mine. We took a drive down to Baja to get some work done and hang out. As a correspondent for Discovery Digital Networks, Kyle Thiermann covered important issues ranging from a little-known indigenous conflict in Southern Chile, to the impact wild pigs have on Hawaii's coral reefs. Thiermann's surfing skills earned him a spot among an elite group of athletes as a Patagonia Surf Ambassador. With Patagonia’s support, Thiermann created and hosted the award-winning documentary series, Surfing For Change. The series included stories about the Indonesia trash epidemic, Hawaii’s Monsanto protests, and the adverse impacts of surf tourism in Nicaragua. Thiermann speaks at universities throughout the country and in 2011 gave a TEDx talk in his wetsuit. His surfing and journalistic successes have earned him Surfrider’s Pro Surfer Environmental Achievement Award, the Brower Youth Award, the American Clean Skies Film Award, and the Peter Benchley Blue Vision Award. Thiermann has spent years becoming an expert in the ocean and is an alternate in the prestigious annual big-wave event at Mavericks. He hosts a weekly podcast that explores subjects that include psychedelics, sex, and surfing.   Website link: http://www.kyle.surf/ Video Links:   Chasing Mavericks In Real Life  Chile's 500-Year Secret Conflict  Who Is Kyle Thiermann?  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Just a few dudes talking. @simonrex415 @cultureschlock This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Reza is a bestselling author, most recently of God: A Human History.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Micah and a friend had been traveling for a year in Africa when she met a Samburu herdsman and quickly fell in love. Her memoir of that voyage is called The Keepers of The Story. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Spent 4 hours today in the studio with these two beautiful maniacs. We talked about everything from DMT to the #metoo movement, to the size of Jeff Sessions's schlong. To call it a "wide-ranging" conversation would be an understatement. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Simon Rex (aka Dirt Nasty) joined me for a ride down the 405 to visit with Stanley Krippner. Hop in and come along! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kelly Brogan, M.D. is a Manhattan-based holistic women’s health psychiatrist, author of the NY Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

An addendum for a guy who's a little worried about traveling for the first time. Advice on how to puke, and why anything that's in our gut is kind of outside our body already.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Am I an angry aging hippie? Why do we emulate billionaires instead of real geniuses and visionaries? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jude grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, near Pontiac, Michigan. He tells it like it is. He brings the same no-bullshit attitude to his writing, his radio show on Eminem's Sirius XM station (The All-Out Show), and his conversation. Same guy. Same voice. Same authenticity. He's the author of two books, Hyena and Hummingbird. Either one would make a wonderful gift for your mother-in-law. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My friends Liam and Allison confronted every parent's worst nightmare when their 8 year-old son fall off a 40-foot cliff, just an arm's length away from them. We talk about how their confrontation with their own helplessness changed their approach to parenting, work, marriage, and ultimately every aspect of their lives.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Another episode full of nonsensical advice from a totally unqualified source: Is it always a lie to say you'll love someone forever? Are poly relationships possible? How can one become "a writer"? Why do people take advantage of people who allow themselves to be taken advantage of? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tim Scully produced millions of hits of very pure LSD known as "Orange Sunshine" in the late 1960s, hoping to save the world. He was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison for his troubles. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Asa Akira could be the girl next door -- if you lived next to a super smart, sexy, funny, open-minded, porn star. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Listener emails about travel, woman troubles, tipping, letting kink get out of control, and a few other things I can't remember right now. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael is a musician, vlogger, and strikingly deep thinker. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a special, very personal episode. Cacilda is going to the Amazon in search of new ways to be a "soul doctor" (psychiatrist). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Sol Sebastian leads small groups of men on journeys into the African bush in search of a renewed sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Geoff is the author of four novels: Paris Trance, The Search, The Colour of Memory, and Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi; a critical study of John Berger, Ways of Telling; two collections of essays, Anglo-English Attitudes and Working the Room; and many genre-defying books: But Beautiful, The Missing of the Somme, Out of Sheer Rage, Yoga For People Who Can’t Be Bothered To Do It, The Ongoing Moment, Zona, about Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Stalker, and Another Great Day at Sea: Life Aboard the USS George H W Bush. (shamelessly copied from geoffdyer.com) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Duncan is a stand-up comic, writer, actor, podcast host, and occasional summoner of Satan. He's also one of my best friends. We recorded this shortly after giving the keynote presentation together at the annual float tank conference in Portland, OR. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Jim Fadiman is a psychologist and author best known for his pioneering psychedelic research -- most recently concerning micro-dosing of LSD and psilocybin. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A long-awaited TOMA episode in which lots of worlds interconnect: an apartment in Barcelona, a drunken night in Kenai, and a snake at a water trough in Sicily. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Neal is a writer, actor, director, and standup comic. He's been involved in everything from Half Baked to The Chappelle Show to Saturday Night Live to the White House Correspondent's Dinner to The Daily Show. His most recent special, called 3 Mics (Netflix) is a work of true genius. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Amy Baldwin is a Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach, Certified Sex Educator as well as co-owner of a mother-daughter owned pleasure boutique called Pure Pleasure Shop. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and energetic forces behind great sex and intimate connection, offering everything from how-to workshops to erotic empowerment retreats. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I answer emails about 3-way etiquette, experience vs. thinking, introverts who want to travel, Burning Man, and the Path of Totality. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hunter Maats is an author, scholar, and co-host of the Mixed Mental Arts podcast. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Lyle Estill is a writer, environmentalist, and entrepreneur who thinks way beyond the bottom line. He has founded companies, grown enterprises, and traveled successfully through the business world for several decades -- primarily in alternative energy.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When he was young, Godi had a dream that he would leave his small village far behind, but come back to help. Now he's living that dream by directing forest preservation projects in the Congo while raising money and awareness in the U.S. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Is "pussy" a bad word? Can marriage survive infidelity? Are middle-class white Americans disgusting? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ryan and Matt (Veterans for Entheogenic Treatment) are working to bring ayahuasca-assisted therapy to veterans suffering from treatment-resistant PTSD.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Wood was on the "other side" of the drug war when he realized that it was a colossal waste of money, effort, and time. Rather than just ride it out to retirement, he walked away and became a passionate advocate of reform in how the United States handles criminal justice. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kabui was born and raised in Kenya. He came to the US to study, and has been based in North Carolina ever since. He's a medical anthropologist, chef, and food activist working to bring the wisdom of an African village into contemporary American dialogue. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Stanley Krippner is one of the most interesting, funny, kind-hearted men I know. We chatted in his room at the Oakland Marriott about channeling spirits, altered states of consciousness, life after death, and the importance of a good breakfast. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alisa's path to the heart of the community at Sparkroot Farm has been winding and hilly, to say the least.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter Joseph is an American independent filmmaker and activist. He is best known for the Zeitgeist film series, which he wrote, directed, narrated, scored, and produced. He is the founder of the related The Zeitgeist Movement. (Wikipedia) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Toby is continuing a family legacy of film-making. He's a cinematographer, director, whatever it takes. He's been traveling the world with a camera for over 15 years searching for the perfect frames and images. His adventures have brought him from Steven Spielberg sets to Cambodian mine fields to the North Pole. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris D'Elia is an American stand-up comedian, actor, presenter, writer, and comedy singer. He is known for playing Alex Miller on the NBC sitcom Whitney and for the role of Danny Burton on the sitcom Undateable, also on NBC. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jeff McNairy is the Chief Medical Officer at Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Gerry made millions, lost them, then made even more. But he was miserable. He'd checked every box on the scorecard of life, but still felt he was losing. Then life took a turn that led him to found the world's first medically licensed center using traditional Amazonian plant medicine. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Special 4th of July episode. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

