What should you do if someone breaks into your house? How can you prevent someone from stealing your identity? What’s the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from harm? Jonathan has all the questions, and security expert Robert Siciliano has all the answers! In this episode, we’re serving practical advice on all things safety, including how to make yourself a harder target, one easy action to prevent identity theft, and how a pen could save your life. Robert is a security expert and private investigator with 30+ years experience. He’s a #1 Best Selling Amazon.com author of 5 books and the architect of the CSI Protection certification. He is a frequent speaker and media commentator, CEO of Safr.Me, and Head Trainer at ProtectNowLLC.com. Robert has been featured on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC World News Tonight, NBC Nightline, CBS Early Show, Today Show, Good Morning America and in the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Fortune, Forbes, Entrepreneur and many more. You can follow Robert on TikTok @robertsicilianodotcom, Instagram @robertsiciliano and Facebook. You can find more information about Robert and his company here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Queer Eye’s head of hair and makeup department, Senoj Byrd, joins Jonathan to celebrate the release of Season 8! Jonathan and Senoj chat about the challenges of doing hair and makeup for the screen. Plus, find out what makes a look classic in Senoj’s book, and what makeup trends she thinks are “meh” or “major.” TV/Film Makeup Artist Senoj is a proud member of IATSE who is recognized for her adaptable work ethic and technique. Ranging from high glam in Reality TV to mastering clean everyday makeup; her work has been featured in many campaigns, films, live broadcasts and commercial shoots. Senoj is also a three time honoree of the PrimeTime Emmy Awards for her contributions to the award-winning show Queer Eye. Senoj is on Instagram and TikTok @senojmg. You can find more information about Senoj’s work here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Find books from Getting Curious and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fortnite. League of Legends. The Sims. Candy Crush. From playing with your friends as a kid to competing with a team in an esports competition, there’s no denying that video games have a huge influence in our lives and the world around us. Professor Megan Condis and gamer Cybbi Barton join a Fortnite-obsessed Jonathan for a conversation on the immense influence this $217 billion industry has on our culture. Dr. Megan Condis is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University. Her book, “Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks, and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture”, was published by the University of Iowa Press in 2018. Cybbi Barton is the Director of the Esports Competition and Streaming Lab at Texas Tech and is a member of the Queer Women in Esports Organization. You can follow Megan on Twitter @MeganCondis and Cybbi @cybbib Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from  Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ryan Rudewicz (aka @rudepolaroids) is *the* expert in capturing your inner glow on film. NYC’s hottest nightlife photographer and Jonathan go behind the lens to talk about Polaroids, the magic of physical photos, and the joy of documenting Queer community on camera. Plus, are iPhone .5 pics meh or major? Ryan Rudewicz (better known as Rude Polaroids) is a Polaroid and film photographer based in Brooklyn capturing Queer nightlife, drag, and portraits. He is the winner of the 2023 Glam Award as New York's Best Nightlife Photographer. Ryan had his first solo gallery exhibit last summer in Provincetown and will be returning to Studio Lacombe for his second solo exhibition August 23rd - September 2, 2024. Ryan is on Instagram @rudepolaroids and on Twitter @rudepolaroids. You can find more information about Ryan’s work here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Find books from Getting Curious and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She’s not like a regular mom, she’s a cool mom! This week, Busy Philipps joins Jonathan to talk all things Mean Girls and what it takes to be a cool mom on screen - and in real life. From bringing Mrs. George into 2024, parenting her own kids, and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community, Busy totally makes fetch happen! Busy Philipps is a New York Times Best-Selling author, actor, activist, and writer. She’s known for her television roles on Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek. She’s also appeared in films like White Chicks, Made of Honor, and He's Just Not That Into You. She currently stars in the Peacock/Netflix original series Girls5eva, and is in the new Mean Girls film, inspired by the 2004 original and Tony nominated Broadway show which released in theaters on  January 12th. She and her creative partner Caissie St. Onge also co-host the podcast Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best. You can follow Busy on Instagram @busyphilipps. You can listen to Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mei Kawajiri (aka @nailsbymei) has actually touched Madonna’s hands…while she was doing her nails! She also happens to be the nail artist for *the host of this podcast.* Mei joins Jonathan to share the incredible story of how she moved from Tokyo to New York City and became a top celebrity nail artist. Plus, how does she create her famous 3D nail art? Do we really have to cut our cuticles? And what’s on trend for nails right now? Mei Kawajiri is the nail artist behind the most viral manicures on your Instagram feed. Mei's art is frequently in the pages of Self Service, i-D, and Pop Magazine, as well as campaigns for Vivienne Westwood and Miu-Miu. Her celebrity fans include Marc Jacobs, Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, Rosalía, Cardi B…and Jonathan Van Ness. Mei was recognized as one of the most inspiring and innovative creative trailblazers by the British Fashion Council in 2018 and continues to lead with passion and an indomitable spirit. Mei is on Instagram @nailsbymei. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Find books from Getting Curious and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you loved our episode on the women of the far right then this one’s for you! We’re returning to the world of white nationalism to uncover the connections between the growing anti-woke backlash movement and the rise of white power. Historian Kathleen Belew joins Jonathan to answer questions about the rise of Christian nationalism including: what’s the current state of white supremacy in America? How is the Charlottesville riot related to the January 6th insurrection?  And what can we do if we see people being radicalized in our own communities? Kathleen Belew is author of “Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America.” She is an Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University. You can follow Kathleen on TikTok @kathleen.belew and Twitter @kathleen_belew. You can follow Harvard University Press on Instagram @harvardpress. You can find more information about Kathleen, here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Tina Turner to Kristin Stewart, this week’s guest has worked with practically every iconic celeb. Celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel spills the tea to Jonathan on how he got his start, what hair trends are “in” for 2024, and what hair product he can’t leave home without. Plus, Adir and Jonathan reveal all the insider secrets for a perfect blow-dry. Adir Abergel fuses the boundaries between fashion, art and celebrity in a way that few Hollywood hairstylists have managed to do. Using hair as his principal medium, Adir challenges red carpet conventions to exquisite effect, integrating beauty and originality into a single expression. He has been instrumental in constructing the distinctive styles of such influential talent as Jennifer Garner, Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, and Reese Witherspoon. Adir is on Instagram @hairbyadir. You can find Virtue Labs on Instagram @virtuelabs. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Find books from Getting Curious and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a new year and there’s a new topic that Jonathan’s curious about! We’re talking about happiness with the expert herself, Gretchen Rubin from the Happier podcast. She answers all of our burning questions about happiness in the new year: Is focusing on our own happiness selfish? How can we use our personality type to set more achievable goals in the new year? And how can we be more playful with our resolutions? Gretchen Rubin is the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Life in Five Senses. She’s also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and founder of award-winning Happier app, which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits. You can follow Gretchen on Instagram @gretchenrubin. You can find more information about Gretchen, here and you can listen to Happier wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For our *last* episode of the year, we’re giving you a montage à la Golden Girls. Join Jonathan, as they look back on some of their favorite conversations from recent years. We’re talking about the sociosexual behavior of bonobos, the history of Germany’s anti-sodomy law, and Tammy Baldwin’s attempt to help pass the Equality Act in Congress. We’ll see you in 2024! Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Psychology department at UC Berkeley. Check out her full episode of Getting Curious here. Dr. W. Jake Newsome is an award-winning scholar of German and American LGBTQ+ history whose work educates global audiences. Check out his full episode of Getting Curious here. Tammy Baldwin is the Junior US Senator from Wisconsin & was the first openly gay woman to be elected to Congress. Check out her full episode of Getting Curious here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2023 was a year of big decisions for the Supreme Court, including recent news that they’ll be reviewing the constitutionality of mifepristone in the coming year. So we’re heading into the archives with this episode recorded right after the Dobbs decision was leaked. Professor Jacqueline Antonovich and Jonathan trace the history of abortion care and reproductive rights across the country in this episode originally recorded in July 2022. Jacqueline Antonovich is an Assistant Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She is the author of the article, “White Coats, White Hoods: The Medical Politics of the Ku Klux Klan in 1920s America,” and she is currently working on a book on the history of women physicians and medical imperialism in the American West. Jacqueline is the creator and co-founder of Nursing Clio, a collaborative blog project that examines the historical roots of present-day issues surrounding gender, health, and medicine. Make sure to follow Professor Antonovich on Twitter @jackiantonovich and Nursing Clio on Twitter @NursingClio and at nursingclio.org. Looking for further reading? Here are some books Professor Antonovich recommends: Killing the Black Body by Dr. Dorothy Roberts Medical Bondage by Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens Medicalizing Blackness by Dr. Rana A. Hogarth Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

December is World AIDS Month, so we’re bringing back Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes to learn about recent developments in HIV research. We’re also covering weight-neutral health care, a win for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a rare bird spotting in Colombia! Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy and Sociology at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and founding director of the school's Center for Racial Justice. Dr. Watkins-Hayes holds a PhD and MA in sociology from Harvard University and a BA from Spelman College. You can follow Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes on Instagram @celestewatkinshayes and on Twitter @watkinshayes. You can learn more about her work here. Check out her previous episode of Getting Curious here. You can follow the Ford School on Instagram @fordschool. For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you ever watch Finding Nemo and wonder about the scary-looking fish with the gnarly teeth and the light on its head? Well then you’ve come to the right place! This week, we’re talking anglerfish! Marine biologist Dr. Mackenzie Gerringer and Jonathan spill the tea on what’s going on in the deep sea. We cover everything from how big the Mariana Trench is to how the deepest-living fishes reproduce–and it's WAY weirder than you think! Mackenzie Gerringer (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo. Her research centers on the physiology and ecology of deep-sea animals, including the planet’s deepest-living fishes. She earned her PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Hawaii in 2017 before working as a postdoctoral researcher at Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington. She has spent over 200 days at sea exploring the ocean’s depths with free-vehicle landers, ROVs, and submersibles. You can find more information about Mackenzie and the projects her lab is working on, here, and you can learn more about human impacts on deep-sea ecosystems, here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cheekbone Beauty came to Jenn Harper in a literal dream. Now her brand is on the shelves of Sephora Canada and on the Met Gala red carpet. Jenn tells Jonathan about her love of simplicity, how she approaches sustainability, and what Indigenous representation means to her. Plus, the Cheekbone product you need in your makeup bag ASAP. Check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. An award-winning social entrepreneur, Jenn Harper is the Founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics INC. Cheekbone Beauty is a digital direct to consumer brand helping  Indigenous youth see themselves in a beauty brand while using the concept of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) in the brand’s ethos and in developing products. Cheekbone Beauty’s mission is to help every Indigenous youth see and feel their enormous value in the world while creating sustainable cosmetics. Cheekbone is on Instagram @cheekbonebeauty, TikTok @cheekbonebeauty, Twitter @cheekbonebeauty and Youtube @cheekbonebeauty8958. For more, head to cheekbonebeauty.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’re taking on all of your financial questions. What the heck is a Roth IRA? How should you approach spending money? What’s a high-yield savings account and should I have one? Internationally recognized money expert Tori Dunlap joins Jonathan to answer all these questions and more to teach us how we can all save our money. Tori Dunlap is an internationally recognized money and career expert, and podcast host. After saving $100,000 at age 25, Tori quit her corporate job in marketing and founded Her First $100K to fight financial inequality by giving women actionable resources to better their money. She has helped over three million women negotiate salary, pay off debt, build savings, and invest. You can find HerFirst100k on Instagram @herfirst100k and on their website, here. You can listen to Financial Feminist wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Curious Now, we’re getting an update on legislative efforts to advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence. Sonya Passi joins Jonathan to talk about her organization, FreeFrom, as well as current events regarding intimate partner violence–including the Supreme Court case United States v. Rahimi. Sonya Passi is the founder of FreeFrom, a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to helping survivors of intimate partner violence achieve economic justice and long-term financial stability. In addition to her advocacy work, Sonya is the co-founder and CEO of CHANI—the tech and media startup behind the eponymous viral astrology app for self-discovery, mindfulness, and healing. You can follow Sonya on Twitter @PassiSonya. You can follow FreeFrom on Twitter @freefromorg and Instagram @freefromdotorg. You can also find more information on their website, here. You can find more information about Gifted, here. Content advisory: This conversation includes frank discussion of intimate partner violence. Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty—and every Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What kind of flower is Agnes van Rhijn from The Gilded Age? How can you start a garden when you don’t have a lot of space? Can Jonathan do an accurate Moira Rose impression? This week, Jonathan and their husband Mark dig deep on all things gardening. Mark shares his love of landscaping, his daily garden routine, and answers some listener questions. Mark Peacock has a degree in Landscape Architecture & Garden Design from University of Essex. You can follow Mark on Instagram @marklondon. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producers are Chris McClure and Julia Melfi. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure.  Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week’s Pretty Curious. we’re still talking all things skincare, hair care, beauty, self-care, and beyond - but we’re turning the mic to YOU, our listeners, for a super charged Q&A, PLUS the very first annual Pretty Curious Holiday Gift Guide. And no holiday party would be complete without a game or two- and we’ve got that covered with our very special guest and style icon, Tan France. To learn more about the products referenced in the episode, check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the episode transcript. Make sure to check out our other new series, Curious Now. And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you ever look around at your living space and suddenly realize that you have way too much stuff? Well, you might need to take some inspo from the traditions of Swedish Death Cleaning! On this week’s Getting Curious, the three Swedish Death Cleaners from the Peacock show join Jonathan to tell us all how we can tidy up our lives and learn to confront one of the scariest things out there: death. Ella Engström is an organizer. Johan Svenson is a designer. And Katarina Blom is a psychologist. You can follow Johan on Instagram @svenson_johan, Ella on Instagram @engsroom, and Katrina on Instagram @katarinablom. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is streaming now, on Peacock. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every other week on Curious Now, we cover updates on the gender-affirming care bans being put in place all over the U.S. But this week, we’re taking a deeper look at this huge issue with someone who is at the center of a case that might be taken to the Supreme Court. L.W. and ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio join Jonathan to talk about the impact gender-affirming care bans have on trans children and how they plan on fighting back. You can follow the ACLU of Tennessee on Instagram and Twitter @aclu_tennessee. You can also find more information on their website, here. For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty—and every Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by  Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kohl. Mebari. Kajal. Eyeliner. It may go by many names, but most people know exactly what this iconic makeup tool is, and how to use it to enhance their eyes. On this week’s Getting Curious, journalist Zahra Hankir takes us on a journey through thousands of years of history to learn all about eyeliner. From Queen Nerfertiti in ancient Egypt to the Wodaabe community in Chad to the drag queens on Fire Island, we’ll learn all about how people have used this amazing tool in the past, and how they just might use it in the future. Zahra Hankir is a Lebanese-British journalist who writes about the intersection of politics, culture and society. Her work has appeared in publications including Condé Nast Traveller, the Observer, Times Literary Supplement, BBC News, the Los Angeles Times, and The Rumpus. She was awarded a Jack R. Howard Fellowship in International Journalism to attend the Columbia Journalism School and holds degrees in politics and Middle Eastern studies. You can follow Zahra on Instagram @zahrahankir. Her book Eyeliner: A Cultural History is available now. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do you get when you combine sustainably sourced botanicals with Indigenous plant science? Sḵwálwen Botanicals! Ethnobotanist and founder of Sḵwálwen, Leigh Joseph, joins Jonathan on this week’s Pretty Curious to talk all about her approach to harvesting their botanicals, what motivated her to start her brand, and how we can all become more connected to the land. To learn more about the products referenced in the episode, check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the episode transcript. Sḵwálwen Botanicals is an Indigenous skincare brand that honours cultural knowledge, Indigenous plant science and self care. Founded by ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph of Squamish First Nation, Sḵwálwen (skwall - win) provides gentle and effective skincare and wellness products that draw from the ceremonial aspects of plants. Incorporating sustainably harvested and sourced botanicals, Sḵwálwen unites ancestral traditions with modern beauty rituals, empowering people to connect to themselves and the natural world. Sḵwálwen is on Instagram @skwalwenbotanicals and TikTok @skwalwen_botanicals. For more, head to skwalwen.com. Make sure to check out our other new series, Curious Now. And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s guest has not one, but TWO Olympic gold medals. Middle-distance runner Caster Semenya joins Jonathan to discuss what fairness in athletics really looks like. From her experience undergoing public scrutiny to her favorite sport to watch on TV, we learn all about this amazing Olympian and her fight to be allowed to compete. Caster Semenya, OIB, is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women’s 800 meters. The Race to Be Myself is her debut memoir. She lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with her wife, Violet Raseboya, and their children. You can follow Caster on Instagram @castersemenya800m and Twitter @MightyCaster. You  can follow W.W. Norton on Instagram @w.w.norton and Twitter @wwnorton. Caster’s memoir The Race to Be Myself is available now via W.W. Norton or wherever books are sold. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Writer and performer Travis Alabanza joins Jonathan on this week’s Curious Now to talk about some of the differences between club culture in the U.S. and U.K., some current issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community, and how they hope we can all come to see gender nonconformity. Travis Alabanza is an award-winning writer, performer, and theater maker. After being the youngest recipient of the Artist-in-Residency program at Tate Galleries, Alabanza’s debut show Burgerz toured internationally to sold-out performances in London, São Paulo, and Berlin, and won the Edinburgh Fringe Total Theatre Award. You can follow Travis on Instagram and Twitter @travisalabanza, and the Feminist Press on Instagram and Twitter @feministpress. Their memoir None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary is available now via Feminist Press or wherever books are sold. For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. You can go to iwillvote.com for more information on polling locations and voting in your area! Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty—and every Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dolls play a huge part in our childhoods. Whether it was your best friend, or it gave you the creeps, your doll probably had some role in making you who you are today. This week, Getting Curious is getting all dolled up! Freyja Hartzell joins Jonathan to talk about disability representation in dolls, why some kids harm their dolls, and what makes play so important. Plus, she shows us perhaps the creepiest doll we’ve ever seen. Freyja Hartzell teaches the history of modern design, architecture, and art at Bard Graduate Center in New York City. She’s currently writing a new book about dolls, robots, and AI--Doll Parts: Designing Likeness. She’s also working on a related exhibition called Dollatry, which will open at Bard Graduate Center Gallery in February 2025. You can learn more about Freyja’s work on her website. Her book, Richard Riemerschmid’s Extraordinary Living Things (MIT Press, 2022) can be found here. You can find more information about Tanya Marriott, the toy designer mentioned in the episode, here. You can learn more about Robin Bernstein's work, here.  You can find links to the audio clips played in the episode, here: Thomas Edison Talking Doll Barbie Liberation Organization  Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might know this week’s Pretty Curious guest from Season 12 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race." This week, model and artist Gigi Goode joins Jonathan to solve a makeup mystery, talk all things Avalon TV, and teach us how to choose an absolutley iconic costume this Halloween. Our conversation with Gigi begins around 5 minutes into the episode. To learn more about the products referenced in the episode, check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the episode transcript. Gigi Goode is a radiant force captivating the world with her stunning looks and fierce charisma. From the small town of Rockford, Illinois, Gigi's journey began with a passionate pursuit of self-expression, drawing inspiration from her childhood love of dress-up to create an iconic and glamorous persona. Her unforgettable journey on Season 12 of “RuPaul's Drag Race” left a mark on fans worldwide. Beyond the screen, she is an active advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and self-acceptance, earning recognition as a role model and trailblazer. You can follow Gigi on Instagram @thegigigoode. The House of Avalon is on Instagram @thehouseofavalon. Avalon TV is out now on WOW Presents Plus. Make sure to check out our other new series, Curious Now. And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More than half of the world’s population lives near a coastline. And where there’s a coastline, there’s the potential for a tsunami. This week, Dr. Tina Dura joins Jonathan to talk all about these geohazards, whose waves can soar to over 1000 feet tall. Learn how tsunamis form, how they’ve altered landscapes across millenia, and what to do if you’re in a hazard zone. Dr. Tina Dura, head of the Coastal Hazards Lab at Virginia Tech, specializes in subduction zone paleoseismology, which combines the methods of coastal stratigraphy, sedimentology, and micropaleontology to reconstruct thousands or year-long histories of earthquake induced land-level change and tsunami inundation. These long-term records of earthquakes and tsunamis help us understand their magnitude and recurrence interval through time, improving hazards preparedness along subduction zone coastlines. Dr. Dura is on Twitter at @diatomdura. You can learn more about Dr. Dura’s work at coastalhazardslab.com. Want to learn more about tsunami preparedness? Check out these resources: Tsunamis | Ready.gov Tsunami Preparedness | Tsunami Safety Tips | Red Cross Tsunami Preparedness and Mitigation: Individuals (You!) | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Another great resource is ShakeAlert, which we discussed in our episode about earthquakes with Dr. Ashly Cabas. If you haven’t heard that episode, or you’re due for a refresh, you can check it out here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On February 3rd, a train derailed right outside of East Palestine, Ohio. Toxic substances were released into the air, thousands of gallons of oil leaked into the ground, and the residents of the town feel they have been forgotten. This week, activists Justin Garner and Emily Wright join Jonathan to talk about what’s happened in the eight months since the disaster, and what we can all do to help. We get into our conversation with Emily and Justin around 8 minutes into the episode, so skip to then if you simply can’t wait to hear from them! For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. You can follow River Valley Organizing on Instagram @rivervalleyorganizing, Twitter @RiverValleyOrg, and Facebook @rivervalleyorganizing. Their website is rivervalleyorganizing.com. Justin Garner is the Communications Director for River Valley Organizing. Emily Wright is an activist, organizer and resident of the area surrounding East Palestine, Ohio. Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty—and every Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your passport tells a story of where you’re from—and where you’re allowed to go. But what if you wanted to rewrite that story? Professor Kristin Surak joins us to discuss the world of golden passports, where millionaires and billionaires buy citizenship to countries they’re not from—and are often not living in—in order to navigate travel perks, business opportunities, and even scandals. If you thought all passports were created equal, you’re in for a trip. Kristin Surak is Associate Professor of Political Sociology at the LSE and the author of The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires (Harvard University Press 2023). In addition to her academic work, she writes for popular outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Guardian, and comments regularly for the BBC, Bloomberg TV, and Sky TV News. You can follow her on Twitter @KristinSurak and on TikTok @goldenpassports. To learn more about her work, check out her department page. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine a beauty playground where every makeup product is multi-use, you’re encouraged to get creative, and everyone is welcome. You’re imagining Danessa Myricks Beauty. Danessa Myricks drops by Pretty Curious this week to share her dynamic approach to makeup, the magical ingredient that’s powering her product lines today, and her tips for achieving a creamy, long-lasting look. Our conversation with Danessa begins around 10 minutes into the episode. To learn more about the products referenced in the episode, check out our Instagram @curiouswithjvn, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the episode transcript. Danessa Myricks has continuously broken boundaries and built a world of beauty for people from all races, ages and genders. As a pro makeup artist, photographer, and entrepreneur, Danessa is one of the most influential leaders in the beauty industry, inventing products that work in multiple places and on all faces. With the creation of her multi-million-dollar eponymous brand, Danessa Myricks Beauty and photography work, she continues to creatively combine art, product innovation, education, and inclusivity to move the beauty industry forward. You can follow Danessa on Instagram @danessa_myricks. Danessa Myricks Beauty is on Instagram and TikTok  @danessamyricksbeauty. For more, head to danessamyricksbeauty.com and Sephora’s Danessa Myricks Beauty collection. Make sure to check out our other new series, Curious Now. And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warrior princesses. Gender-bending Vikings. Nuns who were writing about orgasms and writing world-class music. This week, Dr. Janina Ramirez is taking us back to the 400s—and introducing us to the baddies of the Middle Ages. What did people think about abortions? Did Vikings really wear horned helmets? And why is this period anything but a dark age? Dr. Janina Ramirez is a cultural historian, broadcaster and author based at the University of Oxford. Her research began with a degree in English literature at Oxford, followed by an MA and PhD at the Centre for Medieval Studies in York on the art, literature and culture of Anglo-Saxon England. Her book Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It is available now! You can follow Dr. Ramirez on Instagram and Twitter @DrJaninaRamirez. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From reproductive rights to school curricula to traffic and infrastructure, state legislatures make decisions about our everyday lives, all across the country. And these legislators regularly win their seats by a couple hundred votes, even fewer. Sister District co-founders Lala Wu and Lyzz Schwegler join Jonathan this week to discuss what’s at stake in state legislative elections this fall, how states like Virginia are bellwethers for 2024, and why every voter needs to show up this odd-year election. We get into our conversation with Sister District around 13 minutes into the episode, so skip to then if you simply can’t wait to hear from them! For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. You can follow Sister District on Instagram and Twitter @Sister_District, and at sisterdistrict.com. For more, check out the following resources: Text “JOIN” to 68998 Sister District’s State Bridges Program Princeton Gerrymandering Project Virginia Public Access Project iwillvote.com And be sure to check out Equality Texas, our spotlight group of the week. They’re on Instagram and Twitter @equalitytexas and at equalitytexas.org. Lala Wu is a Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Sister District. Prior to Sister District, Lala practiced law, specializing in environmental issues and clean energy. Lala graduated from U.C. Berkeley, School of Law and Barnard College of Columbia University. Lala serves on the Boards of the AAPI Victory Alliance and TogetherSF. Lyzz Schwegler is a Co-Founder and Sister District’s Senior Vice President of Digital. Prior to co-founding Sister District, she worked for a nonprofit film and television production company, founded her own production company and produced an internationally recognized one-man play, and spent half a decade as a communications professional in the private sector. She was pursuing a graduate degree in Public Policy when Trump was elected and Sister District was born. Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty—and every Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She’s a Jeopardy! champion, an advocate for trans rights and representation, and this week’s guest on the podcast. Who is Amy Schneider? Amy joins Jonathan this week to talk all about her Jeopardy! career, her latest Wikipedia wormholes, and her love of tarot. Plus, a Jeopardy! round inspired by Jonathan’s favorite topics. Amy Schneider is an American software engineer and recent Jeopardy! champion. Following an impressive forty-game winning streak, she became the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy!. She is second all-time in the show’s history, trailing only Ken Jennings. Amy is also the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. Her new book In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life is out now. You can follow Amy on Instagram and Twitter @jeopardamy. For more from Avid Reader Press, check out @avidreaderpress on Instagram and Twitter. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether she’s on the basketball court or the red carpet, this week’s Pretty Curious guest knows how to turn a look. Actress, producer, and ballroom legend Trace Lysette joins Jonathan to discuss her favorite beauty products, how she takes inspiration from both 1930s Hollywood and 1990s ballroom culture, and her thoughts on the phrase “stunning.” Our conversation with Trace begins around 8 minutes into the episode. Trace Lysette is a dynamic and talented actress known for her remarkable contributions to the entertainment industry and has emerged as a powerful voice and a beacon of representation for transgender individuals in Hollywood. She currently stars in the critically acclaimed film MONICA playing the title role opposite Patricia Clarkson; which also has a SAG/AFTRA Interim agreement so they can promote for the upcoming awards season including the Oscars. You can follow Trace on Instagram @tracelysette Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s in a calorie? So much more than what you see on a box of cereal or a restaurant menu. The story of the nutritional calorie is the story of U.S. empire, dating back to the late 1800s when government agencies used it to determine just how little they could feed people in the military, prisons, asylums, and Native boarding schools. This week, Dr. Athia N. Choudhury joins Jonathan to discuss the history and politics of the calorie, and explains why counting on this metric—and wellness culture more generally—can be a “mundane kind of violence.” A note from Dr. Choudhury and Team JVN: This discussion periodically includes the term “ob*sity.” When it is referenced, it is only to describe a process of medicalization and pathologization, and not in alignment with its politics or political uses. Athia N. Choudhury is a writer and cultural historian/theorist interested in questions of race, food, militarism, eugenics, and body surveillance in the 20th-21st century. She earned a Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity from the University of Southern California and is currently the Postdoctoral Associate in Asian American and Diaspora Studies at Duke University. You can find Athia’s writing in The Journal of Transnational American Studies, The Routledge International Handbook on Fat Studies, Pipewrench magazine, and Food, Fat, Fitness: Critical Perspectives. You can learn more about Dr. Choudhury at athiachoudhury.com, and reach out to her here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you haven’t seen this week’s Curious Now guest on your TikTok feed, you’ve definitely seen her work. Annie Wu Henry was a breakout star of John Fetterman’s winning Senate campaign, where she crafted iconic, witty, incisive videos for Fetterman’s TikTok account—and turned likes and views into votes. We’re hearing all about her political strategy work, her take on Gen Z and millennial voters, and how she’s planning to post her way through the 2024 presidential elections. We get into our conversation with Annie around the 11-minute mark, so skip to then if you simply can’t wait to hear from her. For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. You can follow Annie on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @annie_wu_22. Annie Wu Henry is a progressive social media and digital strategy expert who passionately believes in the synergy of on-the-ground organizing, electoral campaigns, and online media. Currently holding key roles as Creative Director at AAPI Victory Fund and Digital Consultant for the Working Families Party, Annie’s visionary approach has significantly elevated various campaigns and initiatives. Notably, she played a pivotal role as the social media producer for John Fetterman’s successful Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. Through her personal platform, Annie actively engages her followers, empowering them to stay informed and take action in the pursuit of progressive change. Tune in next Monday for another episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty. And check in next Wednesday for an all-new episode of Getting Curious. