The Civic Wellness Podcast with Ulysses Hsu

Burnt sugar and steam fog a kitchen window in Houston, Texas, where a mother and child melt syrup into fragile, amber cranes and off-center dragons. Thousands of miles away, deep in the mist-shrouded peaks of Taiwan, a Rukai chieftess runs her fingers along a weathered, chipped family ceramic vessel. In this episode, we travel from the quiet warmth of a diaspora kitchen to the ancient, ancestral h...

In this powerful episode, I sit down with a retired Atayal teacher from Taiwan to explore her perspective on corporal punishment through the lens of Indigenous values and lived experience. As a proud member of the Atayal people, one of Taiwan’s major Indigenous groups, she reflects on how discipline, respect, and teaching have evolved in her community — and why she believes certain traditional pra...

“Why do we still hit children—and what if we didn’t have to?”In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Joan Durrant, child-clinical psychologist, global advocate, and Executive Director of Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP). Drawing from decades of research at the University of Manitoba and global work in over 30 countries, Dr. Durrant unpacks the myths behind corporal punishment...

In this rare and powerful interview, a 70-year-old chief from Taiwan’s Paiwan tribe shares his deeply rooted support for corporal punishment based on his cultural upbringing and decades of experience as an educator and community leader. Reflecting traditional Indigenous and conservative values, he argues that physical discipline, when used correctly, builds character, respect, and responsibility a...

🎙️ In this episode, I sit down with Assistant Principal and advocate Jeffrey Burton, who once served as the designated paddler at his rural Arkansas school. What began as a role he thought would bring order quickly turned into a moral and cultural reckoning. We discuss:His personal journey from administering corporal punishment to challenging itThe deep cultural roots of paddling in conservative,...

🎧 In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Amy Slep — clinical psychologist, NYU professor, and leading researcher on child discipline, family violence, and aggression. Dr. Slep has spent her career studying the often invisible impact of harsh parenting, corporal punishment, and verbal aggression. From subtle emotional harm to lasting trauma, her work reveals what truly happens when children are dis...

🎙️ In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Sonia Vohito, legal policy specialist with the End Corporal Punishment initiative (hosted by the World Health Organization), to discuss the urgent movement to ban corporal punishment across Africa. We unpack the cultural, legal, and historical roots of corporal punishment, explore the lived experiences of children affected, and examine how only 12 African co...

🔴 The Truth About Spanking & Corporal Punishment | Featuring Duke University Professor Dr. Jennifer LansfordIs spanking really an effective form of discipline? Or does it do more harm than good? In this exclusive interview, Dr. Jennifer Lansford, a renowned professor and researcher at Duke University, dives deep into the science behind corporal punishment, its effects on child development, an...

Podcast episode with Pediatric Dermatologist who is also a children's book author.

How can high schoolers play in role in politics today

We discuss the legislation of banning corporal punishment in Texas.

As of 2024, corporal punishment is still legal within 17 states, most prominent in Texas. We will explore the causes and the effects of corporal punishment on children and see how, through a legislative process, we can get it banned.

We discuss why civic engagement is important among youth and the political state of media right now.

We discover what the Health Equity and Accountability Act is all about.

We discover the consequences and mental health epidemic of overworking.

We discuss the emotions and daily feelings of a dermatologist and how they affect her mental health.

Marivi Mata describes her emotions and how it plays a role in her mental health and profession.

Introduction to the newly found grassroots organization, Civic Leaders of America. Civic Leaders of America (formerly known as JSA) is an entirely student-led organization whose mission is to build civic engagement among high school students across the country. It provides the opportunity to participate in regular debates as well as volunteering and activism initiatives.

Dede Fox, a retired teacher and librarian, started writing poetry with children at the Texas Children’s Hospital. She was also Montgomery County's former poet laureate from 2017 to 2022. She is partnering with Writers in the Schools nonprofit, which connects children and youth with professional writers and spoken word artists to unlock the joy and power of storytelling.

We explore the cultural difference between the United States and Argentina.

Marcus Bridgewater, better known as Garden Marcus, is an influencer who promotes positivity and spiritual awareness through gardening and plant growth. He is an acclaimed author who published the book How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself, which teaches us how to foster personal development. He is the Founder and CEO of Choiceforward, which shares insight on how to improve wellness, p...

Emerald speaks on her past experiences in debate and how she writes and organizes bills and debate topics. Also, talk about what her favorite food is.

Tez Pardo speaks on his candidacy as Texas JSA Governor, gives advice on new incoming JSA members, and shares his future plans in his political journey.

Varun Manickam shares his experiences in Junior State of America, being Texas Lt. Governor, advice for youth political advocacy, and how he got into politics.

We go through the book Animal Farm by George Orwell and compare it to the Russian Revolution and rule under Stalin. We analyze the characters from the book and how it is similar to the leaders and significant figures in the Revolution.