On the impermanence of love (and everything else), concern for parents, why getting out of the nest can be crucial. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When Debra was 17, she fell in love with a man 30 years older than she who happened to be an Italian prince known throughout Europe for his creatively bohemian lifestyle. They had two sons together, one of whom is my friend Tao Ruspoli (episodes 3 and 115). Debra was generous in sharing some of her incredible life story with me -- but more importantly, in sharing her very clean and unpretentious approach to a life that's rich in pretty much every way possible. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kaj spent 5 years as a Navy SEAL before getting a Master's from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and then moving into journalism—first with CNN, and currently with VICE TV. He's the friendliest badass dude you'll ever meet. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I talk about the Rythmia Life Enhancement Center (where I recorded this), men's obsessions with their dicks, and my thoughts on male-female relations in other cultures I'm familiar with. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Don is one of the most well-traveled, thoughtful, talented men I've met in a long time. Join us for a few beers as we talk about his time in the Marines, what it's like to sleep on a cot hanging thousands of feet above the ground, the plight of orphans around the world, and the challenges of photographing beautiful women. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Calla Rose is a brilliant, open-hearted woman with a passion to help guide the world toward the light. Her work straddles politics, environmental activism, business consulting, and a few other areas I'm not smart enough to recognize. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tom is the father of a friend of mine. After chatting with him for a few minutes, I asked if he'd share a bit of his life story on the podcast. I'm glad he did. He's living a life of surprising adventure and depth, as you'll hear. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Sarah is young, but has covered a lot of ground already. Born and raised in a Mormon community in Utah, she felt compelled to strike out on her own path—a path that's led her as far as Australia, India, Myanmar, and Laos. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hunter is an author, podcast host, and a very smart guy who has lived all over the world. He's dedicated to clear, critical thinking. We don't agree on everything, but our disagreements are fruitful. I always learn a lot in conversation with this guy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kyle Thiermann is a professional surfer and filmmaker from Santa Cruz, CA. When he’s not chasing building-sized waves around the globe he works with Discovery Digital Networks as an on-camera correspondent and producer. He also works closely with his main sponsor, Patagonia to beat up products and help implement solutions to the environmental crisis. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eddie Ifft has been called one of the most underrated comics in America by the Onion and has performed to sold-out crowds in over 15 countries. He is co-host of one of the most successful podcasts in the comedy world called Talkin’ Sh*t. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mostly talk about dysfunctional relationships and the essential sadnesses of modern life. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Daniel has written many books, the most recent being How Soon is Now: From Personal Initiation to Global Transformation. He's spent time with indigenous tribes, done extensive inner work with psychedelics (including an iboga experience in Africa), and engaged in serious thinking about where our species is headed. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Doctor Adi Jaffe is a UCLA trained addiction expert. But before he got involved in addiction research, he was a drug dealer and meth addict. For over eight years, his own drug use was out-of-control. After being arrested for the 4th time, and going to rehab twice, Adi managed to get his act together and steer his life back on course. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Love, drugs, travel, money, sex ... the usual.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus are spreading the message that finding the good life may require dumping all the unnecessary crap we tend to accumulate and living foot-loose and fancy-free. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Why not to have kids, misuse of non-monogamy, why not check out of society, the end of friendships, on herpes, abandonment issues, the challenges of life with a beauty queen. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ryan Cleek (@cleekndestroy) has been on all sides of mountain biking, as a champion racer, journalist, and award-winning filmmaker. We talk about danger, thrills, and what drives someone to try to jump over a canyon on a bicycle. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jenny spent a year and change working for a construction company during the day and moonlighting in a dungeon at night, where she learned a lot about men, sex, power dynamics, and herself. Her book about the experience is called The Scarlet Letters: My Secret Year of Men in an L.A. Dungeon. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Moshe is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is the author of the 2012 memoir Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ron looked around at his neighborhood and saw a need for nutritious food, community, and knowledge. So he started planting seeds. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What constitutes success? Can a straight woman love a gay man? Is anyone living the American Dream? And a bonus story about watching a Buñuel film on LSD. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hunter Maats is an author, podcast host, and international man of intrigue. He's been around the block a few times, and has given it a lot of thought.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Neil and I are joined by Marg, who helped raise Neil from a young age. We talk about music, books, what it was like to come to the US in 1968, and whether it was obvious that Neil was going to be a successful writer. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Hanging with Simon Rex is like being in a room full of people--all of them hyper-creative and funny as hell. He's an actor, comic, rapper, former model and VJ on MTV, has a massive following on social media, and makes a hell of a blueberry/kale smoothie. His Instagram feed is the most reliable source of hilarity I've come across in years. His show on Comedy Central, Typical Rick, is currently in production for its second season. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Go see Jake if you get the chance. He's a class act, except for when he's hanging out with me. Then he has no class at all. But that's my fault. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Shermer is the Publisher of Skeptic magazine, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University. He is the author of The Believing Brain, Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, and others. His latest book is The Moral Arc, now out in paperback. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The anti-Valentine's Day episode. What is love? Should we have kids? What about a three-way marriage? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Allan has enjoyed a long career as a standup comic and actor. You may have seen him in Mad Men, The Man in the High Castle, Hail Caesar!, and anywhere top notch comics are found. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I rant about the usual: Carrie Fisher, Karl Marx, Matt Le Blanc, micro-aggressions, love, sex, passion, and despair. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Robert Clarke is one of the world's foremost cannabis experts and author, most recently, of Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany (together with Mark D. Merlin). We met by chance in Hanoi in 2003 and have been friends ever since. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Patrick and Bryan are brothers who rode bicycles across the US, from Massachusetts to LA. Their trip is documented at livehigh.org. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kelly is a postdoc at Stanford. She's using fMRI to investigate whether cognitive processes may help predict relapse after addiction treatment. But we talk about everything from free will to hallucinogens to how the brain generates the feeling of having a mind. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Elena is a graduate student at UBC in Vancouver. She spent four months researching sex workers in India, and is now focussed on the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A.J. walked away from a corner office on Wall Street because he realized that his life was inauthentic. Since then, he's been on a roll. He founded Misfit—one of the most enigmatic, admirable hunter-gatherer enterprises around. His life is full of travel, love, passion, and positive energy. Plus, he's brilliant, good-looking, and dances like a Cuban. F*ck that guy. Music: "Distinto," by Orishas; "Lekela Muadi," by Tshala Muana. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Suedfeld is a Holocaust survivor whose research is focused on how people experience extreme, unusual, challenging, and traumatic events and environments -- including arctic explorers, astronauts, and prisoners. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A bit of a critical look at Adam Curtis's film, Hypernormalisation, and a few totally unqualified responses to listener's emails. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

World-famous Jake and I sit in his kitchen, talking about the importance of dicks and complaining about leaf blowers. And other stuff, too. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Neil Strauss is the author of 8 bestselling books and was music critic for Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, and the New York Times. We're chilling on his sofa. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Emails, most of the "should I stay or should I go" variety. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Professor of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia and author of Trying Not to Try: The Power of Spontaneity, Slingerland has a uniquely informed perspective on the biggest questions we all face. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I met Georgina on a plane. Long before the seatbelt sign had gone off, I knew I was going to enjoy chatting with her all the way to LA. Getting to know this smart, funny, candid, and quirky woman, the hours flew by. She agreed she'd appear on my podcast a few weeks down the road--once she'd finished shooting a film. I doubted she'd get around to it, but true to her word, she found some time for this wide-ranging conversation about fame, beauty, Hollywood, Australia, and what it's like to make a living pretending to be someone else. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Wade Davis is an extraordinary guy. He's wandered into nearly every corner of this planet, published a slew of fantastic books (several of which have become films), studied hallucinogenic plants in the Amazon, explored voodoo rituals in Haiti, and tells the best shit-knife story you'll ever hear.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The tenth episode of Ranting Out My A$$.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Brian is one of the top dogs at Tinder. He invited me to headquarters in Hollywood, where we had this candid chat about technology, business, dating, and the future of all of them. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This very special episode features Wim Hof (the Iceman) and Dr. Stanley Krippner discussing extraordinary human capacities. Co-hosted by Sam Lawrence and co-released on his podcast: Grow Big Always. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Darcia Narvaez teaches in the Psychology department at the University of Notre Dame. She's an expert in how human beings raise children in various cultures around the world. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Academy award nominee, playwright, banjo player, dancer, rabble-rouser, and kick-ass pasta saucer, Josh Fox is a freakin force of nature. Join us as we talk about the state of the world, how Josh became Josh, and how to run a great 4-day party. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Deia makes documentary films. She has worked with troubled kids in the remote wilderness and walked from Ecuador to the tip of Tierra del Fuego, through the Andes. We recorded this one floating on a pond in northeast Pennsylvania, which makes this one a "pondcast." This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Adventures with camels, mace, and a special woman in Jaisalmer, India. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tyler is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, winner of The Amazing Race, and has walked the length of Japan--then made an award-winning documentary about the experience, called Kintaro Walks Japan. Dude is busy! Plus, he's super smart and funny. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Simon is a biologist with special interest in birds of prey and marijuana. You'll hear how one led to the other (by way of Zimbabwe). We spent a lovely Dutch afternoon chatting amidst the animals all around us. He is the owner of Serious Seeds, one of the most respected lines in Holland, and originator of famous strains like AK-47, Bubble Gum, Chronic, Kali Mist, and White Russian. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Wim Hof holds a slew of world records and has done things like climb within spitting distance of the summit of Mount Everest in shorts, run marathons above the arctic circle in shorts and in the Kalahari desert without water, sit in ice water for 90 minutes, swim under icebergs.... You get the picture. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The inherently fraudulent nature of fame, fortune, and beauty; premature ejaculation; traditional education; the Unabomber, and existential despair. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Uber-blogger Mark Manson has a new book coming out called The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, which was inspired by a blog piece he wrote that struck a nerve.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A man in his 30s starts to think he might be gay, a young couple wonder about seeing other people, a couple try to deal with a rape. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Willem was the guide on my 9-day tour of southern Africa. Over the course of our trip, I grew to know and like him. He's quiet, but runs deep, as you'll hear. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