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a group of far right influencers lurking on your social media feeds. They post organic recipes, millennial mom advice, and #glowups. And they’re using this content to promote white supremacist ideas. This week, Dr. Eviane Leidig joins us to discuss who these women are and how they’re spreading hate on social media. Dr. Eviane Leidig is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at Tilburg University. Her research specializes in the global far-right, gender, and online radicalization, recruitment, and propaganda. Her latest book, The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization, is published by Columbia University Press. You can follow Dr. Leidig on Twitter @evianeleidig, and at www.evianeleidig.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Pretty Curious, a new series where every other Monday, we’ll be talking all things beauty—skincare, haircare, self-care, and beyond. For our premiere episode, we’ve invited back Getting Curious guest David Yi to discuss their GRWM routine, their K-Beauty faves, and how they’re making skincare more inclusive with their brand Good Light. We get into our interview 8 minutes and 30 seconds into the episode, after some stunning product reviews from Jonathan, so skip to then if you simply can’t wait to hear from David! For more information on the beauty products we discussed this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. David Yi is the founder and editor of Very Good Light, a beauty platform that aims to democratize beauty for all people and author of the book, PRETTY BOYS. He's been written about in the NYT, LAT, Forbes, Allure, among others as the thought leader in men's beauty, identity, and Asian American advocacy. David has championed DEI in his decade of journalism, writing for the likes of the WSJ, GQ, Vogue, and WWD. Additionally, he is a founder of AIM, Advocates for Inclusion in Media, as well as a GLAAD and Webby nominee. You can follow David on Instagram @seoulcialite. good light is on Instagram and TikTok @goodlight.world, and at goodlight.world. And Very Good Light is on Instagram @verygoodlight, and at verygoodlight.com. You can revisit David’s episode of Getting Curious here. Make sure to check out our other new series, Curious Now. And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gather your plant fam and tell all the green gurls—there’s royalty on the podcast this week! Christopher Griffin aka THE Plant Kween joins Jonathan to discuss the joys of indoor gardening, from finding a plant that fits your lifestyle to tending to root rot. Plus, a casting session for Divas Live: Green Gurls edition! Christopher Griffin, also known as Plant Kween, is a Brooklyn-based educator, author of YOU GROW, GURL! Plant Kween’s Lush Guide to Growing your Garden, and gardener with a collection of more than 200 green plants (also known as “green gurls”) in their apartment. Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Christopher grew up visiting local nurseries with their grandmother, which inspired their plant parenting journey. As an educator, Christopher started their Instagram account @plantkween in 2016 as a way to share the many lessons, lush adventures, and simple joys that come with being a plant parent. Their social media presence has been rooted in a journey of self-care, sharing joy, and community building all through the wonders of those green little creatures we call plants. You can follow Christopher on Instagram and TikTok at @plantkween, and at www.plantkween.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a new week—and we’re debuting a new series! Welcome to Curious Now, where every other Monday, we’ll be covering topical issues like elections, climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, and beyond. For our premiere episode, we’re honored to be back in conversation with Alicia Roth Weigel, a beloved Getting Curious guest who is advocating for intersex rights. We discuss how recent anti-trans legislation also affects intersex people, and what it looks like to protect the “I” in LGBTQIA+. We get into our conversation with Alicia 10 minutes into the episode, so skip to then if you simply can’t wait to hear from her! For more information on the news stories we covered this week, head to @curiouswithjvn on Instagram. Alicia Roth Weigel is a writer and activist working to improve the political and social landscape for marginalized populations in the South and worldwide through her firm, Intrepida Strategy. As a partner for the Pride Fund, Alicia is raising and deploying capital to grow LGBTQIA+-led companies in Texas and beyond. A Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Austin, she continually advocates for the rights of intersex people like her. You can follow Alicia on Instagram @xoxy_alicia. Make sure to order her new book Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir, watch the documentary Every Body, and read fellow intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis' book Nobody Needs To Know. And check out Alicia's first episode of Getting Curious. Tune in next Monday for the premiere episode of our other new series Pretty Curious, all about beauty! And don’t worry—Getting Curious isn’t going anywhere. We’ll still be releasing new episodes every Wednesday! Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious, Curious Now, and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know the feeling when you try on a dress and realize—it has pockets? Those pockets were more than 500 years in the making! Dr. Hannah Carlson joins us this week to discuss why pockets are still not a staple for womenswear, and how people throughout history—from Queen Elizabeth I to suffragettes to a first grader in Arkansas—have taken up pockets as a political cause. Hannah Carlson teaches dress history and material culture at the Rhode Island School of Design. After training as a conservator of costume and textiles at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she received a PhD in material culture from Boston University. She has contributed articles to Commonplace: the journal of early American life; Dress: the Journal of the Costume Society of America; and MacGuffin: The Life of Things. Still curious? Check out these resources from the episode: Abraham Lincoln’s pockets Jan Diehm and Amber Thomas on women’s pockets First assassination of a head of state by handgun Pocket tool kits of the eighteenth century The Macaroni Boys Reticules Women’s Army Corps uniforms One Year’s Dungaree Debris Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Anne Currie. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s better than one constitutional law expert? THREE! This spring we had the honor of speaking with Professor Melissa Murray about the Supreme Court's recent term. Now she’s back, with her brilliant Strict Scrutiny co-hosts, Professors Leah Litman and Kate Shaw. They join Jonathan to discuss WTF is going on with the Supreme Court these days—from Clarence Thomas’ luxury vacations to what the nation's highest court has in store for us this fall. Plus, an epic round of judicial-themed F*ck, Marry, Kill… You can follow Strict Scrutiny on Twitter @StrictScrutiny_ and on Instagram @strictscrutinypodcast. For more information, check out crooked.com. Melissa is on Twitter and Instagram @profmmurray. Leah is on Twitter @LeahLitman and Instagram @profleahlitman. Kate is on Twitter @Kateashaw1 and Instagram @kateashaw. Melissa Murray is a Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, where she teaches constitutional law, family law, criminal law, and reproductive rights and justice and writes about the legal regulation of intimate life. Melissa clerked for Judge Stefan Underhill on the District of Connecticut and for Justice Sotomayor when she served on the Second Circuit. When she’s not reading the SCOTUS tea leaves, she’s practicing the violin, reading People magazine, and keeping up with Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Leah Litman is an assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School. She clerked for Judge Sutton on the Sixth Circuit and Justice Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Leah researches and writes about constitutional law and federal courts. She also maintains an active pro bono practice (and she loves reality television). Kate Shaw is a Professor of Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in NYC. She teaches Constitutional Law, Legislation, Administrative Law, and a seminar on the Supreme Court, and writes about executive power, the law of democracy, and reproductive rights and justice. Before becoming a law professor she worked in the Obama White House Counsel’s Office, and before that was a clerk to Justice Stevens and Judge Posner. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Samantha Martinez, and Anne Currie. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Southern Resident killer whales are a lot like us. They have family meals, chat in different dialects, and sleep side by side. They even engage in an activity called sword fighting—which is exactly what it sounds like. One major difference? There are only 75 of these orcas alive today. This week, we’re learning all about this remarkable endangered population, what they're really up to when they ram into boats, and what it’ll take to protect them. Dr. Deborah Giles is one of the world’s leading experts on the Southern Resident killer whales. Giles serves as the Research Director for Wild Orca, monitoring the Southern Resident killer whales’ health through non-invasive sampling with Eba, her highly-trained scent detection dog. She is one of the principal voices calling for the recovery of these endangered orcas. You can follow Wild Orca on Instagram @wildorcaorg and Twitter @wildorcaorg. Eba the dog is on Instagram @eba_the_whale_dog. For more information, check out wildorca.org. Check out the orca chart that Dr. Giles references in the episode here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Samantha Martinez, and Anne Currie. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Getting Curious is going spelunking! Caves are full of evidence about our Earth’s past: they can tell us about monsoons in Laos and sea surface temperatures in Mexico over tens of thousands of years ago. They can also help predict our climate future. This week, Professor Kathleen R. Johnson takes us through the incredible world of caves and shares what it’s like to scale 200-foot ladders, kayak all day in the dark, and encounter pythons, big ass spiders, and other creatures along the way—all in the name of science! Kathleen Johnson is a Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She is a geochemist and a paleoclimatologist who specializes in reconstructing past climate changes using stalagmites from tropical and monsoon regions, with current projects in Laos, Vietnam, and Mexico. In addition, she directs the new UCI CLIMATE Justice initiative which aims to culturally transform the geosciences through training postbaccalaureate and PhD Fellows in community-engaged research practices and environmental justice. You can follow Professor Johnson on Twitter @cavesandclimate, and on Threads @kathleen.r.johnson. For more information on her work, check out her lab website and department website. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Curious for more? Check out these episodes next: How Major Are Volcanoes? What's It Like To Survive An Earthquake? Does Groundwater Go With The Flow? How Does Dust Impact Earth's Climate? Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Samantha Martinez, and Anne Currie. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We spend one third of our lives sleeping. But WTF is going on during those hours?! This week, Dr. Gina Poe gives us an A to Zzzz crash course in all things sleep. Dreams, memory, narcolepsy, naps, sleep demons, traveling across time zones, playing video games before bed, how substances like caffeine and alcohol affect our rest—and beyond! Gina Poe is a neuroscientist at UCLA who has worked on the functions of sleep for over 30 years with an independent research laboratory funded by the National Institute of Mental Health for over 20 years. At UCLA she teaches how the brain becomes biased and one can change one's mind through the powerfully plastic state of sleep, winning the UCLA Distinguished Teaching award in 2022 and the US President's 2014 PAESMEM award for mentoring work through the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Poe counsels on initiatives and funding priorities for the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, has authored nearly 200 publications (papers and abstracts), and has appeared on PBS's NOVA and Netflix's The Mind Explained and other television and podcast venues. She and her husband have four children, two grandchildren (with another on the way!), a dog, and a cat. You can follow Dr. Poe on Twitter @doctorpoe, on Instagram @poe.gina, and on LinkedIn at Gina R. Poe. For more information, check out: The National Sleep Foundation Dr. Poe’s Brain Research Institute site Dr. Poe’s Department site Dr. Poe Lab site Dr. Poe’s publications Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Samantha Martinez, and Anne Currie. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sea daddies! Sea queens! Land hoes! This week, we’re getting wet and wild with Dr. Seth LeJacq to learn what life was like for queer sailors in the British navy from the 15th century to the 19th century. How did these sailors express their gender and sexuality? What did they risk—legally and socially—when they pursued queer relationships? And were their ship hammocks really sturdy enough for a night of deep sea “exploration”? Dr. Seth Stein LeJacq is a historian specializing in the history of gender, sexuality, and medicine. He is currently a Caird Fellow at the UK National Maritime Museum. You can follow Dr. LeJacq on Twitter @SethSLeJacq, and learn more about his work at sethlejacq.com. His Routledge collection Sexual and Gender Difference in the British Navy, 1690-1900 will be available for pre-order soon. Here's a portrait of Captain Edward Rigby, here's an etching of Captain Whiffle and Mr. Simper, and here's a rendition of "Backside Rules The Navy." We'll be sharing more resources on our @CuriouswithJVN Instagram account throughout the week. Curious for more? Check out these episodes from our archives: Why Is The Titanic So Iconic? Who Were History’s “Female Husbands”? Do Beauty Standards Need A Glow Up? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Samantha Martinez, and Anne Currie. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paris. Lindsay. Kim. We know the celebs in paparazzi photos, but what about the people behind the cameras? This week, Professor Vanessa Díaz takes us inside the world of Hollywood's paparazzi—who are predominantly Latine men, many undocumented—and shares what this profession captures about power, politics, and pop culture in America. Vanessa Díaz, Associate Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University, is a multimedia ethnographer and journalist whose work focuses on issues of race, gender, and labor in popular culture across the Americas. Grounded in her experience as a red carpet reporter for People magazine, Díaz’s award winning book Manufacturing Celebrity: Latino Paparazzi and Women Reporters in Hollywood (Duke 2020) focuses on hierarchies of labor as well as racial and gender politics in the production of celebrity-focused media. Díaz is also the co-creator of the Bad Bunny Syllabus Project and co-author of UCLA’s 2017 Hollywood Diversity Report. You can follow her on Twitter @vanessajdiaz and on Instagram @drcrazyness, and learn more about her work by visiting manufacturingcelebritybook.com and badbunnysyllabus.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Parasites are everywhere: in our bodies, in our water, even in our cats’ litter boxes. Are they agents of chaos—or just misunderstood? This week, Dr. Sebastian Lourido joins Jonathan to discuss the epic world of parasites, from pinworms to toxoplasma gondii to, yes, humans. Parasites! They’re everything, everywhere, all at once. Dr. Sebastian Lourido is an Associate Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Lourido grew up in Colombia before attending Tulane University, where he earned degrees in Art and Biology. He then worked with Arturo Zychlinsky, at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, before pursuing his Ph.D. at Washington University with L. David Sibley. In 2012, in lieu of traditional postdoctoral training, Lourido started his own lab as a Whitehead Fellow studying the molecular hallmarks of apicomplexan parasitism through proteomics and functional genomics. Lourido was recruited to his present position in 2017 where he continues his research and co-teaches courses in Microbial Pathogenesis and Cell Biology. You can follow Dr. Lourido and the Lourido Lab on Twitter @LouridoLab, @WhiteheadInst and @MITBiology. For more information, check out the websites for the Lourido Lab and Whitehead Institute. Curious for more? Check out these episodes from the archive: Are Mushrooms Truly Magic? How Does Dust Impact Earth’s Climate? When Viruses Spread, Who’s Most Vulnerable? Can You Say Cheese? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Our engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week, Earth hit record-high temperatures—three times. We’re feeling the heat of climate change, literally, and it’s f*cking scary. To help us handle this moment, we’re re-releasing an episode from our archives, with Dekila Chungyalpa. She joins Jonathan to discuss how she confronts climate change disinterest and skepticism, and why she’s bringing the sacred back into science. Dekila Chungyalpa is the founder and director of the Loka Initiative, a capacity building and outreach platform at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for faith leaders and culture keepers of Indigenous traditions who work on environmental and climate issues. She received the prestigious Yale McCluskey Award in 2014 for her work and moved to the Yale School of Environmental Studies as an associate research scientist, where she researched, lectured and designed the prototype for what is now the Loka Initiative. Dekila is originally from the Himalayan state of Sikkim in India and is of Bhutia origin. You can keep up with Dekila by visiting her Facebook and by following her on Twitter and Instagram @dchungyalpa. For more information about the Loka Initiative, visit their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @LokaInitiative and on Instagram @loka.initiative. Struggling with eco-anxiety? Read Dekila’s five tips on how to alleviate eco-anxiety or visit SoundCloud, Tricycle Magazine, or the Healthy Minds app for contemplative practices to address eco-anxiety and climate distress. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our associate producer is Allison Weiss. Production support from Julie Carrillo. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine a situation where the cops can take your car, your house, and your cash. You could be waiting years to get your possessions back, without an attorney to help you. And the police can ultimately keep or sell your belongings—for profit. How’d they get away with it? Civil asset forfeiture. This Fourth of July week, we’re revisiting an episode with Professor Saleema Snow all about this damaging practice. A lot has changed since we first aired this episode in 2020 (including our audio quality!) but this topic is as relevant as ever. The Supreme Court recently decided to hear a case about civil asset forfeiture—Culley v. Marshall—next term. Professor Saleema Snow is a Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law and the director of the school’s Legal Writing Program. At the time of this recording, she was also the President of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, supporting the rights of Muslim women and children; an elected member of the D.C. Bar Board of Governors; and President of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers. You can follow Professor Snow on Twitter @SaleemaSnow. Curious for more? Here are some relevant episodes: How Many Hard Rights Can One Supreme Court Take? What Happened To Separation Of Church And State? What’s At The Heart Of Black Disability Politics? Who Does America’s “Child Welfare System” Serve? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is life one big cosmic orgy? To wrap up our Pride Beyond Borders series, we’re going big… with an episode all about our universe! Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein joins Jonathan to discuss why spacetime isn’t straight, what quantum spin can teach us about gender expression, and why the key to understanding the cosmos may just be (wait for it) the world’s biggest dental dam. Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Core Faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of New Hampshire. She is a researcher in particle cosmology and author of the award-winning book for general audiences, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred. She is working on her next book, The Edge of Space-Time. You can follow Dr. Prescod-Weinstein on Twitter @IBJIYONGI, on Instagram and TikTok @chanda.prescod.weinstein, on Bluesky and Substack @chanda, and at cprescodweinstein.com. Curious for more? Here are some resources Dr. Prescod-Weinstein recommends: lgbt+physicists Astronomy and Astrophysics Outlist The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe by Clifford V. Johnson The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack Risa Wechsler: The search for dark matter -- and what we've found so far | TED Talk Chanda Prescod-Weinstein: The search for the invisible matter that shapes the universe | TED Talk You can find more episodes about space (including one with Dr. Moiya McTier!), and the rest of our Pride Beyond Borders series, here. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do 90 young, gay men in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have in common? They’ve all spent years sharing their stories with this week’s guest: Dr. Travis S. K. Kong. He joins Jonathan as part of our Pride Beyond Borders series to discuss what it’s like to be queer in each of these places—and share his interviewees’ coming out stories, their experiences with sex and dating, and their senses of intergenerational queer community. Travis S. K. Kong is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong. He is the author of Chinese Male Homosexualities: Memba, Tongzhi and Golden Boy (Routledge 2011), Oral Histories of Older Gay Men in Hong Kong (Hong Kong University Press, 2019) and Sexuality and the Rise of China: The Post-1990s Gay Generation in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China (Duke University Press 2023). Curious for more? Check out the rest of our Pride Beyond Borders series: Is Queerness Divine? (Part One) with Dr. Eziaku Nwokocha Is Queerness Divine? (Part Two) with Dr. Eziaku Nwokocha What Are The Global Politics of Drag? with Professor Kareem Khubchandani And learn about Early China in parts one and two of our conversation with Professor Jue Guo. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s it like to enter a religious or spiritual space as a queer person? In Haitian Vodou, the divinities are ready to accept LGBTQIA+ practitioners—and are arguably queer themselves. In part two of our Pride Beyond Borders episode about this African diasporic religion, Professor Eziaku Nwokocha takes us into one of Manbo Maude’s temples to better understand this spiritual practice, and how its practitioners navigate questions of race, gender, and sexuality. Curious for more?  Check out part one of our conversation with Professor Nwokocha, where we get down to basics on Haitian Vodou and Haitian history.  Revisit the first episode from our Pride Beyond Borders series, all about global drag cultures, with Professor Kareem Khubchandani. And learn all about New Orleans history in parts one and two of our episode with Dr. Kathryn Olivarius! Eziaku Nwokocha is an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. She is a scholar of Africana religions with expertise in the ethnographic study of Vodou in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. Her research is grounded in a thorough understanding of religions in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, in gender and sexuality studies, visual and material culture and Africana Studies generally. She is the author of Vodou en Vogue: Fashioning Black Divinities in Haiti and the United States (University of North Carolina Press, 2023), which is an ethnographic study of fashion, spirit possession, and gender and sexuality in contemporary Haitian Vodou, exploring Black religious communities through their innovative ceremonial practices. This book is featured within the series Where Religion Lives. You can follow Professor Nwokocha on Twitter and Instagram at @dr_zaku, and at eziakunwokocha.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A spiritual practice that has a divinity dedicated to the protection of lesbians?! Tell us more! This week, for our Pride Beyond Borders series, we’re exploring the world of Haitian Vodou in a special two-part episode. In this first half, Professor Eziaku Nwokocha introduces us to this African diasporic religion, and Haitian history. In part two, out tomorrow, we’ll step into the world of Manbo Maude’s temples in Haiti and the US to learn about Haitian Vodou rituals and fashions, and what this practice has to do with queerness. Curious for more? Check out the first episode from our Pride Beyond Borders series, all about global drag cultures, with Professor Kareem Khubchandani. Eziaku Nwokocha is an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami. She is a scholar of Africana religions with expertise in the ethnographic study of Vodou in Haiti and the Haitian diaspora. Her research is grounded in a thorough understanding of religions in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, in gender and sexuality studies, visual and material culture and Africana Studies generally. She is the author of Vodou en Vogue: Fashioning Black Divinities in Haiti and the United States (University of North Carolina Press, 2023), which is an ethnographic study of fashion, spirit possession, and gender and sexuality in contemporary Haitian Vodou, exploring Black religious communities through their innovative ceremonial practices. This book is featured within the series Where Religion Lives. You can follow Professor Nwokocha on Twitter and Instagram at @dr_zaku, and at eziakunwokocha.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This June, we’re celebrating Pride Beyond Borders! And to kick off our series, we’re exploring global drag culture with Professor Kareem Khubchandani aka Dr. LaWhore Vagistan. We’re learning how drag artists around the world stage political dialogues with their audiences, how queer nightlife can connect diasporic communities, and how this art form can be used to challenge—rather than reinforce—the legacies of colonialism and white supremacy. The world of drag is so much bigger than the world of Drag Race, and we’re here for all of it. Kareem Khubchandani is Associate Professor of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at Tufts University. He is the author of Ishtyle: Accenting Gay Indian Nightlife and Decolonize Drag, co-editor of Queer Nightlife, and curator of criticalauntystudies.com. Kareem also performs as LaWhore Vagistan, everyone’s favorite overdressed, overeducated, oversaturated desi drag aunty. You can follow Professor Khubchandani on Instagram and Twitter @kareempuff, and at KareemKhubchandani.com. They’re also on Instagram and Twitter @lawhorevagistan. Get to know Dr. LaWhore Vagistan through their lecture “How to be an auntie” and their hit song “Sari”. Curious for more? Here are some people Professor Khubchandani recommends following: Shaka McGlotten, M. Leslie Santana, Emi Great, Chanel Mercedes Benz, Odidiva, Papi Churro, Alisha Boti Kabab, Willow Pill, Crystal Methyd, and BeBe Zahara Benet. And here are some events to check out: Jai Ho, Rangeela, Behsaram, Kulture Kulcha, Sholay, and Yuva. All of these resources are linked in the episode entry on jonathanvanness.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the coming weeks, the Supreme Court of the United States will hand down decisions that could have major implications for LGBTQIA+ rights, racial justice, tribal sovereignty, and beyond. Melissa Murray and Jonathan discuss what’s on the docket, why the Supreme Court seems more powerful (and conservative) than ever, and how we can get through this hot mess SCOTUS summer. Melissa Murray is a Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, where she teaches constitutional law, family law, criminal law, and reproductive rights and justice and writes about the legal regulation of intimate life. Melissa clerked for Judge Stefan Underhill on the District of Connecticut and for Justice Sotomayor when she served on the Second Circuit. When she’s not reading the SCOTUS tea leaves, she’s practicing the violin, reading People magazine, and keeping up with Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. You can follow Professor Murray on Twitter and Instagram @ProfMMurray. You can keep up with Strict Scrutiny on Twitter @StrictScrutiny_ and Instagram @strictscrutinypodcast. Crooked Media is on Twitter and Instagram @crookedmedia. Curious for more? Check out these episodes from the Getting Curious archive: Can State Legislatures Save Us? Whose Land Is This Land? What Happened To Separation Of Church And State? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re dripping in jewels this week on Getting Curious! What does it mean for a diamond to be “hard”? Are lab-grown gems made to perfection? What’s the difference between rubies and pink sapphires? Dr. Gabriela Farfan joins Jonathan to discuss the science and art behind the dazzling, multifaceted world of gems and minerals. Dr. Gabriela Farfan is the Coralyn Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She began collecting minerals at a young age and turned her hobby into a career as a mineralogist, geochemist, and the first woman and Latina to become Curator-in-Charge of the National Gem Collection. You can follow Dr. Farfan on Twitter @gabriela_farfan and on Instagram @the.mineralogist. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is on Twitter @nmnh and Instagram @smithsoniannmnh. Curious for more? Check out these resources from Dr. Farfan: What is a Mineral? The AMNH’s “GeoGallery” Hope Diamond Whitney Flame Topaz Dom Pedro Aquamarine Chalk Emerald Carmen Lucia Ruby Lion of Merelani Tsavorite Garnet And check out these episodes from the Getting Curious archive: Does Groundwater Go With The Flow? How Does Dust Impact Earth’s Climate? How Major Are Volcanoes? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our producer is Chris McClure. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Orleans was one of America’s most important cities in the early 1800s. It was also one of the most deadly. This week, to mark the new season of Queer Eye, we’re exploring New Orleans history with Dr. Kathryn Olivarius in a special two-part episode. Today, we’re learning about yellow fever’s grip on the city—and what this illness revealed about power and politics in New Orleans. Haven’t listened to part one yet? Check it out here to learn more about New Orleans history. A note from the team: this episode discusses enslavement and graphic descriptions of illness. Kathryn Olivarius is a prizewinning historian of slavery, medicine, and disease. She is Assistant Professor of History at Stanford University. Her book Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom, published by Harvard University Press, was recently awarded the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize. You can follow Dr. Olivarius on Twitter @katolivarius. Harvard University Press is on Twitter @Harvard_Press. If you’re new to Getting Curious, here are some episodes that are relevant to today’s discussion: When Viruses Spread, Who’s Most Vulnerable? What’s The Sordid History Of U.S. Trash Collection? Who Does America’s “Child Welfare System” Serve? Who Built The Panama Canal? How F$^*#d Up Is Fatphobia? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases! Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Emily Bossak. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Orleans is a city in a swamp—a city, some argue, that should have never been built. So how did it become one of America’s most important sites in the 1800s, and a critical battleground in the American Civil War? This week, to mark the new season of Queer Eye, we’re exploring New Orleans history with Dr. Kathryn Olivarius in a special two-part episode. Today, we’re breaking down the basics on antebellum New Orleans. Tomorrow, we’ll learn all about New Orleans’ rampant history of yellow fever. A note from the team: this episode discusses enslavement and references to bodily harm. Kathryn Olivarius is a prizewinning historian of slavery, medicine, and disease. She is Assistant Professor of History at Stanford University. Her book Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom, published by Harvard University Press, was recently awarded the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize. You can follow Dr. Olivarius on Twitter @katolivarius. Harvard University Press is on Twitter @Harvard_Press. If you’re new to Getting Curious, here are some episodes that are relevant to today’s discussion:   When Viruses Spread, Who’s Most Vulnerable? What’s The Sordid History Of U.S. Trash Collection?   Who Does America’s “Child Welfare System” Serve? Who Built The Panama Canal? How F$^*#d Up Is Fatphobia? Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases!   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Emily Bossak.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You didn’t hear it from us, but this week’s episode is so juicy that you’ll want to tell everyone about it. Dr. Meltem Yucel joins Jonathan to dish on gossip: why it’s irresistible, what it reveals about our moral and social codes, and how we can use it to our benefit. Come for the drama, stay for the drama. (Are we the drama?) Dr. Meltem Yucel is a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. She researches the development of social cognition and morality, specifically focusing on how and when children become moral beings. She is also the founder of www.PsychResearchList.com with the goal of making Psychology more accessible to students from all backgrounds by making the hidden curriculum of higher education more visible. You can follow Dr. Yucel on Twitter @DrMeltemYucel, on Instagram @drmeltemyucel, and on LinkedIn @nazlimeltemyucel. Her website is meltemyucel.com. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases!   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo and Chris McClure.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chimpanzees and bonobos know how to live it up. They hang out with their friends, they take self-care breaks, they eat fresh fruit, and when it’s raining they fashion umbrellas out of leaves. Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is back on the show this week to tell us all about the social lives of these dynamic individuals, who happen to share 98% of our DNA. From their favorite juice flavors to their equivalent of Netflix and chill—this episode’s got it all.   Missed Dr. Lewis’s first episode on the show, all about our great ape family tree? Check it out here.   Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is a UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Psychology department at UC Berkeley. She received her PhD from Harvard through the department of Human Evolutionary Biology last year. She studies how social cognition has evolved in our closest living primate cousins, chimpanzees and bonobos!   You can follow Dr. Lewis on Twitter @LauraSimoneLew.   Want to support our chimpanzee and bonobo cousins? Here are some groups to follow:   Lola Ya Bonobo in DRC Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Kenya Jane Goodall Institute World Wildlife Fund   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases!   