The Conversationalist with Ryan MacDougall & Richard Lubin

The full crew is back for Episode 78 of The Conversationalists. Ryan, Rich, Mark and Lewis start with Canada’s World Cup run, Alphonso Davies’ limited role, the politics surrounding the tournament and whether hydration breaks are becoming another excuse to sneak more ads into sports. Then the conversation shifts to the NBA offseason, including Giannis landing in Miami, Boston moving Jalen Brown, J...

This week on The Conversationalist, Ryan is joined by Rich and Lewis for a sports-heavy episode covering NBA Finals chaos, NHL playoff drama, Oilers offseason questions, World Cup pricing, UFC talk, and the business side of indie film. The episode kicks off with the wild Knicks and Spurs game, where a massive lead disappeared and the crew breaks down who deserves the blame, why no lead feels safe...

This week on The Conversationalist, Ryan is joined by Rich, Lewis, and Mark for a full four-host episode packed with sports, movies, gaming, and the kind of unfiltered chaos that happens when everyone is in the room. The crew kicks things off with NBA Finals talk, Wemby, the Knicks, wild New York ticket prices, and whether the watch party might actually be better than being inside the arena. From...

This week on The Conversationalist, Ryan, Mark, and Rich sit down for a full episode of movies, TV, sports, and the kind of random debates that somehow become the best part of the show. Ryan breaks down The Passenger, a new horror movie built around van life, isolation, roadside danger, and the uncomfortable question: if you saw a crash in the middle of nowhere, would you actually stop? From there...

he Conversationalist Ep. 74 — Rich’s Book Launch The full crew is back for Episode 74, and this one comes with a special announcement: Richard F. Lubin has written and published his first book, The Neighbor . In this episode, Ryan, Rich, Kelvin, and Mark catch up with classic Conversationalist chaos before diving into Rich’s new project — where the idea came from, what it took to finish it, the ne...

Ryan and Rich are back for a two-man episode of The Conversationalist, kicking things off with a Mother’s Day burger crawl, unfair burger rating systems, and the shocking question nobody asked: should a burger automatically come with fries? From there, the conversation turns into a deeper discussion about youth sports, coaching, discipline, competitiveness, and where the line is between building y...

In this episode of The Conversationalist, Mark and Rich hold it down as the newly formed dynamic duo. The episode kicks off with Mark recapping his Red Deer basketball tournament, where the boys got bumped up from rec league, launched threes, and somehow turned losing into a strategy. From there, Mark and Rich get into playoff hockey, the Ottawa Senators being eliminated, Oilers optimism, NBA frus...

In Episode 71, Ryan, Rich, and Lewis cover a bit of everything — from local comedy and intimate dining experiences to restaurant economics, public controversy, and the question of how far podcasters can go before opinions turn into real legal risk. Ryan breaks down his experience at The Moon YEG, an Edmonton comedy venue with a very unique atmosphere, while Rich talks through a night at Marrow Din...

Welcome back to The Conversationalist for Episode 70 — the so-called platinum episode. Ryan, Kelvin, Mark, and Rich kick things off with classic group banter before getting into what the boys have been up to lately, including Rich’s brewery ad, airsoft at Yeg Soft, rage rooms, nerf rooms, escape rooms, and why half these activities are fun but way too expensive. From there, the conversation shifts...

In this episode of The Conversationalist, Ryan, Richard, Lewis, and Mark get into a wide-ranging conversation that starts with airport chaos and government shutdown talk before shifting into a deeper discussion about public criticism, transit enforcement, and what happens when people online speak with zero context. Lewis brings firsthand perspective to the conversation, opening up about how public...

This episode, Ryan and Lewis are joined by guest host Bryce MacArthur for a wide-ranging roundtable covering politics, media, movies, online culture, discipline, and personal growth. We kick things off by discussing Pierre Poilievre’s appearance on Joe Rogan and whether long-form podcasts give people a more honest look at politicians than traditional media. From there, we get into a couple movie r...

Ryan, Rich, and Lewis get into media spectacle, online outrage, celebrity nonsense, sports crossover talk, horror movies, Hall of Fame debates, and the bigger question behind all of it: how much of modern culture is actually real anymore, and how much of it is just performance? This is one of those episodes that covers a lot, but still feels like one long conversation about the weird state of cult...

Canada’s Olympics run had moments… but the chaos didn’t stop on the ice. In Ep 66, Ryan, Richard, and Mark break down Canada vs USA hockey heartbreak, Olympic storylines, and the “too many men” controversy — then we spiral into modern-day optics, award show drama, and whether it’s even possible to double-cancel someone. Plus: the weirdest Netflix concept ever (“Famous Last Words”) and a real quest...