David Ley is a sexologist, therapist, and author of three important books that challenge mainstream views of human sexuality. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When Johann arrived in the Galapagos for an educational trip, he knew that something important had changed in his life. He's built a life around that recognition. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rivah Winter is a marine biologist specializing in coral reef systems. As of 2017, she'll be at the Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Florida. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew Baker teaches at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami, FL. He studies coral with a focus on resiliency and recovery. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I respond to a guy who is mystified at all the people who are taking totally absurd shit seriously. It's the fundamental conundrum all sane people face in an insane society. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Malith walked away from his home in France about 15 months ago and has been walking ever since. He walked past me last night and I knew I wanted to hear his story. He wandered along the Camino de Santiago then kept going south in Portugal until he reached Gibraltar, where he met a couple sailing to the Canary Islands. He'll be here for a while, then hopes to find a boat going to the Caribbean, South America, and on to Asia. He's a bit over a year into a 5-year journey. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I consider the difference between appreciating something and wanting it, porn addiction, the importance of constructive crashing and burning in one's love life, and serve a large dollop of troll chow. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

That Dos Equis guy's role model must have been my uncle Dan. Has Mr. Dos Equis ever delivered babies? Has he piloted several types of planes all over North America? Has he been rolling in money and then seen it rolling away? Does he effortlessly charm women 30 years younger than him without so much as a hint of creepiness while laughing about two types of cancer and serious nerve damage from a motorcycle accident? Go on, Mr. Dos Equis, have another drink and listen to my uncle Dan's story. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What began with a shrimp boat to Colombia in the late 70s grew into a major drug smuggling operation using a fleet of military transport planes over the next decade before it all came crashing down. Charles kindly agreed to share his extraordinary story with us. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Listener emails, including a Homeric epic rendering of episode 99 (Justin de Ruyter's brush with death on the Deschutes), intergenerational relationships, how to escape the rat race, and advice for someone else's kid. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Pree spent six months on the Appalachian Trail, searching for organic time and avoiding becoming the kind of person who spends their life wishing they'd taken the time to take some time for themselves. You can follow her on Instagram at @preeconceptions. This conversation was recorded just 20 days after she'd returned to "the real world," or its opposite. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

"Tom Spanbauer is the critically acclaimed author and founder of Dangerous Writing. As a writer he has explored issues of race, of sexual identity, of how we make a family for ourselves in order to surmount the limitations of the families into which we are born. His five published novels Faraway Places, The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon, In The City Of Shy Hunters, Now Is The Hour, and I Loved You More." (from Tom's site) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My pal Justin joins me in Spain to talk about prehistoric cave art, his first impressions of Spanish culture, and the challenges of living life to the fullest without getting stressed about it. And of course, we answer your emails. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Extensive research and clinical trials have demonstrated that the introduction of small doses of intestinal worms may be effective in the treatment of asthma, allergies, and some autoimmune conditions. Dr. Llamas is a pioneer in this emerging field. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I respond to two listener emails in this one: 1. How to handle old friendships gone sour. 2. How did/do hunter-gatherers treat people with disabilities? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jake and I drink too much coffee and discuss what to do when you get sand in your twat, the dubious nature of having a circus-sized penis, guaranteed basic income, blind pigs looking for acorns, and the coming Age of Trumpocracy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Dan Engle, MD is a practicing psychiatrist, board certified in psychiatry and neurology. He graduated medical school at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, and finished his residency in psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. After residency he completed a fellowship in child psychiatry at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR. His current practice combines functional medicine with integrative psychiatry to enhance the foundations of regenerative health and peak performance training. Before completing his medical degree he was a collegiate soccer player for St. Edwards University in Austin. (Bio from Dan's bio at Onnit.com, where he is a consultant.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Susie has been at the forefront of progressive socio-sexual change for decades. She's written books (most recently, a memoir: Big Sex, Little Death), several plays, countless articles and editorials, and hosts a popular podcast called In Bed with Susie Bright. She's a very smart woman with a lot to say about some of the most important issues of our age. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Pardi is one of the most knowledgeable people I know in thefields of sleep and health research. He does research with thePsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at Stanford, and theDepartments of Neurology and Endocrinology at Leiden University inthe Netherlands. His current research looks at how sleep influencesdecision making (publications). Dan also works with Naval SpecialWarfare to help the most elite fighters in the world maintainvigilant performance in both combat and non-combat conditions. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Reid is one of the leading sex educators in the United States.His humor, thoughtfulness, and common sense have made him a muchsought-after presence on the college speaking circuit. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I respond to listeners' responses to my responses tolisteners. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The second episode devoted to responding tolistener emails. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This conversation was recorded March 10th, 2016, six weeksbefore Bennett died unexpectedly. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Zach Leary (like Kelly Carlin, ep #172) managed to grow up in a world somewhat distorted by his father's fame without becoming distorted himself. As you'll hear, he's got a very thoughtful, balanced, and deeply informed perspective on himself, the world, and his place in it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Charles was raised as a Mormon, became an Eagle Scout, went to Japan for a while, and then began exploring various consciousness-altering substances. He eventually stumbled into a heroin addiction. From there, things took a dark turn for a while. He now works helping others find their way back. Download this episode. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The first episode in which I just rant for a while, then respond to a few of your emails. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Somewhere around 2001 or 2002, a friend gave me a cd of some of his favorite tracks, which included a few by a South African singer I'd never heard of named Simon van Gend. Yesterday, I finally met the man who's been singing to me all these year This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kelly grew up in the blinding glare of her father's brilliance and fame. It's been a long road, but she's emerged as a smart, funny, relaxed woman. We talk about her life, her new book, and poker. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

