Preconceived

Can you imagine if there was a drug that helped you get over a tough breakup? What about medications to reinvigorate the romance in your relationship? Well, some of these drugs DO exist. Brian Earp, a Yale and Oxford ethicist and co-authour of the book "Love Drugs", joins the podcast to explore how commonly used drugs are already affecting our romantic relationships and how currently illicit drugs...

Coronavirus has taken the world by storm, and amidst the important facts that have emerged, many preconceptions and misconceptions have also developed. Dr. Gerald Evans, Infectious Disease Professor at Queen's University, joins the podcast to explain just what we are dealing with in this pandemic, how it developed, what we can expect, and what steps we can all take to keep our communities healthy....

In the world of musicians, are the most famous ones the most talented? Is skill level truly what differentiates the mega pop star from the lesser known artist? And do you have to have a certain level of risk tolerance if deciding to pursue a career in this difficult to penetrate competitive industry? Tiz McNamara is an Irish singer-songwriter whose songs have racked up over eight million streams o...

Contact sports are dangerous. But just how dangerous? Evidence regarding the dangers of repeated concussions has emerged over the last several decades that make one take pause as an athlete, a coach, a parent and a fan. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a disease associated with repeated concussions, which is characterized by Alzheimer's-like changes in the brain. It can lead to severe men...

Many parents might debate which school to send their kids, but there usually isn't a debate as to whether they should send their kids to a school at all. Josh Steimle is an entrepreneur, and he and his wife were dissatisfied with the state of the current education system. As opposed to just lamenting the present school system as an foregone reality, they decided to take action and home school thei...

Eric Silverberg and Eli Gladstone, founders of Speaker Labs, shed light on why it is ingrained into our DNA to fear public speaking and how we can look at public speaking "failures" in a more favourable light. Why is public speaking so important, and how do we decipher an authentic public speaker from a charismatic phoney? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What separates an elite athlete from others in their sport? Is there a psychological and physical recipe to becoming an athlete on the world stage? Which factors are associated with high performance and what characteristics can lead to an athlete's downfall? Beorn Nijenhuis was a Dutch Olympian speedskater who went on to study the neuroscience and psychology of high performance athletics. He joins...

The life coaching industry has really taken off over the past decade. Some people swear by having a life coach, while others don't actually understand what a life coach is. How is a life coach different from a therapist? What kinds of qualifications and certifications does a life coach have? Is there any difference between hiring a life coach and just seeking the advice of your trusted friends and...

What is it like to live with an intellectual disability? Jeffery Masci was deprived of oxygen during his birth, which led to lifelong challenges with intellectual disability. This manifested as slower information processing, as well as language and speech difficulties. While his condition has led to significant social and professional challenges, Jeffery has persevered to accomplish much during hi...

Shinji Mikamo is a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. His daughter, psychologist Dr. Akiko Mikamo, joins the podcast to share her father's story of survival and resilience in the face of the most deadly bomb to ever be dropped on the planet. She speaks about some of the common historical misconceptions regarding the necessity of dropping the atomic bomb and shares her father's le...

What exactly is hypnosis? And how much do we truly understand about the subconscious and the thoughts that lurk deep in our minds? Hypnotist Luke Chao joins the podcast to discuss both the theories of hypnosis and the practical applications of hypnotherapy that are often used to help people quit smoking and conquer fears such as public speaking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Mike Holding is a wildlife cinematographer who makes wildlife films in the heart of Africa’s wilderness. Based out of Botswana, he has collaborated on many wildlife documentaries including the critically acclaimed series Planet Earth. Mike joins the podcast to discuss common preconceptions regarding the wildlife filmmaking process, what he has learned from his time living amongst animals and how h...

Amit Gupta was a successful entrepreneur by all accounts, having started several very innovative and successful companies. But when he was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia at a young age, his whole life changed immediately. At one point being given less than 25% chance of surviving, Amit's story is a phenomenal recount of resilience, friendship and reflection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Circumcision of newborns is a Jewish and Muslim tradition. Beyond that, demographic studies suggest that over 50% of males in the United States are circumcised. Yet ultimately, circumcision in the typical circumstance equates to performing an elective surgical procedure on a non-consenting newborn. How has the situation come to be as such? Yale and Harvard Ethicist Brian Earp joins the podcast to...

When we meet somebody, we immediately apply certain stereotypes to try and “figure out” who they are. The first three things that we subconsciously assess in any encounter are a person’s age, gender and race. Yet while the anti-racism and anti-sexism movements are prevalent in society, the widespread issue of discrimination on the basis of age is rarely considered. Dr. Rachael Stone joins the podc...

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) encompasses both euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. In Canada and many parts of the world, MAID is slowly becoming incorporated into medical practice, in order to help end the suffering of patients who no longer wish to live. But how will the medical field adjust to this change in paradigm, which is in many ways contrary to the traditional role that docto...

It can be tough to understand how so many Americans are on the "pro-gun" side of the gun debate. For many, the issue seems simple - "guns are bad, and we should do everything we can to limit them". But what is the background of gun legislation? What is the often well-informed and intelligent perspective of many people who support gun rights yet also share the same goal of lowering crime rates in t...

Society conditions us to have particular expectations regarding our careers. Many believe that our work must align with our passions. As the adage goes, if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. But is that realistic? And should blending passion with your career always be the goal? Entrepreneur Seira Flores joins the podcast to challenge the preconceptions regarding what mak...

The Death Penalty is the most severe sentence that can be passed down onto someone in the judicial system. John H. Blume of Cornell University is the Samuel F. Leibowitz Professor of Trial Techniques and the Director of the Cornell Death Penalty Project. He joins Zale to discuss the preconceptions regarding capital punishment and some of the disturbing realities of arbitrariness, unreliability and...

Yoga teacher Karina Guthrie shares her insights on yoga and what it can unlock for those who practice it. How and why did yoga in Western culture develop differently from its origins in the East? When referring to concepts like "energy" and "soul", are these meant metaphorically, or as real entities? Karina is a yoga teacher and coordinator at The Practice in Bali, Indonesia. Hosted on Acast. See...

What is like to lose your vision? What is like to live with a disability? Taylor Katzel joins the podcast to discuss his experience losing his vision from a rare hereditary condition and what it has taught him about life and disabilities in general. Does he like when people ask him about his blindness, or can it sometimes come off as odd small talk? How has losing his sight affected the various do...

We are constantly exposed to advertisements, whether we are always aware of it or not. Forbes 30-under-30 award-winning marketer Tyler Rochwerg joins the podcast to discuss which tools a marketer uses to captivate its target market, some of the ethical concerns surrounding advertisements, and some of the preconceptions about marketing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Toronto Mayor David Crombie was known as "The Tiny Perfect Mayor", and as the name reflects, he is one of Toronto's most beloved political figures from the last many decades. Mayor Crombie joins the podcast to share some thoughts on politics and to impart some wisdom on life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does one make the ever important decision of whether or not to have kids? And do enough people really approach this milestone as a conscious decision, or do their preconceptions of what a normal life entails get in the way? Merle Bombardieri, author of The Baby Decision, joins the podcast to offer her insights on the choice of having kids versus having a child-free life. Hosted on Acast. See a...

Have you ever sat down at a restaurant and felt out of sorts pretending to know which wine to order? What stories and backgrounds can be told in one bottle of wine? Sommelier Svetlana Atcheva of Pearl Morissette winery breaks down wine in a way that can help the novice appreciate it without feeling intimidated, while discussing new trends and perspectives in the global wine market. Hosted on Acast...