My Views Are My Own

Michelle Li is the founder of clever carbon. She launched her career in Silicon Valley where she worked for some of the biggest names in tech including Salesforce and DocuSign. A proponent for making sustainability the new norm, Michelle founded clever carbon to help teach people about their carbon footprint in a hip, fun, and relatable way. She is a TEDx and SXSW 2022 speaker on the topic of carb...

In this episode, Doug and Co-Producer Colleen review the classic 1994 film Speed starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper. Rising LAPD star Jack meets his match in retired disgruntled bomb-squad officer Howard Payne, who decides the only way to get his pension is to plant a bomb on a bus and set it off if the bus goes under 50 miles per hour. Jack uses his tact and de-escalation sk...

In this episode, I am joined by actresses Brenna Coates and Jessica Steen to discuss the art of audio drama and their new audio drama podcast Stream Queen. They are kind enough to lend their voices to some exciting improv scenes that are likely to change the trajectory of the film industry forever. They weigh in on what is hot and what is not. Tune in to find out if frosted tips are back in style....

Jordan Carroll joins me on the podcast today to discuss the emergence of fascism in science fiction fandoms and specifically how Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" has been co-opted and used for white supremacist propaganda and recruitment. We talk about the alt-right's obsession with transhumanism and genetic engineering, why they advocate for space exploration, and why they hate Star Trek. Jordan...

Nashville arts advocate and artist Christine Hall was kind enough to invite me to a Metro Council arts meeting that I was unable to attend. So we're doing our own town hall right here on the podcast to discuss arts equity, community building, and disruptive urban planning. We also discuss the downtown Nashville area slowly becoming a food court with cowboy boots painted on it and why developers ha...

Open-source researcher, writer, and founder of the Did Nothing Wrong newsletter and podcast Jay McKenzie joins me to talk about what's been going on in the wacky world of right wing extremists. We talk about: Tucker Carlson getting fired from Fox News being one of the most significant blows to the white supremacist agenda in recent times; Ron DeSantis failing miserably in his culture war against D...

Sasha Srbulj is recording a new comedy special in New York, so he decided to drop by the podcast on the way to tell me why rich people came out of their pandemic bubbles crazier than everyone else. We get into a little bit of the backstory of why the right wing extremists that run the government in my home state are attacking drag shows and eliminating abortion rights. We also learn why Fox News i...

Casper ter Kuile joins me on the podcast today to discuss the power of ritual, the need for creating and experiencing sacred time, sacred reading, and how something as simple as watching an old movie can have a deep ritual importance. We examine how religion is changing and what that means for society, spirituality, and our experience of life. We also talk about ways to build community and connect...

Adriana Barton is a journalist and author of Wired for Music: A Search for Health and Joy Through the Science of Sound (Greystone Books, 2022). A former staff health reporter at Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, she has written about medical research, neuroscience, visual arts, music and pop culture for publications including the Boston Globe, Reader’s Digest, Utne, Azure, Western L...

Matt McManus is a lecturer at the University of Michigan and the author of The Emergence of Postmodernity amongst other books and he joins me on the podcast today to discuss the enduring relevance of Philip K. Dick one of the most creative and imaginative American authors of the 20th century. To all of the listeners who are not familiar with Philip K. Dick, you might not recognize his name but wou...

In this episode, I am joined by comedian Kevin Heisinger to discuss some of the most pressing current events: Vladimir Putin bestowing a friendship award on actor Steven Seagal, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador posting photos of what he claims to be an elf, and New York City thieves stealing Apple headphones off of victims' heads. We easily solve all of these mysteries and then get do...

Holly Paterson has a background in national security and is a former member of the intelligence community. She holds a Bachelor of Politics and International Relations. She has suffered from depression and suicidal ideation her whole life, and since 2017, complex post traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). Holly is also autistic and has ADHD. After a suicide attempt in 2018, Holly travelled to South...