After selling his donkey in Pakistan, Viram's adventures continue... This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I met Viram on a beach in Goa, India in 2003 and we've been close friends ever since. He's one of the most interesting men I know, and I'm very happy to be able to share a taste of our friendship with you. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Stanley Krippner is a world-famous authority on parapsychology, altered states of consciousness, mythology, and just about everything else interesting. He's also one of my best friends. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Carli Davidson is a well-known animal photographer whose career got a huge boost when she recognized the esthetic potential of dog drool. Seriously. Carli's site: http://www.carlidavidson.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Justin Alexander was on episode 143, and returns now in a two-part conversation. The first part took place on Venice Beach a few weeks ago, and Part II happened here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We talk about Justin's 18,000 miles on a motorcycle in the American west, as well as his visit to a hunter-gatherer village in the Philippines and our recent motorcycle trip to a town call Pai, in the mountains north of Chiang Mai. Always fun to chat with this guy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Stephan Schwartz has been involved in trying to make the world a better place for a long time. He's worked in the upper reaches of the defense department, helping transform the military from the draft-era to the professional, volunteer force of today. He's also worked in grass-roots social change organizations fighting for social justice. His insights into the trajectory of history are informed by decades of paying very close attention from multiple perspectives.The Schwartz Report. Amazon link to Stephan's book.Song: "Only a Mirage," by Jean Marc Yee. Information about Jean Marc and his music. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Lodhy is my favorite kind of person. An unassuming man who has lived a life full of adventure, learning, challenges, love, and generosity. His life has ranged from living in a house formerly occupied by Winston Churchill in Pakistan to riding a motorcycle from London to Islamabad and from LA to the Arctic Circle.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Shane's photography combines the natural beauty of women with the beauty of nature. He's got the focus and obsessional creative need of a true artist. Check his work at http://www.thethingsiveseen.com/. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Daniele and Thad both teach history in southern California, study martial arts, and have a lot to say about pretty much everything. Join me for this conversation with two of the smartest, most engaging guys I know. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Heather was born in Arkansas and grew up with few advantages. But thanks to an indomitable spirit, hard work, and some solid friendships, she's got a great thing going. We talk about poverty, meth culture, Portland, and planning one's escape.Heather's blog. Her Instagram feed.Music: Humans from Earth on iTunes. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jeff went to Yale, where he was a stand-out linebacker and came to the attention of the Cowboys, who drafted him in the second round. He brought his laid-back vibe from the beaches of southern California to the NFL, where he excelled for seven years. He now lives in Venice, CA, where he is raising two great kids with his wife, Heather, and does a lot of cooking and painting. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jake Johannsen appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman" 45 times. He has appeared in the “HBO Young Comedian’s Special” and PBS’s “Comedy Tonight” series, and was the host of Comedy Central’s series, “Two Drink Minimum”. He has also been nominated as “Best Male Stand-Up Comedian” for the American Comedy Awards. And he makes fantastic cajun food. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Martin is the founder and director of the center, and Maria is a counselor helping patients integrate the experiences they have at Crossroads into more healthy lives. They use ibogaine, a very potent African hallucinogen, to help people with addictive behavior patterns break those patterns and "reset" their lives. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tre Hardson is "a journalist of the times" who just happens to be a rapper, dancer, musician, and something of a philosopher as well. Best known as one of the founding members of The Pharcyde, his current band is called Bizarre Ride. This conversation covers the long road from South Central Los Angeles to Laurelhurst Park, in Portland, Oregon. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Graham Hancock became a world famous bestselling author with Fingerprints of the Gods, a book that questioned the mainstream narrative concerning the origins of civilization—among many other things. Now, he's just published a follow-up, Magicians of the Gods, bringing recent discoveries to his controversial, compelling narrative. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is Part 1. Part 2 is on Andy's podcast: On The Block Radio. Check it out! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

First episode of the SOMA series. We start in Norway, head to Mississippi, Mexico, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Senegal, and then back to Rehab Mountain in Malibu. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I met Lois in her 83rd year. We talk about her loves, her passions, some of her famous friends, and reflect on special moments from a very special life. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Sheldon Solomon is a psychologist and professor of social psychology at Skidmore College, best known for developing Terror Management Theory, along with Jeff Greenberg and Tom Pyszczynski which is concerned with how humans deal with our own sense of mortality. Solomon co-authored the book The Worm at the Core: On the role of Death in Life with Jeff Greenberg and Tom Pyszczynski. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mark Davis, ND is a founder and the medical director of Good Life Medicine Center, and his naturopathic practice, Bright Medicine Clinic, focuses on gastroenterological health. Dr. Davis is one of a handful of physicians in the North America with clinical expertise in fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

After spending some time in Thailand teaching tigers not to eat people, Ben went to Chile, bought an old VW camper van, and set off for Alaska.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Roger has worked in film and television as a director, writer, producer and editor. He's worked with lots of famous people (Larry David, David Spade, Leonard Nimoy) and has made a series of unique documentaries about fringe communities and thinkers: Trekkies, Suckers (about car salesmen), Six Days in Roswell (UFO enthusiasts), The Nature of Existence. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jonathan is the host of Outside TV's The Road Less Traveled. We talk about everything from the wonders of Colombian women to the dangers of swimming naked in cold water to what Robert Frost really had in mind.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This bonus episode was recorded last week at The Strand bookstore on Broadway, in New York. The three of us talk about intimacy, sexuality, and the often opposing appetites for novelty and intimacy. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Neil and I became friends after he'd already outgrown The Game, his colossal best-seller. The Truth, just released this week is one of the bravest, funniest, most vulnerable books you'll ever read.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jenn and Bryan left the security of good jobs and a nice house in Portland in an old VW van and spent a year meandering south with Karma, their dog. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

West stopped in Portland on his way back to Cambridge from a research trip to the Amazon. This episode features music by his pal, Kim Churchill. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

It seemed like a good idea at the time. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Lead singer/songwriter of the Canadian band Man Made Lake, Colin is a deep, smart, talented, and very funny man. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Elliott graduated from the Naval Academy and worked as an analyst for the Air Force for six years. This is the third in my series of conversations with veterans. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Justin has been there and done that. From western Nepal to Sumatran jungles to Black Rock Desert, he's left footprints and gathered memories. A man after my own heart, Justin travels the way it should be done. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Nathaniel started at the Mexican border in April and has been walking north ever since. He's covered thousands of miles through deserts, valleys and ridgelines. We talk about the sorts of people he's met on the trail, the highs and lows of walking several thousand miles, and what sorts of insights one gets about home from wandering so far from it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Alice recently resigned her position as a professor at Northwestern University's Medical Humanities and Bioethics Program over her refusal to surrender academic freedom. She's the author of Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eric Berkowitz is a San Francisco-based author and human rights lawyer. His journalistic work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, California Lawyer, and the Washington Post, as well as websites such as Huffington Post, AlterNet and Salon. His books on sex and the law both kick serious ass. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jon was an active-duty US Army infantryman from 2003 to 2006. A third generation service member, his first tour was in Korea.  While there, Jon was part of a historic deployment of an already forward-deployed unit that sent his unit to the Sunni Triangle in September of 2004. They mostly operated in and around the town of Habbaniyah, which was about halfway between Fallujah and Ramadi. Jon is now in Portland, where he lives and works on a small organic farm run by a lesbian couple ... typical Portland.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Susan Block has done everything from organizing orgies to climbing the Golden Gate bridge in the middle of the night. She's an adventurer in many realms, but is most well known for her work in sexuality. She's hosted TV programs on HBO, published books and essays far and wide, is a well-known sex therapist, and puts together one of the most bizzare and interesting parties in Los Angeles every Saturday night in Bonoboville, the former motel she and her husband converted into a suite of offices and studios for her various productions. Our conversation touches on all these things, but we focus mostly on her new book, The Bonobo Way, and the relevance of bonobos to our understanding of human sexuality. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mark is a very good writer, blogger, and author. We have a lot to talk about: travel, women, writing, negotiating our need to write about our lives versus the right to privacy of the people in our lives, etc. You can learn more about Mark's work at http://markmanson.net. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Aaron uses various methods to help people inhabit their bodies in the best way possible, from rolfing to massage to structural realignment. We had a good time talking in Burnside Park, where we took a break every fifteen minutes or so to allow Aaron to run around, do handstands, and other health-inducing activities. Meanwhile, I shifted my weight from one butt cheek to the other... This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rod and Justin (episode 99) met years ago fighting forest fires. Justin and I drove up to Rod's amazing spread east of Mount Rainier and spent a night in Paradise. As you'll see in the photos below, Rod's building skills are equal to his firefighting abilities. He's a tough, smart, open-hearted, humble man who'll no-doubt be embarrassed at being called "legendary," but everyone else says that's the word for him. Get a copy of Rod's book! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

David Steinberg is an author, photographer, and a radically sane guy. We talk about his inadvertent work with the CIA, what it was like to be plugged into the anti-war political world of San Francisco in the late 60s, and his lifelong refusal to accept shame as a sensible response to human sexuality. Join us in Portland's Laurelhurst Park for this wide-ranging, intimate conversation.Music:Opening theme: Basin and Range.Kim Churchill, "Don't Leave Your Life Too Long." iTunes link.Closing theme: Carsie Blanton, "Smoke Alarm." This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

From a very cold houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinagar to the Deluxe Video Coach, this one is all about changing plans at the last minute. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In their 23rd year of marriage, Sonya's husband, Richard, suffered a brain trauma that erased his memories of their life together. He didn't know her, didn't recognize their children, and had to re-learn how to live his life. He'd forgotten everything—even sex.An excerpt from her book on Salon.com.Music. "Flag" by Ed Dupas, "Love" by James Thomas & "Smoke Alarm" by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jared joined the Marines just before 9/11, and participated in the invasion of Iraq with the Marine Corps in 2003. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Joe Winke and Shannon Drake are partners in crime and commerce. We talk about what it's like to get a socially-conscious business up and running, the winding paths they each took, their aspirations for the future, and what it all has to do with a little dog called Jambo.Music: Going Through the Motions, Joel Havea. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

