The Curious Introvert

What made the American funeral industry what it is today? Why do we embalm? How do societal status & funeral styles overlap?   Gary Laderman, PhD, is the Goodrich C. White Prof of Amer Religious History & Cultures at Emory University in Georgia, the author of multiple books & featured on The Mortician: an HBO documentary covering a 1980s funeral home who exploited grieving families.  ...

Is the “ick” factor of cannibalism nature or nurture? What does history tell us (& how much of it is a lie)?   Bill Schutt, a PhD zoologist & author of Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History , answers these questions by sharing the history of human cannibalism. We discuss why accounts of historic cannibalism may have been exaggerated, cannibalism in Europe, eating placenta & taking h...

This is the first of a series of episodes that feature opposing sides of a hot topic. Today it’s the a tech entrepreneur who founded a grief bot service vs a cyberpsychologist specializing in the ethics of death & the digital.   We ask, is this healing or avoidance? Can the dead consent to this? What is the potential for harm?   John Kammer is the founder of Guardian A[I]ngels, a subscription...

What exactly is considered "sexless"? What are we counting as sex? What would cause someone to not want to have sex all of a sudden?   These are all questions I unpacked with Xanet Pailet. She was a successful healthcare lawyer married to an attorney with two children. She lived in a beautiful home in NYC as well as a sexless marriage. At age 45 and no sex for over 15 years, she consider...

Can napping replace medication? How do you get your brain to slow down enough to take a nap?    Dr. Hector Rodriguez is a psychiatrist, who views naps as medicine for your brain. He is the owner of the White Butterfly Clinic in Miami, FL. With both an MD and a Masters in theology, he is a psychiatrist who treats the soul, integrating neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based psychothera...

Meredith for Real: the curious introvert is now The Curious Introvert! When I started this show in 2019, there were a few other shows with the words curious & introvert in them, but fewer with the name Meredith.  Now that time has passed, there’s more room in the podcast landscape for a more concise name. So, I introduce you: The curious introvert podcast. It’s still the great content you’ve c...

What’s the difference between social anxiety & social anxiety disorder? What should you do if you’re spiraling?    Dr. Ali Mattu was so socially anxious as a child, that he had selective mutism. Since then, he’s become a clinical psychologist specializing in treating anxiety disorders. Wanting to create more accessible mental health education, he created a YouTube channel with over 8.5 million...

Did the NFL cover up what they knew? Is football causing early dementia?   Mark Fainaru-Wada is an award-winning investigative reporter & journalist with ESPN. He’s also the co- author of League of Denial, the book co-written with his brother, that inspired the Frontline documentary by the same name. In this episode, you’ll hear how the discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – CTE – spa...

Is it possible to age without aches & pains? Are some people just cursed with bad genes?    Eileen Kopsaftis is a physical therapist with a Fellowship in Applied Functional Science & a nutrition educator diploma with decades of hands-on work in acute hospital care, outpatient rehab & nursing homes. She is currently serving as a chronic pain & health conditions consultant with Have...

How are these abusive teen rehab centers still open? Why are parents still sending their kids there? Can’t they be shut down?   Maia Szalavitz is an award-winning author and journalist who covers addiction and neuroscience. Her book, Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids , is the first comprehensive look at systemic abuse in “tough love” programs and helped s...

What do you do if you have religious trauma, but don't want to abandon your faith? Catherine Quiring is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in helping ex-evangelicals overcome religious trauma. In this episode, she shares what that looked like for her, how to know if you have limiting thoughts leftover from controlling doctrine, how to keep your faith while you separate from sy...

If you're not happy, it means something is wrong ... right?    Dr. Loretta Breuning is a PhD researcher & author. Since becoming unconvinced by prevailing theories on human behavior, she has researched everything from monkeys to the mafia. Now she’s not only helping people hack their brain, she’s shedding light on how the altruistic outlook may be popular, but ultimately damaging.   In th...