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do Enlightenment-era paintings, 19th-century American fashion magazines, and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” have in common? They’re all examples of what fatphobia has to do with race, class, and gender discrimination. This week, we’re re-releasing one of our favorite episodes from the archives, with Dr. Sabrina Strings. Learn all about the origins of anti-fat bias, and how it persists today. Listened to this one last year? We promise—it’s worth revisiting! Sabrina Strings, Ph.D. is a Chancellor's Fellow and Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Sabrina has been featured in dozens of venues, including BBC News, NPR, Huffington Post, Vox, Los Angeles Times, Essence, Vogue, and goop. Her writing has appeared in diverse venues including, The New York Times, Scientific American, Ethnic and Racial Studies, and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Her book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (2019), was awarded the 2020 Best Publication Prize by the Body & Embodiment Section of the American Sociological Association. You can follow Dr. Strings on Twitter @SaStrings and check out her website, sabrinastrings.com. Want to learn more? Here are some books and resources Dr. Strings recommends: Da’Shaun Harrison's Belly of the Beast Sonya Renee Taylor’s The Body Is Not An Apology Dr. Joy Cox’s Fat Girls In Black Bodies Roxane Gay’s Hunger Tressie McMillan Cottom’s THICK Dr. Jill Andrew’s work NAAFA Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases!   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The RMS Titanic sank 111 years ago this week. It may have been on its maiden voyage, but this trip was the culmination of more than 200 years of maritime travel and innovation. This week, Dr. Meaghan Walker joins us to explore British maritime history in the lead-up to this historic event. And just like an 18th century ship would have zig-zagged towards its destination, this episode is hitting all the angles: we’re talking kidnappings, steerage, slop clothes (the original fast fashion!), and why men’s calves were considered their sexiest body part in the 1700s.   Meaghan Walker is the Ewart A. Pratt Postdoc at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, where she researches the clothing of British “working men who got wet.” She has done work on the Royal Navy and British merchant shipping, but her current project focuses on the clothing purchases of the residents of the fishing outport of Bonavista, Newfoundland, using records at Memorial’s Maritime History Archive.   You can follow Dr. Walker on Twitter @slopclothes! Curious to see the two images we discuss in the episode? Check them out here: J. Cooke and Samuel Collings. “Monmouth Street,” Print, 1789. Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University, New Haven, CT., 789.06.09.01. Rudolf Ackermann, “The Sailor and the Banker, or The Firm in Danger,” Print, 1799. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, PAF3851.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases!   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late 1990s, American malls were the place to be. Families from around the world vacationed at the Mall of America. Teens flocked to Britney Spears’ Hair Zone Mall Tour. A nine-year-old Jonathan basked in the fine fragrance mists of Juniper Breeze. Today, there are only around 700 indoor malls in the US, and more are in the midst of shuttering. What happened to these institutions? This week, Alexandra Lange joins Jonathan to discuss the rise, fall, and potential resurrection of the American mall.   Alexandra Lange is a design critic and author of “Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall.” Her essays, reviews and features have been published in the New York Times, The New Yorker and New York Magazine, as well as in design publications including Bloomberg Citylab, Elle Decor and Curbed. She lives in Brooklyn and walks in Brooklyn Bridge Park almost every day.    You can follow her on Instagram @langealexandra and on Twitter @LangeAlexandra. And you can purchase a copy of Meet Me by the Fountain here!   Bloomsbury Publishing is on Instagram @bloomsburypublishing and on Twitter @BloomsburyPub.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Find books from past Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn; we’ll be updating it soon with more releases!   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Headshot credit for Alexandra: Mark Wickens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A note from team Getting Curious: This episode contains descriptions of violence that are at times graphic.   Women in Iran aren’t allowed to dance, sing, or show their hair in public. But it wasn’t always this way in the country. In part two of our conversation with Moj Mahdara and Nicolette Mason of the Iranian Diaspora Collective, we’re exploring the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran—and considering what a free, secular democracy, a new constitution, and an end to theocracy could look like for Iranians.   If you haven’t listened to part one yet, check it out. We discuss the basics on what it’s like to live in Iran today, and map out the women-led revolution underway in the country.   You can follow Iranian Diaspora Collective on Instagram @iraniandiasporacollective, and at iraniandiasporacollective.com. Nicolette is on Instagram @nicolettemason. Moj is on Instagram @moj.    And you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   The Iranian Diaspora Collective (501c3 pending) is a non-partisan, multi-faith group that is inclusive of multiple backgrounds, gender and LGBTQIA+ identity. The Iranian Diaspora Collective supports the demands of Iranians inside Iran who want a free, secular democracy, a new constitution and an end to theocracy.   Nicolette Mason (she/her) is a celebrated writer, brand strategist in the fashion and beauty industries, and advocate for Inclusivity. She’s a queer, Iranian-American, Jewish advocate, and a founding member of the Iranian Diaspora Collective. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion, Nicolette has collaborated with brands such as Barbie, Nordstrom, Target, NARS, and more, and also co-founded a cult-followed fashion brand called Premme, alongside Gabi Gregg.   Moj Mahdara (she/they), is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, CEO and VC, a co-founder of Kinship Ventures and founding member of Iranian Diaspora Collective. They are focused on bringing more inclusion and diversity to the cap table and have invested in 100+ companies since 2011. Mahdara recently co-founded new fund Kinship Ventures alongside Gwyneth Paltrow. They are also the former CEO of Beautycon, a globally-recognized community for content creators, celebrities, fans, and brands.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A note from team Getting Curious: This episode contains descriptions of violence that are at times graphic.   If you haven’t heard about the women-led revolution happening in Iran, or you thought things had quieted down, that’s by design. The Islamic Republic of Iran has banned women from dancing, singing, and showing their hair in public. And they’ve restricted Internet access for people across the country. Still, taking these risks—and showing the world—is worth it to Iranians who want a free, secular democracy, a new constitution, and an end to theocracy.   This week, Moj Mahdara and Nicolette Mason—two founding members of the Iranian Diaspora Collective—join Jonathan for a two-part conversation about the country’s biggest protest movement in more than 40 years, and what’s at stake for women, young people, LGBTQIA+ people, and ethnic and religious minorities in particular.   In part one, we’ll focus on the last six months in Iran. In part two—out tomorrow—we’ll explore the history of the Islamic Republic, and what the future could hold for the people of Iran.   You can follow Iranian Diaspora Collective on Instagram @iraniandiasporacollective, and at iraniandiasporacollective.com. Nicolette is on Instagram @nicolettemason. Moj is on Instagram @moj. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   The Iranian Diaspora Collective (501c3 pending) is a non-partisan, multi-faith group that is inclusive of multiple backgrounds, gender and LGBTQIA+ identity. The Iranian Diaspora Collective supports the demands of Iranians inside Iran who want a free, secular democracy, a new constitution and an end to theocracy.   Nicolette Mason (she/her) is a celebrated writer, brand strategist in the fashion and beauty industries, and advocate for Inclusivity. She’s a queer, Iranian-American, Jewish advocate, and a founding member of the Iranian Diaspora Collective. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion, Nicolette has collaborated with brands such as Barbie, Nordstrom, Target, NARS, and more, and also co-founded a cult-followed fashion brand called Premme, alongside Gabi Gregg.   Moj Mahdara (she/they), is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, CEO and VC, a co-founder of Kinship Ventures and founding member of Iranian Diaspora Collective. They are focused on bringing more inclusion and diversity to the cap table and have invested in 100+ companies since 2011. Mahdara recently co-founded new fund Kinship Ventures alongside Gwyneth Paltrow. They are also the former CEO of Beautycon, a globally-recognized community for content creators, celebrities, fans, and brands.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today is March 31, 2023. It’s International Transgender Day of Visibility. And Queer Youth Assemble has organized the March For Queer & Trans Youth Autonomy. It’s set to be one of the largest queer and trans youth marches in history, with events across all 50 states and Washington, DC. We had the honor of speaking with three of the group’s leaders—Alia Cusolito, Esmée Silverman, and Faith Cardillo—about what they have planned for TDOV, how they’re experiencing this moment, and what everyone can do to support LGBTQIA+ youth right now. Queer Youth Assemble is a queer youth-led non-profit serving queer youth under 25 in the United States. You can follow them on Instagram and TikTok at @queeryouthassemble and on Twitter @qyouthassemble. Head to queeryouthassemble.org for more information on how to get involved, and to donate. Alia is on Instagram @alia.cusolito. Esmée is on Instagram and Twitter @esmeesactivism. And Faith is on Instagram @goalkeeping_faith, Twitter @faithgk11, and at linktr.ee/faithcardillo. Alia Cusolito (they/them) is Co-President of Queer Youth Assemble and one of the national march’s central organizers. They’re 17 and have been involved in activism on various levels since they were a young kid. They advocate for liberation and autonomy for all people, with hope of a future that is safe and compassionate.  Esmée Silverman (they/she) is a nationally renowned queer activist, community organizer, writer, and educator. Described as a spark of creativity, Esmée has used her unique personality and lived experiences as a non-binary asexual woman to improve the lives of queer & trans youth through events, protests, education, and other endeavors. They currently serve as the co-founder and co-president of Queer Youth Assemble, a non-profit bringing autonomy and joy to all queer & trans youth across the United States.  Faith Cardillo (she/they) is an athlete and political activist and advocate from Union, New Jersey whose expertise is in gun violence prevention, human rights, and voting rights. Faith is a representative on the NJ Youth Legislative Council, a member of the policy team for March For Our Lives NJ, and a member of the National Training Team for Students Demand Action. Faith also serves as the Head of Onboarding for Queer Youth Assemble. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re touring Washington, DC, to learn how the nation’s capital is a Native capital—with returning guest Dr. Elizabeth Rule! She and Jonathan explore the city’s significance for the 574 tribal nations in the US today and spotlight Indigenous art, architecture, and activism. Put on your walking shoes and join us for a journey that’ll change how you see the city, and the United States. Elizabeth Rule, PhD (enrolled citizen, Chickasaw Nation) is an Assistant Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies, and a Social Impact Resident Fellow with the Kennedy Center. Her book, Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation’s Capital (Georgetown University Press, 2023), analyzes historical and contemporary sites of Indigenous importance in Washington, DC. Rule is also the founder of the Guide to Indigenous Lands Project and creator of the Guide to Indigenous DC (2019), Guide to Indigenous Baltimore (2021), and Guide to Indigenous Maryland (2022) digital maps and mobile applications.  You can follow Dr. Rule on Twitter and TikTok at @ERuleDC, on Instagram @ERule.DC, and at ElizabethRule.com. And make sure to pre-order Indigenous DC, out in April from Georgetown University Press. Keep up with all things Guide To Indigenous DC on Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook at @IndigenousDC. For the apps and Indigenous DC merch, head to GuidetoIndigenousLands.com. And check out Elizabeth’s first appearance on the show here! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re celebrating the small screen with a TV legend: World of Wonder’s Fenton Bailey! Fenton is one of the creative forces behind RuPaul’s Drag Race and other groundbreaking TV shows and films.    Fenton and Jonathan discuss how infomercials, public access stations, televangelist sermons, and unscripted TV have shaped our reality. Plus, hear all about Fenton’s decades-long creative partnership with RuPaul; his work with cultural icons like Britney Spears, Tammy Faye, and Monica Lewinsky; and what happened when his career landed him in North Korea.   Fenton Bailey is the co-founder of World of Wonder, the production company behind the Emmy Award-winning “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Million Dollar Listing” LA & NY franchises, as well as award-winning subversive documentaries.    His new non-fiction book ScreenAge: How TV shaped our reality, from Tammy Faye to RuPaul’s Drag Race is out in the US on March 28, and you can order a copy now!   Follow Fenton on Instagram @fentonjbailey and on Twitter @fbailey.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Chris McClure, and Erin McKeon.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back with the second half of our special two-part episode about algorithms and artificial intelligence, featuring returning guest Meredith Broussard. Yesterday, we got the T on ChatGPT, and learned why we can’t trust algorithms to be fair or objective. Today, Jonathan and Meredith get personal about their encounters with algorithms, and consider what an equitable tech industry could look like. Plus, deepfakes, TikTok, the Supreme Court, and Jonathan’s take on M3GAN!   Meredith Broussard is Associate Professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and Research Director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She is the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World (MIT Press). Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic, BBC, Wired, the Economist, and more. She appears in the 2020 documentary Coded Bias and serves on the advisory board for the Center for Critical Race & Digital Studies.     Make sure to check out Meredith’s new book More Than A Glitch, out now from MIT Press.   You can follow Meredith on Instagram and Twitter @merbroussard, and at meredithbroussard.com. MIT Press is on Instagram and Twitter @mitpress.   Curious for more? Here are some people, projects, and other resources mentioned in this episode, all linked in the episode entry on jonathanvanness.com: Algorithmic Justice League (Joy Buolamwini) Algorithms of Oppression (Safiya Noble) Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights DAIR Institute (Timnit Gebru) Deb Raji’s work Design Justice (Sasha Costanza-Chock) Mimi Onuoha’s work Race After Technology + Viral Justice (Ruha Benjamin) Rumman Chowdhury’s work Take My Hand (Dolen Perkins-Valdez) The Gender Shades Project The Markup (Julia Angwin) Under the Skin (Linda Villarosa) Weapons of Math Destruction + ORCAA (Cathy O’Neil) Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Every time you interact with a targeted advertisement, use a drop-down menu, or scroll through TikTok, you’re engaging with an algorithm. And these algorithms are anything but objective. This week, Meredith Broussard returns to the show for a special two-part episode about algorithms and artificial intelligence—and how they shape our daily lives. In part one, we’re learning all about chatbots like ChatGPT, the origins of algorithmic bias, and WTF Francis Galton has to do with all of this. Join us tomorrow for part two, featuring an in-depth discussion about gender and racial bias in algorithms, the current state of the tech industry, and the future of AI. Meredith Broussard is Associate Professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and Research Director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology. She is the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World (MIT Press). Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic, BBC, Wired, the Economist, and more. She appears in the 2020 documentary Coded Bias and serves on the advisory board for the Center for Critical Race & Digital Studies. Make sure to check out Meredith’s new book More Than A Glitch, out now from MIT Press. You can follow Meredith on Instagram and Twitter @merbroussard, and at meredithbroussard.com. MIT Press is on Instagram and Twitter @mitpress. Curious for more? Here are some people, projects, and other resources mentioned in this episode, all linked in the episode entry on jonathanvanness.com: Algorithmic Justice League (Joy Buolamwini) Algorithms of Oppression (Safiya Noble) Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights DAIR Institute (Timnit Gebru) Deb Raji’s work Design Justice (Sasha Costanza-Chock) Mimi Onuoha’s work  Race After Technology + Viral Justice (Ruha Benjamin) Rumman Chowdhury’s work Take My Hand (Dolen Perkins-Valdez) The Gender Shades Project The Markup (Julia Angwin)  Under the Skin (Linda Villarosa) Weapons of Math Destruction + ORCAA (Cathy O’Neil) Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, just over a month ago, the team at River Valley Organizing sprang into action. River Valley Organizing is a multi-racial, multicultural working class organization that radically builds community throughout the Ohio River Valley—and they’ve been calling attention to the possibility of a train derailment like this for years. Since this catastrophic incident, they’ve been advocating for residents’ health and safety, holding political and business leaders accountable, and getting the word out about what’s going on in Ohio.   Today, we’re releasing a conversation Jonathan recorded on Instagram Live with Emily Wright and Justin Garner from River Valley Organizing. Listen in to learn more about this environmental and public health disaster, and what the future could look like for residents of Columbiana County.   This is still a fast-developing situation, so make sure to follow River Valley Organizing for the latest. They’re on Instagram @rivervalleyorganizing, Twitter @RiverValleyOrg, and Facebook @rivervalleyorganizing. Their website is rivervalleyorganizing.com.   Emily Wright is the Development Director for River Valley Organizing.   Justin Garner is the Communications Director and LGBTQIA+ Rep for River Valley Organizing.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A pastor, a president, and a foreign political leader step into a National Prayer Breakfast. What happens next? A whole lot of mingling between church and state. This week, Dr. Lauren Turek joins Jonathan to explore how evangelicals have influenced American politics—domestically and abroad—over the last half century. It’s a story of televangelism, missionary trips, and politicking of biblical proportions. Lauren Turek is an associate professor of history at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, where she teaches courses on modern United States history, U.S. foreign relations, and public history. She is the author of To Bring the Good News to All Nations: Evangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations, published with Cornell University Press. Lauren is currently at work on a book about the Congressional debates and alliances that shaped U.S. foreign aid funding during the twentieth century and is co-editing a Routledge Handbook on the history of religion and politics in the United States. You can follow Dr. Turek on Twitter @laurenfturek, on Instagram @laurenturek, and at laurenturek.com. If you’re curious for more, Dr. Turek recommends the following: Anthea Butler's White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Melani McAlister’s The Kingdom of God Has No Borders: A Global History of Evangelicals Jeff Sharlet’s The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports are about so much more than competition. Through athletics we learn life skills, we move authentically, and we find community. This week, Verity Smith joins Jonathan to discuss the importance of trans inclusion in sports, his personal experiences on the rugby pitch, and how we can stay resilient in this critical moment for LGBTQIA+ rights.   Verity Smith (he/him) is the Mermaids’ Trans Inclusion in Sports manager. Verity is a gay trans man and has a disability. He played elite women’s rugby in both codes for 26 years and now plays for the Leeds Rhinos in the wheelchair rugby league  superleague. He also supports D&I for the International Gay Rugby and World Gay Games.  Verity believes that all young people should have access to sport, believing in education, not discrimination.   Mermaids is a UK-based organization that supports transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse children, young people, and their families.   You can follow Verity on Instagram @smithverity and on Twitter @VeritySmith19.   You can follow Mermaids on Instagram @mermaidsgender and Twitter @Mermaids_Gender, and at mermaidsuk.org.uk.   Curious for more? Revisit our episode with Lui Asquith about trans rights in the UK here, and check out our full collection of episodes about LGBTQIA+ rights and representation at jonathanvanness.com/topic/lgbtqia.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gorillas. Orangutans. Bonobos. Chimpanzees. Humans. Can you name a more iconic Fab Five? This week, Dr. Laura Simone Lewis joins Jonathan for an episode all about our beautiful primate family tree! Listen in to learn how we’re related, what makes each species unique, and why we need to step up conservation efforts for our closest living relatives on the planet.   Dr. Laura Simone Lewis is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned her PhD from Harvard in the department of Human Evolutionary Biology. Laura studies how social cognition has evolved in chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. Besides hanging out with great apes, she loves swimming in the ocean, making pottery, and going on solo travel adventures around the world.   You can follow Dr. Lewis on Twitter @LauraSimoneLew. Here's a link to the chart on human evolutionary pathways. And here's a link to the great ape family tree, with a photo of Jonathan at the center! We have so much more ground to cover with Dr. Lewis, and we’re already planning a follow-up episode about social cognition in chimpanzees and bonobos. If you have a question for Dr. Lewis, leave us a voicemail or text message at (917) 960-2980, or share your message with us at jonathanvanness.com.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dust isn’t just something that accumulates between our couch cushions. Dust is ALL OVER Earth—there are 20 trillion grams of it!—and it plays a critical role in weather events, climate change, and how we understand Earth. This week, Dr. Sarah Aarons joins Jonathan to discuss her research on mineral dust, and her research trips to Antarctica. Plus, Jonathan asks hard-hitting questions, like: Is household dust really just dead skin cells? Does flushing your toilet make an aerosol mess? And how do you stay caffeinated near the South Pole? Sarah Aarons was born and raised in Alaska. She is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roses are red, violets are blue, we have a Valentine’s Day episode for you! This week on Getting Curious, we’re learning all about the history of Valentine’s Day, with returning guest Dr. Sally Holloway. Was the holiday always about love and romance? When did roses and chocolates become go-to gifts? And what would people living in Georgian England think of celebrations like Galentine’s Day? This episode is a perfect match with Dr. Holloway’s first conversation with Jonathan, all about love and courtship in Georgian England! Here’s a link to listen. Dr. Sally Holloway is a historian of gender, emotions, and material culture in 18th and 19th century Britain. She is a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, and the author of The Game of Love in Georgian England (2019). You can follow Dr. Holloway on Twitter @sally_holloway. Looking for a Valentine’s Day treat? Grab a copy of The Game Of Love In Georgian England, now in paperback. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dogs. We snuggle up with them on the couch. We pamper them with treats and toys and songs. We even give them prime placement on our dating profiles! But how—and why—did we become BFFs with canines? And what does our love for dogs say about us? This week, anthrozoologist Dr. maythe han and her dog Frank join Jonathan to explore this special bond between humans and dogs.   maythe han is an anthrozoologist of more-than-human kinship with dogs. Addressing the question ‘how can we live a good life together?’, her research foregrounds embodied imagination and creativity in exploring how dogs and their humans become-with one another. She uses art and music to understand and communicate the ways in which dogs and their humans co-produce and re-produce systems, structures, and sensibilities involved in multispecies experiences and environments. She lives with her border collie, Frank, who is a very good boy.    You can follow maythe on Instagram and Mastodon @odetodogs for her artwork, on Twitter @maythehan, and at maythehan.com. And make sure to check out her gorgeous custom animal portraits—she’s taking commissions!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting in the late 1800s, a group of Syrian immigrants settled in America. Many of them took up peddling as a career. When American newspapers described these peddlers, it was often in derogatory ways—and through terms of queerness. This week, Dr. Charlotte Karem Albrecht joins Jonathan to explore this moment in Arab American history, how it's been remembered, and what it reveals about “the sexual, racial, and gender machinery of American society.”   A note from Team JVN: In this episode, Dr. Karem Albrecht and Jonathan discuss how Arabs and Arab Americans were understood by white Americans. As part of that discussion, we reference various historical documents that include anti-Arab and anti-Semitic language. If you'd like to pre-screen those moments, you can find them in the transcript at jonathanvanness.com.   Charlotte Karem Albrecht is an Assistant Professor of American Culture and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she is also a core faculty member in the Arab and Muslim American Studies program. She is also an avid lover of plants and mushrooms and her five fur babies.   You can follow Charlotte on Twitter and Instagram @CKaremAlbrecht. You can learn more about her work at www.charlotteka.com.    Make sure to check out her new book Possible Histories: Arab Americans and the Queer Ecology of Peddling, published by University of California Press.   A free ebook version is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Head to www.luminosoa.org for details.   And if you’re curious for more, Dr. Karem Albrecht recommends:   Alixa Naff’s Becoming American: The Early Arab Immigrant Experience Mejdulene Shomali’s Between Banat: Queer Arab Critique and Transnational Arab Archives Susan Schweik’s The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public Sarah Gualtieri’s Between Arab and White Randa Tawil’s work on Syrian interpreters Vivek Bald’s work on Bengali migrants   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’d told Jonathan seven years ago that they’d be celebrating 300 episodes of Getting Curious this week, they would have passed out on the salon floor. You’d be visiting from the future, after all! We couldn’t have made it to 300 episodes without you, our listeners—so to celebrate this milestone, Jonathan’s answering your voicemails. Listen in for their takes on style, confidence, navigating the entertainment industry, and how we make the show each week. Make sure to grab some tissues and listen to the end, because this one gets emotional!     Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   PS - If you’re looking for style recommendations, and specifically shoe recommendations, we can’t recommend following ALOK enough! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all need to eat. And we know that the choices we make with food are at once deeply personal and informed by systemic factors. As part of our ongoing exploration into global foodways, Dr. Aviaja Lyberth Hauptmann joins Jonathan to discuss the history, science, and culture of the animal-sourced Inuit diet. Listen in to learn more about Inuit fermented foods, how colonization has shaped what’s on shelves in Nuuk, and why you might want to pass on any papaya for sale in the Arctic.    One note about this episode is that it does discuss hunting and fishing. If you’d like to skip it, we’d completely understand—but if you are able to listen, there’s so much to learn from Dr. Hauptmann.   Aviaja L. Hauptmann, PhD., is an Inuk microbiologist, Assistant Professor and public debater from Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). Her research centers the strengths of the animal-sourced Indigenous diet of Inuit. For the past four years, her research focus has been the human and microbial culture of Inuit foods and their role in food sovereignty.    If this episode left you hungry for more, visit Aviaja’s project page on Instagram @asi_inuit_microbiology_lab!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New year, Gilded Age drama! Today we might think of municipal trash collection as a mundane activity. But in the late 1800s, trash collection in the United States was the site of dirty politics, public health debates, and a whole lot of mess. Professors Patricia Strach and Kathleen S. Sullivan join Jonathan to discuss how we went from 16-foot-tall trash piles in the streets to our modern system of trash pick-ups. And we're getting into all the unsavory details...   Want to (dumpster) dive deeper into the politics of trash? Check out their new book The Politics of Trash: How Governments Used Corruption to Clean Cities, 1890-1929, published by Cornell University Press. You can visit the book’s website for more information!   Patricia Strach is professor in the Departments of Political Science and Public Administration & Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York and a fellow with the Rockefeller Institute of Government. With Kathleen S. Sullivan, she is the author of The Politics of Trash: How Governments Used Corruption to Clean Cities, 1890-1929 (Cornell University Press 2023). Her previous books include Hiding Politics in Plain Sight: Cause Marketing, Corporate influence, and Breast Cancer Policymaking (Oxford University Press 2016) and All in the Family: The Private Roots of American Public Policy (Stanford University Press 2007).    Kathleen S. Sullivan is Associate Professor of Political Science at Ohio University. With Patricia Strach, she is the author of The Politics of Trash: How Governments Used Corruption to Clean Cities, 1890-1929 (Cornell University Press 2023). She is also the author of Constitutional Context: Women and Rights Discourse in Nineteenth-Century America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007). She is currently researching sailors’ boardinghouses.   You can follow Professor Strach on Twitter @PatriciaStrach and Professor Sullivan on Twitter @kathlsullivan.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we wind down for the year, we’re re-releasing one more essential beauty episode from the Getting Curious archives! Jonathan and David Yi celebrate the history of gender-inclusive beauty, and spotlight beauty influencers across millennia—like Neanderthals who used highlighters, Korean warriors who invented three-in-one sticks, and ancient Egyptians who developed anti-aging creams.   David Yi is the co-founder of the gender-inclusive beauty brand good light, and the CEO and co-founder of Very Good Light—a beauty publication dedicated to redefining masculinity. They are also the author of the book PRETTY BOYS, which honors beauty icons past and present who have redefined masculinity and gender expression.    You can find David on Twitter and Instagram @seoulcialite; good light is on Instagram and TikTok @goodlight.world, and at goodlight.world; and Very Good Light is on Instagram at @verygoodlight and verygoodlight.com.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This holiday break, we’re re-releasing two gorgeous beauty episodes from the Getting Curious archives! First up, join Dr. Tina Lasisi—a biological anthropologist studying human hair—and Jonathan as they explore the evolutionary history of hair, measuring hair variation, and the twists and turns of Jonathan’s hair school textbook. Dr. Tina Lasisi is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Quantitative and Computational Biology at the University of Southern California, and incoming Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan.  You can follow Dr. Lasisi on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @tinalasisi. Her website is www.tinalasisi.com. Make sure to check out more of her work via linktr.ee/tinalasisi, like her PBS Digital Studios series Why Am I Like This?.   Want to support other Black Biological Anthropologists? Dr. Lasisi recommends following @BlackinBioAnthro on Twitter and Instagram, and @rockstaranthro on Instagram.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For our last new episode of the year, we’re turning the mic on the Getting Curious community. Jonathan is answering your questions about all things hair—including dry shampoo, hair loss, highlights, and staying sleek while getting sweaty. And one thing is clear: curiosity looks good on you!   We’ll be re-releasing two of our favorite beauty episodes from the Getting Curious archives to round out the year. And we’ll be featuring more of your questions about beauty and beyond in just a few weeks as we celebrate our 300th episode of the show.   Here’s to all of our gorgeous listeners, and to another year of Getting Curious together!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Erica Getto is our Executive Producer. Zahra Crim is our Associate Producer. Andrew Carson is our Editor.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the mid-1800s, Americans shipped ice to Hawaiʻi in the hopes that there would be a market for it. There wasn’t. So how did ice—in the form of cocktails, ice cream, shave ice, and beyond—become lodged in Hawaiʻi’s foodscape? This week, Professor Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart joins Jonathan to discuss the social history of ice and refrigeration in Hawaiʻi—and what this history reveals about colonial relationships to the tropics.  Hiʻilei Julia Kawehipuaakahaopulani Hobart (Kanaka Maoli) is Assistant Professor of Native and Indigenous Studies at Yale University. An interdisciplinary scholar, she researches and teaches on issues of settler colonialism, environment, and Indigenous sovereignty. Her first book, Cooling the Tropics: Ice, Indigeneity, and Hawaiian Refreshment is published by Duke University Press. You can follow Professor Hobart on Twitter @hiokinai. The first edition of Cooling the Tropics will feature a rainbow iridescent cover, so be sure to pick up a copy before they’re sold out!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a world of curiosity just below street level, and this week, we’re taking the plunge with a truly glam academic! Dr. Marsha K. Allen joins Jonathan to discuss fractured rock aquifers, sinkholes, and her groundbreaking work on water sustainability in Tobago. Dr. Marsha K. Allen is a geologist with a research background in Cosmochemistry (meteorites) and Hydrogeology. Her current research focuses on the fractured rock aquifer of one of her home islands, Tobago. She is currently new faculty at her alma mater Mount Holyoke College where she hopes to inspire students to pursue a STEM degree. Ready to start advocating for more sustainable water use?  For global action, check out Waterkeeper Alliance.  Black people and Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected by contaminated waters. A uniquely national Native initiative, Honor the Earth’s mission is to raise awareness and support for Native environmental issues.  In North Dakota, get to know the Water Protectors of Standing Rock. Mari Copeny, age 15 and also known as Little Miss Flint, has been fighting the water crisis in Flint, MI for over five years.  You can follow Marsha on Twitter @HydroGeoTrini, and if you have any burning questions sparked by this podcast, feel free to email her at hydrogeotrini@gmail.com!  Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This holiday season, we’re inviting Getting Curious listeners to reflect on what it means to be in community. In that spirit, we’re re-releasing a conversation about mutual aid with the writer and activist Dean Spade. Mutual aid is all about meeting people’s survival needs at a local level, and building sustained, decentralized, compassionate support networks. We encourage you to take a listen to Dean and Jonathan’s conversation, then take some time to learn about—and get involved in—mutual aid initiatives in your community. Dean Spade has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He’s the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law, the director of the documentary “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!,” and the creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published by Verso Press in October 2020. You can follow Dean on Instagram @spade.dean and Twitter @deanspade.  