For just an instant, Devlin Baker created a tiny star in a warehouse outside Bellingham, WA. He's working on a project he (and his backers) hope will result in medical technology, the production of vital materials, and eventually, cheap, clean, limitless energy. Devlin's site is here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kevin Johnson is a key player in the growing float movement. He designs, sells, and installs the most cutting-edge float chambers all over the U.S. But he's also a very serious musician, songwriter, and cave explorer. Talk about a multi-faceted mofo! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Bailey Jay is a trans woman who is a pornographic actress, adult model, and podcaster. She's very smart, very funny, and pretty much my kinda girl. She's a regular on Jim Norton's show on Sirius XM, and was recently featured on Inside Amy Schumer.Bailey's site (NSFW). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

John is an in dependent investment advisor based in Bangkok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Julie is a psychiatrist specializing in psychopharmacology, but her interests extend far beyond pills. She's expert in alternative therapies, including the use of sacred plants, and is the author of several books, most recently one called Moody Bitches: The Truth About the Drugs You're Taking, The Sleep You're Missing, The Sex You're Not Having, and What's Really Making You Crazy. Hell yeah. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Brian's the kind of guy who gets a PhD while taking a rest from getting an MD—and makes it all look easy. He's currently a resident in emergency medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. If I ever get loaded into an ambulance, I hope Brian's there to greet me at the end of that ride. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Clifford has been studying percussion for over 20 years, including several extended trips to Africa. He teaches in Portland at http://www.soundandrhythm.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Elle Stanger is a stripper/sex worker/exotic dancer/intimacy therapist/political activist/tattoo fancier. She's busy. And smart, funny, and sexy as all get-out. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Nikki Glaser is a stand-up comic who headlines at clubs all over North America. She's found a way to be very funny while fearlessly facing her deepest fears. Plus, she wipes her ass with facewipes. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Murphy is "about thirteen and a half" but has the insightful perspective of someone who's been thinking about life for a lot longer than that.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Magnus is the creator of Marriage 2.0, a revolutionary feature film that treats explicit sexuality as an intrinsic part of the characters' lives, without resorting to worn out pornification. We discuss the challenges of trying to make erotic art for smart people in a market geared toward mindlessness.Here's a interview with Magnus in Salon.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Carlin is an American political commentator, amateur historian, and podcaster. Once a professional radio host, Carlin eventually took his show to the Internet, and he now hosts two popular independent podcasts: Common Sense and Hardcore History. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I arrive in India and start fucking up big time right away. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. de Waal received his Ph.D. in Biology and Zoology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, in 1977. He completed his postdoctoral study of chimpanzees while associated with Utrecht University, in 1981, and moved the same year to the USA. He has been a National Academy of Sciences member since 2004, and a Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences member since 1993. Time featured him in 2007 as one of the World's One Hundred Most Influential People. He is also the Director of Living Links at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Filmmaker, writer, musician, Hollywood native... Chris Jaymes has a lot going on. We talk about his latest project, which is about the healing power of dolphins.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Thaddeus Russell is a renegade historian and author of A Renegade History of the United States. Within minutes, we're comparing Kim Kardashian to the Venus of Willendorf and comparing porn downloads from Pakistan to Utah. Sex, death, and defecation. Nothing's off-limits with Thad. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tao is one of the most interesting people I know. His father hung out with Salvador Dali, Fellini, and Brigit Bardot. He can trace his family back 1200 years, was married for seven years to film/TV star Olivia Wilde, has made films about his passions—which range from philosophy to flamenco to the nature of love. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Tanya Luhrmann is a psychological anthropologist best known for her studies of modern-day witches, charismatic Christians, and psychiatrists. She is Watkins University Professor in the Anthropology Department at Stanford University. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My pal, Richard has a talent for noticing where the trends of our society are headed, which makes him a very astute businessman and investor—as well as a fascinating and thoughtful observer of larger civilizational trends. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Go on. Google "total assfucker" and see if you don't see an article about this week's guest. If that's not enough to impress you, Mark is a guy who's spent his life in the trenches of American politics and hasn't lost his sense of humor or optimism. Don't ask me how that's even possible, but there you go. As you'll hear, I really enjoyed shooting the shit with Mark and hope to do it again soon. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Steve Herman consults with legal professionals to help them think more clearly about an issue that all too often blinds even the most level-headed among us with blind rage: allegations of sexual abuse of children. Precisely because these crimes are so offensive to people in our society, we tend to jump to conclusions, often hurting many innocent people in the process—including children. This isn't an easy thing to talk about, but Steve does it with intelligence, balance, and a deep sense of humanity.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Eve and Franklin wrote More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory. You can learn  more about them and their book at their site: http://www.morethantwo.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I decide to live in New York City and wander into a solid gold trap. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dan is a cigar-smoking vegan, animal rights activist, atheist, NRA hating, ex-husband, father, stand-up comedian, painter, former host of FOX TV’s “Utopia,” philosophizing cartoonist who makes his living writing and drawing a new cartoon every day, 365 days a year.If you have ever seen Dan Piraro’s critically acclaimed comic Bizarro (and you have: it is published daily in over 360 papers), you know that he doesn’t see the world like the rest of us do. His single panel gems are a unique concoction of surrealistic imagery, social commentary, and witty plays on words. Indeed, if Salvador Dali, Garry Trudeau and Oscar Wilde had an illegitimate child, that child would be Dan Piraro.(Bio from Dan's site.) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter Gray is an American psychologist who currently occupies the position of research professor of psychology at Boston College. He is the author of a widely used introductory psychology textbook, Psychology, now in its sixth edition. The book broke new ground when the first edition was published (in 1991) as the first general introductory psychology textbook that brought a Darwinian perspective to the entire field. He is also author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013), and he writes a popular blog for Psychology Today magazine entitled "Freedom to Learn."Gray is a well-known critic of our standard educational system who is frequently invited to speak to groups of parents, educators, and researchers about children’s needs for free play, the psychological damage inflicted on children through our present methods of schooling, and the ways in which children are designed, by natural selection, to control their own education. Along with a group of other concerned citizens, he has created a website, AlternativesToSchool.com, aimed at helping families find alternative, more natural, routes to education. (From the Wikipedia profile of Peter) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

PHIL ZUCKERMAN is a professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He is an author and blogs for Psychology Today and the Huffington Post. In 2011 Zuckerman founded an interdisciplinary Department of Secular Studies at Pitzer College, the first in the nation.Get Phil's book on Amazon.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jesse has published books about sexuality and the biological underpinnings of religious belief. He's a research psychologist with broad experience, a wide open mind, and finely honed wit. We talk God, chimps, and why the penis is shaped that way.Music: http://sailcassady.bandcamp.com/releases and http://manmadelake.bandcamp.com/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. John Gowdy is Rittenhouse Teaching Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Department of Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We discuss the social and economic lives of hunter gatherers, among other things. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Richard has lived in Japan for a dozen years, and knows the culture and language well. Since he's particularly interested in language, food, and sex, our conversation lingers around those topics—though as always, there's plenty of meandering. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

You know Andy. This is his third visit to Tangentially Speaking as the guest. He's also co-hosted several epic episodes. He's a professor of World Religions and World Literature, a fascinating dude, and my pal. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

