Don't Panic! We're All Going to Die

Rusty Rueff started his career as a radio personality out of Kentucky following the footsteps of his father. Today he is an angel investor, philanthropist, executive board member, tech guru, and former National Co-Chair of Technology under the Obama Administration. In this episode, we discuss how to optimize your life for creative freedom, why having ethics is important in leadership, and why meta...

Nick Jonsson hit rock bottom in 2018. His life balanced on the precipice of two contrasting worlds. By day, he was the embodiment of a successful business man. By night, he experienced crushing loneliness and depression that he turned to  alcohol to remedy. After a divorce and an existential crisis, Nick did something that he never considered: He asked for help. 5 sober years later,  Nick is an au...

Massimo Pigliucci probably has more doctorate degrees than your favorite sports team has championships.  After writing 16 books on Stoicism and Moral Philosophy, Pigliucci is considered one of the most prominent voices in Philosophy today.  His book "How to Be a Stoic" was my gateway drug into Stoicism, a philosophy that would change my life, and today we take a deep dive into its waters...

Several years ago Kevin Kelly spent his 68th birthday coming up with 68 pieces of advice he wanted to impart to his children. After posting them online, the article circulated until it became a viral hit after being referenced and shared across the internet. This week Kevin Kelly returns to the podcast to discuss his new book: Excellent Advice for Living which is a pocket-sized text with 450 piece...

By day Richard Thompson works a lawyer for one of the world's most premier entertainment law firms; by night he reads.  As a boy raised by a librarian father, the love for reading was in Richard's genetic code. After graduating from Stanford Law School, Richard sought out a life that would allow him to help others make art whilst allowing him to indulge in his favorite medium of all: Boo...

Ultra-endurance athletes, Lori Hoechlin and Barbara Sullivan, join to discuss their experience competing in Iron Man, triathlons, and most recently "the world's toughest bicycle race." The Race Across America consists of a 3000+ non-stop bike ride from California to Maryland. In 2022, Lori and Barbara were part of a crew known as Team Skipper in which they raced across the nation in...

On the season finale of Don't Panic! We're All Going to Die we are joined by absolutely no one. After hosting 19 guests who are smarter than I am, today we scale it back. In this episode I open up about my experience with anxiety & depression, provide an introduction to the Mt. Rushmore of Stoicism, and share some tips on how to love yourself.  Table of Contents: 2:48 - My Origin Sto...

Bryan Tsiliacos's 29th birthday was a milestone that greeted him with a crisis revolving around his career, family, and future prospects. In an effort to remedy the anxiety associated with turning 30, he decided to make a list of what he was thankful for and was overcome with gratitude for others who had helped shape his course.  This exercise sparked an idea to complete 30 acts of kindness b...

What is Happiness made of? What misconceptions do we have about it? And is there any way for us to make ourselves "happier?" These are the questions at the center of Will Schoder's 3 part documentary series on happiness. In part 2 of my conversation with Will, we discuss happiness as an emotional state, the components of tranquility, and what ideas Americans have about it that may b...

Will Schoder is only interested in working on "Evergreen Topics." The stated goal being that anyone could stumble upon his work in 10, 20, or even 100 years, and the topic would still be relevant.  For the last few years, his time has been spent addressing one of the most important questions of all: "What is Happiness?" In Part I of our conversation we discuss what makes irony...

Social Anxiety is one of the most common anxiety disorders in the world, and yet it remains equally misunderstood. In this episode, Professor of Psychology, Dr. Fallon Goodman joins to discuss what social anxiety is, why we have such a hard time diagnosing it, and some tips for what we can do to help alleviate some of it's symptoms.  Guest Links: Dr. Fallon Goodman - @FallonRGoodman https://w...

Portugal. The Man started off as a group of teens playing music in Wasilla, Alaska. Fast forward 21 years, 8 albums, a Grammy Award, and billions of streams later and they are now one of the biggest names in alternative rock today. In this episode, I connect with the singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Gourley to discuss what life was like growing up in Alaska with his larger than life parents,...

