Going in Blind with Zach Tidwell

Dr. Atinuke (“Tinu” Adediran (J.D, Ph. D) is a sociologist and associate professor of law at Fordham University in New York. In her new book, Disclosureland, she analyzed how corporate messaging surrounding race—which had never occurred until after the murder of George Floyd—were largely unmet, and explored the legal implications, the corrupt nature in which majority and institutional shareholders...

Sacha Dench is a geneticist, freediver, adventurer, high-flyer, change maker, and founder of Conservation Without Borders. Her work with animals began with capturing turtles as a freediver and geneticist off the Great Barrier Reef, and the uniqueness of her path multiplied from there. Competing internationally whilst becoming a national champion freediver, her work eventually took to the skies. A...

Join host Zach Tidwell for an inspiring conversation with Wendy S. Huffman, Executive Director and Founder of Let's Make the Difference, as she shares her remarkable journey from interior designer to global changemaker. After losing her partner Bill in Africa, Wendy transformed grief into purpose by creating sustainable enterprises in refugee camps across 11 African countries. Wendy's approach rat...

Isabella Young shares her harrowing journey from joining a messianic cult to escaping after losing her son to an alleged murder. As the wife of the cult leader who claimed to be the Second Coming, Isabella reveals the manipulation, abuse, and tragic consequences of cult life, while offering insights on cult dynamics, manipulation tactics, narcissism, abuse, healing, and prevention. You can find Is...

Laszlo Suhayda escaped communist, Soviet-occupied Hungary in 1956. He shares his story to remind the public that freedom doesn’t come free, and to warn of the dangers of socialism. He shared his story here, examined state-controlled media, power struggles, propaganda, and the dynamic states of Venezuela, China, Cuba, Russia, Iran, the Ukraine War, and the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, in addition...

Aaron Turnage officially served as a police officer and homicide/child abuse detective for 21 years, but his entry into the field began at 8 when he took his first ride along, then again 13 when he entered his local cadet program and logged over 4,000 hours of work by the time he graduated high school. When he finally joined the force, the man who took him on that very first ride along became his...

Riana Milne is an author, entrepreneur, Licensed Mental Health Counselor(LMHC), and trauma recovery coach, and she came on the show to break down the top 10 childhood traumas that impact adult relationships. From abandonment issues to verbal abuse, discover how early experiences shape our love lives and learn practical tools for healing. Key Topics Covered: The 10 most common childhood traumas and...

Tragedy coupled with Jennifer Hawkins’ unmatched drive in her corporate career ever so perfectly so as to set her up for one wild, unexpected opportunity to arise that would ultimately save her teen son’s life. In this episode, you can expect to hear how nearly losing her brother—and the resulting disabilities of his accident—impacted Jennifer as a young woman and led her to find a mission in her...

Dr. John David Graham has worn many hats, the latest of which include being an award-winning author and founder of Good Samaritan Home. At 53, John and his wife purchased a home to create a shelter that has since served over 2,500 people transitioning from prison back into society. John shares his journey from a childhood marked by "quiet desperation" through decades of professional detours—from t...

Dr. Baruch “B” Halevi is a former rabbi turned pastoral counselor who holds two doctoral degrees - one in divinity and another in pastoral counseling. Dr. HaLevi practices logotherapy and runs men's peer groups through his nonprofit organization. The conversation explores his unique journey from rabbinical studies in Israel to developing innovative approaches to men's mental health and meaning-mak...

Tae Yeon Lee’s family ties to the Rooftop Koreans of the 1992 LA Riots led him to direct his creative efforts into revisiting the story from a modern day lens. And it made for a different kind of episode. We delved into growing up as the child of Korean immigrants and the stories Lee’s own family shared from living in LA during the riots. But we spent most of our time digging deep into the events...

Julie Barth has navigated an incredible amount of pain. Her daughter, Tayte, was born with Primordial Dwarfism, and her vocal cords were paralyzed from the lifesaving care she received when she was born weighing just three pounds. Then, Julie’s husband, Colin, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the age of 33. He passed 16 months later, when Taytem was just five. Julie eventually remarried into a...

