The Social Exchange

We wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!  In the spirit of overcoming difficult times, I'm sharing an interview that I conducted with a man named Michael Galipeau (AKA Mikey G)-- the interview was a segment of the LPP Podcast (which you should check out on YouTube or audio podcast) Mikey was raised in a state-run institution which was traumatic in and of itself and led to years of homelessness and a lot of d...

William B Irvine speaks with Zach Rhoads about his philosophy of life, stoicism, and he offers exercises for stoic practice (as per his popular books "A Guide to the Good Life", "The Stoic Challenge," and others). Some relevant discussion topics from todays' episode: - William's stumbling across (and landing on) Stoicism by way of Buddhism and a philosophy of life. - A history of stoicism - Tranqu...

This is my answer to a question that popped up in The Social Exchange Facebook group (The link to the group is here ) It was a good question that got me thinking about to make headway on important issues that many of us are so incredibly divided on.  I've been talking about recording my responses to FB questions in podcast form for a long time now, and so that starts now!   Note: It's not importan...

Jessie Dunleavy is an author and drug policy reform advocate whose son Paul died of an accidental drug overdose. She went on to write a memoir about Paul's life from her perspective called, “Cover My Dreams In Ink”. Today, Jessie and I talked about the memoir and the myriad topics included in its pages: - Parenting - The public school system - Special education - Neurodiversity - Mental health - T...

Welcome to The Social Exchange Podcast!  Today's guest is Dr. Jeffrey Singer.  Dr. Singer shared his thoughts and professional opinions about America's COVID response-- the good, the bad, the upsetting, and the hopeful--  and what he believes are the most sensible and holistic approaches moving forward.  He also discussed ideas for drug policy, including the proper relationship between government...

Welcome to episode 63! Today Zach interviews Astrophysicist, Author and Podcaster, Dr. Brian Keating. Dr. Keating wrote the book, "Losing The Nobel Prize", in which he recounts his designing and directing a Nobel-worthy physics experiment called BICEP. He talks about why he and his team fell short of winning the prize (although the experiment itself was very successful), and how he later came to r...

The Social Exchange is brought to you by the online Life Process Program-- an online addiction program that can be self-help or coach-led (your choice)... both versions cost less than a monthly co-pay for a therapist or outpatient program. To learn more, visit http://lifeprocessprogram.com - - - - - - - - - - In this episode, Zach speaks with Brock Coderre, a Republican candidate for Vermont House...

Intro: 0:00 - 9:32 Phone Call 9:32 - End.  - - - - - - - - - -  After my first conversation with Anthony Magnabosco (Episode 61), I decided to do a follow-up so that I could talk more about Street Epistemology strategy and his plans to scale this movement!  Here's our phone conversation from the other night, which we agreed is worth publishing.  Happy listening! 

Welcome to season 5! In the spirit of engaging my guests in rich, reflective conversations, I'm kicking off the new season by interviewing a man who is-- in my not-always-humble opinion-- a king of such meaningful conversations; conversations about-- well, "meaning". His name is Anthony Magnabosco and he is a practitioner of a conversation-style called Street Epistemology (or in lay terms: talking...

Welcome to season 5 of TSE!  Check out the 5 min. clip here for details about the new season and new format (and get ready for tomorrow's interview with Anthony Magnabosco)! - - - - - - - - - -  Relevant show notes:  Subscribe to the LPP Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lpp-podcast/id1494188367 Subscribe to Life Process Program YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSYrid...

Welcome to The Social Exchange!  As you may know, we are currently preparing for a new and improved season of The Social Exchange Podcast, and the fun starts on October 1st.  Of course, we can't leave you on hold for a whole month, so we are sharing this episode of the LPP Podcast.... And that's because-- come October-- we will no longer be publishing addiction-related content.  Those episodes can...

Welcome to episode 60! Today's guest is Alexander Gould. Gould is an actor who began his career at two years old!  He played the voice of Nemo in Disney's Finding Nemo in 2003, and later played Shane Botwin in the Showtime series Weeds.  Now, at age 26, Gould is one of the lead volunteers for a political movement called Unity2020-- a presidential campaign like no other!  In the podcast, Gould expl...

0:00 - 6:12  News about a new season of the podcast / housekeeping  6:12 - 12:55  Introduction and background about today's show / guest.  12:56  Show starts here!  - - - - - - - - - -  Welcome to episode 59!  Today's episode is a discussion about race with my new friend Bridgett Mack.   I learned about Bridgett after watching her viral Facebook video called, "You'll Never Guess What My White Neig...