Want to take action but not sure where to start? Here are some resources Dean recommends: Shit’s Totally FUCKED! What Can We Do?: A Mutual Aid Explainer   What is Mutual Aid? (Classroom Version)   Workshop Series: Building Capacity for Mutual Aid Groups   Truthout’s Movement Memos: Dean Spade Is Asking Activists, “How Much Bolder Could You Be?”   And if you’re curious about Dean’s work beyond mutual aid, check out how he approaches the romance myth from a feminist, radical perspective:   New Romance Webinar: Dismantling the Cycle of Romance Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we’re learning all about the culture of cheese, and literal cheese cultures, with Carlos Yescas and Lee Hennessy. They join Jonathan to discuss how cheese is made, the politics and economics of the global cheese industry, and why we should enjoy Swiss cheese while we have it. It’s the episode equivalent of a gorgeous charcuterie board!   Carlos Yescas is a cheese scholar, advocate, distributor, and researcher. He documents cheese traditions and stories and is currently researching raw-milk use in cheesemaking around the world.   Lee Hennessy is the founder, farmer, and cheesemaker of Moxie Ridge Farm. Lee is a first-generation farmer and a transgender man with a surprising background in both wine and Hollywood. He lives and works in Argyle, NY and in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his goats, reading long fantasy series, learning to play instruments and singing.   Want to stop doomscrolling? Take Carlos’ advice and learn more about cheese! He’s on TikTok @cheeseyescas and Instagram @CarlosYescas.    Lee is on Instagram @hennessie. Moxie Ridge Farm is on Instagram @moxieridgefarm, and at moxieridgefarm.com. Sign up for their newsletter for information about seasonal cheese shipping, and Lee’s cheesemaking class through Small Farm School.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you take a shower and use basic cosmetics, you could be exposed to more than 100 chemicals. Add in your furnishings and food, and we’re talking several hundred chemicals, some of them bioaccumulative—and dangerous. But if we know that certain consumer goods have toxics in them, how did they end up on shelves? And why are they still for sale? This week, Dr. Norah MacKendrick joins Jonathan to break down the history and politics of daily chemical exposure, and what needs to change so that we can stay safe. Dr. Norah MacKendrick is Associate Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. She's the author of Better Safe Than Sorry: How Consumers Navigate Exposure to Everyday Toxics. Her research falls within the fields of environmental sociology, gender, medical sociology, and consumer studies.   You can follow Dr. MacKendrick on Twitter @nmackend, on Instagram @nmackendgreen, and at norahmackendrick.com.    Curious about limiting exposure to toxic chemicals? Here are some resources she recommends:   The Center for Environmental Health offers essential information, webinars, and resources and check out the Environmental Working Group’s map on PFAS water contamination.   Ready to take action? Start with the nationwide Mind the Store campaign – then explore the Detox Me Action Kit from Silent Spring Institute and the EWG’s Skin Deep Database for guidance on safer personal care products.    Want to get involved with organizations protecting consumers of color? Check out WE ACT's Beauty Inside Out Working Group and Black Women For Wellness.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode is a gymnastics EVENT! Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles joins Jonathan to discuss how she’s taking the sport to new heights at both the elite and collegiate levels, why she doesn’t take any wins for granted, and who’s on her playlist heading into competition days. Whether you’re a gymnastics newbie or an elite level fan like Jonathan, this one’s a winner.   One note is that we recorded this episode just before Jordan qualified for the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships. Make sure to check out the competition before it ends on November 6!   Jordan Chiles is a globally-recognized, nationally-ranked gymnast and Olympic silver medalist. With legendary basketball star Michael Jordan as her namesake, Chiles’ trajectory has, fittingly, been driven by athletic excellence. Her breakout performance at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games catapulted the athlete to a global stage. Chiles currently resides in Los Angeles and attends UCLA.   You can follow Jordan on Instagram @jordanchiles, on Twitter @ChilesJordan, and on TikTok @JordanChiles.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1977 more than 100 disabled activists in San Francisco took over a federal building for 25 days. It was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history. As they advocated for their rights, they found an ally in the Black Panther Party, which understood that disability rights were connected with their own anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist racial justice work. This week, Professor Sami Schalk joins Jonathan to discuss how Black cultural workers have approached disability as a social and political issue in the U.S. from the 1970s to the present, and what it looks like to honor Black disability politics through language, legislation, and beyond.  Sami Schalk is an associate professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race & Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction (Duke UP 2018) and Black Disability Politics (Duke UP 2022). Schalk identifies as a fat Black queer disabled femme and a pleasure activist.    You can follow Professor Schalk on Twitter @drsamischalk and on Instagram as @fierceblackfemme.    Her new book Black Disability Politics is essential reading, and Professor Schalk has made it open access, so make sure to track down a copy—and drop in on one of the hybrid launch events in the coming weeks!   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let’s say you pass a group of people dressed identically. Are they a) following a trend, b) wearing uniforms, or c)  in a cult? And who’s to say the answer can’t be all of the above? This week, we’re diving fabric first into the world of American cults, communes, and alternative communities with fashion historian and archivist Sarah C. Byrd. Listen in as she and Jonathan discuss how these groups have historically expressed themselves through style—and why the definition of “cult fashion” might be more expansive than we think. Sarah C. Byrd is a fashion historian, archivist, & educator based in New York. Her independent research focuses on the history of clothing within American “cults” and alternative communities, as well as the role of museums in fashion design education. She is also passionate about creating space to engage in learning outside of institutional programs. You can connect with Sarah via her website: sarahcbyrd.com. Still curious after listening to this episode? Sarah has suggested a handful of resources, and places to learn and visit, for each of the communities featured in the episode. All of these resources are linked in the episode entry on jonathanvanness.com: The Shakers: Shaker Museum Collection (New Lebanon, NY) Hancock Shaker Village (Hancock, MA) Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community (Sabbathday Lake, ME)   The Oneida Community: Oneida Community Archive Collection (Syracuse University Library) Oneida Community Mansion House (Oneida, NY)  FLDS: A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 (Book by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich) Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Netflix) Prophet's Prey (Showtime) The Source Family: The Source Family (Documentary) The Source: The Untold Story of Father Yod, YaHoWha 13, and The Source Family (Book by Isis Aquarian & Electricity Aquarian) Heaven’s Gate: Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults (HBO) Heaven’s Gate (Witness Docs podcast, hosted by Glynn Washington) General: America and the Utopian Dream (Yale University Beinecke Library) American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation (Book by Adam Morris)   Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re traveling back to one of our favorite sites for curiosity: the ancient Mediterranean. Professors Sarah Derbew and Nandini Pandey join Jonathan to discuss how people across the region experienced cultural diversity; how they related to—and set themselves apart from—their neighbors; and what it looks like to approach the ancient past on its own terms rather than filtered through contemporary assumptions.   Sarah Derbew is an assistant professor of Classics at Stanford University. She writes, teaches, and speaks widely about ancient Greece’s literary and visual heritage, considering its representations of black people that nimbly provoke - and cut through - modern hierarchies.    You can follow her on Twitter @BlackAntiquity, and at www.sarahderbew.com. Her new book Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity is out now, and you can purchase it using the coupon code UBGA2022.    Nandini Pandey is an associate professor of classics at Johns Hopkins University who writes and teaches about Roman culture, Latin literature, ancient race and identity, and the ways that all of these live on in the modern world.     You can check out her books, essays, media, and events at nandinipandey.com or follow her on Twitter @global_classics. Her first book is on The Poetics of Power in Augustan Rome.   Want to learn more about race in classical antiquity? Professor Pandey recommends Rebecca Futo Kennedy’s writing.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Treat this episode like a spritz of your favorite fragrance. Let the beauty talk consume you. Linger on the film industry stories. Stay for the base notes of Jonathan in disbelief that our guest is literally Michelle Pfeiffer. Michelle Pfeiffer joins Jonathan to discuss the science of scent, the trade secrets harming people’s health, and how she’s modeling transparency with her company Henry Rose.    Need more Jonathan and Michelle in your life? Check out their Instagram Live from earlier this year. And stay tuned for an episode later this fall with an amazing sociologist that explores how consumer choice in beauty and other goods has become our go-to defense against toxic products—and how the US government has designed the system this way.   Michelle Pfeiffer is a three-time Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe Award winner, and Emmy nominee who has captivated film audiences with her compelling performances for over three decades. She is also the Founder and Creative Director of Henry Rose, a line of fine fragrances and personal care products that sets a new precedent for ingredient transparency.   You can follow Michelle on Instagram @michellepfeifferofficial. You can follow Henry Rose on Instagram and TikTok @henryrose.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each year, more than 250,000 children in America are removed from their families by judicial means—and more than 3.5 million children are investigated by child welfare agencies. Most of these children are Black, Indigenous, queer, disabled, and / or otherwise marginalized. And much of the tens of billions of dollars allotted each year to so-called “child welfare” is spent on separating families. This week’s guest Dorothy Roberts joins Jonathan to discuss how this system operates; who it most harms; and what it has to do with mass incarceration, police brutality, and centuries’ worth of inequities in this country.   Dorothy Roberts is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a contributor to the 1619 Project book and the author of four books, including the best-selling Killing the Black Body. Her path breaking work in law and public policy focuses on urgent social justice issues in policing, family regulation, science, medicine, and bioethics.  She has been featured in countless media outlets including The New York Times, New York Magazine, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, Vice News, CNN, ABC, and many others. She lives in Philadelphia. CW: This episode discusses police violence, bodily harm, and hateful rhetoric. You can follow Dorothy on Twitter @DorothyERoberts. Her newest book, Torn Apart, is available now.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com.   Headshot Credit: Chris Crisman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If Getting Curious were a magazine, this week’s episode would be the “September Issue,” and this week’s guest would be the cover star of our dreams. British Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful, OBE, joins Jonathan to discuss how he’s transformed your favorite magazines over the last three decades; how he’s leading the way for a more diverse, welcoming fashion world; and what it was like to get vulnerable for his new memoir A Visible Man.   Edward Enninful is Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue and the European Editorial Director for Vogue. As a lifelong advocate for diverse voices, Edward spearheaded “The Black Issue” at Italian Vogue which featured only Black models. He eventually rose to become the fashion and style director of W Magazine. In 2017, Edward became editor-in-chief of British Vogue, making him the only Black person to serve in this role in the history of Vogue. Born in Ghana, he currently resides in London. You can follow Edward on Instagram and Twitter @edward_enninful. His new memoir A Visible Man is now on sale.    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1871, Germany adopted an anti-sodomy statute called Paragraph 175. Sixty years later, the Nazis broadened that law—and it quickly became the basis for persecuting Germany’s queer population. When World War II ended, Paragraph 175 remained on the books. Dr. W. Jake Newsome joins Jonathan to discuss queer Germans’ experiences of Nazi rule and its aftermaths, the history and legacy of the pink triangle, and how this pivotal moment in queer history bears on today.   CW: This episode references racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic ideology, and bodily harm.   W. Jake Newsome, Ph.D. is an award-winning scholar of German and American LGBTQ+ history whose work educates global audiences. His new book Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust chronicles the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community's first international pride symbol: the pink triangle.  For more of Dr. Newsome’s work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok @wjnewsome.  You can find digital essays, videos, podcasts, lesson plans, and other resources on LGBTQIA+ people in Nazi Germany at wjakenewsome.com/resources.   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a beautiful night—the sky is clear, the stars are twinkling. You see a shooting star! Or is it a comet! Maybe a meteor? Whatever it is, it’s gone in an instant. But what if that whirring bit of space were headed... straight towards the Earth, not past it? Yeah, not so cute. This week, Christina Hernández and Terik Daly of NASA join Jonathan to talk about asteroids, what they’re made of, and how we could protect the planet if one came hurtling towards the place we call home.   Christina Hernández (she/her/hers) is a systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She currently works on Psyche, NASA’s mission to a metal world, as a flight systems engineer. She previously spent over 6 years working on NASA’s Perseverance rover mission as a payload systems engineer. You can follow Christina on Twitter @estrellasycafe.  Dr. Terik Daly is a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He is the deputy instrument scientist for NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, which is the world’s first planetary defense test mission. For more information on NASA’s upcoming missions, including those mentioned in this episode, you can follow @AsteroidWatch on Twitter.  Interested in the worlds of our solar system? Visit @NASASolarSystem for the broad picture and @NASAPersevere to check in on our neighbor, Mars! Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re spending this week cooking up some incredible fall programming. To tide you over, here’s a re-air of our episode with Sohla El-Waylly, all about cooking basics, ancient recipes, and Sohla and Jonathan’s shared affinity for a certain Taco Bell classic that was discontinued at the time of this recording and is now BACK!    Sohla El-Waylly is a culinary creator, writer, and community advocate. She’s the guest editor of the forthcoming collection The Best American Food Writing 2022, available for pre-order now. She can also be seen starring in The HISTORY® Channel’s online series Ancient Recipes with Sohla.    You can keep up with Sohla’s work on Instagram @sohlae and at www.hellosohla.com.   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are more than 62 million Latine people living in the United States. Some are US-born, others are recent immigrants, and still more have had family members here for centuries—living on land that was once part of Mexico. This week, Mónica Ramírez returns to Getting Curious to discuss how the Latine community is “deeply rooted” in the US, what it looks like to protect the humanity and dignity of these 62 million people, and why advocates like Mónica aren’t simply showing up at spaces of consequence to address systemic issues—they’re creating spaces of consequence. CW: This episode discusses bodily harm and hateful rhetoric. Mónica Ramírez is an attorney, author, and activist fighting for the rights of farmworkers, migrant women workers, and the Latine(x) community. She is the founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, The Latinx House, and Poderistas. Mónica has received numerous awards, including Harvard Kennedy School’s first Gender Equity Changemaker Award, Feminist Majority’s Global Women’s Rights Award, the Smithsonian’s 2018 Ingenuity Award and the Hispanic Heritage Award.  She was named to Forbes Mexico’s 100 Most Powerful Women’s 2018 list and TIME Magazine included her in its 2021 TIME100 Next list. Mónica is also an inaugural member of the Ford Global Fellowship. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Law Center, Friends of the Latino Museum and she is a member of The Little Market’s Activists Committee. Mónica lives in Ohio with her husband and son.   Follow Monica on Instagram @activistmonicaramirez and Twitter @MonicaRamirezOH. The Latinx House is on Instagram and Twitter @thelatinxhouse, and at www.thelatinxhouse.org.   For more on Raizado, The Latinx House Festival, head to www.raizadofest.org.    For more resources mentioned in this episode, check out:   Coalition of Immokalee Workers United Farm Workers Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO Nalleli Cobo - Goldman Environmental Prize   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gossip Galaxy here, your one and only source into the scandalous lives of the universe’s elite. I have it on *expert* authority that the Milky Way is stirring up cosmic drama. Has this Local Group galaxy had enough of its central black hole? Will they or won’t they with Andromeda? And is spaghettification the real dish of the summer? Dr. Moiya McTier and Jonathan tell all in this week’s stellar episode.   Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator based in New York City. Her new book The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy is out now.   After graduating from Harvard as the first person in the school’s history to study both astronomy and mythology, Moiya earned her PhD in astrophysics at Columbia University where she was selected as a National Science Foundation research fellow. Moiya has consulted with companies like Disney and PBS on their fictional worlds, helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science, and given hundreds of talks about science around the globe (including features on MSNBC, NPR, and NowThis News).    To combine her unique set of expertise, Moiya hosts and produces the Exolore podcast that explores fictional world-building through the lens of science. When she’s not researching space or imagining new worlds, Moiya can likely be found watching trashy reality TV with her cat, Kosmo.   You can follow Dr. McTier on Twitter and Instagram @goastromo, and at moiyamctier.com.   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Headshot Credit for Dr. McTier: Mindy Tucker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You want LGBTQIA+ rights? You want reproductive justice? You want to end mass incarceration? You want environmental protections? You want living wages? You better vote for state legislature, b**ch. Sister District co-founders Gaby Goldstein and Lala Wu return to Getting Curious for a conversation all about the upcoming midterm elections, and specifically what’s in store for state legislative races. Listen in as they discuss what it’ll take for Democrats and progressives to hold their ground; how we can invest in year-round, state-level organizing; and why we need to think in a timeline of decades, not just election cycles.  Gaby Goldstein is an attorney and political strategist who focuses on the growing importance of state legislatures. She is co-founder at Sister District, whose mission is to build progressive power in state legislatures and co-moderator of the State Power Series, a virtual event series co-sponsored by Vote Save America/Crooked Media and Sister District. Lala Wu is a co-founder and the Executive Director of Sister District, which builds progressive power in state legislatures. Prior to Sister District, Lala was a lawyer, specializing in environmental and clean energy law. Lala graduated from U.C. Berkeley, School of Law and Barnard College of Columbia University. Lala serves on the Boards of the AAPI Victory Alliance and Together SF, and the Advisory Board of Asian American Women's Political Initiative. She is a New Leaders Council alum. You can follow Gaby and Lala on Twitter @gaby__goldstein and @_lala_wu_. To keep up with Sister District, you can follow them on Twitter @Sister_District.  Want to get involved with Sister District? Check out the Sister District & Partners National phonebank!    Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A note from Jonathan and team Getting Curious: we recorded this episode in May, the same day the first case of monkeypox was documented in the US. Today there are nearly 6000 confirmed cases—and counting—across the country. If you’re a member of the queer community or an ally, we implore you to make the spread of monkeypox a personal problem—and to put pressure on elected leaders to take this outbreak seriously. Dr. Thrasher's work is central to understanding how and why this virus is spreading, so we'll be posting updated commentary from him, and other resources, to our @CuriouswithJVN social media pages in the coming days. Viral spread, this week’s guest reminds us, “happens through very normative life activities: sex, breathing, handshaking, hugging, just being. The things that we have to do to stay alive.” So what happens when we encounter viruses through these activities? The answer often depends on who “we” are. Listen in as Dr. Steven W. Thrasher and Jonathan explore how social inequalities in the US and beyond shape how viruses spread—and who is most vulnerable when they do.  CW: This episode discusses police violence, bodily harm, and hateful rhetoric.   Steven W. Thrasher, PhD holds the inaugural Daniel H. Renberg chair at Northwestern University's Medill School, the first journalism professorship in the world created to focus on LGBTQ research. A columnist for Scientific American, his writing has been widely published by The New York Times, Nation, The Atlantic, Journal of American History, Esquire and New York Magazine. In 2019, Out Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential and impactful people of the year, and the Ford Foundation awarded him a grant for Creativity and Free Expression. The Viral Underclass is his first book.   You can follow Steven on Twitter @thrasherxy. You can follow Celadon Books on Twitter @CeladonBooks for updates on The Viral Underclass and other books.    Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is a guest on one of our favorite podcasts this week: Scam Goddess. And we’re releasing that episode on our Getting Curious feed, too. Did we scam host Laci Mosley and her team into producing an episode of Getting Curious for us? Perhaps. Will you love what you hear? Absolutely. Listen in as Laci and Jonathan discuss an iconic scam from art history, and get a feel for how Jonathan gets curious from the guest seat.   Head to the Scam Goddess podcast feed for notes and sources from this episode, and make sure to subscribe. You can follow Laci on Instagram and Twitter @divalaci, and Scam Goddess on Instagram and Twitter @scamgoddesspod.   “Scam Goddess” is a podcast dedicated to fraud and all those who practice it! Each week host Laci Mosley (aka Scam Goddess) digs deep into the latest scams alongside some of your favorite comedians! It’s like true crime only without all the death! True fun ass crime!  Scam Goddess was featured in the top 10 comedy podcasts of 2020 by Vulture magazine. It’s been praised by Essence, Marie Claire, Vox, Harper’s Bazaar, Time Out, and was also featured in New York Times. Scam Goddess won the 2021 and the 2022 Webby Awards for Best Crime and Justice Podcast. Scam Goddess is also the winner of the 2022 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards for Best Crime Podcast.   Laci Mosley is a Black American actor, comedian, and podcaster. She performs improv comedy at UCB Los Angeles and is a series regular in Season 2 of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, and in the Showmax comedy series Florida Girls. She is also a cast member in Paramount+’s iCarly reboot and a contributor on ABC’s The Con.   Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2015, Senator Jim Inhofe brought a snowball to Congress to “prove” that climate change wasn’t real. Only God, he claimed, could change the climate. He was wrong on two fronts: one, climate change is real. And two, faith and climate science are *not* incompatible. This week, Dekila Chungyalpa joins Jonathan to discuss her work collaborating with faith leaders on climate efforts, how she confronts climate change disinterest and skepticism, and why she’s bringing the sacred back into science.    Dekila Chungyalpa is the founder and director of the Loka Initiative, a capacity building and outreach platform at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for faith leaders and culture keepers of Indigenous traditions who work on environmental and climate issues. She received the prestigious Yale McCluskey Award in 2014 for her work and moved to the Yale School of Environmental Studies as an associate research scientist, where she researched, lectured and designed the prototype for what is now the Loka Initiative. Dekila is originally from the Himalayan state of Sikkim in India and is of Bhutia origin. You can keep up with Dekila by visiting her Facebook and by following her on Twitter and Instagram @dchungyalpa.  For more information about the Loka Initiative, visit their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @LokaInitiative and on Instagram @loka.initiative.  Struggling with eco-anxiety? Read Dekila’s five tips on how to alleviate eco-anxiety or visit SoundCloud, Tricycle Magazine, or the Healthy Minds app for contemplative practices to address eco-anxiety and climate distress.     Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, here we are. Roe v. Wade has been overturned, and it’s more urgent than ever to rally for reproductive rights across the country—and understand how we got to this point. This week, Professor Jacki Antonovich joins Jonathan to explore the history of abortion care and forced sterilization in the US, how white supremacy has shaped reproductive politics, and why Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman isn’t the historical fiction we may think it is. CW: This episode includes descriptions of bodily harm and discussion of racist ideologies. Jacqueline Antonovich is an Assistant Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She is the author of the article, “White Coats, White Hoods: The Medical Politics of the Ku Klux Klan in 1920s America,” and she is currently working on a book on the history of women physicians and medical imperialism in the American West. Jacqueline is the creator and co-founder of Nursing Clio, a collaborative blog project that examines the historical roots of present-day issues surrounding gender, health, and medicine. Make sure to follow Professor Antonovich on Twitter @jackiantonovich and Nursing Clio on Twitter @NursingClio and at nursingclio.org.  Looking for further reading? Here are some books Professor Antonovich recommends:    Killing the Black Body by Dr. Dorothy Roberts Medical Bondage by Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens Medicalizing Blackness by Dr. Rana A. Hogarth   Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation, and find resources in light of the SCOTUS decision.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.  Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July Fourth got us thinking: what does “independence” look like for American-controlled territories? To explore that question, we’re re-running an episode from the archives with Professor Kaysha Corinealdi, where she and Jonathan discuss the political history and legacy of the US-controlled Panama Canal Zone. And all week on our @CuriouswithJVN social media pages, we’ll be highlighting episodes from our archives that interrogate the idea of “freedom” in the US and abroad. Kaysha Corinealdi is an interdisciplinary historian of modern empires, migration, gender, and activism in the Americas. Her forthcoming book Panama in Black, available for preorder now, centers the activism of Afro-Caribbean migrants and their descendants as they navigated practices and policies of anti-Blackness, xenophobia, denationalization, and white supremacy in Panama and the United States.   Her research can also be found in Black Perspectives (September 14, 2021), Caribbean Review of Gender Studies (Issue 12, 2018), the International Journal of Africana Studies (18:2, Fall-Winter 2017), and the Global South (6:2, Fall 2013).   You can follow Professor Corinealdi on Twitter @KCorinealdi, and read more of her work here and on her website.    Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? You can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When we first met Lee Hennessy, he introduced himself as “a farmer, doing farmer things, living the farmer life, who happens to be trans.” To round out our “Pride In Nature” series, we’re learning all about Lee’s life running Moxie Ridge Farm & Creamery, what it was like to come out after opening the farm, and what farming has taught him about sex and gender. A note to listeners: Lee’s work as a livestock farmer involves creating and selling animal products, including things like cheese, wool, and meat. If this topic is challenging or uncomfortable, we encourage listeners to approach the episode if/when they're ready and to visit Moxie Ridge's values to understand Lee's approach to making animal products. Lee Hennessy is the founder, farmer, and cheesemaker of Moxie Ridge Farm. Lee is a first-generation farmer and a transgender man with a surprising background in both wine and Hollywood. He lives and works in Argyle, NY and in his spare time he enjoys spending time with his goats, reading long fantasy series, learning to play instruments and singing. You can follow Lee on Instagram @hennessie. Want to know what Moxie Ridge Farm is up to? Follow them on Instagram @moxieirdgefarm. If you’d like to help finance a security system for Moxie Ridge Farm, you can donate to their GoFundMe – this piece explains why trans-owned farms like Moxie Ridge need security. Consider supporting Moxie Ridge’s Patreon, which will help support not only the maintenance and development of the farm, but also allow Lee to mentor future marginalized farmers. Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? You can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, f*ck. In light of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, we on team Getting Curious wanted to check in with our listeners.  We are devastated by this news. We also know that in difficult moments, it’s important to be in community and conversation with each other. We have an episode in the works all about the history of reproductive care in the United States. It’s not slated for release until July— But today, we’re bringing you a preview.  Here is an excerpt from our upcoming conversation with Professor Jacki Antonovich that explores the history of abortion care in the US, and why today’s decision is so egregious. Jacqueline Antonovich is an Assistant Professor of History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She is the author of the article, “White Coats, White Hoods: The Medical Politics of the KuKlux Klan in 1920s America,” and she is currently working on a book on the history of women physicians and medical imperialism in the American West. Jacqueline is the creator and co-founder of Nursing Clio, a collaborative blog project that examines the historical roots of present-day issues surrounding gender, health, and medicine. Make sure to follow Professor Antonovich on Twitter @jackiantonovich and Nursing Clio on Twitter @NursingClio and at nursingclio.org.  Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation, and find resources in light of the SCOTUS decision. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love a “both and” moment, and this week’s guest is giving us just that: Munroe Bergdorf is both a stunning model and an incredible LGBTQIA+ role model. She and Jonathan celebrate this month’s “Pride In Nature” series with a conversation about her early love for the outdoors, the importance of trans inclusion in sports, and her hopes for representation in the fashion industry and beyond. Munroe Bergdorf is a writer, model, and activist. She has spoken on international panels from Oxford to Princeton and contributed to publications such as the Guardian, Grazia, i-D, Teen Vogue, ELLE and Paper. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Brighton for her contribution to campaigning for transgender issues.  Can't get enough of Munroe and Jonathan? Check out their episode together on Munroe's podcast The Way We Are. You can keep up with Munroe on Instagram @munroebergdorf. Looking to support LGBTQIA+ rights? Munroe recommends following our friends at Mermaids in the UK and the ACLU & Transgender Law Center in the US.  Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Headshot Credit for Munroe: Luke Nugent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’re planning an afternoon with friends, just east of Atlanta, Georgia. A picnic, maybe a scenic walk, some fireworks as the sun goes down. You find a park that seems to have it all: Stone Mountain. Then you do some research on it—and learn that it holds significance for the Confederacy AND the modern Ku Klux Klan. WTF?! In the lead-up to Juneteenth, Dr. Elizabeth Alexander joins Jonathan to explore the history and contemporary significance of America’s monuments—who’s represented, in what ways, and what it’ll take to change these narratives.   Elizabeth Alexander – decorated poet, educator, memoirist, scholar, and cultural advocate – is president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  She has held distinguished professorships at Smith College, Columbia University, and Yale University, is Chancellor Emeritus of the Academy of American Poets, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and serves on the Pulitzer Prize Board.   Dr. Alexander composed and delivered “Praise Song for the Day” for the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, and is author or co-author of fifteen books, including American Sublime (Pulitzer finalist, Poetry, 2006), The Light of the World (Pulitzer finalist, Biography, 2015), and The Trayvon Generation (2022).   You can follow Dr. Alexander on Twitter @ProfessorEA and Instagram @alexanderlizzy, and at elizabethalexander.net.    Want to know what the Mellon Foundation is up to? You can follow their work on Twitter and Instagram @mellonfdn.    Want to learn more about monuments? Check out the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project, and the work of Monument Lab.   A special thank you to all of our listeners who submitted questions for Dr. Alexander, they very much guided this episode!   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com.   Headshot Credit for Dr. Alexander: Djeneba Aduayom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan long saw mushrooms as an ingredient to avoid on a menu—until they learned that mushrooms, and fungi more generally, have a lot to do with queerness. In this week’s “Pride In Nature” episode, Dr. Patty Kaishian joins Jonathan to discuss fungi behavior and reproduction, her groundbreaking work on queer mycology, and how changing our relationships with fungi can change the world. Dr. Patty Kaishian is a mycologist and Visiting Professor at Bard College. Her research focuses on fungal taxonomy, diversity, evolution, symbiosis, and ecology, particularly of the less studied fungal groups, such as the insect-associated Laboulbeniales. Dr. Kaishian also studies philosophy of science and feminist bioscience, exploring how mycology and other scientific disciplines are situated in and informed by our sociopolitical landscape. Loved learning about the fabulous world of fungi? Follow Dr. Kaishian on Instagram and Twitter @queendom_fungi!   