From Dan's site: DAN PARDI is passionate about food, movement, and sleep. Interested in developing low-cost, high value health solutions. Also interested in anthropology, evolutionary biology, exercise and inactivity physiology, cognition, neuroeconomics, decision making, circadian biology, epistemology, gastronomy, food culture and politics, agriculture, sustainable practices, and dogs. Activities include mountain biking, CrossFit, hiking, dancing, and long walks with my headphones.More info:Stanford MedX presentation - 20min (wish I had more time!)Dan's article for Kresser - How mush sleep do you need?Academic articles on GHB neurobiology and abuse liability - both real snoozers! Twitter: @dansplanhealth This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Love builds on having been loved. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Doug Fry has written extensively on aggression, conflict, and conflict resolution. He believes that anthropology holds important current-day lessons: “The macroscopic perspective of anthropology, with its expansive time frame and culturally comparative orientation, provides unique insights into the nature of war and holds some concrete lessons for how to develop a more safe and peaceful world.” Fry’s most recent edited book is titled War, Peace and Human Nature (Oxford, 2013)and contains 27 chapters by leaders in the fields of biology, primatology, forager studies, peace studies, psychology, and social cultural anthropology. His previous book, Beyond War: The Human Potential for Peace, is a fantastic introduction to this material for non-specialist readers.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Cacilda Jethá is unlike anyone you've ever met. Guaranteed. My wife, friend, co-author, and partner in crime for the past 15 years, she can't remember how many people have died in front of her, or how many babies she's delivered. She's part Indian, part Persian, part African, part Portuguese, and speaks seven languages. She lives at the nexus of many worlds and moves between them with incredible grace, generosity, and humor. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Justin grew up splitting his time between a difficult , not particularly open-minded home situation in rural Washington and weekend visits to his dad and dad's long-term, loving (male) partner in Seattle. Now he's a firefighter in Portland, OR.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In 1972, Rick decided to dedicate his life to bringing psychedelics out of the shadows and into laboratories and clinicians' offices, where they certainly belong. His persistence is paying off—to the benefit of thousands of people whose suffering can be alleviated by these sacred substances.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A tribute to Parliament-Funkadelic, with thanks to my friend, Mike, and The Edsel Ford Funk Victory Tape. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Amber Lyon is a three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, filmmaker, photographer, and explorer known for her use of submersion journalism, or becoming part of the story, to find the truth. Lyon is the founder of the news site, www.reset.me and the web show and podcast Reset with Amber Lyon. Lyon has traveled the world investigating natural cures, focusing on the ancient use of entheogens to treat and purge trauma.  She ventured deep into the Amazon to study the Shipibo use of the psychoactive brew Ayahuasca, and studied medicinal mushroom use by native curanderas in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico, Thailand and Indonesia.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Professor John Helliwell studies what makes people happy, and how we can maximize life-satisfaction. Learn more about his work here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a special episode. I was on stage at the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater in Hollywood with comedians Moshe Kasher, Nicky Glazer, and Nick Kroll. I think the idea was roughly to make fun of me and my wacky theories for an hour. I had a blast, as you'll hear, and gave them plenty of material to work with. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When Aidan's car broke down four years ago, that was the last straw. He quit his job, threw his stuff into a bag, and hit the road, where he's been ever since. A young man who is clearly on an authentic quest of some sort, he's smart, articulate, and very thoughtful. This episode features his original music (and a cameo by Werner Herzog, just because). Download Aidan's music here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Stephen O'Donnell paints exquisite "historicized self-portraits" in which his face appears in some unexpected places. Check out his work here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Tonia Mills is an anthropologist with an additional degree in child development. She lived for years with the Beaver Indians of British Columbia and has studied many aspects of their society—particularly their beliefs around reincarnation. One of the many fascinating people I've met thanks to Stanley Krippner, Tonia shares some fascinating, intimate stories from her life among the Beaver people. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My second summer in Alaska. This time, I got a job on a tender, and found myself engaged in an epic struggle for the soul of a young man. Photos at chrisryanphd.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I don't always agree with renegade historian Thad Russell—you'll hear that we disagree passionately about "Death Panels" and whether Americans die in the streets—but I respect his intelligence and ballsy insistence on telling it like he sees it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

You may know her from her very popular web series, Ask a Mortician, from a previous episode of this podcast (#25), or as the author of the fantastic book, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory. Caitlin and I talk about life, death, and publishing.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mitch Schultz wrote and directed the documentary, DMT: The Spirit Molecule (narrated by Joe Rogan). We talk about consciousness, making movies, and the joys of Austin, Texas. Find out more at spectralalchemy.com.Sponsors:SureDesignTshirts (code: sexatdawn)Audible This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Coupla very smart, very funny guys. They've been on Letterman, Conan, and late night what have you. Zach does crazy videos and rap, while Myq is a wordsmith extraordinaire. If you want to hear the part of the conversation where they were asking me questions, you'll find that here. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

It's 1983, and I'm on my first trip to a foreign culture with a sharpened Kung-Fu star hanging from my neck. One thing leads to another and I realize I've stumbled into something far deeper, and more dangerous, than I could have imagined. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I spend some time working the slime line, scam my way out the door, and wake up on the wrong side of a jealous performance artist. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A Korean kid in the American South, adopted by people who probably shouldn't have, lesbian, super-smart Harvard student, stand-up comic, diagnosed with an incurable disease at 30 ... Mandy has been there and there and there and back. Please join us for this powerful, heartfelt conversation about belonging, family, and that familiar feeling that we're getting better and dying at the same time. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The only man I know who has passed a joint to a chimp sitting next to him in a tree, (or at least, who's admitted it to me!) Richard is a man of many dimensions. In part 1 of what I hope will be a multi-part series, we talk about his education, his first foray into business with one of America's first mountain bike shops, and what lessons rugby imparts in the "third half," among many other fruitful tangents.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ceara is a sweet, smart, sexy young woman who degrades, dismisses and denigrates men over the internet. And they pay her handsomely to do it! What a world. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of the leading ethnobotanists in the world, Dennis has just published a fantastic memoir about his fascinating life (much of it shared with his very famous brother, Terence) called Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When the salmon don't come, there's no work to be had in Kenai, Alaska. So what do you do? Get some tequila! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I get meta in this one—reading a paper I wrote 20 years ago about a near-death experience that happened to me 25 years ago. Damn, I'm getting old! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I found a mysterious letter on my car this morning. This is what it said. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of my closest friends, Dr. Stanley Krippner returns to Tangentially Speaking, to share his thoughts on the trajectory of history, the nature of consciousness, and his advice to young people after 81 years of living la vida loca. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which Russ and I find ourselves wearing shorts without underwear in a medium-security Alaskan prison. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of the leading thinkers in the emerging field of Evolutionary Psychology, Miller has written two well-received books: one on how sexual selection favors the evolution of non-physical traits like creativity, generosity, and morality (The Mating Mind), and another on how advertisers are co-opting our innate, evolved desire to be "cool" in order to attract mates (Spent). Currently an Associate Professor at University of New Mexico, he's also currently collaborating with controversial author, Tucker Max (a previous guest) on Mating Grounds, a multi-media project to help young men get a better handle on dealing with women.This episode is sponsored by Audible and Sure Design T-shirts (discount code: sexatdawn). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Join Peter, Andy Gurevich, and me at Lompoc Brewing's Hedge House, where we talk about religion, sex, love, and beer. Then some very interesting friends of Peter's show up, including a hot young humiliatrix, named Ceara.This episode is sponsored by Audible, MyPakage, and Ridescout. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

