How Humans Work Podcast

In episode #57 of the How Humans Work Podcast , I sit down with social psychology and education policy expert Ryan Balch to explore the underlying evolutionary social forces that drive our behaviors and create challenges in our society. With tremendous ease and good-heartedness, Ryan walks us through core motivations, disconnects, and other hazards that our default "System 1" thinking brings to th...

We Can Return Again is a powerful episode that explores the critical work of Survival International , an organization dedicated to protecting indigenous and uncontacted peoples worldwide. Hal Russell , Asia and Pacific Research and Advocacy Officer with Survival, joins host Jef Szi to guide us through the many threats indigenous and uncontacted communities face. Along the way, we come to understan...

Chris Burris is a Senior Lead IFS Trainer and a clinical consultant with decades of experience in mental health and group work. Chris is based in North Carolina and leads training for the IFS Institute and his Creating Healing Circles work worldwide. Last month, Chris joined Jef Szi for an in-depth conversation that illuminates the power, purpose, and benefits of healing with others. Along the way...

Episode Summary: Recent events in America from Minneapolis to Washington D.C., show us that unapologetic postures and political strategies are attractive to some who are interested in power. In this special bonus episode, Jef Szi shares his recent essay about this unapologetic trend on full display not just in the terrible shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but in the Trump administrations r...

East Forest joins the How Humans Work Podcast for a special Winter Solstice episode. With a generous mind and grounded heart, East walks us through how his Music For Mushrooms Documentary was birthed, as well as the creative gifts and challenges that came along with that project. Special Note: WATCH it FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE 12-21-2025 to 12-31-2025 Additionally, this conversation explores East's con...

Episode Summary Landscape Architect Nina Chase , sits down with Jef Szi for a terrific exploration of her work imagining and designing public spaces. Nina’s easy and honest expertise deepens our view on what fosters Social Cohesion . She helps surface the amazing, often understated, network of relationships connected to an everyday discipline shaping our lives. With an abundance of talent and insp...

Episode Summary Dance artists Mele Estrella and Damara Vita Ganley join show host Jef Szi and the How Humans Work Podcast for an illuminating conversation that explores the rich terrain of their artistic work. Throughout this remarkable episode, we learn about Mele and Damara’s intensive creative ethics, efforts to engender trust, dedication to playfulness, and deep curiosity about the hidden stor...

Episode Summary In episode #51, wisdom keeper and astrologer Chris Skidmore , joins the podcast for a profound conversation exploring the intersection of myth, astrology, and social cohesion. Chris and podcast host, Jef Szi , delve into the the 12 House System of Astrology as a "mythic language" and ancient teaching device that can provide guidance for exploring human nature and our social realiti...

Episode Summary Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Ph. D , is a clinical psychologist, internationally respected teacher, and leading voice in the healing of PTSD and complex trauma. For more than twenty years, Dr. Schwartz has guided therapists in the how-tos of trauma treatments—including EMDR, somatic psychology, parts work therapy, and applied polyvagal theory in yoga and other embodiment practices. In How...

Episode Summary The good-hearted and visionary Orin Carpenter joins the podcast this week to explore the connection between art and society. As a fine artist who uses mixed media to make evocative and abstract art with social commentary, Orin carries a rich sense of the artist's social function. Orin's pieces are journeys into the layers of personal experience and American truths. His art deals wi...

Episode Summary Renowned evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar returns for part two of his conversation with Jef Szi and the How Humans Work Podcast , diving deeper into the limits and leaps of human social patterns. In this episode, Professor Dunbar expands on the evolutionary foundations of human relationships, moving beyond social grooming and the endorphin system to explore kinship and the de...

Episode Summary The equally erudite and jovial Robin Dunbar joins Jef Szi and the How Humans Work Podcast for the first of a two part conversation about limits and leaps of social patterns in primates and humans. An Oxford University professor of evolutionary psychology and someone with a facile grasp of multiple sciences and histories, Professor Dunbar offers us a fascinating account of the socia...

Episode Summary The highly informed and deeply compassionate Amy Emerson joins Jef Szi and the How Humans Work Podcast for a remarkable conversation about the evolving landscape of psychedelics. With her extensive involvement and leadership in the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)* and their multi-year effort to get MDMA approved by FDA as a therapeutic medicine for PTSD....