For more information about the International Congress of Armenian Mycologists, visit https://icarmenian-mycologists.github.io/.   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Were there same-sex couples on Noah’s Ark? Was Glee right that dolphins are just gay sharks? What’s a bonobo handshake?! Eliot Schrefer and Jonathan kick off our “Pride In Nature” series, running through June, with a conversation all about queer behaviors observed in animals. It’s “gay stuff” meets “why we need to ‘say gay’” stuff.   You can follow Eliot on Twitter @eliotschrefer and on Instagram @schrefer. Visit him online at www.eliotschrefer.com, and make sure to check out his new book Queer Ducks (and Other Animals), out now!   Eliot Schrefer is a New York Times bestselling author, and has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature. His non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times and Discover magazine, and his novels include The Darkness Outside Us, Endangered, and the Lost Rainforest series. He is on the faculty of the Hamline University and Fairleigh Dickinson University MFA programs in creative writing, is getting a MA in Animal Studies at NYU, and reviews books for USA Today.    Can't get enough of YA literature? Follow Epic Reads on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @EpicReads.    Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Headshot Credit for Eliot Schrefer: Priya Patel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*A note from the Getting Curious team: We delivered this episode just as news broke about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Elementary schools are supposed to be spaces for learning, growth, and creativity. No child or adult should ever have to worry about gun violence when they step into a classroom. You can follow our @CuriouswithJVN social media pages for resources and developments.* Jonathan has spent a decade preparing for this week’s episode: they’ve pored over countless hours of footage, consulted with historians, even married a Brit. Today, that research pays off, as Jonathan interviews Allen Leech and Laura Carmichael aka Tom Branson and Lady Edith of Downton FUCKING Abbey. Listen in as they discuss behind-the-scenes stories, the work that goes into creating a historical drama, and the new film Downton Abbey: A New Era. A note to Downton fans! This episode contains spoilers, notably around 21 minutes, 32 minutes, and 51 minutes in. Downton Abbey: A New Era is playing in theaters now. You can follow the latest on Twitter @DowntonAbbey, Instagram @downtonabbey_official, and Facebook @DowntonAbbey. A native of south Dublin, award winning actor Allen Leech is best known for his role in Downton Abbey, where he plays Tom Branson, chauffeur turned estate manager. You can follow Allen on Twitter @Allenleech and on Instagram @therealleech. Laura Carmichael plays Lady Edith in Downtown Abbey and will also play the lead role in the second season of thriller series The Secret She Keeps later this year. You can follow Laura on Twitter @carmichelle and Instagram @larrycarmichael. Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do Enlightenment-era paintings, 19th-century American fashion magazines, and Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” have in common? They’re all strong examples of what fatphobia has to do with race, class, and gender discrimination. This week, learn all about the origins of anti-fat bias, and how it persists today, with Professor Sabrina Strings.  Sabrina Strings, Ph.D. is a Chancellor's Fellow and Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Sabrina has been featured in dozens of venues, including BBC News, NPR, Huffington Post, Vox, Los Angeles Times, Essence, Vogue, and goop. Her writing has appeared in diverse venues including, The New York Times, Scientific American, Ethnic and Racial Studies, and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Her book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (2019), was awarded the 2020 Best Publication Prize by the Body & Embodiment Section of the American Sociological Association. You can follow Dr. Strings on Twitter @SaStrings and check out her website sabrinastrings.com. Want to learn more? Here are some books and resources she recommends: Da’Shaun Harrison's The Belly of the Beast Sonya Renee Taylor’s The Body Is Not An Apology Dr. Joy Cox’s Fat Girls In Black Bodies Roxane Gay’s Hunger Tressie McMillan Cottom’s THICK Dr. Jill Andrew’s work NAAFA Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This fall, pro-union sentiment in the US rose to 68 percent—the highest it’s been since 1965. We’re living through a major moment for labor organizing, and we have so many questions! How did we get here? Who got us here? And what’s at stake for workers across the country today? Kim Kelly joins Jonathan to discuss the power of collective bargaining, worker solidarity, and her new book FIGHT LIKE HELL, an intersectional history of labor movements in the US. Kim Kelly is an independent journalist, author of FIGHT LIKE HELL: The Untold History of American Labor. She has been a regular labor columnist for Teen Vogue since 2018, and her writing on labor, class, politics, and culture has appeared in The New Republic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Baffler, The Nation, and many others. Previously, she was the heavy metal editor at “Noisey,” VICE’s music vertical, and was an original member of the VICE Union. A third-generation union member, she was born in the heart of the South Jersey Pine Barrens, and currently lives in Philadelphia with a hard-workin’ man, a couple of taxidermied bears, and way too many books. Want to learn even more about the US labor movement?  Follow Kim on Twitter @grimkim and on Instagram @kimkellywriter.  Pick up a copy of FIGHT LIKE HELL, out now! And check out Kim’s FIGHT LIKE HELL reading list, which you can access for free on her Patreon. Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Headshot Credit for Kim Kelly: Elizabeth Kreitschman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*A note from Jonathan and the Getting Curious team: We are covering the latest SCOTUS developments on Instagram and Twitter @CuriouswithJVN. Head there for insights from past guests, resources, and relevant episodes from our archive. We invite you to listen to this episode whenever feels right for you, and we hope that you’ll find comfort and energy from it.*   The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and we have a spring in our step because Professor Beronda Montgomery is back on Getting Curious, for an episode all about trees! How do trees know when to unfurl their leaves in the spring? Do they have growth spurts? What’s bud grafting all about? Learn all that and more—plus, catch up on the latest from Jonathan and Mark’s garden.     Beronda Montgomery is a writer, science communicator, and currently a Michigan State University Foundation Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics. Beronda will soon be Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean at Grinnell College. Her recent book is Lessons from Plants (2021, Harvard University Press).   If you aren’t already obsessed with Professor Montgomery and following her on all the socials, she’s on Twitter @BerondaM and @PlantLessons, and on Instagram @Beronda_M and @PlantLessons. Her website is berondamontgomery.com. And you can follow her New Scientist column here!   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was it like to trans gender if you were living in 18th or 19th century England or America? This week, Professor Jen Manion joins Jonathan to explore the world of “female husbands,” people who were raised as girls but lived as men. Listen in to learn about these resilient individuals’ lives; how they were treated by their partners and the press; and how they paved the way for queer and trans communities today.  Jen Manion is a writer, historian, and advocate whose work examines the role of gender and sexuality in American life. Jen was the first in their family to graduate from college and is now a Professor at Amherst College.  You can follow Professor Manion on Twitter @activisthistory, on Instagram @manionjen, and at www.jenmanion.com. And make sure to grab a copy of Female Husbands, published by Cambridge University Press. Want to learn more? Here are some resources referenced in the episode: Digital Transgender Archive Library of Congress Digital Archives Some additions to your watch (and reading!) lists: Gentleman Jack Albert Nobbs And more resources Professor Manion recommends: Transgender Children in Antebellum America (OutHistory.org) Histories of Sexuality and the Carceral State (NOTCHES) The Performance of Transgender Inclusion (Public Seminar) Don't Pop the Champagne Yet on “They” (Public Seminar) Why Do You Call Us Ladies? (Public Seminar) Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes, when we get real excited about an episode, we stick our hands under our armpits and SNIFF ’EM! And this week, we’re real excited, because we have none other than THE superstar Molly Shannon on the show. Listen in as she and Jonathan discuss her comedy career, her new book Hello, Molly!, and how they crossed paths long before Jonathan was cast on Queer Eye. Molly Shannon is an Emmy-nominated and Independent Spirit Award-winning actress and comedian. You know her from her Saturday Night Live, Other People, The Other Two, The White Lotus, and so many other incredible film and television projects. She’s in the upcoming Showtime series I Love That For You, and her new memoir Hello, Molly! is out now. Make sure to follow Molly on Instagram @theofficialsuperstar.  Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coral are teeny tiny animals just two layers thick, and yet they create the biggest structures made by any biological creatures on the planet—like, the size of Italy big. Literally HOW! This week, Dr. Juli Berwald and Jonathan dive deep on all things coral, from their mating behaviors to their “badass merger” with algae to coral reefs’ critical importance to life in the ocean and on land. Juli Berwald received her PhD in ocean science from the University of Southern California. She’s the author of Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone and a contributor to The New York Times, Nature, National Geographic, and Slate. Her new book Life on the Rocks: Building a Future for Coral Reefs is out now. You can follow Dr. Berwald on Twitter and Instagram @juliberwald. Her website is www.juliberwald.com.  Interested in learning more about coral reefs and sunscreen? Discover more here! Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This one’s for everyone who watched Bridgerton and wondered: could I get it in Georgian England?! Dr. Sally Holloway joins Jonathan to discuss the ins and outs of love and courtship in this era, including gifts and letters people would exchange, 18th century contraception, and the historical equivalents of ghosting and catfishing.   Dr. Sally Holloway is a historian of gender, emotions, and visual and material culture over the long 18th and nineteenth centuries, and is a Vice Chancellor’s Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University. She is the author of The Game of Love in Georgian England: Courtship, Emotions, and Material Culture (Oxford, 2019), which will be published in paperback in June.   You can follow Dr. Holloway on Twitter @sally_holloway.   Here are some visual resources to pair with the episode:   “The Unwilling Bridegroom, or Forc’d Meat Will Never Digest”   “Sympathetic Lovers”   Eye Miniature   18th c. Sheep's Gut Condoms   The love letter from William Martin to Hannah Smith, sent on February 15, 1714, is from the Hampshire Record office in Winchester, ref. 3M51/684. You can find their contact details here.   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love a reason to be extra, and Jonathan’s new book Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life goes on sale next week, so we’re dropping an extra episode to celebrate! Listen in to hear Jonathan read a chapter from the Love That Story audiobook, all about overcoming body issues and learning to love themselves.     Before you dive in, please note that in this chapter, Jonathan discusses their experiences with binge eating and food restriction. So take this episode at your own pace, or revisit it when and if it feels right for you to do so.   If you’re listening before April 11, there’s still time to pre-order Love That Story–and if you do, you can download a bonus chapter of the audiobook! Visit any local independent bookseller to order the hardcover, and then go to libro.fm/lovethatstory to get the instant download.    Want to support a queer-owned bookstore with your purchase? Here are some of our faves:   Women and Children First   Astoria Bookshop   A Room of One’s Own   Also—Jonathan’s going on a book tour! There are dates in New York, LA, Chicago, Austin, and virtually. Visit jonathanvanness.com/booktour to find a stop near you. Here’s some of what’s in store:   Politics & Prose with Sixth & I   Posman Books with 92Y   Seminary Coop with Chicago Humanities Festival   Book Soup @ Zipper Hall   Book People @ The Library Foundation   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we count down to this year’s Trans Day of Visibility, there’s a lot to be thankful for: trans creativity, resilience, community. There’s also a lot on the line for trans people and those who love them. Adri Pèrez and Chase Strangio of the ACLU join Jonathan to discuss the importance of protecting trans rights, what attacks on the trans community say about state power, and what a coordinated resistance could look like. Adri Pèrez is the policy & advocacy strategist for the ACLU of Texas, where they lead LGBTQIA+ advocacy on the Sexuality & Gender Equality team. You can follow Adri on Instagram @adriperextx and on Twitter @AdriPerezTX. Chase Strangio is Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender rights. You can follow Chase on Instagram and Twitter @chasestrangio. Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What comes to mind when you think of the Himalaya? For Jonathan, it’s a whole lot of questions! This week’s guest Dr. Mona Chettri gives us a glimpse at life in the eastern Himalaya, including how political borders have shaped the region; what’s changing amidst rapid development; and what the future might hold for young residents.   Mona Chettri is a Post-Doctoral Research fellow at the Australia-India Institute, University of Western Australia. She has worked extensively on urbanisation, ethnicity, environmental politics and development in the eastern Himalayan borderlands of Sikkim, Darjeeling and east Nepal.  She is the author of Constructing Democracy: Ethnicity and Democracy in the eastern Himalaya (Amsterdam University Press, 2017) and co-editor of Development Zones in Asian Borderlands (Amsterdam University Press, 2021). Her current research focuses on the intersections between gender, labour, urbanisation and infrastructure in the Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalaya, India and Himalayan immigrant labour in Australia.    You can follow Dr. Chettri on Instagram @monagtk, on Twitter at @mona_chettri, and on Facebook at mona.gtk.   For more information on the eastern Himalaya, check out The Confluence Collective and Sikkim Project.   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Blah,” said Toad. “I feel down in the dumps.”    “Why?” asked Frog.    “I’m thinking about how there’s never been an episode of Getting Curious about us.”   Frog opened up his podcast feed.   Toad peered over his shoulder.   “Toad, there it is! An episode of Getting Curious with herpetologist Kelly Zamudio! All about where we live, how we interact, and why we’re so important to biodiversity.”   They pressed play—and now, they invite you to do the same.   Kelly Zamudio is an evolutionary biologist and her research focuses on the origin and maintenance of diversification in vertebrates (especially reptiles and amphibians). Her lab integrates field research in population biology, demography, and landscape/habitat change with lab research on the genetic underpinnings of population diversification, speciation, and conservation genetics. Kelly has a particular fondness for frogs and their reproductive modes. You can follow her on Twitter at @KZ_UTAustin. Her lab website is zamudiolab.org.   Keep up with the latest on frogs at AmphibiaWeb and Amphibian Species of the World.    Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Old MacDonald had a farm—and on that farm he had rich terrain for an episode of Getting Curious. Join Professor Gabe Rosenberg and Jonathan as they explore what agricultural history has to do with our modern understandings of sex, gender, and sexuality. They cover the concept of “animal husbandry,” 4-H clubs, the story of a pig looking for love, and so much more.   Gabriel N. Rosenberg is Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies and History at Duke University, where he studies how gender, race, and sexuality have shaped the history of the modern food system.    His first book, The 4-H Harvest: Sexuality and the State in Rural America, was a gendered history of the iconic rural youth organization, and he is currently writing a book about the interconnections between livestock breeding and the emergence of the human eugenics movement. He writes frequently for The New Republic and has held research fellowships at the National Humanities Center, Yale University, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, and the American Philosophical Society.   You can follow him on Twitter @gnrosenberg and subscribe to his Substack newsletter “The Strong Paw of Reason” at bearistotle.substack.com.   Join the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson.   Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital.   Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.   Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode’s dedicated to our main squeeze: olive oil. Professor Selina Wang joins Jonathan to discuss olive oil varieties, processing, and fraud—yes, fraud! Plus, Jonathan gets clarity on why they can’t bear to eat an olive but can’t get enough of olive oil. Prof. Selina Wang is an Associate Professor of Cooperative Extension at the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis. Her mission-oriented research and teaching focuses are food quality and purity; fruit and vegetable processing; and food sustainability.  You can follow her on Twitter @SelinaWangPhd and Instagram @profselinawang, and keep up with her work at selinawang.com. Her lab is on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube @UCFoodQuality. Want to keep up with all things olive oil? Professor Wang recommends reading the Olive Oil Times. Join in on the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do you get when a biological anthropologist studying hair and a hairstylist compare notes? A stunning new episode of Getting Curious. Join Dr. Tina Lasisi and Jonathan as they explore the evolutionary history of human hair, measuring hair variation, and the twists and turns of Jonathan’s hair school textbook. Tina Lasisi is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Biological Anthropology. Her research is on the evolution and genetics of human variation in pigmentation and scalp hair. She also works on science communication and education. You can follow Tina on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @tinalasisi. Her website is www.tinalasisi.com, and you can explore more of her work at linktr.ee/tinalasisi. Want to support other Black Biological Anthropologists? Dr. Lasisi recommends following @BlackinBioAnth on Twitter and Instagram, and @rockstaranthro on Instagram. Join in on the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan’s in the guest seat! You submitted your questions for Jonathan on social media—and we have answers. We’re talking Getting Curious the podcast and Netflix series, self-care, gymnastics, gardening, and so much more. And for those of you who wondered when Jonathan’s husband Mark would make his podcast debut? We’ve got an answer for that, too. Join in on the conversation, and find out what former guests are up to, by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Keep up with our very special guest host Mark Peacock on Instagram @marklondon.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever read a headline that seems just plausible enough—when you realize it’s fake? This week, Dr. Nadia Brashier joins Jonathan to discuss how our brains process misinformation, why even one exposure to a falsehood can increase our odds of believing it, and what we can do to debunk fake news. Dr. Nadia Brashier is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. She studies why people fall for fake news and how we can intervene. You can follow Dr. Brashier on Twitter @nadiabrashier and read more about her research at nadiabrashier.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.    Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Our executive producer is Erica Getto. Our associate producer is Zahra Crim. Our editor is Andrew Carson. Our socials are run and curated by Middle Seat Digital. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIN; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Getting Curious merch is available on PodSwag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s Prue Week on Getting Curious! On the Great British Baking Show (aka the Great British Bake Off), it’s clear that Prue Leith has excellent taste. But what’s Prue up to when she’s not judging crème pat, frangipane, and the occasional soggy bottom? This week, Prue and Jonathan dish on how Prue developed her palette, their shared love of gardening, and what’s on their creative plates this year.    Dame Prue Leith, DBE, DL is a businesswoman, journalist, novelist, cookery writer and broadcaster. Her restaurant, Leith’s, had a Michelin Star, she is a past winner of the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year and has been a Director on many boards, including British Rail and Belmond Ltd. She chaired The School Food Trust tasked with improving school meals and an education company turning round failing schools. She was the instigator of the Fourth Plinth contemporary sculpture project in Trafalgar square and is currently a judge on the Great British Baking Show, and Advisor to the government’s Review of Hospital Food. She likes salmon fishing, gardening and home life.   You can follow Prue on Instagram and Twitter @PrueLeith, and at PrueLeith.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Love listening to Getting Curious? Now, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to dive in.   Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since 1997, Jonathan has been haunted by a question: could a volcano erupt a la Dante’s Peak and turn a local creek into a river of hot acid? This week, Professor Chris Jackson answers all of Jonathan’s burning questions about how volcanoes are formed, what happens when they erupt, and how Pierce Brosnan’s character in Dante’s Peak would have fared against a real pyroclastic flow. Chris Jackson is Chair in Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester and spent 16 years at Imperial College. Chris works in the general area of sedimentary basin analysis. When not studying rocks, Chris gives geoscience lectures to the public and schools, and he’s appeared on several Earth Science-focused television productions and podcasts. Chris is engaged in efforts to improve equality, diversity, and inclusivity in Higher Education. He runs, too! You can follow Professor Jackson on Twitter @seis_matters, and on Instagram @christopheraidenleejackson. Want to learn more about volcanoes?  Dive into resources from the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program here. Read up on the life and legacy of US Geological Survey volcanologist David Johnston— And check out the work of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who are the subjects of the documentary feature Fire of Love, playing now at Sundance. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Love listening to Getting Curious? Starting this Friday, January 28, you can also watch Getting Curious—on Netflix! Mark your calendars, and head to netflix.com/gettingcurious to set a reminder. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Indigenous peoples represent about five percent of the world’s population—and sustain nearly 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity. This week, Dr. Jessica Hernandez joins Jonathan to discuss the principles of Indigenous science, Indigenous land stewardship, and what it will take to heal Indigenous landscapes.  Dr. Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch’orti’ & Binnizá) is a transnational Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. In her new book Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science (out now!), she breaks down why western conservationism isn’t working–and offers Indigenous models informed by case studies, personal stories, and family histories that center the voices of Latin American women and land protectors. You can follow Dr. Hernandez on Twitter and Instagram @doctora_nature, and keep up with her work at www.jessicabhernandez.com.  For more resources about Native and Indigenous lands, visit landback.org and native-land.ca.  Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when you add JVN to E = mc²? You get an episode of Getting Curious all about physics, explored through one of Jonathan’s favorite topics: figure skating! This week, Dr. Deborah King joins Jonathan to break down the biomechanics behind skating techniques, the cutting edge technology she’s using to research ice sports, and how we can watch the winter Olympics like scientists. Dr. Deborah King is a professor of biomechanics in the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences at Ithaca College. She began her work with figure skating in 1993 while with the United States Olympic Committee Athlete Performance Division and has continued to work with the sport for the last 21 years.  Her work in skating has included studying the biomechanics of figure skating jumps, focusing on 3D kinematics of national and internal level figure skaters, studying injury demographics in competitive and non-competitive skaters, and developing an instrumented blade to study impact forces in figure skating.      Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the itsy bitsy spider crawls up the water spout, it dawns on her: her exoskeleton doesn’t fit. Is it a fashion emergency—or her moment to shine? This week, Dr. Maydianne Andrade joins Jonathan to share the ins and outs of spider growth, behavior, and reproduction.    Dr. Maydianne Andrade is a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and president of the Canadian Black Scientists Network.   You can follow Dr. Andrade on Twitter @WidowWeb, and at maydianne.com. The Canadian Black Scientists Network is on Twitter and Instagram @canblacksci.   For more resources referenced in this episode, make sure to check out the work of Professor Karen Warentkin at Boston University, including the presentation Crossing boundaries, disrupting binaries: A queer perspective on studying behavioral diversity.   Many thanks to Dr. Senthurran Sivalinghem at University of Toronto for permission to use the amazing spider footage featured towards the end of this conversation.   And thank you to Dr. Jessica Ware for sparking our curiosity here! Dr. Ware’s episode of Getting Curious about cicadas, dragonflies, and other insects is a perfect follow-up listen.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re ending this year on a high note with none other than Brandi Carlile! She and Jonathan talk Brandi’s incredible music career, queer faith, and Dolly Parton—and Jonathan asks hard-hitting questions like, “Did you know you’d grow up to be Brandi Carlile, Brandi Carlile?” Brandi Carlile is a six-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, performer, producer, New York Times best selling author and activist. Her new album In These Silent Days was released this past fall to widespread acclaim leading to five nominations at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for the album’s first single, “Right On Time.” You can follow Brandi on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @brandicarlile and find more of her work on brandicarlile.com.  Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  This week’s episode is as nourishing as they get, as chef Pati Jinich joins Jonathan to discuss cuisines along the US-Mexico border, holiday foods she associates with growing up in Mexico, and what we can learn from taking a bite out of a burrito.   Pati Jinich is a James Beard Award-winning Mexican chef who has dedicated her career to building a shared understanding between her two home countries: Mexico and the United States. Her long-running PBS series Pati’s Mexican Table has brought Mexican flavors, colors and textures into American homes and kitchens, as viewers have watched Pati thoughtfully and enthusiastically guide them through the various geographic regions of the country.    Pati is also the host of the recently released PBS Primetime special La Frontera, which highlights the unique foods and culture along the Texas-Mexico border, and has authored three cookbooks including the recently released Treasures of the Mexican Table.   You can follow Pati on Instagram and Twitter @PatiJinich, and learn more about her work at patijinich.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re a regular listener of Getting Curious, you know how much Jonathan loves the Sister Act films. But how realistic were they? This week, former nuns Kelli Dunham and Mary Johnson share what it was like to serve with Mother Teresa (yeah, that Mother Teresa) in the Missionaries of Charity—and why they left the congregation. Kelli Dunham is a comic, writer, nurse, and genderqueer ex-nun. You can follow Kelli on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @kellidunham—and at kellidunham.com. Make sure to check out Kelli’s storytelling series Queer Memoir at Caveat. Mary Johnson loves life. Her award-winning memoir An Unquenchable Thirst reveals the secret life inside her 20 years as a nun with the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. As a Humanist Celebrant, Mary creates ceremonies for weddings, memorials, and all life’s transitions. Mary is also host of The Book Canopy and is working on a second book and a video series. You can follow Mary on Twitter @_MaryJohnson and at maryjohnson.co.  Want to hear more from Kelli and Mary, and other former Missionaries of Charity? Check out the excellent podcast series The Turning: The Sisters Who Left, inspired by Mary’s Memoir and produced by Rococo Punch and iHeartMedia. Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1903, a Frenchman and an American granted the United States ninety nine years of control over the Isthmus of Panama. No Panamanians signed that treaty. This week, Professor Kaysha Corinealdi and Jonathan explore the political history and legacy of what came next: the Panama Canal. Kaysha Corinealdi is an interdisciplinary historian of modern empires, migration, gender, and activism in the Americas. Her forthcoming book Panama in Black centers the activism of Afro-Caribbean migrants and their descendants as they navigated practices and policies of anti-Blackness, xenophobia, denationalization, and white supremacy in Panama and the United States. Her research can also be found in Black Perspectives (September 14, 2021), Caribbean Review of Gender Studies (Issue 12, 2018), the International Journal of Africana Studies (18:2, Fall-Winter 2017), and the Global South (6:2, Fall 2013).   You can follow her on Twitter @KCorinealdi, and read more of her work here.    Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode is a cut above the rest, as we explore the history and cultural significance of scissors. Join Jonathan and design historian Teresa Collenette as they talk ancient spring scissors, Victorian-era chatelaines, Jonathan’s go-to hair shears, and Teresa’s incredible collection of more than 100 pairs of scissors.  Teresa Collenette is a design historian, curator and collector. Teresa has curated several exhibitions with the Fashion and Textile Museum, including The Secret Life of Scissors in 2018 and Beautiful People: The Boutique in 1960s Counterculture, which is up now!   You can follow her on Instagram @thehouseofscissors.   Want to learn more about scissors? Check out these resources:   Handmade scissors in Sheffield at Ernest Wright   Scissors being made at Ernest Wright   Scissors maker William Whiteley & Sons, Sheffield   Scissor Collecting Magazine Dial M For Murder   The Secret Life of Scissors exhibition in The New York Times   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can you map out the Oregon Trail? If you just flashed back to playing The Oregon Trail video game in your sixth grade computer lab, get ready for a journey. Jonathan and Professor Margaret Huettl explore how Native knowledge systems established the Oregon Trail; how Native peoples experienced non-Native settlers moving West; and how Indigenous communities today are reckoning with this past to build a better future.   Margaret Huettl, a descendant of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibweg, Assyrian refugees, and European settlers, is Assistant Professor in History and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a scholar of Native American history and North American Wests, and her research examines the continuities of Ojibwe sovereignty in the context of settler colonialism in both the United States and Canada, centering Ojibwe ways of knowing.    You can follow her on Twitter @historianhuettl.   Want to learn more about the Oregon Trail?    See whose land you’re living on, or learn more about the Native nations whose land was crossed by the Oregon Trail: Native-Land.ca   Visit the only Oregon Trail museum run by Indigenous people: TAMÁSTSLIKT CULTURAL INSTITUTE   Explore the Fort Laramie Treaty through an interactive case study: Fort Laramie Treaty Case Study   Read Margaret’s work: “Treaty Stories: Reclaiming the Unbroken History of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Sovereignty”   Learn more about Indigenous representations: IllumiNative.    Check out some Indigenous-centered games:   When Rivers Were Trails Invaders Growing Up Ojibwe Never Alone   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may have seen tear gas marketed as a “non-lethal” or “less lethal” weapon. The truth is more dangerous. This week, Professor Anna Feigenbaum breaks down what’s in tear gas, who manufactures it, and what its poisonous history reveals about profit motivation and modern policing. Professor Anna Feigenbaum works at Bournemouth University in the South of England. She is the author of Tear Gas (Verso 2017). Her recent project The Data Storytelling Workbook (Routledge 2020) provides a guide to telling more effective, empathetic and evidence-based data stories.   You can follow Professor Feigenbaum on Twitter @drfigtree.   Want to learn more about tear gas? Here are some recommended resources:   Tear Gas: An Investigation — Amnesty International   RiotID (@RiotID on Twitter)   Welcome to Omega Research Foundation | Omega Research Foundation   Chemical Weapons Research Consortium   DTP   Physicians for Human Rights: Through evidence, change is possible. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever met a redhead? Someone with green eyes? Someone with intersex traits?  If you answered yes to the first two questions, you can likely answer yes to the third: being intersex is as common as having red hair or green eyes. And that’s almost definitely an undercount.  This week, Alicia Roth Weigel lays out what it means to have intersex traits, why so many intersex children face medical abuse, and what justice looks like for intersex people. Alicia Roth Weigel is a Forbes and New York Times published change agent, working to improve the political and social landscape for marginalized populations in the South through her consulting firm Intrepida Strategy. As a Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Austin, she has contributed to legislation to reduce sexual assault and human trafficking, mandate paid sick leave and abortion funding, decriminalize and alleviate homelessness, and target other social determinants of health.  Most notably, Alicia continually advocates for the rights of intersex people like her, for which she was awarded the Ceci Gratias Guardian Award by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce in 2019. Alicia is committed to fostering body autonomy and culturally competent healthcare for all. Make sure to follow Alicia on Instagram and Twitter @xoxy_alicia. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chances are, you’ve been exposed to vaccine misinformation. And you could be at risk of believing it. This week, Dr. Kolina Koltai joins Jonathan to explore how vaccine misinformation travels online, why it’s so dangerous, and how you can stop it from spreading.   Dr. Kolina Koltai is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on the anti-vaccine community’s use of sociotechnical systems to find, share, and assess vaccine misinformation. She received her PhD in 2020 in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.   You can follow her on Twitter @kolinakoltai. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dams, what’s their story? Are they scenic sites? Harmful structures? This week, Professor Heather Randell and Jonathan go on a journey through dam history, ecology, and sociology. Listen in to learn about why dams are built; who they serve; and how they can cause displacement, change river ecology, and contribute to climate change. Heather Randell is an Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography at Penn State. She studies how dam construction affects local communities as well as the health and social impacts of climate change.   