From the last stop on the ferry, through the Yukon Territory to Fairbanks. "You guys see the bear I just shot?" This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Former Christian minister, current pagan madman, Professor Andrew Gurevich is back by popular demand. Many are the tangents we go down in this conversation that runs around like a headless chicken. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Join us for this conversation that ranges from the mysteries of the creative process to getting turned on by live performance to why dumb jokes can still be funny. Carsie sings her newest song, To Be Known, which left me speechless.Show Notes:Carsie's site.John Water's book about hitch-hiking.Carsie's dad, Brad Blanton.How to piss in public.Episode Sponsors:SquareSpace (discount code: "sex" for 10% off)Audible.comMyPakage (code: "sex" for chance to get free pair)SureDesignTshirts (code: "sexatdawn" for 15% off order) This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Fourteen bank robberies landed him in prison for 20+ years. Yoga and self-reflection got him through those years and helped him keep cool on the outside. Troy Mitchell shares his reflections on the long and winding road that led him to where he is today—which is a pretty damned good place! Download this episode.Sponsored by:- Ting- My Pakage (code: "sex")- RideScout: iPhone Android- Sure Design T-shirts (code: "sexatdawn") This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In addition to writing Workers of the World Relax!, Schmidt created the international clothing-optional World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) in 2004.In 2003 Schmidt was a coordinator for the Work Less Party of British Columbia, a political party which advocates a 32-hour work week and reduced consumerism.This episode sponsored by:— Audible.com— ExtremeRestraints.com (code: SUMMERSEX)— Ting.com— Ergo Depot This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I skip most of my junior year at Hobart College, and head for Alaska. Along the way, I meet a guy named Ed, who tells me a strange and powerful story, and catches the fish of his life in Petersburg, AK. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Get ready to geek out over this crazy conversation with Alec, who helps run one of the largest medical marijuana labs around. In addition to some seriously informative talk about the mysteries of one of the planet's most complex, useful plants, Alec tells us what it's like to lose 100 pounds, spend 85 days at sea in a submarine, and cruise under the North Pole in a hot rack. Join us, live (sort of) at Lompok Brewery's Hedge House in beautiful Portland.This episode is brought to you by:— Club W. Go to clubw.com/sexatdawn and get your first bottle of wine chosen just for you, on the house.— ExtremeRestraints.com. Use the code SUMMERSEX at checkout to get 20% off your entire order.— MyPakage.com. Enter SEX at checkout for a chance to get a free pair of this amazing men's underwear. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kevin invited us to a free float at the Zero Gravity Institute. It blew my mind—so much that I asked him to sit down and tell me his story. How's a guy become a float-tank guru? This episode sponsored by HelloFresh. Use code HELLOSPEAKING for $20 off your first order. Also sponsored by MyPakage. Enter SEX at checkout for a chance at a free pair. And SquareSpace.com. Use SEX to get 10% off your web site. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Josh is founder and CEO of Wow Such Business, creators of the dogetipbot, which allows people to exchange DogeCoins on Reddit. We talk about BitCoin, DogeCoin, the future of banking, and the effects of the Internet on monetary policy. Wide-ranging and unexpected, to say the least. This episode is sponsored by Audible. Go to Audibletrial.com/sexatdawn for a 30-day free trial and free audiobook of your choice. We're also sponsored by MyPakage.com. The world's best underwear for men. Use the code "sex" at check-out to get a free pair with your first order. And we're grateful for the support of ExtremeRestraints.com, where you can scratch all your kinky and non-kinky itches. Use the code "SpringSex" at check-out for 20% off your entire order! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In this sixth episode in the Shrimp Parade series, we learn about Joe's grandmother's nasty monkey, Duncan's retreat into the wilds of Big Sur, and the distinction between penises that grow vs. show.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Professor of World Religions and World Literature, AG is a very smart dude. But he's much more than just another egg head. The path that brought him to an academic career began on Riker's Island and passed through many crazy, wild worlds before arriving at Mt. Hood Community College. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tucker Max famously declared himself an a$$hole. Whatever the veracity of that claim, he's undoubtedly very smart, very funny, and a savvy businessman. In this conversation—one of the first to be recorded in his Austin studio—Tucker talks about the long and winding road from trouble-making law student to mega bestselling author. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Happy May Day! Daniel Vitalis is all about rewilding the human species. He wants to go beyond food and exercise to deeper questions about what is the proper and natural way for us to live on this planet. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Author of The Paleo Manifesto, pal of Steven Pinker, Harvard graduate, John Durant is also a really nice guy — much to my surprise and chagrin. We talk evolution, disgust, and the precise meaning of "virginity," among other things. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

So this psychologist walks into a firing range with two comedians... Hanging out with Duncan, Joe Rogan, and some big guns. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Author, former go-go dancer and professional dominatrix, Arden Leigh has been around. We talk about sleep orgasms, the healing power of BDSM, seducing Sting's son, and compare the seduction styles of Northern vs. Southern European men. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Pere is a science journalist who's not afraid to talk about taboo subjects. After finishing a PhD in biochemistry, he spent time at MIT and Harvard, finally deciding that he preferred writing/speaking about science to spending his life in labs. I met him in Puebla, Mexico. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Cesare is a professor of law at Loyola Law School, and an expert in international human rights. We discuss his amazing arrival in New York (punctuated by being offered $3 million by a stranger), cultures of bureaucracy vs. punitive lawsuits, European community vs. American "freedom," and why there are no curtains in Amsterdam's Red Light district. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jincey has been called, "the lesbian Hugh Hefner," and named one of the 100 most influential gay people by Out Magazine. We talk about the challenges of being an openly gay lawyer in Jacksonville, FL, whether female orgasm is faked in lesbian porn, and the proper way for a gentleman to pee in public. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

LA is black widow country! We talk about disaster tattoos, penis nicknames, Fabio, the dangers of professing certainty in evolutionary theory, how the NAZIs ruined legitimate branches of scientific inquiry, plant neurobiology, and what scientists can learn from historians—among other things. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Gloria is Daniele Bolelli's bad-ass mother. We talk about Gloria's fearless approach to motherhood, magical dreams, travel, and the ever-present mysteries of life. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Daniele and I talk about Guatemalan death squads, the differences between strip clubs in the US and Europe, and his world travels with his mother, Gloria. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mary has written a whole slew of bestselling books, including Bonk, Gulp, Stiff, and Packing for Mars. In this IPA-fueled conversation, we range from bungee jumping in New Zealand to stunt flying with Tom Cruise off the coast of Malibu. Also, the best place to hide after robbing a bank. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

We talk tripping jaguars, Aubrey's four fascinating parents, being a guinea pig for the Los Angeles Lakers, antibiotic-induced impotence and the spiral of death, Miss USA's vagina, and the untold (until now) story of the origin of the Fleshlight. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Cindy Gallop went from a high-level position in advertising to starting companies focused on making the world a better place. She's a unique, fascinating woman, bursting with energy and intelligence. Her apartment (where this conversation took place) was a set for The Notorious B.I.G.'s music video "Nasty Girl." This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Ginger Norwood is exceptional in many ways. She's a bona-fide mathematical genius, the first woman to have taught at USC's School of Engineering, and she directed the project that designed and launched the first LandSat, a satellite that scans the Earth from orbit. I'm way out of my intellectual depth on this one. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

... is a self-proclaimed Bad-Ass Historian, as well as an Italian intellectual/martial artist/historian. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

We range from Moby's birthday party, the perks of minor-league fame, the upside of living in LA, being up to my neck in salmon mucus, the secret to Playboy centerfolds, and requests for sperm donation. Just your average conversation, in other words. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

If there's anything sweeter than finding a new friend, it's becoming friends with two guys who go way back. Joe and Duncan are old pals, and I'm honored to have joined the crew. Duncan got me started on this podcasting thing (and coined my moniker: The Shame Exorcist), and Joe's generosity helped get it off the ground. I love these guys. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

As a 17 year-old, Bruce was sent to prison, convicted of murdering his mother. But he was innocent; something the state of California finally acknowledged over 26 years later. What more can I say? This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

To call this conversation with Sex Nerd Sandra "wide-ranging" would be like calling Nepal "hilly." We talk about being hit by lightning, how to use lube on your laptop, the truth about female ejaculation, women who name their sex toys, and whether romantic love is a human universal. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Jason G. Goldman is a cognitive scientist and science writer based in Los Angeles. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, where he conducted research at the intersection of developmental psychology and animal cognition. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Stanton Peele is a prominent, outspoken critic of the disease model of addiction and the author of over a dozen books (most recently, Recover!: Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The PERFECT Program). Join us for a very personal conversation about addiction, the treatment industrial complex, and the dubious joys of writing for a living. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Join me in conversation with one of the most interesting guys I know. Writer, musician, director, Chris Jaymes opens up and shares amazing stories from his life, ranging from being strapped to a gurney in Boston, to meeting his mother's new boyfriend (surprise!), to digging up the bodies of tsunami victims in Thailand. This guy is LIVING. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Betty Dodson is a well-known pioneer in women's sexual liberation, having sold more than 1 million copies of her first book, Sex for One. Much of her fame has come from her work not only advocating masturbation, but conducting workshops for more than 30 years in which groups of about 10 or more women (and at least once a group of men) would talk, explore their own bodies, and masturbate together. She is a founder of the pro-sex feminist movement, having left behind the more traditional feminist movement because she considered it banal, antisexual and over-politicized. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Thad is the author of "A Renegade History of the United States," and teaches at Occidental College. He's also a very smart guy, full of surprises, with whom I don't always agree—but with whom I always enjoy debating! If you don't find yourself shaking your head in amazement at some of the things Thad says in this one, you get your money back. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I introduce the series, talk about why I’m telling these stories, and lay out the ground rules I’ve set for myself. Then, I get into the first story, which covers my last two years of high school in Fairfield, CT and Cazenovia, NY. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