Tim Ferris once called Kevin Kelly "The Real Most Interesting Man in the World," and it is an opinion that we both share. After dropping out of college, Kevin Kelly spent his youth backpacking through Asia with next to nothing to his name. Years later he would become the first Executive Editor of Wired Magazine, an author whose books on technology would inspire films like the Matrix, and...

What if I told you you didn't have a past? In today's episode Andrew Murnane joins to discuss what it means to live for the present, why having no objective meaning in life is actually wonderful, and how we can use metaphors from Shrek and Space Jam to get a better understanding of reality.  Guest Links: Andrew Murnane - @a.murnane Podcast: Dualistic Unity YouTube: https://www.youtube.co...

What does it mean to be a good person? What does it mean to be ethical? Is running someone over with a train the same thing as stealing their organs? These are the kind of questions Professor Pamela Hieronymi spends her time asking herself. After graduating with Harvard with a Ph. D. in philosophy, Pamela began teaching and publishing articles relating to her areas of interest: Ethics, Moral Respo...

Lacking both capital and a tangible fan base, Dan Checkers set out to make folky pop music with his elastic voice, clever lyrics, and a penchant for writing unorthodox melodies as Dan and Drum. A few months after his debut album, Growl Pop, was released it garnered 10's of millions of streams. Now Dan spends his time making personalized songs, and working on his next album "Heavy Mental&...

Sebastian Scales is a stand-up comedian with an inclination for joking about sensitive topics. In this episode, he opens up about his experiences being sexually abused as a child, how joking about trauma helped him heal, and what it means to search for authenticity.  Guest Links: Sebastian Scales - @sebastianscales YouTube: @SebastianScales Podcasts:  What Happened to you? with Sebastian Scales Th...

Rabbi Mordecai Finley, PhD is revered for his knowledge of spirituality, consciousness, and his ability to articulate their truths through conversation.  In this episode we discuss history's relationship to consciousness,  the nature of rationality, and why the secret to a happy marriage is the lack of communication. Guest Links: https://www.rabbifinley.com/

Strider Wilson joins for the first video episode.  We unpack how to accept failure before achieving success, how to develop a point of view within comedy, and why swords and magic are secretly lame.  Watch on YouTube: @heresjohnnynava Guest Links: Strider Wilson - @stridershredsallday Podcast: History is Dank

In this episode, I sit down with US Marine Infantryman Drew Lucas as we discuss how his time in Iraq and Afghanistan shaped his perspective on war, the obstacles veterans face in adjusting to civilian life, and his journey from warrior to healer after experiencing combat. Guest Links: Drew Lucas - @druu_lucas Daylight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpm6Xwnxmf4 https://eaglecondoralliance.com/ ht...

For over a hundred years, cinema has captured the hearts and the imagination of billions. Todays' guest, Vincent Nel, is no exception. In this episode we discuss the power that movies have to shape the way we look at the world, the complicated relationships men have with their fathers, and a few healthy ways to deal with grief.  Guest Links: Vincent Nel - @vinnienel Podcast: TheARTology 

History within educational systems focuses on the transfer of power through time. However, Jessica Cale is a different kind of Historian. On her podcast, Dirty, Sexy History, she explores an unsanitized version of history focused on regular people, sex, and many colorful characters that don't often appear in textbooks.  In this episode we discuss the history of sex, how our modern sensibiliti...

In this week's experimental episode expect funky musical interludes, and ads no one paid me for... 2:45 - 29:00   I sit down with Ben Hecht as he discusses how he converted an interest in photography into a career working with cameras, and the process of forming a band.  29:00 - Fin We dive into the deep end with topics ranging from the "Polarity Problem" to "What ever happened...

Sutton Raphael is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and apparently a carpenter. On today's episode, we discuss Sutton's unlikely adventure into the world of wood. Then we go down a wormhole discussing his new comedy series Wormhole TV, marketing obstacles for environmental focused stories, and a number of ideas for dealing with anxiety.  Guest Links: Sutton Raphael - @suttonraphael Wo...

What do I do with all of this fear? This is the question Jill Ringer found herself asking after she was diagnosed with cancer for a second time in two years. In this episode, Jill and I chat about the nature of fear, what having cancer is actually like, and the differences between big/little trauma.  Guest Links: Jill Ringer https://jillringer.com/