You can follow her on Twitter @HeatherFRandell, and at www.heatherrandell.com   Want to learn more about dams? Here are three short films worth checking out:   Guardians of the River Belo Monte: After the Flood (2016) A River Runs Through Us   And here’s a recent article from the New Yorker on the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know those hangout episodes of your favorite TV shows? This episode’s like that, but in podcast form. Grab a seat and spend an hour with Jonathan and comedian, producer, writer, actor (and more!) Amanda Seales. The two explore their shared passion for gymnastics, how Amanda crafts her Instagram-famous comedy songs, and why it can be a compliment to be called “difficult.”  Want another round with Amanda and Jonathan? Head over to Amanda’s podcast Small Doses for the second half of their conversation!   For more on Amanda and her work, including upcoming performance dates, make sure to follow her on Instagram and Twitter @amandaseales, and head to smartfunnyandblack.com.    Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even the best earthquake early warning systems will give you only five to eight seconds of notice before you experience ground shaking. This week, Jonathan and geotechnical engineer Ashly Cabas take more than an hour exploring seismic waves, soils, risk assessment, and other earthquake fundamentals so that you can be prepared in the event of a natural hazard.  Ashly Cabas, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU), where she investigates seismic hazards and earthquake effects on civil infrastructure.  Her team at NCSU collaborates with seismologists, geologists, and structural engineers to understand how the response of soils and rocks to earthquake loading can influence the damaging potential of earthquakes.  Her research group’s work has also been recognized with EERI best paper awards in 2014 and 2018, and she has served in reconnaissance missions after the 2018 M7.1 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake, and more recently the 2021 M7.2 Nippes, Haiti earthquake.   You can follow Professor Cabas on Twitter @amcabas, and keep up with her work at NCSU on Twitter @NCStateCCEE and on the Cabas Research Group site.   Want to learn more about earthquakes? Here are some recommended resources:   Seismological Society of America (SSA)   Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)   American Society of Civil Engineers - GeoInstitute   US Geological Survey (USGS), Earthquake Hazards   Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Cyberinfrastructure component, DesignSafe-CI   Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Natural Hazards Reconnaissance component, RAPID   Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS)   GeoHazards International (GHI)   ShakeAlert, Early Warning System   RaspberryShake Personal seismograph   NCSU Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Department   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.  Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actress, executive producer, activist, and best-selling author Gabrielle Union joins Jonathan to discuss radical transparency, allyship, and her new book You Got Anything Stronger?   You can follow Gabrielle on Twitter @itsgabrielleu and Instagram @gabunion.    Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America’s first medical patents date back to the 1790s—and patents still inform our every prescription, vaccine, and pharmacy run. This week on Getting Curious, Priti Krishtel joins Jonathan to break down the basics on medical patents. Why do they exist? Who do they serve? And how equitable are they?    Priti Krishtel is a health justice lawyer and co-founder of I-MAK, a non-profit building a more just and equitable medicines system. She has spent nearly two decades exposing structural inequities affecting access to medicines and vaccines across the Global South and in the United States.   You can follow Priti on Twitter @pritikrishtel. I-MAK is on Twitter @IMAKglobal and at i-mak.org.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Demi Lovato joins Jonathan to discuss the difference between accomplishment and joy, finding serenity off stage, and Dolly Parton’s tour bus. You can follow Demi on Instagram and Twitter @ddlovato. If you loved hearing Jonathan and Demi together, make sure to subscribe to their podcast 4D with Demi Lovato for a special episode coming out soon! Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some of us have our best ideas in the shower. Others have the best ideas for how to shampoo and condition while we’re taking those showers. This week, Jonathan sits down (in person!) with Ramya Viswanathan, chemist and principal formulator for JVN Hair, to discuss the science of haircare.  You can follow all things JVN Hair on Instagram @jvnhair, and at www.jvnhair.com. For hair tutorials, behind the scenes footage, and other exclusive JVN Hair content, head over to JVN Beauty on YouTube. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on  Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Need a palate cleanser? Have we got an episode for you. Padma Lakshmi joins Jonathan to discuss the key to a great grilled cheese, the ingredient that makes her chicken stock sublime, her new children’s book Tomatoes For Neela, and so much more. Padma Lakshmi is the creator and host of Hulu’s Taste the Nation and host and executive producer of the Emmy-winning Bravo series Top Chef. She is the bestselling author of two cookbooks, the Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, as well as her memoir Love, Loss, and What We Ate. You can follow Padma on Instagram and Twitter @padmalakshmi. Tomatoes For Neela is out now. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

School is back in session, and so is Getting Curious! This week, Jonathan sits down with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to better understand Pell Grants, Pre-K, and how the Department of Education plays a role in each child’s education. Dr. Miguel A. Cardona currently serves as the 12th Secretary of Education. Since beginning his journey as an educator, Secretary Cardona has served as an elementary school teacher, school principal, Performance and Evaluation lead administrator, Assistant Superintendent, and most recently Commissioner of Education for the State of Connecticut.   You can follow Secretary Cardona on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @SecCardona.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Refresh your beach playlist with a second serving of Getting Curious LIVE! For our last episode of the summer season, we’re giving you a taste of some top-shelf interviews recorded on Kesha's Weird & Wonderful Rainbow Ride Cruise, at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, and backstage at Jonathan’s Road to Beijing tour in Brisbane.   Featuring interviews with Detox, Thorgy Thor, Bob The Drag Queen, Erin Gibson, Nicole Byer, and Mawaan Rizwan.   Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com, and full versions of each of the conversations excerpted in today’s episode are available for free wherever you’re listening to the show. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re celebrating the dog days of summer with two weeks’ worth of our favorite Getting Curious tapings from festivals, tour stops, and even a cruise. This week, cool down with interviews recorded live at Clusterfest and Outside Lands in San Francisco, and Vulture Fest in New York. The guests are amazing, the humor is on point, and the admission is free. Featuring interviews with Cat Cohen, Ayo Edebiri, Julio Torres, Jaboukie Young-White, Michelle Wolf, Florence Welch, and Justin Theroux. Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Jonathan and archaeologist James Doyle as they explore early Mesoamerican arts, cultures, and communities on this week’s Getting Curious. Listen in to learn about the numeral and writing systems that connected Mesoamerican societies thousands of years ago, the significance of commodities like jade and marine shell, and the ways in which Mesoamerican traditions continue today.   James Doyle is an assistant curator in the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. James is on Twitter @JamesDoyleMet and on Instagram @jamesdoylenyc.   Want to learn more? Check out some of James’ writing for the Met, including: Ancient Maya Sculpture Ancient Maya Painted Ceramics Olmec Art Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are in for a real treat this week as Dr. Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere joins Jonathan for an episode all about dogs! How do dogs perceive colors and sounds? What are best practices for dog training? Is alpha behavior a real thing? And are Jonathan’s dogs Pablo and Elton on track to be best friends?!   Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere, Ph.D., is the Director of the Thinking Dog Center and Assistant Professor at Hunter College (CUNY) where she focuses on studying the behavior and cognition of domestic dogs, and occasionally cats.   You can follow Dr. Byosiere on Twitter @SEByosiere, and follow the Thinking Dog Center on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @HunterTDC.   Want to learn more about dog behavior? Here are some recommended resources: How to Choose a Dog Trainer Guide to Cooperative Care Companion Animal Psychology Blog Bark Magazine Fear Free Pets Whole Dog Journal The Other End of the Leash Blog Pet Professional Guild IAABC Foundation Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One in four women and one in two trans people will experience intimate partner violence in the United States, and the primary obstacle to safety for survivors is financial security. Sonya Passi joins Jonathan to discuss what it looks like to reframe intimate partner violence as a structural economic issue, and what it will take to give survivors the support they need to thrive.   As a sensitivity warning, this episode discusses intimate partner violence in detail. We hope that centering an episode on this important topic helps to bring awareness to survivors’ experiences, and the incredible work that Sonya and other advocates are doing through organizations like Freefrom.   Sonya Passi is the founder and CEO of FreeFrom, a national organization on a mission to create pathways to financial security and long-term safety for survivors of gender-based violence. Sonya and her work emphasize the creativity, resourcefulness, and power that each survivor has to achieve financial independence, and to build communities that support individual, intergenerational, and collective healing.   Keep up with Sonya and Freefrom’s work on Instagram @freefromdotorg, Twitter @freefromorg, and Facebook @freefrom.org.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of the Tokyo Olympics, we’re turning our attention to another era of athletic competitions: the ancient Olympics. Professors Sarah E. Bond and Joel Christensen join Jonathan to discuss these early games and what they reveal about ancient Greek and Roman politics, religions, gender roles, and more. After you listen, make sure to check out Dr. Bond’s first appearance on the show: Would I Have Been The Toast Of The Ancient Mediterranean? Sarah E. Bond is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Iowa and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Her book, Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professionals in the Roman Mediterranean, was published with the University of Michigan Press in 2016. Follow her on Twitter @SarahEBond. Joel Christensen is Professor and Chair of Classical Studies and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs at Brandeis University. He also runs the blog sententiaeantiquae.com and the associated Ancient Greek and Roman (and Cats) Twitter account @sentantiq. He has published introductory books on Homer with Elton T. E. Barker (Beginner’s Guide to Homer, One World, 2013) and Erik Robinson (A Commentary on the Homeric Battle of Frogs and Mice, Bloomsbury, 2018) and recently completed The Many-Minded Man: the Odyssey, Psychology, and the Therapy of Epic with Cornell University Press (2020). Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re going from table to farm to learn more about where our food comes from, and who is producing it. Activist and lawyer Mónica Ramírez joins Jonathan to discuss the history of farmwork in the United States, the labor conditions facing contemporary farmworkers, and the work she and her peers are doing to prioritize legal and mental health support for farmworker communities.   Mónica Ramírez is an attorney, author and activist. She is the founder of Justice for Migrant Women and co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, The Latinx House, and Poderistas (formerly She Se Puede). Mónica has received numerous awards, including Harvard Kennedy School’s first Gender Equity Changemaker Award, Feminist Majority’s Global Women’s Rights Award and the Smithsonian’s 2018 Ingenuity Award. She was named to Forbes Mexico’s 100 Most Powerful Women’s 2018 list and TIME Magazine included her in its 2021 TIME100 Next list. Mónica is also an inaugural member of the Ford Global Fellowship. Follow Monica on Instagram @activistmonicaramirez and Twitter @MonicaRamirezOH. Justice for Migrant Women is on Instagram and Twitter @mujerxsrising, and at justice4women.org.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Sister District’s Lala Wu and Gaby Goldstein are here to remind us that there are no off-year elections, only odd-year elections—and we’re in the midst of a major campaign season. Lala and Gaby break down why this year’s state legislature races are a bellwether for the midterms, what’s going on with redistricting, and how you can get involved in electing progressives across the country. Once you’ve listened to the episode, make sure to check out Gaby’s first appearance on Getting Curious, in 2018 (“How Do We Flip Red States Blue In The Midterms?”) and head over to Instagram for a 2020 conversation with Sister District’s Rita Bosworth. Sister District is a grassroots organization of over 50,000 members, which provides hands-on field and fundraising support to endorsed state legislative candidates. Sister District Action Network, their affiliated c4, focuses on political research, civic engagement and state legislator support. You can learn more at https://sisterdistrict.com/. Sister District is on Twitter and Instagram @Sister_District and on YouTube and Facebook at Sister District. Lala Wu is thrilled and humbled to be the first woman of color to take the helm as the Executive Director of Sister District. In her previous role as the Director of Engagement & Partnerships, she successfully led the expansion of the organization's volunteer infrastructure to over 150 chapters in 31 states. Prior to co-founding Sister District, Lala was a clean energy and land use attorney. Lala is on Twitter @_lala_wu_. Gaby Goldstein is an attorney, political strategist, and health & state policy enthusiast. As Co-Founder at Sister District, she is building progressive power in state legislatures and helping legislators succeed once elected. She serves as Political Advisor at Sister District Project, and as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Sister District Action Network. Gaby Goldstein is on Twitter @gaby__goldstein. Find out what today’s guests and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last June, LGBTQIA+ activist, journalist, and media personality Ashlee Marie Preston joined Jonathan on Instagram Live for a conversation about Pride, racial justice, and everyday acts of resistance. To round out Pride this year, we’re releasing that conversation as a podcast episode.   Follow Ashlee Marie Preston on Instagram @ashleemariepreston and Twitter @AshleeMPreston, and learn more about her work at YouAreEssential.org. Make sure to revisit her first appearance on Getting Curious, recently released from our archives: “Am I A Self-Karen?”   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. While you're on Instagram, check out some of our other Instagram Live conversations with activists, politicians, scientists, and more friends of the show. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan and David Yi explore the history of beauty beyond the gender binary. Listen in to learn about Neanderthals who used highlighters, Korean warriors who invented three-in-one sticks, ancient Egyptians who relied on anti-aging creams, and more stunning historical figures.   David Yi is the co-founder of good light, a gender-inclusive beauty brand, and editor of Very Good Light, a men's and masc-identifying beauty publication. They are the author of the new book PRETTY BOYS, which honors beauty icons past and present who have redefined masculinity and gender expression.   You can find David on Twitter and Instagram @seoulcialite; good light is @goodlight.world; and Very Good Light is at @verygoodlight.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Professor Jue Guo returns to Getting Curious, which means we are returning to Early China! She and Jonathan discuss what a week in the life might look like for a royal hairdresser, a performance artist, a regional king, and other figures from this period and place. This episode can be enjoyed on its own, but if you can’t get enough of Early China, make sure to check out Professor Guo’s first appearance on the show, where we ask: Can You Set The Scene For Early China? Jue Guo is an Assistant Professor of Barnard College in New York City. She is a social and cultural historian of Early China (terminus ante quem ca. 3rd century CE), with a geographical focus on southern China. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Put on your ruby red slippers and click your heels three times, because this week’s episode of Getting Curious is taking us to Kansas. Congresswoman Sharice Davids joins Jonathan to discuss her historic election (and re-election!); her experience representing Kansans in Congress; and her new children’s book Sharice’s Big Voice. Sharice Davids is currently serving as the representative for Kansas’ Third District in Congress. Sharice was raised by a single mom and worked her way from Johnson County Community College to Cornell Law School, juggling multiple jobs to put herself through school. In 2018, she became one of the first two Native American women ever to serve in Congress and the first LGBTQ+ person to represent Kansas in the House of Representatives. You can follow Representative Davids on Twitter @sharicedavids and Instagram @shariceforcongress. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are ringing in Pride Month with a very special episode of Getting Curious, recorded live from the set of Netflix’s Queer Eye. Listen in for sit-down interviews with Tan France, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, and Antoni Porowski—and guest appearances from Queer Eye’s stellar production team.   You can follow the Fab Five on Instagram @tanfrance, @bobby, @karamo, and @antoni. Keep up with all things Queer Eye on Instagram @queereye.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grab your Ugg boots and mini skirts and give three cheers for each of Carly Patterson's Olympic medals because this week on Getting Curious, 2004 is back in style. As billions of Brood X cicadas start to emerge across the eastern United States after 17 years, we’re re-releasing our episode from last summer with Dr. Jessica Ware, all about these trending insects.   Dr. Ware is a curator of Odonata and non-Holometabolous insect orders at the American Museum of Natural History, New York and a professor at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. You can follow Dr. Ware (and her amazing cicada coverage!) on Twitter @JessicaLWareLab and Instagram @jessicaleeware42.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s no secret that we rely on technology in our daily lives. So it shouldn’t be a secret how that technology works, who is developing it, and just how biased it can be. This week on Getting Curious, returning guest Meredith Broussard joins Jonathan to discuss how data rights are civil rights—and how we can all get involved in efforts to defend them.   Data journalist Meredith Broussard is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University, research director at the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technology, and the author of “Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.” Meredith is featured in the documentary Coded Bias, directed by Shalini Kantayya, now available to stream on Netflix.   You can follow Meredith on Twitter and Instagram @merbroussard, and keep up with her work at meredithbroussard.com. For more information on Coded Bias, head over to CodedBias.com and follow @codedbias on Instagram and Twitter.   Make sure to visit the film’s Take Action page, where you can find more information on resources and groups like the Algorithmic Justice League.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode of Getting Curious isn’t a snack, it’s a whole meal. Culinary creator, writer, and video host Sohla El-Waylly joins Jonathan to discuss cooking basics, ancient recipes, and their shared affinity for a certain discontinued Taco Bell classic.   Sohla El-Waylly can currently be seen starring in The HISTORY® Channel’s online series Ancient Recipes with Sohla. Sohla is also currently one of the first-ever Resident Experts for Food52 with Off Script with Sohla, her curated monthly online column and video series. She is also a contributor to The New York Times Cooking vertical. You can keep up with Sohla’s work on Instagram @sohlae and at www.hellosohla.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, things are looking up: to Canada! Professor Jeffers Lennox joins Jonathan to discuss early Canadian history, including British, French, and Indigenous relations in northeastern North America; Canada’s role in the American Revolution; Canada’s confederation story; and what the deal actually was with Benedict Arnold.   Jeffers Lennox is an associate professor of History at Wesleyan University. His current book project is North of America: British Provinces, the Revolution, and Creating the United States (under contract, Yale University Press).   You can follow Jeffers on Twitter @jefferslennox, and keep up with his work at www.jefferslennox.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan sits down with the creators and cast of Netflix’s new animated musical movie Arlo The Alligator Boy. Joining the discussion is director and writer Ryan Crego; supervising producer Blake Lemons; Mary Lambert, who plays Bertie; Michael J. Woodard, who plays Arlo—and Jonathan, who plays Furlecia! Listen in to learn all about the writing, casting, voiceover, and animation process.   You can follow Ryan on Instagram @creegsmamation; Blake @blahlemons; Michael @MichaelJWoodard; and Mary @MaryLambertSing. For more on Arlo The Alligator Boy, and the upcoming Netflix series I ♥ Arlo, follow @NetflixFamily on Instagram.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, multidisciplinary visual artist Lanecia Rouse joins Jonathan to discuss how creative expression can help us make sense of our lives. Lanecia shares how she sources materials—like magazines, bricks, and strings—for her works; how she contends with questions of religion, grief, and joy in her art; and how she became a full-time artist.   Lanecia is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Houston, TX and the owner and creator of LAR Art Studio. Her portfolio includes a range of abstract painting, photography, teaching, writing, speaking, and collaborative creative community engagement projects nationally and abroad.   You can follow Lanecia on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @larartstudio and keep up with her work at www.laneciarousetinsley.com.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s Getting Curious is going to the dogs—and the cats and the cows and the crocodiles! Philosopher and writer Eva Meijer joins Jonathan for a conversation about how non-human animals communicate, why humans have often underestimated other species’ capacity for language, and what we can do to build more sustainable, respectful relationships with other species.   Among Eva’s books is Animal Languages, recently translated into English by Laura Watkinson and published by MIT University Press. Follow Eva on Facebook and Twitter @meijereva, and on her website www.evameijer.nl.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re wishing Jonathan many happy returns with an extra special birthday edition of the show. Diana Rose joins Jonathan to discuss astrology, tarot, and other healing practices—complete with Jonathan’s first ever natal chart reading!   Diana Rose is an astrologer, tarot reader, & writer based in Los Angeles. Her practice aims to guide others towards cultivating a more compassionate and re-enchanted relationship with themselves & the world around them.   Diana is on Instagram @ddamascenaa, on Twitter @ddamascenaa, and on Patreon @ddamascenaa.   She’ll be presenting two talks at the Northwest Astrological Conference in May, so make sure to check her out there. She’s also writing the guidebook for the Rosebud Tarot; you can keep up with that project on Instagram @rosebudtarot. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Professor Beronda Montgomery joins Jonathan to discuss plant behavior, adaptation, and communication—plus, the question on everyone’s minds: will Jonathan’s lantana plants survive the winter?!   Beronda L. Montgomery is MSU Foundation Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology, she was named one of Cell’s 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America.   Professor Montgomery’s new book Lessons From Plants, published by Harvard University Press, will be released on April 6 and is available for pre-order now. You can keep up with #LessonsFromPlants on Twitter @PlantLessons.   Professor Montgomery is on Twitter @BerondaM and Instagram @beronda_m. Harvard University Press is on Twitter at @Harvard_Press and @HarvardUPLondon. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring is on its way, the sun is shining, and we want to make sure you’re prepared to bask in the warm weather—even with your masks on! This week on Getting Curious, we’re re-releasing an episode from July 2019 on sun protection with Dr. Emily Newsom. Listen back as Jonathan and Dr. Newsom discuss the science behind sunscreen, tips for managing sun exposure, and more.   Dr. Emily Newsom is a board certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at UCLA Medical Center. You can follow Dr. Newsom on Instagram @derm_chat. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re traveling back to Early China with Professor Jue Guo. She and Jonathan discuss dynasties, empires, early instances of written language, and so much more. And because curiosity can’t always be contained to 40 minutes—okay, more like an hour and fifteen minutes—we’re planning a follow-up episode with Professor Guo. Make sure to jot down your questions about Early China as you listen, and keep an eye out on our social media accounts for a chance to have them featured in part two!   Jue Guo is an Assistant Professor at Barnard College in New York City. She is a social and cultural historian of Early China (terminus ante quem ca. 3rd century CE), with a geographical focus on southern China. For more information on her work, check out www.barnard.academia.edu/JueGuo.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We read your Instagram comments. We saw your clamoring for more information on the stunning painting behind Jonathan’s couch—and the artist behind the work. This week, we’re satisfying your curiosity (and ours!) with a conversation between Jonathan and the abstract expressionist painter and writer A’Driane Nieves. A’Driane shares how she developed her art practice, why she’s partial to acrylic paints and massive canvases, what she sees as a more equitable art world, and so much more.   A’Driane Nieves is an interdisciplinary abstract artist, speaker, writer, and the founder of the Tessera Arts Collective and Abstractions Magazine.   On Instagram, you can follow A’Driane @adrianenieves_art; Tessera Arts Collective @tesseraartscollective; and Abstractions Magazine @abstractionsmag. For more of A’Driane’s work, make sure to check out www.addyeb.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love going off script for Getting Curious, but we’re staying on it with this week’s guest: the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated writer, director, actress, and author Emerald Fennell. She and Jonathan discuss her latest project and directorial feature film debut PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, her role as Camilla Parker Bowles on THE CROWN, and so much more.   PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, nominated for three Golden Globe awards, is a comedy thriller that centers on a woman, played by Carey Mulligan, who is traumatized by an event in her past and sets out for revenge. There are a few spoilers in the first segment of this episode, but we’ll give you a heads up before each one. And the film, released by Focus Features, is available on demand, so if you want to see it before listening to the episode, we’ll see you back here in 1 hour and 54 minutes. Finally, because this film addresses sexual assault, we want to be clear that we’ll be discussing this topic and, more generally, representations of trauma in popular culture, during this part of the episode.   You can follow Emerald on Twitter @EmeraldFennell.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Put on your finest loungewear and raise your favorite coffee mug because this week’s episode of Getting Curious is an EVENT! After six years of incredible work, NASA’s Perseverance rover is now exploring Mars, and Jonathan spoke with Christina Hernandez, an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, all about the mission just before landing day. Listen in to learn more about the Red Planet, the Perseverance mission, and Christina’s advice for the next generation of NASA innovators.   Keep up with rover coverage on Twitter @NASAPersevere and Instagram @NASA, and with Christina’s amazing career on Twitter @estrellasycafe. For Spanish-language coverage, make sure to check out @NASA_es on Twitter and Instagram.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.   Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re celebrating 200 episodes and five years of the show with a look back at some of our favorite segments on empowerment, advocacy, and exploration. We’re so grateful to all of our listeners and guests for taking this journey with us, and we’ll be back next week with an all new episode that’s truly out of this world! Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re learning about three women who shaped the movement for civil rights in the United States—Alberta King, Louise Little, and Berdis Baldwin—but whose stories have too often been footnotes in books about their famous sons.   The writer and scholar Anna Malaika Tubbs joins Jonathan to discuss her new group biography The Three Mothers, her work studying Black motherhood as a Gates scholar and Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Cambridge University, and her approach to public projects like Stockton, California’s Status of Women Report.   Follow Anna on Twitter @annas_tea_ and on Instagram @annastea_honesty. Make sure to check out The Three Mothers, published by Flatiron Books, on sale now.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December 2020, the UK High Court determined that trans, non-binary, and gender diverse young people in the UK must have legal approval before they can start puberty blockers—even if these young people, their families, and their doctors advocate for treatment. This week on Getting Curious, Lui Asquith joins Jonathan to break down what hormone blockers are, why this case is so significant, and how it fits into a broader discussion about trans rights in the UK and beyond.   Lui Asquith (pronouns they/them) is Director of Legal, Policy and Operations at Mermaids. Lui is a qualified lawyer, with a background in LGBTI activism. They moved to Mermaids over two years ago to focus on improving the lives of trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people on the front line. Founded in 1995, Mermaids is a UK-wide charity working to support thousands of transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children, young people, and their families.   Lui is on Twitter @luiasquith. Mermaids is on Instagram @mermaidsgender, Twitter @Mermaids_Gender, and Facebook @MermaidsGender.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, the writer, activist, and educator Dean Spade joins Jonathan to discuss how we can meet our neighbors’ survival needs through mutual aid, and better understand the systems we live under in the process. Listen in to learn about what mutual aid is, how it differs from charity, and why local wisdom is essential for sweeping change.   Dean Spade has been working to build queer and trans liberation based in racial and economic justice for the past two decades. He’s the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law, the director of the documentary “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!,” and the creator of the mutual aid toolkit at BigDoorBrigade.com. His latest book, Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next), was published by Verso Press in October 2020.   You can follow Dean on Twitter @deanspade and Instagram @spade.dean.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re following the money to better understand banking in America and the history of the country’s racial wealth gap. Professor Mehrsa Baradaran joins Jonathan to discuss banking deserts, overdraft fees, home loans, and more. (Like, what are capital gains, even?!)   Mehrsa Baradaran is a professor of law and associate dean at UC Irvine School of Law specializing in banking law and financial inequality. She is the author of How the Other Half Banks and The Color of Money.   Follow Professor Baradaran on Twitter and Instagram @mehrsabaradaran.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New year, old curiosity: this week on Getting Curious, we’re traveling back in time to ancient Egypt with Dr. Kathryn Howley. She and Jonathan discuss what life might have looked like for ancient Egyptian hairstylists, royalty, and scribes; how ancient Egyptians interacted with neighboring cultures; and what it’s like for Egyptologists to analyze archaeological remains.   Professor Howley is the Lila Acheson Wallace Assistant Professor of Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She is interested in how ancient peoples negotiated their interactions with other cultures through art and material culture, particularly Egypt and its southern neighbor Nubia in the first millennium BCE. As part of this interest she directs the Sanam Temple Project, which undertakes fieldwork at the 7th century BCE Egyptian-style temple of the Nubian King Taharqo at Sanam, Sudan.   You can follow the Sanam Temple Project team’s latest fieldwork discoveries on Facebook @sanamtempleproject.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re gliding into the new year with the re-release of an episode from February 2019 with figure skating’s finest: Michelle Kwan and Eliot Halverson. Michelle and Eliot join Jonathan to talk all things skating: judging scandals, big coats, tracing figures, and Jonathan’s journey on the ice.   Michelle Kwan is an American figure skater, two-time Olympic medalist, five-time world champion, and nine-time US champion. Eliot Halverson is an American figure skater, choreographer, and three-time USFS national champion.   Follow Eliot Halverson on Instagram @eliothalverson and Michelle Kwan on Twitter and Instagram @MichelleWKwan.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This holiday break, we’re re-releasing two of our favorite episodes, with three of our favorite experts, about one of our favorite topics: figure skating. First up is an episode from April 2018 with Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu, who was the first American female figure skater to land a triple Axel at the Olympics, earning her a bronze medal in PyeongChang in 2018. Jonathan and Mirai jump right into the technical, artistic, and political aspects of figure skating—and discuss what it was like for Mirai to take her prowess off ice to compete in Dancing with the Stars: Athletes. Find Mirai on Instagram @mirainagasu, on Twitter @mirai_nagasu, and at www.mirainagasu.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you know that if you want to represent your block in Brooklyn as a local elected official, you have to mark a gender designation—and the only options are “male” and “female”? This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan is speaking with Jesse Pierce and Samy Nemir Olivares, both elected District Leaders in Brooklyn, all about this gender rule: how it came into existence, why it’s exclusionary, and how we can work to make local seats across Brooklyn and the country more inclusive and equitable. Jesse Pierce is a non-binary queer elected Democratic District Leader in Brooklyn's 52nd Assembly District. They focus on hyper local political grassroots organizing as a means to transform our politics both locally and nationally. Samy Nemir Olivares (he/they) is a Puerto Rican-Dominican, queer activist, writer, communicator and District Leader in Brooklyn. Samy advocates for gender, racial and social justice through politics, media and education. Samy works for a national nonprofit for LGBTQ civil rights and produced a documentary about TGNC rights in New York: Stonewall With a T. You can follow Jesse on Twitter @jessepiercebk and Instagram @jessepierce07. You can follow Samy on Twitter @SamyNemir and Instagram @SamyforBrooklyn. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’re a close listener of Getting Curious, you’ll know that today’s conversation with Professor Saleema Snow, all about the practice known as civil asset forfeiture, is a long time coming. Civil asset forfeiture allows law enforcement to seize and often keep any property they suspect is involved in a crime. Jonathan wants to learn more about this practice: how deep its roots are, how it came to exist across the United States, what it reveals about discriminatory policing, and what it would look like to dismantle this system. Professor Snow is a Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law where she teaches appellate advocacy and critical race theory. Her scholarship focuses on religious profiling, poverty law, and the intersection of poverty, gender, and access to justice. You can follow Professor Snow on Twitter @SaleemaSnow. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know when you have a song stuck in your head and the only way you can get it out is to play it? Well, Jonathan has a similar feeling: he can’t shake the idea that he needs to sing a song. Like, literally, any song, preferably one with pleasing harmony. And he’s reaching out to the Grammy Award-winning artist Meghan Trainor for guidance. Meghan joins Jonathan to discuss singing and songwriting fundamentals, her musical influences, and her new holiday album A Very Trainor Christmas.   Follow Meghan on Instagram and Twitter @meghan_trainor, and check out A Very Trainor Christmas—out now!   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re re-releasing an episode from June 2019 that we hold dear, with the performance artist and writer ALOK. ALOK and Jonathan discuss their experiences embracing life beyond the gender binary, the historical precedents for gender fluidity, and the power of “emotional alchemy” in the face of discrimination.   Follow ALOK on Instagram @alokvmenon, and make sure to check out their book Beyond The Gender Binary. You can keep up with all of their incredible work at www.alokvmenon.com.   Once you’ve listened to the episode, head over to Jonathan’s Instagram @JVN for a July 2020 follow-up conversation with ALOK. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re getting the down low on what’s up in the sky with Professor Kristen Rasmussen, an Assistant Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University and an expert on clouds. She and Jonathan break down cloud types, extreme weather, and the lasting impact that the 1996 movie Twister had on both of their lives—and one of their careers.   You can keep up with Professor Rasmussen on Twitter @KRasmusWx, and follow her research group at Colorado State University.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Election Day is behind us, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work ahead. Consider this week’s Getting Curious a chance to reflect and recharge, as Jonathan speaks with the writer, editor, activist, and social justice facilitator adrienne maree brown. The two discuss adrienne’s work around emergent strategy and pleasure activism, consider what authentic community engagement looks like, and explore how science fiction can be an invaluable resource for shaping a more equitable future.   adrienne maree brown is the author of Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good and Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements. Her forthcoming book We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice is now available for pre-order.   Follow adrienne on Twitter @adriennemaree and Instagram @adriennemareebrown, and keep up with her work at www.adriennemareebrown.net.   Once you’ve finished the episode, make sure to check out adrienne’s podcasts How To Survive The End of the World and Octavia’s Parables.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Look, we already know the answer to this question. But we can dream! We’re sending you into Election Day with an early release of this week’s Getting Curious, featuring a conversation with the iconic comedian, writer, and producer Samantha Bee. She and Jonathan talk political humor, the Golden Girls, Canadian health care, and so much more. Take a listen when you’re in line to vote, when you need a break from refreshing last-minute polling numbers, or on the other side of Election Day—whatever happens, we’re here for you.   Samantha Bee is the host and Executive Producer of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS and the podcast Full Release with Samantha Bee on Earwolf. Follow her on Twitter @iamsambee, and keep up with Full Frontal on Twitter and Instagram @FullFrontalSamB.   Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN.   Check out all new Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com.   Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com.   Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you phone banking, leafleting, and heading to the polls early this election season and still feeling like you need a boost? Then it might be time to introduce deep canvassing to your routine. The activist, community organizer, and director of People’s Action George Goehl joins Jonathan to share this go-to practice for building a more progressive nation—and explains why rural America needs to be central to any discussion of the electorate. Follow George on Twitter @GeorgeGoehl, and People’s Action on Twitter and Instagram @pplsaction. Once you’ve finished the episode, make sure to check out George’s podcast To See Each Other. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are more than 2.5 million care workers, nannies, and house cleaners across the United States. They are skilled professionals. Their labor is essential. So are their rights. Alicia Garza, who is the Director of Strategy & Partnerships for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, joins Jonathan to discuss the history of domestic work in the United States, why domestic workers are some of the least protected, most vulnerable individuals—without access to health care, paid sick days, or a living wage—and what a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights could offer these workers in the way of proper compensation, labor protections, and dignity. Beyond her work with the NDWA, Alicia Garza is the co-creator of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the principal at the Black Futures Lab, a writer, and a podcast host. Her new book The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart is out now. Once you’ve had a chance to listen to this episode of Getting Curious, make sure to check out Alicia’s first appearance on the show, and her podcasts Lady Don’t Take No and Sunstorm. Follow Alicia on Twitter @aliciagarza and Instagram @chasinggarza. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week’s Getting Curious, Dr. Elizabeth Rule joins Jonathan to discuss contemporary Native American rights and representation. She and Jonathan cover reproductive justice, tribal sovereignty, and the incredible work that Dr. Rule is doing to illuminate the relationship between Native history and contemporary Native Americans’ experiences and realities. Dr. Rule is the Director of the AT&T Center for Indigenous Politics & Policy, an Assistant Professor of Professional Studies and Faculty in Residence at George Washington University, and an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. Follow Dr. Rule on Twitter @ERuleDC, download the Guide to Indigenous DC, and check out more of her work at www.elizabethrule.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Raise a glass (or an amphora!) to this week’s episode of Getting Curious, all about ancient Mediterranean drinking cultures. Associate Professor of History at the University of Iowa Dr. Sarah E. Bond speaks with Jonathan about ancient Egyptians who loved beer, ancient Greeks who sipped the night away at symposia, and ancient Romans who went bar hopping. There’s truly so much to imbibe here, and thankfully, knowledge pairs well with whatever you’re already drinking. Follow Dr. Bond on Twitter @SarahEBond, and make sure to check out her writing in Hyperallergic, The New York Times, Forbes, and beyond. Her 2016 book Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professionals in the Roman Mediterranean is published by the University of Michigan Press. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’ve got numbers coming out of our ears. For instance: two. Two? Yeah. That’s how many times the clean water activist and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich has now appeared on the show. How about this for a number? One. That’s how many people it takes to start a movement advocating for safe drinking water. And we’re guessing zero is the amount of hesitation you’ll have before hitting play on this iconic conversation between Jonathan and Erin, all about what’s in our water, who’s currently regulating it, and how we can take charge of the water supply in our communities. Follow Erin on Instagram @the_real_erin_brockovich and Twitter @ErinBrockovich. Check out her new book Superman’s Not Coming and her podcast of the same name. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, we’re carrying ourselves with confidence, our heads are held high, and we’re comfortable in our environment—we’re feeling big time cat parent mojo! Jackson Galaxy, the cat behavior and wellness expert, host of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, and co-creator of Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp joins Jonathan to talk all about cats. He shares how we can better understand and care for our favorite felines, what the deal is with “cat mojo,” and why cat rescue and TNR efforts are most successful when everyone gets involved. Follow Jackson Galaxy on Twitter @JacksonGalaxy and Instagram @thecatdaddy, and keep up with Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp on Instagram @CatCampUSA. This year’s Cat Camp will take place virtually on Saturday, September 26. Get more information on the free event, and reserve your spot, at www.CatCamp.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are fewer than 50 days until the 2020 United States elections, and over at Getting Curious, we’re feeling a little… shaky. To lay the foundation for this final stretch of election season, Jonathan’s calling on an expert in strong leadership, intersectional policies, and enduring hope: Sec. Julián Castro. Sec. Castro has served as Mayor of San Antonio, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama, and a 2020 Presidential candidate. He just launched his new podcast Our America with Julián Castro on Lemonada Media. You can find Sec. Castro on Twitter @JulianCastro and Instagram @juliancastrotx. Learn more about his podcast Our America with Julián Castro on Twitter and Instagram @LemonadaMedia. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the lessons in Dr. Edith Eger’s latest book The Gift is that love equals time. And on this week’s Getting Curious, Dr. Eger is joining Jonathan for an hour of love, compassion, and life lessons. Dr. Eger is a bestselling author, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor. Her first book The Choice, released in 2018, details her story of courage and resilience as a survivor of Auschwitz. In her new book The Gift she shares some of her best advice for confronting life’s challenges and building a meaningful existence. Learn more about Dr. Eger on Twitter @DrEdithEger1, on Instagram @dr.editheger, and at www.DrEdithEger.com. And make sure to check out Dr. Eger's books The Choice and The Gift. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the lead-up to Labor Day, Getting Curious is working it! We're re-releasing an episode from 2018 with Rebecca Givan, an associate professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University, all about trade unions. She and Jonathan discuss what unions are, how they operate, and why collective bargaining can be such a powerful tool. Follow Professor Givan on Twitter @rkgwork. She’s also the co-editor of the forthcoming essay collection Strike for the Common Good, which follows teacher walkouts across the US in the last few years. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since Stockton, California, Mayor Michael Tubbs was elected in November 2016, he’s launched an innovative Guaranteed Income pilot program and created a runway for his city’s success. Mayor Tubbs joins Jonathan to discuss the program, how cities across the country are implementing similar initiatives, and why it’s so important for local governments to invest in their communities. Mayor Tubbs is the co-founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, and the subject of the new HBO documentary “Stockton On My Mind.” Follow Mayor Tubbs on Twitter @MichaelDTubbs and Instagram @michaeldtubbs. Stream Stockton on My Mind on HBO and HBO Max. Learn more about Stockton’s Guaranteed Income pilot program at www.StocktonDemonstration.org. And keep up with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income at www.mayorsforagi.org and on Twitter @mayorsforagi. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan is learning about the power of clean energy with a clean energy powerhouse: Massachusetts representative and co-author of the Green New Deal bill, Senator Ed Markey. Senator Markey explains what a Green New Deal can offer in the way of environmental protections, job opportunities, pandemic recovery, and more. Senator Markey is also running for re-election in the upcoming Massachusetts primary, and he and Jonathan discuss his four decades as a progressive leader, what the stakes are for his keeping his seat (they're JVN endorsement-level major!), and how he's planning to turn out the vote on September 1. Follow Senator Markey on Twitter @EdMarkey, and on Facebook @EdMarkeyforMA. Learn more about his work at www.markey.senate.gov and his re-election campaign at www.edmarkey.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Earth to listeners! This week’s Getting Curious is serving an adventure like no other, because Jonathan is talking with astronaut, oceanographer, and geologist Kathy Sullivan. She’s the first US woman to complete a spacewalk, the first woman to reach the deepest known point in the ocean, and the first person to travel to both space and deep sea. She tells Jonathan all about space tools, the Challenger Deep, and what it’s like to feel the force of gravity during a shuttle landing. Follow Kathy on Twitter @AstroKDS, learn more about her at www.kathysullivanastronaut.com, and check out her book Handprints on Hubble. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do you know where your donor dollars and time are actually going? Activist, thought leader, and founder of the social impact campaign YouAreEssential Ashlee Marie Preston joins Jonathan to discuss the trillion-dollar industry that is the US non-profit sector, the ways in which non-profit organizations can undercut to the aims of grassroots political movements, and how we can work to dismantle a system that doesn’t always serve the communities it claims to protect. Follow Ashlee Marie Preston on Instagram @ashleemariepreston and Twitter @AshleeMPreston. Learn more about YouAreEssential at YouAreEssential.org, or on Instagram and Twitter @YAEOrg. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is an All-Around winner, because Jonathan is talking with six-time Olympic medalist and captain of the Fierce Five and Final Five gymnastics teams, Aly Raisman. This isn’t a Level 10 conversation about gymnastics, gardening, and more—it’s certified Elite. Follow Aly on Instagram @alyraisman and Twitter @aly_raisman, and learn more about her book Fierce. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's Getting Curious is a show like no other, since Jonathan is joined by the iconic Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winner Audra McDonald. She and Jonathan discuss the critical work she's doing as the co-founder of Black Theatre United, an organization that is advocating for equity in the theater world and the nation. They also discuss how theatergoers can continue to support the performing arts community, during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. (And stick around for the third act to hear Audra's recommendations for what to watch and listen to once you're done with the episode!) Follow Audra on Instagram @audramcdonald and Twitter @AudraEqualityMc, and learn more about Black Theatre United at www.blacktheatreunited.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2020 election season has been anything but routine. To coach us through all the ways we can help flip seats, add balance to any check on our democracy, and win big on election day, Jonathan is turning to political strategist Ben O'Keefe. Ben is a human rights activist, progressive strategist, and founder of the impact entertainment company Give A Damn. He is a former Senior Aide to Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, and currently the Impact Producer on the forthcoming Untitled Stacey Abrams documentary from Amazon Studios. Follow Ben on Twitter and Instagram at @benjaminokeefe and at www.benjaminokeefe.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Dr. Kira Thurman and Ashleigh Gordon join Jonathan to discuss the remarkable work of Black classical composers and musicians through history and today. Dr. Thurman is an assistant professor of History and Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Michigan. Ashleigh Gordon is the co-founder, Artistic and Executive Director, and violist of Castle of our Skins, a Boston-based concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music. Follow Dr. Thurman on Twitter @kira_thurman, and follow Ashleigh on Instagram @violashe and at www.violashe.com. Keep up with Castle of our Skins on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @castleskins, and at www.castleskins.org. Castle of our Skins has an incredible resources page with organizations, ensembles, composers, and more. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week’s Getting Curious, Jonathan is taking the creepy out of crawly with entomologist and evolutionary biologist Dr. Jessica Ware. We’re talking periodical cicadas, cockroaches, dragonflies, and more. Dr. Ware is a curator of Odonata and non-Holometabolous insect orders at the American Museum of Natural History, New York and a professor at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. She is also the VP-Elect of the Entomological Society of America, and the President of the Worldwide Dragonfly Association. Follow Dr. Ware on Twitter @JessicaLWareLab and Instagram @jessicaleeware42. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Voting rights activist, author, lawyer, and politician Stacey Abrams joins Jonathan to discuss the history of voting rights in the United States, the current state of voter suppression, and how we can work towards fair voting and a robust civic engagement. Abrams served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, and as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. In 2018, she became the first Black woman to run as a major-party gubernatorial nominee in the US. She is the founder of Fair Fight, an organization that works to ensure every American has a voice in our legal system, and Fair Count, which advocates for accuracy in the 2020 Census and greater participation in civic engagement. Follow Leader Abrams on Twitter and Instagram @staceyabrams, learn more about Fair Fight here and Fair Count here, and find her book Our Time Is Now here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Masha Gessen’s return to Getting Curious, the journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker speaks with Jonathan about their new book Surviving Autocracy. They discuss the ways in which Trump has consolidated power since his election, what the stakes are if he continues to trample American institutions, and what we can do to resist his autocratic ambitions. Follow Masha Gessen on Twitter @mashagessen, and learn more about Surviving Autocracy here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this re-release of an episode first recorded in July 2019, Jonathan sits down with Alicia Garza, Co-founder of Black Lives Matter and Director of Strategy & Partnerships for National Domestic Workers Alliance, to discuss the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement, Alicia’s work with the Black Futures Lab, and how Democratic Party candidates, campaigns, and elected officials need to be—and can be—more accountable to Black constituents. Follow Alicia Garza on Twitter @aliciagarza and on Instagram @chasinggarza, and learn more about Black Futures Lab here. Follow National Domestic Workers Alliance on Twitter and Instagram @domesticworkers. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of Getting Curious, we’re digging deep with Dr. Julia Clarke, Wilson Professor of Paleontology at The University of Texas at Austin and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology. She and Jonathan get to the bottom of how Texas looked 250 million years ago, which dinosaurs roamed prehistoric America, and what Pangaea’s got to do with the age of dinosaurs. Follow Dr. Clarke on Twitter @jclarkepaleolab, and learn more about her work here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're invited to a very special episode of Getting Curious, and the dress code is whatever makes you feel stunning! The guest of honor is the CFDA designer Christian Siriano, who launched his brand in 2008 and has since risen to the top of the fashion world, dressing icons like FLOTUS Michelle Obama, Billy Porter, and Lady Gaga. Christian joins Jonathan to discuss his groundbreaking designs, his commitment to body diversity and inclusive pricing, and the more than 25,000 masks he and his team have produced for New York hospitals since March. Follow Christian on Twitter and Instagram @CSiriano, and learn more about his collections and COVID-19 response here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist and author Mary O'Hara returns to Getting Curious to discuss her reporting on poverty, her new book The Shame Game: Overturning the Toxic Poverty Narrative, and her work reimagining how we talk about poverty with Project Twist-It. She and Jonathan discuss her own experience of childhood poverty, common misconceptions around poverty in the United States and the United Kingdom, and how we can start to see social services as springboards for success. You can find Mary O’Hara’s writing at MaryOHara.eu and in The Guardian. Follow her on Twitter @MaryOHara1, and learn more about The Shame Game here and Project Twist-It here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Queen, did you know that there was a literal doctor teaching a class on happiness at literally Yale?! Dr. Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale University and the host of The Happiness Lab podcast, gives Jonathan a redux version of her iconic Yale course about the science of happiness and shares tips for boosting our spirits even when we're not near the people and places that usually bring us joy. It's time to get in touch with our vagus nerves! Follow Dr. Laurie Santos on Twitter @lauriesantos, and check out her podcast The Happiness Lab. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Pascale R. Bos joins Jonathan to discuss the Holocaust and WW2. In part two of their conversation, Jonathan and Dr. Bos explore how the US became involved in the war, the Berlin Wall, and why it's so important to learn from history. Pascale R. Bos is an Associate Professor of Germanic Studies, Netherlandic Studies, and Comparative Literature at The University of Texas, Austin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Pascale R. Bos joins Jonathan to discuss the Holocaust and WW2. In part one of our first ever two-part episode, Jonathan and Professor Bos discuss how the term Holocaust came to be, the alarming statistics reflecting a surprising number of people who’ve never heard of the Holocaust, and examine how Hitler came into power. Tune in to next week’s episode for the conclusion of their incredible conversation. Pascale R. Bos is an Associate Professor of Germanic Studies, Netherlandic Studies, and Comparative Literature at The University of Texas, Austin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Mawaan Rizwan got his start creating YouTube sketches that turned his mother into a Bollywood Star. Now, as an established writer and actor, he has written for Netflix’s “Sex Education” and can be seen in the upcoming “Two Weeks to Live” on Sky. In the fall of 2019, he joined Jonathan on their Road to Beijing tour opening in sold-out theaters across the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. On a tour stop in Brisbane, Jonathan and Mawaan sat down to discuss his family’s immigration story, visiting Pakistan as an out adult, and how comedy has become a form of therapy for him. Follow Mawaan on Instagram and Twitter @MawaanR, subscribe to his YouTube channel, and visit mawaan.co.uk for updates on where to catch him live! Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lawyer, historian, and author Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez sits down with Jonathan to discuss the Civil War and its aftermath, including what happened to confederate officials, the process of abolishing slavery, Lincoln’s presidency, and much more. Professor Icenhauer-Ramirez's book “Treason on Trial: United States v. Jefferson Davis” exposes the legality behind why no one was held accountable for starting the Civil War. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matthew Riemer & Leighton Brown are the co-creators of the Instagram @LGBT_History, and co-authors of the book “We Are Everywhere.” Both use powerful images of love, protest, inclusivity, and stories, to spotlight movements and people throughout Queer history. They joined Jonathan to discuss why they started these projects, the importance of visibility to avoid erasure and share some interesting stories about important figures from the past! Follow Matthew and Leighton on Instagram and Twitter @LGBT_History, and find out more about their book at www.QueerHistory.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carson Tueller is an LGBTQ+ and Disability Advocate. His life changed in 2013 when an accident left him paralyzed. Through his journey, he’s brought to light many issues the Disabled community faces including shame, how to talk about sexuality and human worth. He joined Jonathan to explain what ableism is, how he came out to his family after serving his LDS mission, and why investing in accessibility is great for everyone if anyone plans on getting older! Follow Carson’s journey on Twitter and Instagram @Carson_Tueller. To find out more about Carson's work, visit www.carsontueller.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tanya Dominguez is a Lead Inspector and Senior Manager for the RSPCA NSW in Sydney Australia. She’s provided care to wild and domestic animals for over 21 years and has always been passionate about animal care education. She joined Jonathan backstage at their last comedy show in Australia to discuss what she does as an RSPCA Inspector, how the wildlife is doing since the bushfires started, and why it’s so important to adopt, not shop! Follow RSPCA and Tanya on Twitter and Instagram @RSPCANSW and on Facebook @RSPCANewSouthWales. Visit https://www.rspcansw.org.au/adopt/ to find out more about RSPCA’s adoption program. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CONTENT WARNING: This conversation contains details about scenes that emergency first responders encounter, including car accidents, suicide, house fires, and bushfires. Fiona Macken is a volunteer firefighter with the Country Fire Authority and 3rd Lieutenant of the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade. In 2009, she was deployed during the Black Saturday Bushfires, which are considered Australia’s most devastating fires to date. She’s witnessed the lasting impact these catastrophes have on survivors and firefighters and has dedicated her life’s work to safety education and prevention. She sat down with Jonathan in Melbourne to share why she became a first responder, the team of people supporting firefighters, and how to help with the most recent bushfires in Australia. Follow Country Fire Authority on Instagram and Facebook @cfavic and on Twitter @cfa_updates. Visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/ to find out more about Fiona and CFA’s work. If you're struggling with issues related to mental health, please visit www.lifeline.org.au/ or suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Deborah N. Archer sits down with Jonathan to explore what it was like to be a Black American before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and how remnants of Jim Crow laws continue to plague our country. Professor Archer is an Associate Professor of Clinical Law at NYU, Co-Faculty Director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, and Director of the Civil Rights Clinic at NYU School of Law. She received her JD from Yale Law School, where she was also awarded the Charles G. Albom Prize. She’s held several esteemed titles throughout her career, and New York Law Journal has recently recognized her as one of New York's “Top Women in the Law.” Professor Archer is on Twitter @DeborahNArcher, @RaceNYU, and @NYULaw. To find out more about Deborah’s work, visit https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/race-inequality-law. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sallie Krawcheck is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest, a company working to help close the gender pay gap by “redefining investing for women.” She joined Jonathan in the studio to discuss the gender, wealth, and race pay gaps women and people of color face in today’s financial world and why it's so important to intentionally invest. Follow Sallie on Instagram @Sallie.Krawcheck or @Ellevest and on Twitter @SallieKrawcheck. To find out more about Sallie’s work, visit www.ellevest.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actress Nicola Coughlan joins Jonathan in London to talk about growing up in Ireland, life after attending drama school, and an exciting new project with Shonda Rhimes! Follow Nicola on Instagram and Twitter @nicolacoughlan, and watch her in Derry Girls, streaming now on Netflix. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Daley began diving at a very young age, gaining notoriety at nine years old. In 2008, at 14, he represented Great Britain as their youngest competitor in the Beijing Summer Olympics. He went on to compete in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio games picking up 2 bronze medals along the way. He invited Jonathan into his home to discuss all things diving, his husband Dustin Lance Black and their baby boy Robbie (who makes a tiny cameo) and the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics! Follow Tom on Instagram @TomDaley and on Twitter @TomDaley1994. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Alex Monro is a botanist and research leader at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the Americas Team of the Identification and Naming Department. After watching The Jungle Book at a young age, he became fascinated with tropical forests and has spent the last 20 years working as a taxonomist, systematist, and field botanist. Jonathan joined Dr. Monro in his office at the Royal Botanic Gardens to discuss the Millennium Seed Bank Project, stinging nettles, and all the different ways plants reproduce. Follow Dr. Monro on Twitter @alexmonro and the Royal Botanic Gardens on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @kewgardens. To find out more about Dr. Monro and RBG’s work visit tropicalbotany.wordpress.com and www.kew.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wendy Davis came into the spotlight in 2013 when she took to the Texas Senate floor to perform a 13-hour filibuster to block a bill that would severely impact abortion rights. She received her degree from Harvard and practiced law for several years before becoming Texas’s State Senator from 2009 to 2015. She is also the founder of Deeds Not Words, a non-profit organization that focuses on engaging young women in politics. She and Jonathan sat down backstage in Austin Texas while on the road for his comedy tour to discuss her epic filibuster, the current state of Texas politics, and why she passionately ran for Texas’s 21st Congressional District in 2020. Follow Wendy Davis on Twitter @wendydavis and on Instagram and Facebook @wendydavistexas.  Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. M. Sanjayan is the CEO of Conservation International, and formerly the lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy. He joined Jonathan in the studio to discuss his work with the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project, which aims to restore 73 million trees in Brazil by 2023—and explore how saving nature is actually about saving humanity. Dr. Sanjayan is a recipient of UCSC’s Global Oceans Hero Award, a member of National Geographic Society’s Explorers Council, and a Disneynature Ambassador. He can be seen co-hosting and hosting several nature-based documentaries on BBC, Discovery, and PBS. Follow Dr. M. Sanjayan and Conservation International on Instagram @ConservationOrg, on Twitter @ConservationOrg and @MSanjayan and on Facebook @Conservation.Intl. To find out more about Sanjayan and Conservation International's work visit www.conservation.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the fall of 2019, Jonathan released his book “Over The Top,” where he disclosed his HIV positive status. The occasion prompted Dr. Watkins-Hayes to write an op-ed on the subject in the NY Times, and inspired the two of them to get together to discuss issues they are both passionate about. Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes is a Professor of Sociology and African American Studies and Faculty Fellow at Northwestern University. Her first book is “The New Welfare Bureaucrats: Entanglements of Race, Class, and Policy Reform” and most recent release is “Remaking a Life: How Women Living with HIV/AIDS Confront Inequality.” Follow Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes on Instagram @celestewatkinshayes, on Twitter @watkinshayes, and on Facebook @celeste.watkinhayes. Learn more about Dr. Watkins-Hayes' work at www.celestewatkinshayes.com Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In December of 2015, Dr. James L. Gelvin joined Jonathan in the studio to discuss the relationship between Shia and Sunni Islam and to record the very first episode of Getting Curious...the rest is history! Dr. James L. Gelvin is a Professor of Islamic Studies at UCLA. He holds his B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from Harvard. He’s also taught at Harvard, Boston College and MIT. His most recent book is titled “The New Middle East: What Everyone Needs to Know” where he covers the social, political and economic landscape of the contemporary Middle East. To find out more about Dr. Gelvin’s work visit www.newsroom.ucla.edu. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senator Elizabeth Warren was a professor of law for over 30 years at several esteemed universities including Harvard. In 2015 she became the first female Senator elected from Massachusetts and continued her fight for financial justice within the system. During her campaign for president of the United States in 2020, she sat down with Jonathan and they talked about her childhood, her ongoing campaign, and solutions to big government problems. Follow Senator Elizabeth Warren on Instagram and Facebook @ElizabethWarren and on Twitter @EWarren and @SenWarren. To find out more about Senator Warren's work, visit www.ElizabethWarren.com Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CONTENT WARNING: This conversation contains details about addiction, eating disorders and mental health disorders. Dr. Richard Schwartz earned his PH.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University. He is the founder of The Internal Family Systems Model or “parts” therapy and coauthor of Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods, one of the most widely used family therapy texts in the United States. Together, they discuss how Richard got into psychotherapy, the creation of IFS and how parts therapy has been helping Jonathan heal from his own life traumas.  To find more information about IFS, visit www.selfleadership.org. Follow Dr. Richard Schwartz and IFS on Instagram @internalfamilysystems and on Twitter @ifs_Model. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Shuchi Talati is a geoengineering governance fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit organization founded 50 years ago by faculty and students from MIT. Upon a chance meeting at the U.S. Capitol, she explained to Jonathan the importance of our votes when it comes to combating climate change. With so much more to discuss, she joins Jonathan to talk about how she got into her field of work, geoengineering, the effects of climate change in the weather and much more! Follow Dr. Talati and UCS on Instagram @stalati and @unionofconcernedscientists, and on Twitter @sktalati and @UCSUSA. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Charles J. Innis is the Director of Animal Health at the New England Aquarium and co-editor and author of “Sea Turtle Health and Rehabilitation,” which covers sea turtle husbandry, medicine, and surgery. He joined Jonathan in the studio to discuss the difference between land and sea turtles, how turtles have sex, the illegal wildlife trade, and how conservation is the key to the survival of aquariums and zoos. For more information and conservation resources, visit Turtle Survival Alliance and The Turtle Conservancy. Follow Dr. Innis and the New England Aquarium on Instagram @newenglandaquarium and on Twitter and Facebook @newenglandaquarium Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tan France is the host of Netflix’s upcoming show Next in Fashion and Dressing Funny on Netflix is a Joke and co-host of Queer Eye. He sits down with Jonathan in a mysterious location (on set) to discuss life since Queer Eye, the beauty industry, and learning to not just love but advocate for the beautiful color of his skin! Follow Tan France on Instagram and Twitter @tanfrance and check out his side project on Instagram @shaded. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee is a psychologist, speaker, and the award-winning author of “Deviced! Balancing Life and Technology in a Digital World.” She joins Jonathan to discuss how reliant on technology we are, and the mental, emotional, and cultural ways this dependence is affecting our lives. Follow Dr. Dodgen-Magee on Instagram and Twitter @drdoreendm, and at www.doreendm.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Erroll Southers joins Jonathan to discuss the threat domestic terrorism, how that term is applied on a federal level, and how to survive a mass shooting situation. Dr. Southers is a recipient of the Earl Warren Outstanding Public Service Award and author of Homegrown Violent Extremism, a book investigating radicalization, recruitment and ideological trends in domestic terrorism and extremism. Dr. Southers is the Director of the Safe Communities Institute and Homegrown Violent Extremism Studies at USC. Follow Dr. Southers on Twitter @esouthersHVE; his website is http://errollsouthers.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is joined by Nancy Birtwhistle, winner of Great British Bake Off Series 5. The two discuss all things Great British Bake Off and how she followed the recipe of her heart to become an international baking icon. Follow Nancy on Twitter @nancybbakes, Instagram @nancy.birtwhistle, and Facebook @nancybirtwhistle. Her website is www.nancybirtwhistle.co.uk/. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actor, activist, and author Diane Guerrero joins Jonathan to blow their mind and open our eyes to something many Americans have experienced but isn't talked about enough. Diane is an outspoken advocate for commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform and has worked with Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Mi Familia Vota, a nonpartisan Latino civic engagement organization to promote citizenship and voter registration. Follow Diane on Twitter @dianeguerrero__, Instagram @dianexguerrero, and Facebook @DianeGuerreroOfficial. Her book is In The Country We Love. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tara Foley is the founder of Follain, the first retailer to sell clean beauty exclusively. Tara sits down with Jonathan to discuss the power of taking care of their bodies with non-toxic products, outdated regulations on cosmetics and what "clean beauty" really means. Follow Tara on Instagram and Twitter @tcofoley. Follain is on Instagram and Twitter @follain, and on Facebook @shopfollain. Their website is https://follain.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth Pfiester is the founder and director of T1International, a non-profit run by people with and impacted by type 1 diabetes that does not take funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Elizabeth discusses what it’s like living with the disorder, her work fighting to put an end to the current crisis surrounding insulin prices, and why where you were born should not determine whether you live or die with diabetes. Follow T1International on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @t1international. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Planned Parenthood's Alexis McGill Johnson joins Jonathan to discuss the current state of reproductive rights, the politics of health care, and just, what is her day even like? You can follow Alexis McGill Johnson on Instagram @alexismjpp and Twitter @alexismcgill. Planned Parenthood is on Instagram @plannedparenthood and Twitter @PPFA. For more information, head to www.plannedparenthood.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is joined by climate advocate, TV personality, and Science Guy Bill Nye. The two discuss an array of topics, including green algae, renewable energy, and how to make climate change a major talking point in the 2020 election. Follow Bill Nye on Instagram and Twitter @billnye and check out his podcast Science Rules! Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hannah Shaw is a kitten rescuer, humane educator, author, and unwavering animal advocate who has dedicated her life to finding innovative ways to protect animals. She sits down with Jonathan to discuss her new book “Tiny But Mighty” and perhaps the most important topic on the podcast to date — kittens! Find more from Hannah on Instagram and Twitter @kittenxlady. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ditas Katague is currently the Director of the California Complete Count Office for the State of California. Ditas and Jonathan sit down to discuss the importance of the census, what you need to know, and dispel myths about the population count. Ditas Katague is on Twitter @ditaskatague. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NYU Associate Professor, data journalist, AI researcher, and author Meredith Broussard joins Jonathan to discuss her book “Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World," where she sheds light on how racism plays a part in the current state of AI. Follow Meredith Broussard on Twitter and Instagram @merbroussard. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did we come to be the United States of America? What was life like in Philadelphia and Boston leading up to the Revolutionary War? Jonathan sits down with Dr. Jessica Roney, Associate Professor of History at Temple University, to find out these answers and more. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brittany Jock a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Dr. Jock joins Jonathan to discuss her research, which combines epidemiology with social and behavioral science to respond to the obesity and chronic disease inequities experienced by Indigenous Nations and communities. Dr. Jock is on Twitter @Wenniseriiostha. Check out this interactive map of Indigenous lands: https://native-land.ca/. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Ratner, MD, MPH is the Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital and New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Ratner and Jonathan sit down to discuss what germs are, how they make us sick, and if Jonathan should be cleaning all public spaces he comes in contact with with bleach wipes. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Singer-songwriter and incredible badass Kim Petras joins Jonathan to talk about her writing process and how her work is reshaping how people are listening to pop music. Follow Kim on Twitter and Instagram @kimpetras. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan does his best not to cry as he is joined by seven time olympic medalist, two-time gold medalist, and absolute icon Shannon Miller. The two discuss Shannon’s journey as a decorated gymnast, her battle with ovarian cancer, and how she is bringing a healthy lifestyle to the masses. You can follow Shannon on Twitter Follow Her on Twitter @shannonmiller96 and find more at https://shannonmiller.com/. For more information on Our Way Forward, visit https://www.ourwayforward.com Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Erin Brockovich is an American legal clerk, consumer advocate, environmental activist who was instrumental in building a case against The Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California. She joins Jonathan to discuss toxic water, environmental advocacy, standing against injustice, and more. Follow Erin on Instagram @the_real_erin_brockovich and Twitter @ErinBrockovich. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe Robinson is a comedian, writer, podcaster, and ½ of Two Dope Queens. She joins Jonathan to breakdown their theories on Game of Thrones, the creation of Two Dope Queens, Phoebe’s early days in New York, the need for non-white and non-male voices in comedy, and more. You can find more at about Phoebe at www.phoeberobinson.com. Follow Her on Twitter and Instagram @dopequeenpheebs. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Playwright, actor, and two-time Tony Award nominee Heidi Schreck joins Jonathan to discuss her play “What the Constitution Means to Me,” in which she breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Heidi is on Twitter @heidibschreck, and you can find out more about her work at constitutionbroadway.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Sara Ruane is a herpetologist and assistant professor at Rutgers University - Newark who joins Jonathan to breakdown all things snakes! She covers their environmental benefits, the differences between constrictors and venomous snakes, and more. Dr. Ruane is on Twitter @sara_and_snakes. Her website is https://sararuane.com/. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rayka Zehtabchi is an award-winning Iranian-American film director. Her film Period: End of Sentence won the 2019 Oscar for Documentary Short. Rayka joins Jonathan to talk about the filmmaking process, how the production of Period: End of Sentence came about, connecting with the film’s subjects, her history with directing, and more. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephanie Schriock is an American political strategist and president of EMILY's List, the nation’s largest organization for women in politics. She joins Jonathan to talk the formation of EMILY’s list, the importance of women in politics, the upcoming census, the 2020 election, and more. Stephanie is on Twitter @shriock1. EMILY's List is on Twitter @emilyslist, on Instagram @emilys_list, and at https://www.emilyslist.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Collins is a three-time Emmy Award winning producer and is the creator and Executive Producer of Queer Eye. He joins Jonathan to talk the inspiration of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, how that lead to the creation of the current iteration, the selection process of the Fab Five, his own relationship with queerness, and more. You can find more at David’s website scoutproductionsinc.com. Follow David on Instagram @styletasteandclass. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Nina Shapiro is the Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology and a Professor of Head and Neck Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She joins Jonathan to discuss the history and importance of vaccinations, how vaccines work, good science versus bad science, thoughts from her new book, and more. You can find more of Dr. Shapiro’s work at http://drninashapiro.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook @drninashapiro. Make sure to check out her book A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice - How to Tell What's Real and What's Not. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tammy Baldwin is the Junior US Senator from Wisconsin & was the first openly gay woman to be elected to Congress. She joins Jonathan to talk about her involvement in American politics; being the first openly gay Senator; the power of representation in government; how to have an active role in local, state, federal government; and more. Find Senator Baldwin’s work at https://www.baldwin.senate.gov and she’s on Twitter @SenatorBaldwin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Stan Tatkin is author of the new book We Do, and he returns to talk with Jonathan about relationships, couples therapy, what goes into forming a functional relationship, the physical effects of a bad relationship, determining happiness, stress, and more. Find Dr. Tatkin’s work at https://stantatkin.com. He’s on Twitter and Facebook @DrStanTatkin and Instagram @StanTatkin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Caroline Leaf is a cognitive neuroscientist with a PhD in Communication Pathology and a BSc in Logopedics and Audiology, specializing in metacognitive and cognitive neuropsychology. She joins Jonathan to discuss how negative interactions can affect a person, optimism bias and our neurologically need for it, why we remember bad experiences instead of the good ones, and more. You can learn more about Dr. Leaf’s work at https://drleaf.com/. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @DrCarolineLeaf. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sally Kohn is a liberal political commentator, writer, community organizer, as well as a contributor to Fox News and CNN. She joins Jonathan to discuss her time being a liberal commentator on Fox News, the current political landscape, interacting with those with opposing political views, past presidential scandals and more. Find Sally Kohn’s website and her new book, The Opposite of Hate, here http://www.sallykohn.com. Sally is on Instragram and Twitter @sallykohn. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jameela Jamil is an actress, activist, and host who joins Jonathan to talk about a wide array of topics, including how she landed the role of Tahani on The Good Place, the importance of loving yourself, dispelling shame, using her various platforms for good, the struggles marginalized people face, and more. Find Jameela on Instagram @jameelajamilofficial, and on Twitter @jameelajamil Check out the I Weigh site at https://www.iweighcommunity.com/ and on Instagram @i_weigh. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victoria Tsai is the founder & CEO of skin care company Tatcha. She joins Jonathan to talk all things skin; starting a skincare company, how we can take care of our own skin, why it's important too, what skin is for, and more! Find VIctoria’s company Tatcha at https://www.tatcha.com. She’s on Instagram @vickytsai. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Noor Tagouri is a Libyan-American journalist, activist, motivational speaker, producer, and host of the podcast series “Sold in America: Inside Our Nation's Sex Trade.” She sits down with Jonathan to discuss her activism, the realities of Muslim-Americans, the world of sex trafficking, and more. Noor is on Twitter @NTagouri and Instagram @Noor. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jodi Picoult is an American writer who currently has approximately 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide, translated into 34 languages. She joins Jonathan to talk the process of writing, what goes into being a successful author, tackling tough subjects, and more. Find Jodi’s work at https://www.jodipicoult.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @jodipicoult. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beth Porter is Green America’s Climate & Recycling Director, as well as the author of "Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System." She joins Jonathan to talk all things recycling: what is is, how it works, whether plastic straws are as dangerous we’ve been told, how oil prices affect recycled plastic demands, and more. Beth is on Twitter and Instagram @bethrecycles, and at www.bethrecycles.com. Her book "Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System" is available here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anastasia Khoo is Chief Marketing Officer of Conservation International. She has led ground-breaking campaigns around critical moments in America’s history, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. She joins Jonathan to recap her career working for the Human Rights Campaign, the struggle for LGBTQA rights, the impact climate change is currently having on the geopolitical landscape, ways to lessen our emission footprints, and more. Anastasia is on Twitter @AnastasiaKhoo, and Conversation International is on Instagram and Twitter @ConservationOrg. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bishop Briggs is a British musician and singer-songwriter. She joins Jonathan to discuss how she broke onto the music scene, growing up in Asia, the importance of being an ally & using your voice for good, the need to “keep going” once you’ve become successful, utilizing your platform for good, and more. Find Bishop’s work at https://bishopbriggs.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @thatgirlbishop. Listen to her single “River” here. Listen to her single “Wild Horses” here. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rebecca Givan is an Associate Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University. She joins Jonathan to discuss the ins and outs of trade unions: what they are, how they work, why they’re needed, the benefits and protection they offer members, and much more. Professor Givan is on Twitter @rkgwork, and her website is www.rkgivan.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Jessica Rett is an Associate Professor in UCLA's Linguistics Department who joins Jonathan to discuss the power and nuances of words, breaks down the concepts of what "dog whistles" are, code-switching, how words evolve, endangered languages, and more. Find Jessica’s work at http://linguistics.ucla.edu/people/Rett/index.html. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Jeff Chen is the head of UCLA’s new Cannabis Research Initiative. He joins Jonathan to break down the numerous medicinal properties of THC, how it works, its effect on the mind and body, new cannabis research breakthroughs, marijuana laws, and more! Dr. Chen is on Instagram @drjeffchen. You can learn more about his work at www.uclahealth.org/cannabis/jeff-chen and www.uclahealth.org/cannabis. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Geithner is the Deputy Project Manager — Technical for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Paul joins Jonathan to give him a crash course in what the electro-magnetic spectrum is, how space debris can effect space programs, the vastness of space, his work with the James Webb Space Telescope, and more. Learn more about Paul’s work at https://jwst.nasa.gov/meet-geithner.html. He’s on Twitter @paulgeithner. Find the James Webb Space Telescope YouTube page @NASAWebbTelescope. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Karl Racine is Attorney General for the District of Columbia - the only Attorney General in Trump’s backyard. He is the first elected AG in the District of Columbia, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, and the VP of the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General. Attorney General Racine joins Jonathan to talk about corruption in government, his work to fight systemic child sexual abuse and protecting consumers. All this goes towards why November 6th’s midterm election is so important and why voters should be sure to vote down the whole ballot (and not just for house or senatorial candidates). Find Karl Racine’s work at OAG.DC.GOV. He’s on Twitter @AGKarlRacine, Instagram at AGKarlRacine and Facebook at DCOAG. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gaby Goldstein is co-founder and Political Director of the Sister District Project, a grassroots organization of over 30,000 volunteers that supports Democratic candidates. She joins Jonathan to talk the importance of flipping red states blue, strategies to win legislative races, and more. Gaby Goldstein is on Twitter @gaby__goldstein. You can learn more about Sister District at https://sisterdistrict.com/. They're on Twitter and Instagram @Sister_District and on YouTube and Facebook at Sister District. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Julia Landauer is an American professional stock car driver who joins Jonathan to discuss being one of the few professional female drivers, the physical demands of driving, navigating a predominantly male dominated profession, her racing origins, how a pit crew works, and more. Find Julia’s work at https://julialandauer.com/. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @julialandauer. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Laura Ferguson is an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and the associate director of the Program on Global Health & Human Rights at the USC Institute for Global Health. She joins Jonathan to discuss the importance of global health and its impact on day-to-day life. Dr. Ferguson is on Twitter @lauraf_la. The USC Institute for Global Health is on Instagram @uscglobalhealth and online at www.globalhealth.usc.edu. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Amy Baker is a nationally recognized expert in parent-child relationships, parental alienation, and child emotional abuse who joins Jonathan to discuss the signs and causes of parental alienation, how it affects children, and how to avoid it. Find Dr. Amy Baker’s work at https://www.amyjlbaker.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Nanthia Suthana is a neuroscientist from UCLA who joins Jonathan to discuss memories, how the brain works, epilepsy, new breakthroughs in medical technologies, how virtual reality is used in therapy, and more. Find Dr. Suthana's work at http://neurosurgery.ucla.edu/nanthia-suthana. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reese Witherspoon is an actress, producer, entrepreneur, and author of the newly released Whiskey in a Teacup, who joins Jonathan to talk British Baking Challenge, the work-life balance of social media, lady-entrepreneurship, the creation of Big Little Lies, the need to create better acting roles for all women, and more. Find Reese’s new book Whiskey in a Teacup at http://www.whiskeyinateacupbook.com/. She’s on Twitter @RWitherspoon and Instagram @reesewitherspoon. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicole Byer is a comedian, writer, and host of Netflix’s Nailed It as well as the Why Won’t You Date Me? podcast. Erin Gibson is a comedian, director/writer, creator of Gay of Thrones and the host of Throwing Shade. They join Jonathan live in Montreal at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival to talk Erin giving Jonathan his big break, being women in comedy & empowered content creators, Roseanne’s meltdown, and more. Find Nicole’s work at https://www.nicolebyerwastaken.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @nicolebyer. Find Erin’s work http://www.eringibson.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @gibblertron. Purchase Erin's Book Feminasty at https://www.feminasty.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michelle Wolf is a comedian & writer featured performer at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner and hosted The Break with Michelle Wolf. Florence Welch is an English musician, producer, singer/songwriter, and lead vocalist and primary songwriter of Florence & The Machine. They join Jonathan live at Outside Lands Festival to talk a variety subjects including reactions to Michelle’s Correspondents’ Dinner set and politicians not being able to take a joke, Florence’s approach to songwriting and using sadness for musical inspiration, and more. Find Michelle’s work at https://www.michelleisawolf.com/. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @michelleisawolf. Find Florence’s work https://florenceandthemachine.net/. She’s on Twitter @flo_tweet and Instagram @florence. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Justin Theroux is an actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who joins Jonathan to talk about early days living and traveling in China, landing his first major acting role, his outlook on life, as well as a surprise Q&A session with Tan & Antoni. Recorded live at Vulture Fest. Find Justin’s work at https://www.achancetobloom.org/. He’s on Instagram @JustinTheroux. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Adi Jaffe is a specialist in mental health, addiction, and shame who has spoken at multiple TEDx events and has a doctorate in psychology from UCLA. He joins Jonathan to discuss addiction and alternative treatments, the negative consequences of shame, and how abstinence-based treatment is not the only method to recovery. Find Dr Adi Jaffe’s work on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dradijaffe. Read more about Dr. Jaffe's book The Abstinence Myth at www.theabstinencemyth.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician & host of Song Exploder who joins with Jonathan to talk about about the many elements that go into creating a song, speaking with artists like Solange, Lorde, & Weezer about their creative process & what goes into their songwriting, as well as his own creative process. Find Hrishi Hirway on Twitter & Instagram @HrishiHirway & visit Song Exploder http://songexploder.net/ Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bobby Berk is an interior designer & fellow Queer Eye cast member who joins Jonathan to talk growing up closeted in the Midwest, emancipating himself from his parents as a teen, landing the role on Queer Eye, finding his way to New York City, and his love for interior design. Check out the Queer Eye cast's Glamour friendship test here. Find Bobby Berk on Twitter & Instagram @bobbyberk & visit his site https://www.bobbyberkhome.com/ Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Elizabeth Barnert joins Jonathan to talk about the toxic effects that separating families can have on a child’s physical and mental state, the process of family reunification, and how to help child who have been impacted by family separation. Dr. Barnert is a pediatrician and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Dr. Elizabeth Barnert is on Twitter @Liz_Barnert. You can find out more about her work at https://www.uclahealth.org/elizabeth-barnert. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Austyn Weiner is a renowned photographer and artist extraordinaire who, at 28 years old, has worked with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid and exhibited at Art Basel. Jonathan talks with this business woman and artist about her own artistic evolution, and the advice she’d offer to young female artists coming up behind her: commit 100%, share with those around you, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there… and don’t stop. Find Austyn’s work at AustynWeiner.com. She’s on Instagram @Austyn. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ryan Huber is an ethicists, PhD, and theologian who joins Jonathan to talk ethics, the life and death of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism in post-WWI Germany, and what we can learn from the past. Find Ryan Huber on Twitter @ryanmhuber or visit his site https://arcdigital.media. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amit Paley is the CEO of the Trevor Project and joins Jonathan to talk about the suicide rates among LGBTQ youth, destigmatizing the conversations around suicide & mental illness, and the importance of the work of The Trevor Project. Find Amit Paley’s work at TheTrevorProject.org and @TrevorProject on Twitter @amitpaley. The Trevor Lifeline - 1-866-488-7386 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255 For more music from Quiñ head to TheQuinCat.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tan France is the fashion expert for Queer Eye and joins Jonathan to talk about growing up in Yorkshire, getting a Barbie collection from his dad, and when he realized he wanted to marry a boy. Plus, Tan discusses coming out to a religious household and how Queer Eye helped him find acceptance with his family. Check out more of Tan’s work at TanFrance.com. He tweets @tanfrance and you can follow him on Instagram @tanfrance. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helen Zaltzman hosts The Allusionist podcast and joins Jonathan to talk about the current and historical differences between British English and American English. It doesn’t take long for the conversation to spiral out to cover accents, manners, and how language can be used to shape our opinions and understanding of the news. Find Helen’s work at TheAllusionist.org. She's on Twitter @HelenZaltzman and has an Allusionist group on Facebook. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jessica Rae Huber is a film and television composer who has written music for projects such as The Walking Dead, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Outlander, and Constantine. Jonathan talks with Jessica about how she got into film scoring, the process of adding music to a TV show, and the important Walking Dead death she saw before the rest of us. Plus he gets into the #MeToo side of scoring and what it’s like to be a woman in this male-dominated industry. Find Jessica Rae Huber’s work at JessicaRaeHuber.com [jessicaraehuber.com]. She’s on Twitter @JessicaRaeHuber and Instagram as JessicaRaeHuber [instagram.com]. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nineteen years ago, Amy Throckmorton donated an egg. Eighteen years later, she was contacted out of the blue by Gaba, whose life she helped create. Amy and Gaba met, and discovered that Gaba is currently a singer in the SoCal Vocals, the acapella group that Amy was a member of at college. Jonathan had to talk to them and serve some Pitch Perfect realness. Amy Throckmorton is on Twitter @Hereinamyland. Gaba is @elizabethgaba. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lisa Boutin Vitela is Assistant Professor of Art History at Cerritos College. In Jonathan’s words, she’s “most professory about the gorgeous Renaissance,” so she comes by to talk about the Ninja Turtle artists (Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo Da Vinci), plus feminist art trailblazer Artemisia Gentileschi. Professor Boutin Vitela is on Twitter @LisaBoutin and Instagram @ProfVitela1474. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Karamo Brown joins Jonathan to talk about his childhood, gay rights, school shootings, The Real World, make-up, self improvement, working for Oprah, and their shared experiences on Queer Eye. Find Karamo on Twitter and Instagram @KaramoBrown, and at his website KaramoBrown.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mirai Nagasu was the first American female figure skater to land a triple axel at the Olympics, securing a bronze medal at PyeongChang 2018. Jonathan chokes back tears of love and joy to get deep into the technical, artistic and political aspects of figure skating. Plus, Mirai shares what it’s been like losing the skates to compete in Dancing with the Stars: Athletes. Find Mirai on Instagram at mirainagasu, on Twitter @mirai_nagasu, or at mirainagasu.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor James Nieh answers Jonathan’s questions about the diseases that are killing off our bees, explains the role bees play in bringing us almonds, and outlines the hierarchies and communication processes going on in hives all over the world. Professor Nieh works out of UC San Diego, researching how natural and man-made stressors affect the biology and behavior of bees. Find out more about Professor Nieh’s work by visiting the Nieh Lab website and following him on Twitter @jnieh1. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Natalie Feinblatt explains the four criteria an organization needs to meet to be called a cult and looks at how the term can be used and misused in relationship to religions and rehabilitation programs. Plus, Jonathan asks about murder porn cults and Wild Wild Country, because that’s what the podcast charts like, right? Find Dr. Natalie Feinblatt’s work at DrNatalieFeinblatt.com. She’s on Instagram @Dr_Natalie_F. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Queer Eye co-host Antoni Porowski joins Jonathan in a wintery New York studio to hang out, share stories from his childhood as a first generation Polish Canadian, and to compare the schooling systems he experienced in Montreal and West Virginia. Follow Antoni on Twitter and Instagram on @antoni. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tim Molina, Political Director at Courage Campaign, explains why he’s currently focusing on California bail reform and what exactly he's hoping to change. Tim’s on Twitter @TMMolina and Courage Campaign is on Twitter @CourageCampaign. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Catherine Cahill is an opioid neuropharmacologist and a professor in UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Studies, specializing in chronic pain. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Jonathan asks Professor Cahill why we experience pain, what makes chronic pain so different and what we can do to treat it. You can find out more about Professor Cahill’s work at UCLA or follow her on Twitter @PainLabQ. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Ti, host of the podcast Yo, Is This Racist?, talks to Jonathan about how Trump’s America isn’t necessarily more racist than Obama’s, and about why we should be challenging ourselves and others on an ongoing basis. Check out Andrew Ti’s Yo, Is This Racist? blog and podcast. He’s on Twitter and Instagram @ANDREWTI. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr. Chris Evans talks with Jonathan about how people get addicted to opioids, why addiction is so hard to kick, and what we can do about this national crisis. Dr. Evans is Director of the Brain Research Institute at UCLA and the Hatos Centre for Neuropharmacology. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with his mom, Mary Winters, to talk about the way media is changing, childhood costumes, and things you learn on podcasts. And were there ribbon sticks or not?! With Jonathan Van Ness and guest, Mary Winters. Edited by Stacey Molski. Produced by Christian Dueñas and Daniel Baruela for MaximumFun.org. You can find Jonathan on Twitter @TheGayOfThrones or follow him on his Instagram @GayOfThrones. You can join the Getting Curious Facebook group here, and you can follow us on Twitter, @Getting_Curious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with singer, songwriter, recording artist extraordinaire Lizzo to talk about having her heart broken, getting an album named one of the Top 20 of 2016, who she's obsessed with, and how she defines a "bad bitch." You can find Lizzo on Instagram @LizzoBeEating, and on Twitter @Lizzo. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Jonathan sits down with Wanyi Jiang, Design Director at Marie Claire. They talk about Wanyi's path to design, what 1990s TV drama is inspiring today's fashion, and the real problem with Millennials. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with model Denise Bidot to talk about the modeling industry, New York Fashion Week, and how to truly embrace your body, curves and all. Plus, Denise tells us how to deal with haters on the internet. Denise is on Twitter and Instagram @denisebidot. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with therapist and author Stan Tatkin to talk about how we can create meaningful and fulfilling relationships with other human beings. Plus, they discuss dating as a numbers game, the idea of soulmates, and Jonathan asks for love advice on behalf of his friends. Find Dr. Tatkin’s work at https://stantatkin.com. He’s on Twitter and Facebook @DrStanTatkin and Instagram @StanTatkin. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with evolutionary biologist Dr. Leryn Gorlitsky to discuss the many mass extinctions that have happened through Earth’s lifetime, why some species survive and why others die, and how humans are the primary cause of the ongoing mass extinction today. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with Physician Assistant and PrEP Research Clinician Kayla McLaughlin to talk about what PrEP is, how far HIV research has gotten since the 1980s, and why HIV is so hard to cure. Plus, Kayla discusses the curious cases of the Mississippi Baby and the Berlin Patient. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Getting Curious, Jonathan is joined by Editorial Manager Andrei Berman and Deputy Press Secretary Taylor Maxwell of Everytown for Gun Safety to talk about the second amendment, the ins and outs of the NRA, and what we can do to help promote gun safety. Everytown is on Twitter @Everytown and at www.everytown.org. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with physics professor Alan Weinstein to discuss gravitational waves, Einstein's theory of relativity, and his work for LIGO. Plus, Jonathan and Alan try to imitate the sound of two black holes merging. It's delightful. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is joined by comedian and actor Ian Harvie to talk about moving to Los Angeles, Transparent, and what it means to truly be comfortable with your gender identity. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan sits down with Dr. Lina Nih to talk about what causes strokes, how to detect a possible stroke, and what medical researchers are doing to better treat stroke victims. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is joined by Ilona Varo, a marriage and family therapist intern specializing in eating disorders. Learn more about Ilona's work at www.ilonavaro.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Margaret Cho joins Jonathan to get curious about comedy, dogs, charity and cannabis. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is joined by Brad Damaré, Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at USC, to uncover the true story behind the 1997 animated film Anastasia. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jonathan is joined by Sullivan Oakley to discuss menstrual cups, the stigma attached to periods, and helping women in poverty-stricken areas around the world. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Check out Getting Curious merch at PodSwag.com. Listen to more music from Quiñ by heading over to TheQuinCat.com. Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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