Paul Watkins knows a thing or two about doing difficult things. In addition to being an accomplished entrepreneur and mountaineer, he won the 380-mile “6633 Arctic Ultra” race in the Canadian arctic in 2019, and achieved second place in the 2023 Laplandian Arctic Ultra—which was another 300+ mile race. And by the time this episode airs, he’ll have competed in a desert ultra in Namibia too. But thi...

Dr. Barbara Rothbaum(Ph. D) has spent the past four decades researching anxiety disorders, and specifically Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD). Her career is marked by innovation and dissemination of leading edge treatments, including both the invention of using virtual reality(VR) in exposure therapy, and driving it’s use in prolonged exposure therapy programs for veterans. To top things off, s...

Adam Cheyer is a visionary software engineer, AI expert, and entrepreneur behind many of the technologies used by most of us today. In addition to sharing his trajectory, Adam he had some very nuanced things to say on machine learning, large language models, and where “AI” is headed—including his prediction of the next iteration of Cheyer’s Conjecture coming in 2035. He and his team developed the...

Ben Patton is the grandson of General George Patton—the famed WWI and WWII General—and son of Major General George Patton IV, a man whose service record is as broad as his own father’s was. But Ben went a different path; he worked across various multimedia industries, co-authored a book, and founded the Patton Veterans Project, where he’s now helping American veterans process their own toughest ti...

Dr. Holly Wood is a sex therapist who works with individuals and couples in California. She And Zach got into some spicy territory, covering everything from sex robots, AI companions, and non-monogamous relationships, to sex addiction, navigating infidelity, and helping victims of sexual violence reach a place where they can enjoy being intimate with a partner again. You can find Holly in the foll...

Tim “F-ing” Barber rose from racing go-carts as a kid, all the way to racing cars at the professional level. Along the way he’s owned multiple businesses, recorded on albums as a drummer, and is now running TFB Performance, where he trains the next generation of racers, builds racecars, and handles every aspect of vehicle and race prep/support for his clients. You can find Tim and his team at TFBP...

Dr. Philip Yanos grew up on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital in New York, and went on to become a world-renowned clinical psychologist known for his work on serious mental illness and stigma surrounding serious mental illness. He’s a professor and Director of Clinical Training for the clinical psychology Ph. D. program at John Jay College, and an author. We discussed his new book about his ex...

Tom Lancaster has spent his life adventuring around the world, making films, and even setting a world record. But this episode focused on just about everything other than that; Zach and Tom went back-and-forth on philosophical meanderings about both the old and modern ways of the world, and what they might implicate on a larger scale. And it all began with an inquiry into Tom’s views on modern rit...

After serving 10 years in the Army, including two combat deployments, Deke Letson found healing through adventure and the Marcus Institute for Brean Health. And those combined experiences led him to found Veteran’s Exploration Therapy, where he is the Executive Director, and leads other veterans and their families through explorative experiences to help them grow, heal, find purpose, and embed the...

Sal Gonzalez is a professional musician, Marine Corps veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and professional speaker with the Wounded Warrior Project®. His new album, “Sal Gonzalez” will be released November 10, 2025(links below). You can find Sal in the following places: Website: peglegsongs.com Social media: @SalGMusic Zach’s book is on the way it’s officially in the hands of an editor, and on the fi...

Aaron Vernon started teaching himself how to code when he was 12 years old, then went on to begin his impressive career as a software engineer as an early member of multiple startups, in the game development industry, and eventually working for the tech giant, Meta. But he’s now the Founder of Split Atom Labs, a startup “building an inclusive future for casual gaming”, and a 2025 Apple Design Awar...

Dr. Robb Kelly began life as a performing musician, eventually rising to the point where he was recording with Elton John and Queen. But addiction took over—to the point where he stabbed his wife over a bottle of booze, wound up living on the streets, and lost everything. And today he’s a preeminent force in substance abuse treatment for celebrities through his company, Robb Kelly Group. You can f...

Adam Meyers is a police Captain in Wisconsin who was involved in a fatal shooting in 2016 that changed the path of his life. He struggled with rampant addiction and destructive behaviors for six years before he began seeking help, at which point he was terminated from his department. Today he’s a certified Peer Support Specialist, Founder of “Stop the Threat - Stop the Stigma”, and working to help...