Welcome to episode 58! In today's episode, I spoke with Tamler Sommers about his book, "Why Honor Matters."  Tamler is the co-host of the Very Bad Wizards Podcast (check it out-- it's actually one of my favorite shows). He is also a philosophy professor at the Univeristy of Houston and he is, of course, the author of the aforementioned (and excellent) book about honor culture, "Why Honor Matters"....

Welcome to The Social Exchange Podcast Today’s guest is Kevin Franciotti.  Kevin is a board member of The Psychedelics in Recovery: Outreach and Services -- PROS--   which is a research initiative of Project New Day Foundation, a non-profit that helps people overcome addiction through the responsible and legal use of psychedelics. A large part of Kevin's efforts are allocated toward bridging the g...

Welcome to episode 56! Today's guest is Daniel Garrett.  Daniel belongs to a demographic that has not been widely represented on this podcast. Hailing from rural Northwest Tennessee, Daniel is in his mid-20s, he is bisexual, he is below the poverty line, he’s experienced traumatic events and difficult family circumstances growing up, he has done sex work, and he currently uses illicit drugs (even...

Welcome to episode 55!  Today's guest is the founding publisher of Skeptic Magazine and NYT best-selling author, Dr. Michael Shermer.  Dr. Shermer and I discussed his new book, Giving The Devil HIs Due.  Some salient talking points:  - Free Speech-- why it is the most precious right and why it must  be upheld always. - Schenck v. United States  supreme court case (famous for the "shouting fire in...

Welcome to episode 54! There are two guests on today’s show. My first guest is Tessie Castillo. Tessie is a journalist and an author from Raleigh North Carolina.  Her new book is called "Crimson Letters, Voices From Death Row."  In 2014, Tessie volunteered to teach a writing class to death row inmates at North Carolina’s Central Prison. She treasured the experience, as she learned to respect and u...

Kate Nicholson is a civil rights attorney.  In the mid-90's-- due to complications from surgery-- she became unable to walk, stand, or even sit. She was in excruciating pain each day and couldn't leave her home; she remained isolated in bed for 15 years.  In this interview, Kate explains how, despite being isolated, she was able to create a purposeful, meaningful, and engaging (and OPTIMISTIC) lif...

My guest today, Marjorie Israel, discusses her reaction to-- and her experience with-- being on lockdown in rural Normandy France!  NOTE: I conducted this interview on March 21-- since then, President Macron has issued more strict social distancing policies, which you can see here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tamarathiessen/2020/03/24/paris-france-coronavirus-tough-new-lockdown/#739775f92d98 - -...

What's it like to be in a nation-wide lockdown in France? Here's one man's perspective.  His name is Andre Pampel. Andre described his experience being in a nation-wide lockdown in France, as the country tries to to get a handle on the COVID-19 pandemic.  - - - - - - - - - -  SUPPORT THE SHOW:  Donate $2.00 or more via Patreon: http://patreon.com/thesocialexchange Donate via PayPal: http://paypal....

What is it like to be in a nation-wide lock-down in Italy? My guest today, Nunzio Paulo De Martino, describes his experience.  Consider supporting Nunzio's Italian tour business, Don Nunzio Limos:   https://donnunziolimos.com/   - - - - - - - - - -  Support the podcast (and receive exclusive content and rewards) by donating $2.00 or more to our Patreon page:  http://patreon.com/thesocialexchange  ...

In this new segment, I am speaking with people all over the world about their experiences in nation-wide lockdown.  Today I spoke with Amy Avital, a resident of Israel. She shared her experience being on government-enforced quarantine and offered a sober but calming perspective. 

Welcome to episode 52! Today’s guest is Dr. Rick Barnett.  Rick and I discussed psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy -- and the hopeful future of this practice in the United States and— specific to today’s episode— the state of Vermont.  Rick has been accepted to the Class of 2020 at the California Institute for Integral Studies in their Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research. Ps...

In this episode, Zach speaks with Patrick Doyle. Patrick has been working with both Families and Individuals suffering from substance use disorders, depression, and other behavioral health issues for thirty years. He earned a Masters of Social Work degree in 1986 from Boston College, and is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Massachusetts. Patrick follows the NASW Code Of Ethics. Now...