Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

Daoist Monk Yun Rou (his name means Soft Cloud) has been called the new Alan Watts for his Daoist teachings and the zen Gabriel Garcia-Marquez for his works of magical realism set in China. Born Arthur Rosenfeld in New York City, he received his academic education at Yale, Cornell, and the University of California. He was ordained a monk at the Chun Yang (Pure Yang) Daoist Temple in Guangzhou, Chi...

Callie is the original bada$$. She spends months at a time alone in the wilderness with her goats, living off the land. She was among the last three people on this season's "Alone," on the History Channel, lasting 89 days before frostbite ender her run. (This episode is co-hosted with Anya Kaats, host of A Millennial's Guide to Saving the World .) Learn more about Callie at caprakhan.com // Instag...

Andrew has been a pal since he showed up in Topanga in the same van I drive (2006 Dodge Sprinter), with a cool little mutt named Pele and a plan to drive from Alaska to Chile. He and his wife, Tiffany (and Pele) got as far as Costa Rica before things went sideways. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. I...

J.R. Martinez is a burn survivor (over 40% of his body) and Army veteran who, after many surgeries and months of healing, went on to win Dancing with the Stars, become a New York Times best-selling author, star in the television series All My Children and become a keynote speaker at events all over the world. Dude's on quite a ride. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this...

I've been falling behind on the ROMAs, so here's a mega-ROMA. Lotsa music, lotsa my dumb opinions on things like toilet paper, camp chairs, sexual communication, the Me Too movement, and how to have a good time on a sinking ship. Hope you find something of value in this tossed salad. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few b...

Anya Kaats hosts A Millennial's Guide to Saving the World podcast, and co-hosts Whore Rapport , with Erin Ginder-Shaw. Anya consistently challenges her listeners to reconsider what's really going on within discussions of gender, power, sexuality, spirituality, regenerative agriculture, trauma, grief and community. Through curiosity, creativity and conversation, Anya hopes to encourage others to dr...

I guess when you grow up surfing waves taller than the trees that tower over your house, you learn to be careful. Kyle is one of the most deliberate, thoughtful, open-hearted dudes I know. He makes as many mistakes as the rest of us, but he squeezes every possible lesson from each one of them. Check out his podcast here , follow his adventures on Instagram here . Find me on Instagram or Twitter ....

Diana Rodgers, RD, is a “real food” nutritionist and writer living on a working organic farm. She runs a clinical nutrition practice, hosts the  Sustainable Dish Podcast , and speaks internationally about human nutrition, sustainability, animal welfare and social justice. Together with Robb Wolf , Diana has created Sacred Cow, a documentary film and book exploring the ways regenerative agriculture...

Fabian has been around. A bout with malaria in Congo somehow led to a high-pressure job in Silicon Valley which somehow led to running a company from a Range Rover while bumping through African backroads. He's now teaching free-diving in Montenegro. (Of course he is!) No idea what's coming next in this guy's life, but I'm looking forward to hearing about it. Fabian's links: Instagram Freediving in...

Ben Horton's passion is to use photography as a means to inspire people to take stewardship of the planet. He aims to give people who may not be able to see something for themselves a vicarious experience through his images that will instill a passion in them they would never have otherwise. Ben started his career with National Geographic by telling the story of the sharks of Cocos Island. He trac...

Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, where he directs the Berkeley Social Interaction Lab. He is also the founder and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. and host of the podcast The Science of Happiness. He is the author of  The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence  (2017),  Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life ,...

Dan Doty, is an EVRYMAN co-founder and former director of cult hit TV show MeatEater. His many media appearances include multiple segments on the Joe Rogan Experience and Today Show, always sharing that today to be a man means to be yourself all the way through. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. Musi...

Theo Rossi is an American actor, producer, and podcast host (THEOry). He's best known for his portrayal of Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014). He is also known for his portrayal of Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in Luke Cage (2016–2018). Despite his fame and success, Theo has both feet on the ground and is a no BS dude. You can listen to Theo picking my brain on his po...

Together with Saagar Enjeti, Krystal Ball co-hosts Rising , a show featuring sharp political analysis seemingly free of commercial bias. Ball has worked for over a decade as a political consultant, analyst, and journalist -- having appeared on MSNBC, Real Time with Bill Maher, Fox News, and elsewhere. Ball has published two books: The Populist's Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left are Rising (...

Rick Beato is a multi-instrumentalist, music teacher, producer, dad to Layla and Dylan, and host to three deaf animals (2 dogs and a cat). His YouTube show ( What Makes This Song Great? ) is the best guide to the magic and mystery of music I know. This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a f...

Matt and Winston lived in China for years, learning to speak the language, love the people, and distrust the government. Their insights are surprising and fascinating.  This episode sponsored by Kettle and Fire . (Use code CHRIS for 15% off your order -- free shipping for 6 or more items.) Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a...

A reading and discussion of " What You Can't Say ," a very powerful essay by Paul Graham , that shows the importance of tolerating thoughts and statements that may be "offensive," "inappropriate," and/or "heretical." More importantly, Graham shows how to find wisdom in our taboos and prohibited speech and thoughts. This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please c...

Bryan Callen is an American actor, comedian, and podcaster. He is most known for his recurring role as “Coach Mellor” on ABC’s Schooled and The Goldbergs; which he has played since 2014. Callen has also appeared in such TV and films as Kingdom, 2 Broke Girls, Ride Along, Hangover 1 & 2, Sex and the City, Old School, MADTv, Entourage, Californication, and many more. Callen performs in theaters and...

My discussion of " Cat Person ," by Kristen Roupenian. The story offers a subtle, nuanced look at power, eroticism, and the confusion that often results when a man and a woman try (and fail) to understand each other, taking us inside the heads of people who share physical space -- but are miles apart.  This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider suppo...

" Cat Person " offers a subtle, nuanced look at power, eroticism, and the confusion that often results when a man and a woman try (and fail) to understand each other, taking us inside the heads of people who are together -- and yet miles apart. This episode sponsored by nobody at all. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few...

Mike had a tennis scholarship to college, but things went a different way. Within a few years, he was helping to run Reality Kings, one of the biggest Internet porn companies in the world, and managing the career of Kimbo Slice, who Rolling Stone called "The King of the Web Brawlers." Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few...

This first episode of What Makes This Book Great (WMTBG) features "The Liar," one of my favorite short stories, by Tobias Wolff. Music: "Home Again," by Michael Kiwanuka; "Lovely Day," by Bill Withers. Find me on Instagram or Twitter . Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link kicks a few bucks back my way. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...

Unhinged opening rant from the good people at Profit-Driven Pharmaceuticals, followed by a mention of this very funny animation of Joe Rogan and I having a picnic together, this article about the parallels between the fall of Rome and right here right now. Then a mention of Kyle Thiermann's chat with his dad , this conversation with psychologist Dan Ariely, a few Tiny Desktop Concerts I really enj...

Eli and his buddy, Jesse, run Back to Earth , an organization created to take groups of boys and young men into the wilderness for ten days and nights. What happens is powerful, magical, and utterly natural. Eli is trained through The Tracking Project in Corrales, New Mexico, a non-profit led by John Stokes devoted to peacemaking, nature awareness and cross cultural respect. He is a NOLS alumnus a...

Jody Armour is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California and author of Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism: The Hidden Costs of Being Black in America , but don't think this dude is some dry, boring, law professor type. Hell no. Jody's father taught himself law in prison and Jodi struggled to get where he is today. There's no chance of his ever forgetting where he...