TSS was born to make movies, and that's what he does. He directed the 3D A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, as well as a whole slew of other things—many of which are hilarious short films. Check out his latest, a very funny 10-minute look at the misery of heartbreak. Dude is very talented and seriously funny. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Join Ari and me in the bar at The Jane Hotel, in the West Village, where we talk about the debilitating effects of New York weed on Ari’s vocabulary, how to deal with dismissive (but hot) waitresses, what lies beyond atheism, why there are no Scientologist comics, and why you can’t get decent placebo pills at CVS anymore—among other urgent matters. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rapper, entrepreneur, and my son in law, Hugo is part of the new, vibrant Africa that is bursting with energy, creativity, and optimism. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

He doesn't drink Mexican beer, but Frank Delaney is definitely one of the most interesting men in the world. His career includes over a dozen best-selling novels, a truck-load of non-fiction books, and a slew of articles and TV programs. Frank is smart, funny, candid, and open-hearted. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Marissa was born a boy, but eventually realized she was a girl. She's still got a male side—who comes out when yard work needs doing—but has transitioned primarily to living as a woman. I felt deeply honored to have this opportunity to share Marissa's experience and insight. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

If you don't know who Dan Savage is, you haven't been paying attention. Sex advice columnist, humorist, political activist ... Dan has spent the past 22 years using his wit, smarts, and compassion to drag American culture toward equality and decency—and away from a rising tide of Santorum threatening to engulf us all (Google it—I dare you). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Scientist, skeptic, intellectual, magician extraordinaire ... Jamy Ian Swiss is a fascinating man. For a guy who specializes in creating illusions, Jamy has a strikingly deep love and respect for authenticity. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Gabor Mate is a Canadian physician and author who specializes in the treatment of addiction and mind-body interaction. He's published four bestselling books (in twenty languages) exploring attention deficit disorder, stress, developmental psychology, and addiction. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Carl Hart is a serious man with a fascinating life. His book, High Price, tells the story of his journey from the bad part of Miami to the upper reaches of Ivy League academia. In this conversation, we talk about why drugs are so hard for our society to get real about, and how often they've been political tools used against marginalized populations and how antithetical to good research and decent society these political uses are. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Fifteen years ago, Dave Asprey took a look at himself and didn't like what he saw: he was about 100 pounds overweight, had chronic nosebleeds, slept poorly, and felt like crap. But unlike most of us, he had the time and financial resources to focus his considerable intelligence on his predicament. What he discovered about his own condition turned out to be applicable to the rest of us: chronic infections, fungal contamination, vitamin deficiencies, dietary craziness—you name it. Bio-hack your way to health. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

We talk sparkling water, nitrous oxide, political consulting, Mormonism, strip clubs, the war on drugs, revolution, and murses (man-bags, European carry-alls). This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Kim Airs is a sex toy entrepreneur (I had to look up the spelling), motorcycle maven, and militantly free spirit. She rode her motorcycle into the depths of Topanga Canyon to chat with me about working for Larry Summers at Harvard, cornering the market on dildos, and "flatbacking for fun and profit." This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Natasha is a very smart high-energy actress/comedian who's blazing a meteoric path across the Hollywood sky. We talk about everything from women's rights to dogs giving birth to Fleshlights in the shower. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Man, this one ranges far and wide. We talk comedy (these dudes are hilarious), good ways to use bad words, porn in the Vatican, and what it's like to be raised by deaf parents. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Conner Habib is a gay porn star, a scholar of human sexuality, and an evolutionary biologist with thoughtful insights on all those subjects and far more. Join us in a cloud overlooking the Pacific Ocean for this wide-ranging conversation. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Comedian, Ari Shaffir and I talk about everything from Elvis, to fat Jesus, to our private fears to advice on peeing in public in this podcast that flows deep and wide as the mighty Mississippi. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Duncan is the madman who first got me into podcasting, as well as various other kinds of trouble, so it's fitting that he and our mutual pal, Daniele help me celebrate this 30th episode of Tangentially Speaking. There must be some numerical convergence there: 3 & 30. Our friend Kyle Del Bonis joined us on the spur of the moment and although we only had 3 mics, he chipped in some of his characteristically deep shit. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Baron Vaughn is a comedian and actor based in Los Angeles. He and Chris talk about comedy, acting, and growing up on the rough side of Vegas. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Nina Hartley is a legendary porn star, actress (Boogie Nights), sex-positive feminist, nurse, and sex educator extraordinaire. In this wide-ranging, intimate, and surprising interview, she talks about her parents' politics, studying medicine, and the nature of her own sexuality. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris is joined by 9 year-old Charlie and 11 year-old Liam in this special episode. Both these guys are wise way beyond their years, and offer wonderful insights into what it's like to try to prepare for a trip that's already under way. In some ways, a very unusual episode. In others, it fits right in. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In the first of a series of interviews with high IQ porn stars, Chris is joined by Nica Noelle, who schools him on the many sub-genres of porn as well as questioning Chris' stance regarding Steven Pinker's views on prehistoric warfare. Nica also gets Chris to talk about his own time working in the porn business in Spain. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Join Chris and hipster mortician, Caitlin Doughty as they take a shameless look at things we're told to ignore: death, sex, and sexy death. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Road Trip! Chris is joined by his amazing friend, 80 year-old parapsychologist, Dr. Stanley Krippner. They're heading south on Route 5, from Bakersfield to LA. Hop in. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris joins Voodoo in his Barcelona tattoo shop for a very tangential conversation between two old friends. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris is joined by Steven Oh and Malcolm Fleschner, big shots at The Young Turks network, to talk about making TV shows, sex, the challenges of immigration, sex, and how a lottery ticket can change everything. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In this special episode, Chris and Ivan Tucakov discuss some of the downsides of writing a popular book: aggressive interviewers, personal questions, and responding to critical reviews. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A special edition in which Chris is interviewed by his friend, Ivan Tucakov about writing Sex at Dawn, dealing with criticism, and how writing a best-seller changes one's life. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris is joined by Dr. Charles Grob, who researches the clinical use of psychedelic substances in patients facing terminal cancer, PTSD, and other ailments. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter Sagal is the coolest dude on NPR. He joins Chris to talk about fitness, the Constitution, and radio fame. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

To say that Richard Schweid has varied interests would be understatement. He's published books on eels, chili peppers, Cuban cars, life after death, and cockroaches. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jaiya is an internationally recognized, award-winning sexologist, author of Red Hot Touch, and the founder of New World Sex Education. She joins Dr. Chris Ryan for an informative, funny and taboo conversation on sex. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Guy New York is a thoughtful sexual adventurer on the loose in the Big Apple. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

13 - Kate Bolick This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tony Perrottet, longtime friend of Chris and author of Napoleon's Privates discuss the sexual habits on the ancient world. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Chris Ryan is joined by sex geek Reid Mihalko of ReidAboutSex.com. They go into detail on the boundaries of relationships, applying karate philosophy to sex, morality and we learn about Reid's bisexuality. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris talks about Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Islamic lingerie with documentary film-maker, Pete McCormack. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Smart and seductive sex writer joins Chris to compare notes on writing about eroticism. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The songwriter behind Tangentially Speaking's theme song, Carsie Blanton, joins Chris and the two talk about sexuality, her music and the episode ends nicely with a performance. Support Carsie and Dr. Chris Ryan simultaneously by purchasing her music through the Amazon widget below! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris talks with Eric Berkowitz, author of Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

One of America's best-known & best-loved physicians, Andrew Weil, joins Chris to chat about alternative medicine, the healing potential of altered states, and his pivotal role in changing modern medical history. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Chris drops in on his pal, Dr. Stanley Krippner, one of the world's leading experts on telepathy, shamanism, and consciousness. Their conversation ranges from Brazilian ayahuasca ceremonies to the Grateful Dead's penises-and everything in between. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The man who got Chris into podcasting, comedian Duncan Trussell, joins Tangentially Speaking! Stand up comedy is compared to geology. Hecklers are dissected. The conversation is a fractal and wild, Chris and Duncan attempt to bring order it. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This week, Christopher joins Tao Ruspoli a flamenco guitarist, Italian prince, and accomplished film-maker in Ruspoli's camper van to talk about drugs, what it's like to work with Oliver Stone, and Roman Polanski's match-making skills. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dominatrix Kaila Yi presents a gripping interview on her sexuality and work then reveals some intimate if not painful details of her life. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Author of The Game, Neil Strauss joins Dr. Chris Ryan on the premiere episode of his podcast. They talk books and critique each others work. Subscribe on iTunes! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe