Going There: Taboo Topics Are Back on the Table

It's Halloween season! Matt and the crew go back out West to visit Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, Hollywood, to prepare for part II of the horror conversation from earlier this season.  Adam Marcus and his producing partner (and real life partner) Debra Sullivan join the show to dicuss all things horror.  Marcus is best known for directing "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Fr...

Less than 2 weeks out from the 2026 Midterm elections, front and center are attack ads from Republican candidates and PACs, making bogus claims like Dems forcing underage transgender surgeries, attempting to make the LGBTQ+ community the Boogey Man.  Zach Joseph, a US Navy veteran and current Director of the Ohio Pride PAC, sits down at the table to discuss the culture war, political tokenism...

What if joy isn't the reward for learning, but the lesson itself? In this episode, Matt sits down with Allie Rivera Quiñonez, better known to millions of families as Ms. Appleberry from CoComelon's "The Melon Patch," alongside her sister, Nicole Rivera, Moonbug Media's Senior Creative Executive, for a conversation about children's media, creativity, family, and the big responsibility of hel...

Jerrad Christian, a software engineer and Navy veteran, is back on the campaign trail, after losing his freshman congressional race in 2024, now running a grassroots campaign to unseat U.S. House of Representatives Troy Balderson, a Republican for Ohio's 12th District, and recipient of corporate PAC money and billionaire donors. Jerrad’s here to make change and give the power back to the peo...

Mike Maeshiro joins the podcast to share his experience as a former pastor recovering from religious toxicity. Mike is gay, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and a queer theology enthusiast. He is a former instructor at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, best known for his class, “Discerning of Spirits.” He now teaches on emotional health and redemptive deconstruction as a con...

What does "Community" look like to you? Is it your neighborhood, favorite sports fans, or fellow churchgoers?  Whoever your tribe is and whatever your common interests and values, community is vital to our well-being. Matt brings some of his fellow Cleveland organizers and content creators to share their ideas and experiences with building community.  John Skrtic of the Cleveland Public...

Matt's Season 3 Birthday Episode is all about his favorite comicbook hero of all time: Superman.  Matt talks about why he loves the character so much and how it has represented hope throughout his life.  Several people from the 2025 Superman film join the episode to share their experiences working on the film.  Mike Wendt from the Greater Cleveland Film Commission talks about Clevel...

Less than 1 week before the Ohio Primary election of 2026, Bryan Hambley, a leukemia doctor and candidate for Secretary of State, sits at the Going There table to share his personal, professional and social viewpoints.  The focus of his campaign and political aspirations rests on the idea of fair elections and dismantling the gerrymandered maps.  What can a doctor bring to the table? &nb...

Our avoidance and aversion to death have been commonplace in modern society.  When we know our ultimate inevitability, why don't we focus on ways to live our best lives so that we can depart in true peace?  In recent years, Death Doulas have emerged, acting as a guiding hand for the family, friends, and the soon-to-be deceased.  Nicole Hoover, aka Death Doula Nicole, joins the show...

Only weeks before the Ohio Primary election of 2026, Allison Russo, Ohio State Representative and Secretary of State candidate, joins the show for a somewhat tongue-in-cheek chat, a la Between Two Ferns.  Beyond the deadpan humor and left-field questions from Matt, we dig into the serious components of what the Secretary of State does and why that role is so important with keeping elections f...

Modern day life is pretty tough.  For those of us who grew up before 9/11, before social media, and before the era of Trump, we're pretty nostalgic about yesteryear.  Every generation looks back fondly over the good ol' days, but there seems to be something extra special about childhood in the 80s and 90s.  A big part of what made it special was the entertainment and pop culture. &n...

We’re all painfully aware of what’s happening in politics at the federal level at all times. You see what's happening in your immediate community and are up on the latest gossip in the neighborhood.  But how in tune are you with the inner workings of the state government?  Whether you’re in a red state, a blue state, or a purple one, much of what takes place in the stat...

Trae Crowder, comedian, author and internet sensation, joins us for a conversation on his roots, his ideology and the current state of comedy.  From growing up in a red town as one of the few blue sheep and his dad introducing him to film and comedy; to having and accepting a gay uncle, being mesmerized by Eddie Izzard and Chris Rock's comedy.  His background is unique because of time an...

As the wealth gap widens and the cost of living skyrockets, the numbers of the unhoused and underserved grows at a rapid pace.  Not only are most of us closer to their situations than ever becoming ultra wealthy, but we avoid thinking about these communities at all costs.  Women from 3 different homeless charities join the podcast to discuss the problems, the myths, the data and the real...

Outside of Philadelphia, PA, down the street where "The Lovely Bones" was filmed, we visit the home of film programmer, Nick Lombardo and his wife Nikki, both mega horror fans and collectors. Our friend Shaun Casper, designer/illustrator and sfx makeup artist, joins Nick and our host, Matt for a deep dive discussion on the Horror genre. They discuss the psychology of the films, the stigma that is...

The 2025 elections delivered some surprising results, illustrating the change that Americans are craving...even in areas that were otherwise galvanized in the political stronghold. Upsets and some firsts were made in Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, Michigan, and of course, New York City. Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim, Democratic Socialist, at the height of the Israel-Palestine conflict, garnered support...

In the modern era of mansplainers, super alphas and groypers, true men are being overshadowed by toxic masculinity. Matt brings in three guests; a former US Army Drill Sergeant, a former NHL player and a "guy's guy" or ladies man; for a raw, authentic and vulnerable conversation on masculinity what it means to be a man. The only heavy weights lifted are emotional ones. The only thing chugged is a...

Some issues shout. Others whisper. And then there are the ones happening right under our noses while we’re busy watching cute puppy commercials. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the struggles that don’t get the glossy PSAs or viral hashtags—but absolutely should. Matt is joined by Carla Bayonnet, Summit County Adult Guardian Service’s powerhouse Exec...

Dr. Amy Acton sat down at the Going There table for her 2nd long-format podcast appearance as Ohio's Gubernatorial candidate. In this episode, Matt has a candid conversation with the former State Health Director and Ohio's Covid-19 voice of reason. She shares insight into her childhood, the problems in Ohio politics, her opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, and why she's the "Ted Lasso of Politics." Grab you...

Season 3 kicks off with a look back over the time during and between previous seasons, while keeping an eye on what is yet to come.  Are humans devolving?  Is bridging the gap still possible?  Would it be better to live as a muppet?  A new set, production design and production crew help facilitate a candid conversation.  Featuring co-producer Kayleigh Williams and returnin...

After a very long Season 2, we come to the final bonus episodes, a 2-part series focusing on the people behind the scenes, the unsung heroes of the technical quality of the show. In Part 2 we meet Cory Choy, the audio guru from Silver Sound in NYC, who talks about his brush-ups with the Kushners, a Pokemon treasure he gave up freely, and of course, the ins and outs of audio cleaning and restoratio...

After a very long Season 2, we come to the final bonus episodes, a 2-part series focusing on the people behind the scenes, the unsung heroes of the technical quality of the show. In Part 1 we meet Bobby Thomas, the audio engineer who helps clean and mix much of the dialogue. He shares his stories as a radio DJ, a voice actor and audio editor when it was still reel-to-reel. And we interview Tyler K...

NY Times Best-selling author, Neale Donald Walsch, shares his experiences and his conversations with God. His newest, and potentially final book, GodTalk, released just two months before the recording. GodTalk includes more of Walsch's thoughts and revelations, intermixed with stories from every day average people who realized God was speaking to them in different situations, through friends and f...

Brother-Sister duo, James and Lauren, from the Sorta Kinda Funny Podcast join us for a festive chat focused on leaving the Mormon church. What does the Book of Mormon teach? Why is some if it harmful? What lessons did they learn that led them to reevaluate their religion? And are boobs even real? This and more in a great, educational and entertaining bonus episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Dr. Bridget Cole Williams, M.D. and career family physician shares her story on how research, data, and facts changed her mind on cannabis and its essential use in medicine. Now, as a published author, speaker, and advocate for cannabis, she helps inform us as she does her patients, on the truth behind why CBD, THC, and all the various ingredients have been historically taboo, outlawed, stigmatize...