Welcome back to The Conversationalists — today it’s Ryan, Richard, and Mark in the studio (Lewis is MIA, as usual… probably doing something suspiciously responsible). We kick things off with some city/transit talk, then jump into Super Bowl reactions, what it’s like experiencing big games live, and a surprisingly deep rabbit hole on the Olympics and what those events really represent. From there w...

The Conversationalist Ep. 63 is the definition of “one sip turns into a whole episode.” We start with pickle juice payback (yes, it’s as nasty as it sounds), lock in Super Bowl picks, and then bounce through culture, sports, and the kind of debates that only happen when four guys are way too comfortable on microphones. Ryan breaks down Apple TV’s Hijack (Idris Elba), including the rating, the prem...

Ryan, Richard, and Lewis are back on The Conversationalist—minus sweet Mark this week—starting with Edmonton’s cold snap and a little parking spot beef, then sliding into the bigger question: When something happens outside the arena… why would a league cancel the game? And are we setting a precedent that’s more about optics than logic? From there, we zoom out into the “rage-bait” incentive structu...

Welcome back to The Conversationalist by Spare Bedroom Studios — the roundtable where we try to understand the week… and occasionally fail in real time. This episode starts with a petty breakup story straight out of a sitcom, then spirals into AI deepfakes , “signals” like Pentagon pizza orders , CES robots , a debate over a possible “sin tax” , music talk (J. Cole/Drake/Kendrick), and a big run o...

The Conversationalist Ep 61 — We’re back after a “two-week break” turned into a four-week break, and we jump straight into 2026 resolutions, wild headlines, and a True/False predictions. In this episode: -New Year’s resolutions (and calling ourselves out) -Political chaos + “can we plow the roads first?” energy -The Minnesota daycare fraud story + scam logic breakdown -True/False: 2026 predictions...

In this bonus episode of The Conversationalist, Ryan + Rich sit down with a subscription-based content creator to talk about the real behind-the-scenes side of the creator economy: money, boundaries, privacy, stigma, and the weird world of parasocial relationships. This conversation stays grounded in the human + business + safety side of online creation — not shock value. Important note: This epis...

It’s our first official Christmas Special and we went full extended cut. Mimosas on the table, four hosts on the mics, and one last banger before a short holiday break. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Drop a comment and tell us: - Your favourite moment from the episode - Your best purchase of 2025 - And obviously… who’s your MVP host this year? 👀 📺 MORE FROM SPARE BEDROOM STUDIOS The Conversationalist – g...

The tip screen is asking questions it has no business asking. In Episode 59 of The Conversationalist, Ryan, Rich, Mark, and Sweet Lu get into the “support local” guilt trip, tipping culture getting out of hand, businesses that somehow stay open forever, AI in music, celebrity philanthropy (impact vs optics), and the timeless debate: are man colds real? 🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly roundtable chaos + re...

Welcome back to The Conversationalist — the only show where a simple conversation about comedy somehow spirals into puppy yoga allegations, cartel hitmen, $7.5 million storage lockers, and whether any of us would snitch for a life-changing bag. In Episode 58, Ryan, Rich, Lewis, and Mark dive into one of the wildest mixes of topics we’ve had in a while. We kick things off with arena comedy vs. club...

Welcome back to The Conversationalist, where strong opinions and questionable takes are a lifestyle choice. In Episode 57, Ryan, Rich, and Lewis dive into a hilariously chaotic stretch of topics — from aging, birthdays, and shrinking social bandwidth… to Edmonton’s homeless warming bus… to a wild Indian cow-poop festival that sparks a real conversation about cultural traditions and whether documen...

⚠️ Note: We accidentally called this Episode 57 during the intro — it’s actually Episode 56. We’ll blame the AI for that one. 🤖 All four mics are hot again as Ryan, Rich, Mark, and Lewis step into The Conversationalist booth for a full-throttle episode that hits everything from bottled farts to AI-made Billboard hits to the dirty underbelly of modern sports. The crew kicks things off with unfilte...

Ryan, Rich, and Lewis unpack Edmonton’s election results, the teacher strike chaos, and how The Conversationalist somehow became part of the mayoral storyline. Then they jump into the Jays’ World Series run, the morality of politics in sports, Netflix ad rants, and the seven-minute crown jewel heist that feels straight out of Ocean’s Eleven . 🎙 Recorded in Edmonton. Produced by Spare Bedroom Studi...