Reason Bound

Ryan welcomes guests Andrew Echeverria and Jennifer Shumaker, two friends he first met while studying abroad in Japan. One of the most frequent topics Ryan gets questions about is his time overseas, which is why he's brought on Jennifer and Andrew to discuss their lives overseas as well. This episode provides lots of information from different perspectivies about what it's like to live in Japan, h...

Award winning Birtish journalist Charles Thomson returns to Reason Bound to talk about the bane of their existence: unhinged fans. The term "celebrity worship" gets thrown around a lot, but it's very real and it causes very real cognitive issues. While there isn't an abundance of research on people who transition from fans to radical fanatics, Ryan and Charles discuss a study titled: "Cognitive Sk...

Astucious Aussie, Ben Holford, returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about various controversies and how public attitudes have shaped the surrounding narratives. They discuss the concept of over-shaming having a backlash effect and if the level of "cancelling" makes others to be more or less likely inclined to apologize when they recognize they've offended someone in some way. Offense itself c...

Denise Johnson returns to Reason Bound to join Ryan for a discussion on what shapes our identities in relation to our politics and/or voting habits. Denise discusses the balancing act some immigrants to the U.S. face in trying to retain cultural aspects from their home country while assimilating into their new society. Even finding a place amongst people from the same cultural background can be di...

Abraham Holloman returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about a documentary called "Crazy, Not Insane". The documentary features noted crime psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis examine aspects of the brain. Specifically, Dr. Lewis has spent years studying the psychology of murders with a focus on Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder). In keeping with Reason...

Mike Hubbard returns to Reason Bound to discuss how he views the relationship he has with his wife and the value it brings to their home. Mike prefers to be out making money and hustling on the side to provide financial support, while his wife prefers to stay at home and raise their children herself. Mike discusses his thoughts on the importance of both roles, the importance of both parties consen...

A lontime friend Andy Connel joins Ryan on Reason Bound to discuss something we both with we had more of and less of: options. In a supermarket it can be overwhelming with 40 different flavors of Cheerios, but what about in life? One option many have been conditioned to not consider, is picking a skilled trade for a career. Andy discusses his own history that led him to a career in the trades as w...

Denise Johnson joins Ryan for this episode of Reason Bound to discuss generational mental health. When people are faced with trauma, getting professional help up to and including medication management can have an extremely positive effect on their lives. In spite of this, having mental health issues is still often stigmatized, with some going so far as to suggest depression, etc, doesn't exist or...

An Aussie named Ben joins Ryan to discuss the big drag queen issues that have been in the news the last several years seemingly nonstop. On this (weirdly) very heated topic, sober and reason-bound commentary seem sparse. Ben and Ryan discuss what exactly "drag" is, what its components can be and what its components don't have to be. As they say: "context is king", and exploring context is a good w...

Tej Singh joins Ryan to discuss work life balance and reminisce on their time together in Japan during the global pandemic. Tej worked for years as a career coach and shares suggestions for a good cover letter and resume/cv format in the discussion of critical things to consider when deciding what line of work to enter into for a career. Balancing work and life is one of the healthiest things one...

This is an update for those who've asked. I've had suicidal ideation from Progressive Insurance deciding to try and milk me for even more money in asking many intrusive questions about my roommate and interpreting my driving to work in a way to take even more money from me than we had agreed when I prepaid 6 months of coverage.  This is a prime example of why I don't put out content as often. The...

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is probably the most famous personality test in the world. Mari Buljo returns to Reason Bound to discuss this personality test with a skeptical Ryan. How far should people read into the validity of these tests, what is the history of the MBTI creation, and how much of a difference is there between these personality tests and a horoscope? Mari is one of Ryan's favori...

Denise Johnson returns to Reason Bound to discuss blending cultural identities centered on what it means to be Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic, and so on. Denise talks with Ryan about connecting with roots, hertiage, and how one's own culture can interact with another. It's a good conversation between long time friends that sparked ideas about what it means to be identity X or Y.

Ryan welcomes a panel from Japan's Tozen union to discuss working conditions at a prominent English school (eikaiwa) in Japan. A slew of bad policy decisions from Gaba Corporation including forcing instructors (treated as independent contractors by the corporation) into a qualified invoice system, has led to union action and recent strikes. Another new horrific policy announcement would see teache...

Returning from overseas ventures, Michael Hubbard returns to the U.S. and Reason Bound to discuss Cultural Appropriation with Ryan. Cultural Appropriation seems to have different meanings to different people. Where is the line between what is acceptable and not in social behaviors that cross cultures. Mike and Ryan on a reason-bound discussion on everything from food to clothing to Halloween costu...

Award winning journalist Charles Thomson returns to Reason Bound to discuss reality as people seem to be navigating it. Fake news, false information, and outright lies are inundating the populace more than Charles and Ryan can ever recall. Where can truth be found? How should claims be evaluated? From British politicians lamenting "Oh, we've had enough of experts" to formerly respected journalists...

Manny Militello joins Ryan for the third installment of the War and Peace series. Having both met in an international law class at Waseda University in Tokyo, Manny and Ryan have had quite some time to study the history and narratives of actions taken against Japan during the second World War. They discuss history leading up to the U.S.'s involvement in the war, the fire bombings of Tokyo, and the...

The last year has put a spotlight on issues surrounding women's reproductive rights and whether or not it's appropriate for women to have control over their own bodies. Rachel Cannon joins Ryan to discuss various aspects of abortion from legislative history to positions influenced by belief in and devotion to religion. It's a sober conversation on a crucial health and family issue that, for the ti...

Denise Johnson joins Ryan to discuss religion and spirituality. Where may one stop and the other start, or are they both inextricably linked? One or both terms are nothing more than woo woo to some, while others find they function as descriptive labels for some kind of force/magic/supernatural sense that transcend the natural world. Denise and Ryan discuss establishment religions, what it means to...

Longtime friend Abraham Holloman joins Ryan to discuss the often times polarizing subject of race swapping fictional characters. They discuss reasons why some find it difficult to be at peace with an established character in one version of a story, then have a race swap take place in a subsequent story, film, etc. Abraham and Ryan discuss the backlash over the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in t...

21-31

Award winning British journalist, Charles Thomson, returns to Reason Bound to discuss state-sponsored executions, also known as "capital punishment" or "the death penalty". As many nations across the world move toward a greater level of civility, there are still countries where the state has the authority to demonstrate murder is wrong by murdering. Charles talks with Ryan about the inherent hypoc...

Holly Wilt returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about principles involving animal rights, suffering, and factory farming amongst others. In his teens Ryan went vegetarian before going vegan. In this episode he has an open and honest conversation with Holly, a former vegetarian, about the ethics of consuming animals. Also, the baby spider story is finally told in what was an epic moment in the...

Cody Linklater returns to Reason Bound to have a calm, cool, and collected discussion with Ryan about their differing views on guns. When, if at all, should the 2nd Amendment be limited? Should the US look to other countries and adopt their gun control and safety policies? Other topics include encountering nazis and escalating violence, the importance of mental health, and the police.

Jarvis Simmons joins Ryan for a discussion on representation in film. Specifically, they take a look back at Marvel's "Black Panther" and why that was such a pivotal moment for pop culture. Other topics include different racial interpretations of established characters, new stories featuring characters not seen as the norm, and the debate of our time: Iron Man VS Batman.