My Views Are My Own

In this episode, I am joined by singer, songwriter, author, and musician Giulia Millanta to talk about songwriting, music, and the power of relationships. We discuss healing fractures, whether it be a fracture of the occipital lobe from falling off a horse, or healing a fractured human relationship. Giulia plays guitar, upright bass, and ukulele, and sings in four languages. She has toured with some of the world's most successful musicians, and believes storytelling is one of the most important things music can accomplish. Giulia explains to me the meaning of one of my favorite songs of hers that I didn't understand, why it's so important to appreciate human artists in a world being overtaken by AI, and what it was like playing shows and spending the night in some of the most haunted venues in the world.

In this episode, I am joined by comedian Sean Porter to discuss current events and discover the true essence of rizz. If you're famous and you've done something fascist lately, you might find yourself on the naughty list in our new segment "Tsk Tsk, You Should Be Ashamed of Yourself." But, if you've done something honorable lately, you might find yourself in our other new segment "Good Job, I'm Proud of You."

In this episode, I am joined by professional football player Bianca Mouton, who plays defensive tackle for the Seattle Majestics in the Women's National Football Conference. Bianca is also a driven businesswoman who serves as a community leader for women in sports at WISE (Seattle Chapter), and is an all around rad person. Bianca tells me the story of how she became a professional football player as a walk-on and shares her best stories from working security for the Seattle Mariners. Off the field, Bianca works as a project manager and a chief of staff to help maximize the work and impact of wellness and business professionals.

In this episode author and professional boxer Daniel Mendes joins the podcast to talk about finding purpose, writing poetry, training to win, and his book T.I.S.S.U.E.S.

In this episode, New Zealand musician Lexytron joins me to talk about the weather, what is the best kind of bread, and how we feel about the current state of the world. I add the word "sardonic" to my vocabulary, and we talk about what it's like having someone describe your music back to you. We debate which is the most sardonic band, which is the least sardonic band, and which Australian animals we think are most likely to eat us.

In this episode, I am joined by filmmaker Spyder Dobrofsky and actor Blake Jenner to talk about witchcraft, camping, surfing, and their new supernatural horror film "The Weeping." "The Weeping" is a story about a group of friends camping in a protected forest who accidentally awaken an ancient witch who haunts trespassers. Obviously, I have to ask if this film has a future as a Broadway musical prequel. What will happen next?? YOU decide!!!

In this episode, actor, stunt driver, and movie producer Cecile Cubiló joins me to talk about Tokyo drifting, making movies, crashing cars, and living life. We discuss her extensive career in stunt driving in shows like West World and what it's like pulling a stunt with millions of dollars of equipment on the line as well as the lives of other performers. We also discuss one of her latest movies, Neighborhood Watch, where she stars alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) and Jack Quaid (The Boys) and how they pulled of such a rad movie.

In this fast-paced world, sometimes it's hard to tell where the information superhighway begins and the regular highway where cars drive ends. With so much information coming at us so fast, and with so many people saying so much shit, it can be hard to tell what's lit and what isn't even at all remotely lit. That's why I've enlisted the help of San Francisco-based comedian Darlene Bereznicki to answer some of the most pressing questions on our collective society's mind. We discuss the former antebellum plantation mansion lighting aflame (weee!); did a haunted doll light it on fire? If you buy a cyber truck and put a bumper sticker on it that says you don't like Elon Musk, are you cool? Is my bespoke pickle company going to make it?? Am I good at business? What about the rising trend in people having romantic relationships with artificial intelligence? Wouldn't it be cooler if billionaires went on submarines instead of spaceships again? I wrote an incredibly heart wrenching and beautiful song about tug boats to the tune of Sade's No Ordinary Love, which also comes up too. And of course this podcast ends with one of the most heartwarming stories you've ever heard in your life.

In this episode, Brooklyn-based comedian, voice actor, and writer Allie Lawrence joins me to help make sense of this wild, wacky world we live in. We set out to heal society. And even though we didn't heal all of society in one podcast episode, boy did we sure get close. We investigate the appropriate ways to approach road rage, trash art, and the dangers of living in a too-litigious society. I talk with Allie about her comedy series "The Barista Diaries" and we recreate one of the most realistic coffee shop scenes in history. And we make an amazing MadLibs script about the American Dream.

In this episode, I am joined by Mount Everest summiteer, improv comedian, member of the Explorers Club, and filmmaker Alex Harz to discuss his trip to Nepal and his climb to the top of Mount Everest while shooting a virtual reality and 2D documentary of his journey. This climb to the top of Mount Everest is part of a series hosted by Alex called "The Quest," which is designed to take audiences on thrilling and educational adventures to some of the most interesting place in the world. Alex tells me about the country of Nepal, the culture of the people of Kathmandu, as well as giving me a much deeper understanding of the Sherpa culture than I ever had before. Alex explains to me the physical and mental training it takes going into climbing the tallest mountain in the world, and we even find out how he used his improv comedy skills to reach the top.

In this episode, award winning filmmaker, storyteller, and host of the podcast "The Film Nuts Podcast" Taylor D. Adams joins me to discuss filmmaking, movies, and why we love them. Of course Taylor is first put through a psychological test to ascertain his his movie watching mentality. We discuss Taylor's short film "Time is the Thief of Memory." And then of course Taylor is goes through another rigorous challenge of film knowledge and creative obstacles.

