You Seem Exceptional

In this episode of You Seem Exceptional, hosts Oliver Gerharz and Jeb Blossom talk to Professor Nick Buttrick, a Professor in UW-Madison's Department of Psychology. They extensively discuss the research that Professor Buttrick has been doing into the culture surrounding gun ownership in America, including safety, politics and responsibility.

In this episode of You Seem Exceptional, hosts Oliver Gerharz and Jeb Blossom talk to Jackson Antonow, a Junior at UW-Madison who recently wrote a book about phone addiction called "Enemy in Your Pocket." We talk to Jackson about the negative effects of heavy phone use, the benefits of having more time off of your phone, social media culture and his personal journey with both phone addiction and w...

In this episode of You Seem Exceptional, hosts Oliver Gerharz and Jeb Blossom talk to Neil Lewis Jr., a behavioral scientist working in the department of communications at Cornell University. 

This week, Oliver's friend Kenny was in town, so we had a discussion of some of the pressing issues over at Marquette University, UW-Madison's campus rumors and our ancestry. We talk about RFK Jr. a lot more than usual in this one because Kenny is a Political Science Major. You can listen to You Seem Exceptional live on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison every Tuesday at 4PM.

The two most significant things that regularly happen on Tuesdays are Election Day and new interviews on You Seem Exceptional. To commemorate a very special overlap, we spoke to retired UW-Madison Political Theory Professor Howard Schweber.  We discussed some of the possibilities of both a Trump and Harris presidency in 2025, how Trump is more comparable to the crooked criminal Nixon than he is to...

On October 26th, the Moth Madison held the yearly GrandSLAM event, where the best storytellers in city get together to tell stories. Cheri Miller was the winner among winners that night, so we invited her on the show. We discussed her schooling, her teaching, her work in the toilet seat factory and the joy of storytelling. You can listen to You Seem Exceptional live on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison every T...

In this week's episode, we spoke to Professor Cody Wenthur, an Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin0Madison who heads the University's Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation programs. We discuss how addiction works at the general and the chemical level, what a hypothetical addiction vaccine might look like, psychedelics and how Cody became interested in this line of wo...

Every year, UW-Madison distributes a book to thousands of students as a part of the Go Big Read. This year, the university handed out copies of Rebekah Taussig's "Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body". We got the chance to sit down with her this week to discuss the book, our takeaways from reading it, the Go Big Read and her experiences as a disabled woman, mother, tea...

This week, we talk to English Professor Ramzi Fawaz. We discuss his research into the transformative powers of a psychedelic humanities education, the relationship between American popular culture (superheroes) and social justice movements and the career in education that led to and has followed his PhD in American Studies.  Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madi...

This week, Oliver talks to Mary Huelsbeck, the Assistant Director at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. We talk about the collections at the center, how Mary got interested in the field and how who uses the center.  If you want to use the center's services or add your own collection to theirs, you can learn more here: https://wcftr.commarts.wisc.edu/ Catch You Seem Exceptional Liv...

This week, we had the privilege of talking to Vince Hesprich, the Sports Director at WSUM. Our topics of discussion vary more wildly than usual this episode as we discuss driving, broadcasting Badger sports events, being a chess prodigy, the sports club at WSUM, childhood video games, our lowest points and failing our AP Physics exams. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 9...

We have returned from the summer. Our first guest of the semester is Neil Crowson, a student in an Occupational Therapy Doctorate program here at UW-Madison. We discuss Neil's life in Madison, growing up in Salt Lake City and an experimental high school class, and we also go fairly in-depth on rock climbing. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.

For the last You Seem Exceptional of the semester, we decided to switch things around and have our host Jeb interview fellow host Oliver. We discuss Chicago and deep dish pizza, Scouts and camping, storytelling and college journalism and Oliver's dog Wilbur.

This week, our guest is Yoshiko Herrera, our Political Science Professor in our class, Political Science 344: The Russian War On Ukraine: Causes and Consequences. We discuss the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the classes Professor Herrera teaches, Professor Herrera's experiences as an academic in a field suddenly thrust into extreme global relevance, the best ways to keep up with what's happening in...

This week, our guest is Nate Gibson, an ethnomusicologist currently working as an archivist and lecturer at UW-Madison. Nate teaches us to yodel, and we discuss the history of yodeling, Nate's experiences meeting legendary yodelers, the three wise kings, Nate's dog Lola, pirate jokes and hodag culture. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison. You can learn more...

This week, Oliver's guest is Jamie Perez, a local entrepreneur and the owner of Beyond Words Productions. We discuss storytelling, being an entrepreneur, working as a multimedia journalist, the transition between the two and the value of storytelling to the companies that she works with. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.

This week, our guest is Science Communicator Caitlin Looby, the Great Lakes reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. We discuss Caitlin's 13 years researching the effects of climate change on soil microbes, her transition from science research to science journalism, her enthusiasm for camping and the outdoors and her canine camping companion Odessa. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every...

This week, our guest is MFA Candidate Tamara McLean, a graduate student and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. We discuss her experiences with making art in augmented reality, her work as an instructor over the last 6 years, her research into the views of female graphic designers and cat naming privileges. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.

This week our guest is Professor Dorothea Salo, a professor in the field of Library and Information Science. We discuss data security concerns, the Canvas app that is used by the university, purple squirrels, cycling and Dorothea's field of study. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison. You can learn more about our guest here: https://dsalo.info/

This week, our guest is Jason Stephens, a voice actor, professional imitator, mimic and father. We discuss Jason's start in voice acting, AI voice acting and the gaming presidents, a bag full of squirrels as a metaphor for ADHD, a clown hat as a metaphor for working on your public image, running a D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) podcast and being the father of a neurodivergent child in public sch...

This week, we spoke with Chali Pittman, the News, Talk and Public Affairs Director at local community radio station WORT 89.9 FM Madison. We discuss being a college student with a passion for radio, working at WORT, the accountability Ouroboros and other esoteric vocabulary. Catch You Seem Exceptional live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.

This week, our guest is Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, Alder of the 15th District of Madison and the first out trans woman elected in Wisconsin. We discuss her dog, local government, being the first elected trans official and Dina's career as a comedian. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.

This week, our guest is Shawn Steen, a volunteer coordinator and former book dealer. We discuss Shawn's experiences working at several nonprofits, the Memorial Union pool Hall and being a Book Dealer in Seattle at the time Amazon was crushing the competition. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.

This week our guest is Alice Pauser, a writer, author, storyteller and stand-up comedian. We discuss Catholic School, experiences as a young Journalist, Alice's book NUNderwear, Local Standup and Storytelling and the Moth. Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison. Learn more about Alice Pauser here: https://scriptedchaos4u.com/

In this episode host Oliver Gerharz interviews fellow host Jeb Blossom. We discuss Boarding School, the Model UN and Jeb's show "Nighttime Jamboree" (Mondays 12AM). Catch You Seem Exceptional Live at 4PM every Tuesday on WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.