I'm joined on the podcast today by Stephanie Czajkowski (pronounced check-house-key) currently Vulcan Lt. T’Veen in STAR TREK: PICARD she is also best known for her roles as the bald badass alter-ego Hammerhead on HBO Max’s Doom Patrol, and stone-cold killer Bex Dawson on the reboot of McGruber on NBC Peacock, her guest starring role as Chyna on the NBC comedy, Young Rock, starring Dwayne Johnson...

Tor Valenza is the author and narrator of the Probably True Solar Stories podcast and founder of UnThink Solar PR and Communications. Before representing top installers and manufacturers in the solar industry Tor was a television writer for several shows including Stargate, Dharma and Greg, and The Dead Zone. He joined me on the podcast today to talk about the lack of visibility of solar power in...

Sometimes it seems like the world is completely spinning out of control and there's no way to make sense of it. And that's why I called Papp Johnson, a man of many talents and citizen of the world, to figure out what the heck is going on. We get to the bottom of several mysteries such as a German ballet director behind a premeditated feces attack on a harsh ballet critic, Ben Affleck writing a Mic...

Madeline Ostrander is a science journalist and author of At Home on an Unruly Planet, which tells the stories of four American communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. We discuss how individuals and communities are learning to adapt and adjust to mega fires in the Pacific Northwest, rising sea levels in Florida, melting permafrost in Alaska, and a town transitioning away from dependenc...

Danny Moss is a paranormal investigator and TV host from the U.K. best known for his hit TV shows "Paranormal Captured" and "The Haunted Hunts." Danny joins me to talk about his journey from skeptic to a believer in the paranormal through his many experiences as a paranormal investigator. We talk about several of the locations he has visited with his team and paranormal activity he has witnessed o...

Nathaniel Stinnett is the Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-partisan nonprofit that uses data analytics and behavioral science to mobilize environmentalists to vote. He joins me on the podcast today to discuss how the project was created, why some environmentalists don't vote, and why some people consider the environment to be a partisan issue. We also identi...

Is Muppet Treasure Island the greatest book-to-film adaptation in cinema history? For the 100th episode Zach returns as a special cohost and we use the most sophisticated research methods ever devised to answer this question once and for all. 

One of my favorite sci-fi authors Edward Ashton takes a break from doing cancer research, teaching quantum physics, and writing novels to drop by the podcast and solve the Ship of Theseus thought experiment once and for all. We get in depth about his novel "Mickey 7," soon to be a major motion picture directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo. We also talk about his u...

In this very special bonus episode, Doug and Co-Producer Colleen review the beloved action film "Hobbs and Shobbs" of the Fast & Furious franchise. Notably absent Vin Diesel, this romp still packs a mighty punch with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason "The Bloke" Statham. There's even a girl in the movie! Join us as we learn the true meaning of friendship from Hobbs and Shobbs as these wise-crack...

In this episode Emmy award winning journalist and author Neda Toloui-Semnani joins me to talk about the women led protests in Iran. She tells the story of escaping the Iranian regime with her mother when she was a child and and the profound impact the Iranian Revolution had on her family. We discuss how the methods and tactics of oppression have changed over the last four decades of the regime. An...

Documentary filmmaker Julie Marron joins me on the podcast this week to discuss coyotes and her upcoming documentary film American Bolshevik, detailing the century-long attempt to eradicate this intelligent and often misunderstood predator and how communities of people are learning to coexist with these animals while learning to appreciate the role they play in supporting a diverse and balanced ec...

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Natalia Barbour to discuss building and redesigning cities to be bikeable, walkable, and skateable. Dr. Barbour specializes in transportation and travel technologies and we talk about methods for restructuring and the positive effects of transitioning to bikeable and walkable cities. She explains why cities have evolved to be so dangerous for cyclists and pedestri...

Sometimes changes in technology and culture seem to be happening so fast it can be hard to tell if people are doing something totally lit or if they should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. That's why writer, comedian, former psychotherapist, and host of The Shame Spiral podcast Ely Kreimendahl brought over her level headedness and rational thinking skills to help me figure out what the heck is...