Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com We respond to questions from listeners about therapy, whether shame fuels eroticism, why neither of us wants to have kids (or dogs), and whether we are in an “age inappropriate” relationship.

Greetings from the lagoon in the oasis town of San Ignacio, Baja Sur, Mexico. We talk about our (maybe) upcoming retreat this summer in Montana, answer a few listener questions (Chomsky/Pinker and Epstein), talk about the wind at our backs, and driving in Baja. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.c...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com I tell my Peter Attia story and we explore the nature of evil on Epstein Island. Are we all evil? How can we know? Are there justifications for the worst crimes? How can we minimize the harm we cause when we live in a world in which harm is unavoidable?

One of the best things about Crestone is that it attracts people like Goldie. She came here to build an Earthship with her partner, Matt , and everyone agrees that it’s a richer place with them in it. She’s a big part of the annual Crestone Energy Fair and works with the Crestone End of Life Project as a death doula, helping people on their way to whatever comes next. This is a public episode. If...

In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about James’ journey from ministry to technology, the importance of critical thinking and humility, the role of ideology in political discourse, and the philosophical roots of Unitarianism. We even get into the nature of belief and behavior, and the implications of animal consciousness. Are critters dreaming all the time? We discuss the importance of detr...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Looking for silver linings of very dark clouds. Muss es sein? Es muss sein. Beethoven. Lessons learned from hopping a coal train in the Finger Lakes. Why do I ban listeners? Lee Atwater. Reagan. Carter. Is our current crisis the bitter fruit of what was planted in 1980? Answ…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What is the connection (if any) between football, musicals, dancing, and prostitution Some thoughts on Tears for Fears. A bunch of other random nonsense.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com This one gets dark at the beginning. Could this Epstein/Trump stuff be worse, much worse than even a cynical old bastard like me could have imagined? Stuff that’s been bending for decades all feels like it’s breaking now. What does Occam’s Razor have to say about ICE raids in Minneapolis? Or Trump’s obsession with...

Liam and his wife, Abbey have been together for over thirteen years and have been consensually non-monogamous for eleven of those years. Their podcast, Evolving Love , seeks to help people find whatever relationship structure works best for each couple hoping to nurture depth and authenticity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Listener voice memos. Am I a good mentor? If “the medium is the message,” what’s the message of the podcasting medium? Is non-monogamy a behavior decision, a relationship configuration, or an inner state? If it’s an inner state, how can we determine compatibility with a potential partner? How can we really know wh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Will 2026 be the end of the beginning of the end or the beginning of the beginning of a new era? Are we learning that we have been led into darkness by monsters? Are the “basic illusions” of this era exhausted? What does Santa have to do with my general disillusionment and the fear of death in western societies?

Ed Dupas is an Americana artist with a knack for crafting songs that stick with you — songs that balance grit and vulnerability while cutting to the heart of things. His music has earned airplay across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, resonating with listeners drawn to its emotional weight and lyrical honesty. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acces...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Does peak experience ruin normal experience? Why not just run ads? How can we know we’re not full of shit? Is community possible in the modern world? All this and more!

Jef Taylor has worked in politics, advertising, and independent filmmaking. His podcast is called onefjef, and you can find on any platform or at onefjefpod.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Topics: How is a plate of peas a key to a life well-lived? A few pivotal moments in my early 20s. Respond to the argument, not the person making it. Are there really “rules of war?” The enraging hypocrisy of intelligent people concerning American foreign policy. The time I stood between two famous gay men, pissing...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A recent health scare. What do I miss about living in Europe? Where do I think AI is taking us, and how will it affect human relationships? How is travel different now from 30 years ago? What food changed my thinking? What’s the evolutionary significance of celebrity? All this and more in ROMA 98.

Adam is a well-known author, journalist, and podcaster. He’s covered travel, adventure sports, human rights and the environment for many outlets. He’s perhaps best known as the ghostwriter and audiobook narrator of the pair of smash-hit memoirs by David Goggins, but he’s also the author of One Breath - Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits. Adam’s debut novel, American Tiger , is...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Does raging against the machine serve as a distraction from trying to control or unplug the machine? Gender reveal parties don’t reveal gender! Cameron Shayne's inspirational visit. My three-day fast. Did my dad give up or was he just tired?

An award-winning journalist, pro big wave surfer, and podcast host with more than four hundred episodes, Kyle Thiermann is a good friend and long-time tangentialista. His first book is called One Last Question Before You Go: Why You Should Interview Your Parents . This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substac...

This one happened fast. A week ago, a publicist reached out to ask if I’d possibly be interested in helping to promote a documentary about a guy (a white guy) who thinks he’s supposed to bring together the native people of South and North America — whose combined teachings will then spread across the planet and save us all. My first impression was that this one sounded crazy, possibly racist, and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In this last episode of the series, Riley Morton and I talk about the period beginning when I chose to write about prehistoric human sexuality in graduate school through the writing and publishing of Sex at Dawn . It gets personal. I talk about how some of my own sexual experiences informed my thinking about how s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Words that mean both what they mean and the opposite of what they mean. Early days of learning Spanish and the psychological repercussions of not knowing exactly what you’re saying. When philosophy conflicts with reality. Open borders. “The past was horrible!”

Tom Murphy is a recovering astrophysicist. After spending the first part of his life learning the language of physics and mathematics, Tom started hearing a deeper message concerning our responsibility to the planet. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com This one gets very personal. Riley and I talk about how my own erotic journey informed my doctoral research and what eventually became Sex at Dawn . We cover everything from my first heartbreak when my first girlfriend went off to college (and I stayed in high school) through grad school in San Francisco. Check ou...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What the hell is going on? Why does the mainstream narrative seem to be increasingly unbelievable? Is decency outdated? Why were Paul Newman and Robert Redford important? Is the future female? Is competence necessary to run a country?