Episode Summary Author, healer, and ceremonialist Christine Olivia Hernandez joins the show for an in-depth conversation on the transformative power of gratitude, the wisdom that flows out of Mayan traditions, and the gifts to the heart and body in cacao. Through the lens of her newest book, Remember Your Roots , we dive into the relevance and importance of ancestral lineages, personal stories of...

Episode Summary Deb Dana L.C.S.W. joins the How Humans Work Podcast to illuminate how our nervous systems dance between the ancient survival responses and the instinct to be in states of connection and safety. As an author, renowned Polyvagal Theory lecturer, Deb expertly and compassionately guides us through the ins-and-outs of Polyvagal Theory (PVT), and how it can help us find a more regulated...

Episode Summary The storied and kind-hearted Jai Uttal drops into the show for an extended conversation about music, monkey gods, gurus, India, sobriety, family, and ultimately the spiritual path of healing through love. We begin with an exploration of Jai’s current practice of hyper-local kindness in a world where that resource is becoming increasingly scarce. From there we dive into Jai’s latest...

In this snap, bonus episode, show host Jef Szi riffs on what he is calling, 'Alpha Masculinity,' as it emerges alongside Donald Trump election to a second presidential term. In his eclectic style, Jef begins the show sharing his experience on a beautiful November night in San Francisco and going to see Leif Vollebekk in concert with his wife. Contrasting that with the pre-show UFC experience, Jef...

Episode Summary In episode 42, we take a deep dive into the realm of myth with insightful and heartfelt Chris Skidmore . As an astrologer, psychotherapist and host of the On the Souls Terms Podcast , Chris helps illuminate the meaning and embedded knowledge hidden inside the 1800 year old Roman novel: The Golden Ass . This text is where the first telling of The Marriage of Eros and Psyche is found...

Episode Summary In this next adventure into our Systems of Knowledge theme, the highly relatable and beautifully honest Erin Gilmore joins the podcast. This conversation explores how various teachings are points of refuge and healing as we make our way on the path adulting. Erin opens up about her journey with ADHD and the knowledges that have helped her. Specifically, how how the practice of yoga...

Episode Summary Alice Treves is seasoned psychotherapist with a background in Hakomi, CBT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. This is her second time joining the podcast. She and Jef Szi have been together for 27 years and have two daughters. In this episode we dive into The 9 Negative Thinking Habits, a CBT framework* Alice uses as part of her therapy practice to hel...

Episode Summary: Dr. Scott Schmidt joins the podcast to share his knowledge about caring for those with serious illness and those who are in the dying process. As a medical doctor with an expansive background in Emergency Medicine, Hospice Care, and now as a leader in the Primary Palliative Care field, Scott invites us to consider how we go about the realities that surround end-of-life. Along the...

Episode Summary In The Work of Repairing Harm, the warm-hearted Jeffrey Weisberg joins the podcast for a rich and moving conversation about his experience with Peacebuilding and Restorative Justice practices. As the Executive Director and co-founder of the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding, Jeffrey shares his perspective and insight on the incredible value these practices have for relationshi...

Episode #37 Summary Senior Zen Dharma teacher, Fu Schroeder, sits down with Jef Szi for a heart-felt and mind-opening exploration of Zen Buddhism. As a System of Knowledge, Zen is one of the great wisdom lineages—handed down across centuries and into the lap of Fu in the 1970’s. This delightful conversation offers our community a nourishing encounter with a Zen elder—a holder of wisdom who can pro...

In Everything Under the Sun and Moon, show host Jef Szi continues his conversation with Tobin Mayell, as Tobin remembers the life of his late mother, Christine Waddell. Christine was a healer, teacher, mother, and grandmother who passed away suddenly in the Spring of 2023. In this fluid conversation between enduring friends, Tobin weaves the experiences with his mom and Christine’s own life—as suc...

In Bonus Episode #07, Tobin Mayell joins the show for the first of a two-part conversation honoring the lives of his late parents—Norm Mayell and Christine Waddell. Here, Tobin recounts for us the core elements in his relationship with Norm—open-heartedly offering glimpses into the arc of the their father-son story. From early, unrequited longings to adult acceptances and eventually to the transmi...