In this episode, I go on a journey of science with the charismatic, enigmatic, and downright beloved actor Brian Norris. We solve some of the most pressing matters concerning biological science, social science, and botany. We delve into which hats are socially accessible to wear, which mushrooms in your garden might be poisonous, and the world of habitat overlap between grizzly bears and polar bears creating pizzly bears. We also discuss how to create a compelling character as an actor. And of course, Brian is given a pop quiz testing his ability to identify TV and film characters built off their head-gear-based attire.

In this episode, actress and ER nurse Eden Lee joins me to get to the bottom of a couple bizarre conspiracy theories, give great advice on writing fan fiction, and discuss how she balances her two very different careers. We talk about her Netflix limited series "Zero Day," where she acts alongside Robert De Niro as Special Agent Angela Kim. We also discuss the difficulties of creating media that directly reflects current events in a world where the media cycle is non-stop and overwhelming. I do a perfect impression of Robert De Niro and Eden takes a pop quiz on quotes by fictional presidents vs. real presidents.

In this episode, author Edward Ashton joins me to discuss the film Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon Ho, based on Edward's book Mickey 7. The film and the book series explores themes of unfettered capitalism, whether or not people have souls, and the theoretical possibilities of colonizing other planets. In an earlier episode, I interviewed Edward Ashton about his book Mickey 7 and the sequel Antimatter Blues. At the time he had told me that Brad Pitt had picked up the rights to his film for Warner Brothers starring Robert Pattinson in the title role and costarring Toni Collete, Naomi Ackie, and Mark Ruffalo. Now that Edward is free from the NDAs he had signed during filming, we are able to discuss the exciting process of seeing his book turned into a new creative work.

In this episode, I am joined by explorer, innovator, storyteller, lawyer, and climate activist Tiffany Duong. She tells me the story of her experience holding onto a rock on the bottom of the ocean, deciding to let go and go with the drift, and how that one moment in her life helped her decide to leave her career in corporate law to become a leader, educator, and campaigner for the planet. We talk about swimming with orcas in the Arctic, as well as one of the most incredible and inexplicably thriving reefs in Honduras. We also discuss accidentally falling into a role on a movie set, working with former Vice President Al Gore, and some of the most exciting developments on the horizon for environmental protection.

Artist, musician, and rising star Paris Heart joins me on the podcast to discuss the modern music industry and how artists’ creative processes have evolved. Paris tells me about his experiences being born and raised on a Native American reservation, and we share which musician from any era we would choose to resurrect by performing a séance and then do a music collab with. We also talk about how to pick a side when your friends break up, how to deal with burnout, why being a positive person is contagious, and whether or not a coupé de ville is a cool car.

Spooky Season is upon us, and stand-up comedian Hunter Collins joins me on the podcast today as a foreign correspondent deeply embedded in the Czech Republic. If you love learning, get ready to learn. We discuss some of the most undiscussed news stories, such as the grand prize winner of the Python Florida Challenge in the Everglades. Things get a little bit more intense when we discuss that the Czech Republic is building the first soccer stadium larger than Hunter's hometown stadium in Montreal, Canada. We inform our listeners how, why, and if there are more vampires in the Czech r\Republic than Canada and then we get extremely scientific with Cryptid News. Guess what?? A dog's sense of impending disaster might just save your life. And of course, we have to talk about the upcoming release of Hunter Collins' sketch comedy horror album Monster Orgy.

This episode was originally published on January 31, 2023. Nathaniel Stinnett is the Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan nonprofit that uses data analytics and behavioral science to mobilize environmentalists to vote. He joins me on the podcast today to discuss how the project was created, why some environmentalists don't vote, and why some people consider the environment to be a partisan issue. We also identify some of the largest obstacles to environmental protection, most notably billions of dollars spent by Citizens United and the fossil fuel industry to influence elections and hinder regulations. However this is one of the most optimistic conversations I've had on climate action and environmental conservation in a very long time. The Environmental Voter Project has mobilized millions of non-voting environmentalists to vote over the last few years. And environmentalists are on track to become an increasingly powerful and influential voter block that will be impossible to ignore in future elections.

In this episode, I am joined by professional diver, ocean and cave explorer, shark ecologist, photographer, speaker, writer, and conservationist Cristina Zenato to talk about shark behavior and how to care for these vital members of the ocean ecosystem. Cristina alone has pulled out over 300 fishing hooks from sharks' mouths with her own hands. She tells me how she first got started doing this and how she has developed close relationships with so many of the sharks she's helped in the reefs of the Bahamas. We discuss how certain sharks have personalities and Cristina dispels many of the widespread myths about sharks. We talk about her organization People of the Water and how she was able to make sharks a protected species in the Bahamas, which was a major legislative victory. For more information about Cristina's work, visit https://cristinazenato.com/

In this episode, I am joined by screenwriter, actress, and director Jessica Anderson to discuss the horror filmmaking genre. We talk about classic horror films, modern horror films, and the tropes that have stood the test of time and which ones need to be retired. We also talk about her latest short film "Money Back Guarantee" that is currently in the film festival circuit, and her two feature-length screenplays that will soon be in production.