The Ethan C. Lewin Podcast

For more than 30 years, Mare Odhner was the heart of the Academy school store. From behind the counter, she ran more than a place to buy books and grab snacks — it became a hub of student life. A place where students came to laugh, vent, get advice, and feel at home. Generations of students knew her on a first-name basis — Mare — and if you passed through the Academy during those years, chances ar...

Brendan Pitcairn grew up as the kid who didn’t quite have his tribe yet. So he went into the woods—spending his time fishing and hunting. What began as isolation and escape slowly became mastery—and eventually purpose. Today, Brendan is a husband, father, outdoorsman, and mentor passionate about guiding the next generation of boys back toward adventure, brotherhood, and the natural and spiritual w...

Owen Frazier might seem like just the guy you bring your car to but he’s built a life far beyond that. As the oldest of nine, Owen learned early that if he wanted something, he had to go out and get it. His love for cars and career obsession started around five years old in Austria, flipping through Mercedes , Volkswagen, and BMW annual reports and calling out the names of cars as they whizzed by....

Before 40 years at the Academy as a teacher, coach, house master, and assistant principal, Brian Horigan earned his work ethic the old-fashioned way. At 10, he was a paperboy. Later, he packed cans for Castrol Motor Oil. By his late teens, he took a leap — boarding a three-day train across Canada to work the oil rigs. From a sperm whale oil spill, to getting hit by a car, to a barn-beam jump gone...

In Part 1, we explored Blane’s life before and after his near-death experience. In Part 2, we dive deep into the NDE itself—crossing the great divide, encountering angels, meeting “the light,” and navigating the strange and sacred aftermath. Along the way, we touch on TBIs and PTSD, getting saved by a serial killer, exchanging animal noises with Prince at a Purple Rain concert, being accused of mu...

I grew up dancing my heart out at Bostock Band concerts—a band of siblings who’ve been jamming since childhood. Some of you might remember Swirled Whale. What I didn’t know back then was just how wild the eldest of the six, Blane Bostock’s, full mosaic really was. This is a long episode—and for good reason. When you die, leave your body, and experience a place without time or space, linear storyte...

Although just 28, Thorne Pendleton has already lived a few lifetimes. At 14, he survived a giant fusiform brain aneurysm. By sophomore year of high school he had missed nearly 100 days of school. Detached and looking for discipline, he left home to attend an all-boys boarding school in New England, an experience that helped shape his independence and outlook. After high school, a planned gap year...

From road-tripping across Europe with infants in diapers to immigrating from South Africa to the United States during Apartheid, Carol and her husband Neil — with their three boys in tow — left everything they knew behind. They crossed the ocean by ship, arriving in New York Harbor at sunrise, the Statue of Liberty on the horizon — a symbol of freedom and the life they were about to build, rooted...

A quick note from me!

While it’s essential to focus on what needs improving, it’s equally important to acknowledge what’s already going right. Nina Dewees lives this practice. Despite real challenges, she makes a deliberate, lifelong effort to look for the good . In the spirit of Rise Above It , Nina honors her parents through the gifts they passed on: her father’s spirit of adventure and her mother’s love of teaching....

Some conversations just click—thanks to Mr. Frazier, this may be one of my favorite dialogues yet. Scott Frazier is the Dean of the Theological School at Bryn Athyn College, and the only professor to ever give me a B. Scott’s journey of finding his calling is unique: from being homeschooled in Belgium during his junior year to returning to his hometown feeling invisible, he reflects on how a simpl...

Picking up where Part 1 left off, we continue our conversation with Dr. Feerrar, diving into his approaches to classroom management, mastery of the material, and the strategies that made him an effective educator. We discuss his dissertation and parent-of-the-bride speech — both with fun Harry Potter connections — and the ways he engaged students, from reading letters from local veterans to foster...

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, I sit down with Dr. Feerrar , my 8th-grade teacher, longtime mentor, and dear friend — a legendary educator whom anyone who had the opportunity to learn from was lucky to have. We explore how his early experiences at home and in school shaped his eventual approach to teaching, walking us through 1st grade to PhD with memorable stories. Along the way, we unc...

Jeanne Alix Smith grew up shaped by a chapter of World War II few people know. Born in Mauritius, off the coast of Madagascar, she was raised by unsung heroes of the war—her parents, Percy and Berthe Mayer—who served as covert intelligence agents in Madagascar, a region critical to Allied shipping routes and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean. Had they not done what they did, World War II—an...

If you grew up in Bryn Athyn and love cars, you probably remember Ric’s blue-and-white striped Shelby Cobra rolling through the Fourth of July parade or, years later, seeing him fly his original PA-18 Pitcairn autogiro over town. But if you don’t really know Ric, this episode is the perfect introduction. Ric’s fascination with speed and risk started young. A lifelong love of flying—sparked by RC a...

Gregg had to grow up quickly in the concrete jungle of Philadelphia. His home life was shaped by the weight his father carried home from Vietnam, and by age 13 he was already working. Struggling to find acceptance and belonging, he turned to drugs and alcohol to disconnect. Things began to shift when his wife Kerry introduced him to community, leading him to join SWET, a men’s group that helped hi...

Kathy has been my health guide and guru for the past five years, walking a unique path: chiropractor → physical therapist → Chinese medicine → anatomy educator → lifelong student. She’s suffered 7 concussions, dissected over 2,700 cadavers, faced the valley of the shadow of death in her 20s, and relearned how to be in her body — turning her journey into a calling to help others heal. In this episo...

David Norman has worn three uniforms—Navy, Air Force, and Marine—serving as an anesthesiologist and senior medical officer. From landing in the Philippines during an active coup to witnessing the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, and later serving in one of the hottest zones of the Iraq War in Fallujah, Dave has seen the realities of war up close. Dave carries one of the strongest faiths I’ve ever en...

Five days after birth, Conrad Burnett was taken by DCFS with heroin in his system and adopted into the Burnett foster home. By 12, life started going downhill, and by 18, he was homeless, struggling with depression, and eventually incarcerated. Through serving the homeless, someone gave him a second chance, and Conrad began the journey of turning his life around—ultimately working his way up to CE...

Do you want to love authentically — and live fearlessly, with joy and confidence in your salvation? Today, Clark Echols and I dive into how that life is promised through following the Lord, and how Jesus shows us what secure attachment with God really looks like. Clark is a minister-turned-licensed mental health counselor, passionately leading spiritual growth small groups — which he believes may...

Today, we explore the story behind the therapist — how Bri Kern’s own experiences, including a devastating series of losses and lessons no one ever wants to face, led her to the work she does today as a licensed mental health professional and founder of Mind Body Heart Counseling. We explore how childhood shapes the way we love and parent, how grief often hides as anger, and the importance of full...

Why would your own mind try to tear you down?  Curtis Childs and I explore that question through the lens of spirituality, mental health, and the unseen influences that shape our inner world. Curtis—host of Off The Left Eye and a lifelong student of Emanuel Swedenborg’s teachings—shares how faith, awareness, and understanding the thoughts that harm us can help us separate from destructive thoughts...

Oh, Esther—where do I even begin?! Following our recording, Esther shared two guiding teaching philosophies that have guided her life and work: 1) “Don’t be a lemming!” — her daily mantra urging students to think independently and resist the pull to conformity. 2) “Climb the lexicographical ladder of learning.” — her call to grow intellectually by expanding one’s vocabulary and deepening understan...

Last night was one of the most anticipated nights of the year in my hometown — ButtonFest. It’s a house concert held every Charter Day weekend, basically our town’s homecoming. PokeJawn, founded by James Lindrooth and Mark, started a few years back as a last-minute solution when the band Wheatus (yeah, the ones who sing Teenage Dirtbag ) needed an opener for the original ButtonFest. James and Mark...

Yasin is a longtime family friend, and this was my first time visiting his home and seeing him in person in nearly a decade. His story is remarkable—growing up in Pakistan, immigrating to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream, and building both a thriving medical practice and successful real estate ventures. Along the way, he achieved great success but also came dangerously close to losing it...