How old is the oldest vibrator? Does self-pleasure steal affection from your partner? Carol Queen has a Ph. D. in Sexology & a passion for pleasure. She is the curator of the Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum in San Francisco, CA. In this episode, she shares the origin story of the museum & explains how vibrators went from doctor’s offices to bedside tables. She also explains why par...

Dr. Neil Nathan is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Pain Management as well as a Founding Dip-low-mitt of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine & International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illnesses. He spent over 50 years treating patients with chronic conditions related to environmental factors & now dedicates himself consulting & mentorship, writing sever...

When the Redditor known as Incrediblyshinyshart lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident & had to have it amputated, he made an unusual choice – to eat it. He shares his thoughts on mourning, cannibalism & why eating part of his own body was life-changing.   This episode originally aired July 4, 2022.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 234: FELON TO MILLION DOLLAR B...

Can you retire early from a normal income? How do you buy back your time? Lauren & Steven Keys of Trip of a Lifestyle share what inspired them to retire at age 29, how they did it on average incomes, why they don’t track their monthly expenses & the concept of buying back your time. They also share the practical way they stay motivated in the FIRE (financial independence retire early) move...

Felipe Muñoz is the owner of Empathic Practice, a holistic stress management clinic. He combines his Masters in positive psychology, 20 years of marketing experience, & decade of business branding with hundreds of hours teaching meditation to coach professionals, train corporate teams & support individuals on living a more mindful and meaningful life. In this episode, we explore stress as...

Dr. David Tolin is the Founder & Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living, the author of over 200 scientific journal articles & even received the Award for Lifetime Contribution to Psychology from the CT Psychological Association, but you may recognize him from the reality TV series Hoarders, The OCD Project or My Shopping Addiction. In this episode he shares wha...

JonRobert Tartaglione, PhD, studies & teaches influence. He is a psychologist, behavioral scientist & the founder & CEO of a consulting practice called influence 51.   In this episode, we unpack persuasion, perception & arguing on the internet and explore what it really takes to change someone’s mind.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 309: HOW DID THE MEDIA BECOM...

How do you stay connected with friends when everything revolves around drinking? Casey McGuire Davidson was an ambitious corporate achiever who always had a full schedule & anxious energy. She felt wine was the glue holding her life together until she realized it wasn’t. She later found serenity in sobriety, but it wasn’t without some social hiccups. In this episode, she uses her expertise as...

Are healthy boundaries lines in the sand? Going no contact?  KC Davis is licensed professional counselor, host of the podcast Struggle Care & author of Who Deserves your love: how to create boundaries to start, strengthen or end any relationship. In this episode, she unpacks the girl bossification of boundaries, the decision flowchart of no contact, how values make “hard calls” easier & ho...

How is AI influencing our decisions? Is opting IN to every AI offer causing us to opt OUT of our free will?   Jake Ward is a former NBC News correspondent & is currently the founding editor & host of The Rip Current newsletter & podcast, which looks at the hidden forces of modern life, like Big Tech, business, and politics. He’s also the author of The Loop: How AI is creating a world w...

Is this the answer to burnout? How are mini-retirements even possible?   Kira Schabram, PhD, is the Assistant Professor in management & organization at Pennsylvania State University & historian of work who has been studying the details & impacts of a phenomenon called micro-retirement – people treating breaks from work of three or more months. In this episode, you’ll hear how others ar...

Why is dating so hard in midlife? Are we all sending mixed signals?   Abe Morgentaler, MD & Marianne Brandon, PhD are the hosts of the Sex Doctors Podcast, where they deep dive into the science & psychology of sexual health & relationships.    Dr. Morgentaler is a Harvard trained MD who opened the first comprehensive men’s health center in the US, is the leading authority in testostero...

What’s it like living underground? How did he get out?   Paul Vautrinot shares his story of living in the Las Vegas tunnels, or as he states it, beneath the neon. He shares what life in the Vegas underground city was like with the tunnel people, how he left, got sober & became a co-founder of Shine a Light Foundation. He shares the organization’s unique approach to ending homelessness & ho...