Meredith Hackwith Edwards

The Curious Introvert

Society EN ↓ 352 episodes

A weekly podcast covering societal taboos & cultural blind spots. Join host Meredith Hackwith Edwards as she deep dives with curiosity & nuance into philosophy, society & culture with expert guests. Episodes frequently feature philosophers, researchers, historians & journalists.

Author

Meredith Hackwith Edwards

Category

Society

Podcast website

www.meredithforreal.com

Latest episode

Jul 6, 2026

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Episodes

Ep. 302: FEED DROP! UAP Studies Podcast with George Knapp 28.07.2025

Our first ever FEED DROP SWAP! I'm personally endorsing UAP STUDIES Podcast because I know how much you all love the UFO topic! This week's episode is a sample of their show - an episode I picked that I think you'll love. Listening supports my show, but the real magic happens when you also subscribe to the UAP Studies Podcast & download a few episodes for later (they are doing t...

Ep. 301: The Science of Swearing: What Makes a Word BAD? [REMASTERED] 21.07.2025

Dr. Benjamin Bergen is a Cognitive Science professor at the University of California San Diego, the author of the book, What the F, and was featured on the Netflix series “The History of Swear Words.” Here he shares what makes a word bad, discusses the future of cussing, the efficacy of word prohibition & the cultural influence of cursing etymology around the world. This episode originally air...

Ep. 300: Biofield Therapy for Anxiety & Grief: Recipe for Wellness or Purchased Placebo? 14.07.2025

Pranic healing, known as acupuncture without needles, is a type of biofield therapy belonging to the family of naturopathic medicine. Jason Yuan is a certified Associate Pranic Healer, with a bachelor’s in Biology & a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and a Masters in Acupuncture. In this episode, you’ll hear how pranic healing helped him go from hospitalized with eczema to nearly completely...

Ep. 299: Inside a Legal Brothel: Business, Pleasure & a Plumber 07.07.2025

Catherine De Noir has two Masters degrees & is a PhD student. She has also been a brothel manager in Western Europe for nine years. You’ll hear stories of clients like the unironic plumber & the man who sold his house as well as insights from the sex workers, like the secret of their top earning woman. We discuss what these moments teach us about the things that connect & disconnect us...

Ep. 298: Anxiety in YOUR FRIDGE?! Reducing Anxiety Through Food 30.06.2025

Heather Lillico is a registered holistic nutritionist who struggled with bulimia. In this episode, you’ll hear which mineral deficiencies can cause anxiety, which foods are mood boosting, who the top food offenders are for anxiety & opens up about her relationship with food to illustrate how mindset is at the heart of it all. Spotify mental health playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2V...

Ep. 297: Psychic Marine? Military Precognition [REMASTERED] 23.06.2025

Jose Herrera had Marine squad leader training that included learning about & using a “sixth sense.” In this episode, he shares his journey to developing pre-cognitive abilities & how he used them in his 3 combat tours in Iraq & Afghanistan. He also shares a bit of military history around this topic & how we might all be able to upgrade our senses. This episode originally aired Sept...

Ep. 296: Depressed or Just Really Sad?? How to Know the Difference [REMASTERED] 16.06.2025

Megan Stodard, PhD is a clinical psychologist, the founder of Harbor Wellness & has over a decade treating mood disorders. In this episode, she breaks down in plain language the KEY differences between depression & sadness, symptoms in men & women, the best time to see a therapist & the difference between spaghetti & waffles (it’s relevant, I promise). This episode originally a...

Ep. 295: Poop Transplants!? Overlooked Treatment for Crohn’s, Alopecia & Anxiety 09.06.2025

Dr. Sabine Hazen is a Gastroenterologist, Researcher, & CEO of Progena Biome. In this episode, she explains how fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) have the potential to treat Alzheimer's, Autism, Crohn's, Anxiety, Depression & Alopecia. She explains how it works, why mapping the microbiome is like mapping the human genome & interesting cases of personality changes post transp...

Ep. 294: Is Giving Up Our Privacy Inevitable? Social Media, Search Engines & Nest Cams 02.06.2025

Do we accept the creepy side of tech in order to enjoy its benefits? Bill Ottman is a technologist best known for founding the decentralized social network Minds, but you may have seen him on Joe Rogan Experience, NPR, or the NYTimes. In this episode, we discuss the privacy paradox of public outrage at government surveillance living alongside public over disclosure on social media. You’ll also hea...

Ep. 293: The Secret Lives of Men: Mental Health Confessions! 26.05.2025

Who’s talking about men’s mental health? In this episode, four guests join me – Russ Jones, an ADHD mentor, Paul Roberts, a blue-collar business owner, Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist & Jon Patrick Hatcher, a nonfiction humor writer. We discuss how men talk to each other about mental health behind closed doors, the mistakes women are unknowingly making when they try to help, the problem wit...

Ep. 292: ADHD: Laundry, Work & Distracted Sex [REMASTERED] 19.05.2025

Dr. Barbara Cohen is psychotherapist, certified ADHD Coach, international ADHD researcher, and fellow ADDer. In this episode, you’ll hear why adult ADHD is often misdiagnosed, the #1 question you should be asking to a mental health counselor if you think you have ADHD, some practical tips for work & even how ADHD might be sabotaging your sex life. This episode is a combination of episodes orig...

Ep. 291: Anthropology of the Afterlife? NDEs & Ancient Cultures 12.05.2025

Gregory Shushan, PhD, is the leading authority on near-death experiences and afterlife beliefs across cultures and throughout history. He is an award-winning author affiliated with Birmingham Newman University, University of Winchester, Marian University, and the Parapsychology Foundation. In this episode, he shares why studying NDE’s is time well spent, how historical NDEs differed from the relig...

Ep. 290: Allergies or Aerosols? The IGNORED Reason You’re Tired & Sick 05.05.2025

Mike Feldstein worked in the natural disaster restoration sector, witnessing firsthand the impact of polluted air on people’s health. Later he went on to found Jaspr, a health company that makes commercial-grade air scrubbers. In this episode, you’ll hear the danger in your dentist office, what sick building syndrome is & what the Manhattan project has to do with HEPA. If you like this episode...

Ep. 289 The REAL Reason You’re Unhappy! Ancient Brains & Modern Emotions [REMASTERED] 28.04.2025

Dr. Loretta Breuning was unconvinced by prevailing theories on human motivation & after researching the animal origins of our brain chemicals, wrote the book Habits of a Happy Brain. Here she shares why we find ourselves saying, “I shouldn’t be so unhappy! I have everything I need” or doing late-night shopping at the expense of your savings account, drinking more than we said we would, or goin...

Ep. 288 Could AI Make Us MORE Human??! 21.04.2025

Nichol R Bradford is the Chairman & co-founder of The Transformative Tech Lab, where she specializes as a futurist focusing on human-centered AI adoption. We not only discussed theoretical scenarios of human betterment due to AI, but practical AI tools that are available now that could make the internet safer & more supportive for your kids as well as what your personal AI agent could be l...

Ep. 287 If Aliens are Real, Why Does No One Care? 14.04.2025

Michael Glawson, PhD, is a philosopher of science and technology with a background in theology. He’s  also the host of the podcast Anomalous Review & the UAP Studies Podcast. In this video, we cover the public’s love affair with cryptids, why new information is unlikely to smash our world view, ancient aliens, data vs entertainment & how the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies collects da...

Ep. 286 What is Medically Assisted Sex? [REMASTERED] 07.04.2025

Trish St John is the founder of Sensual Solutions in Vancouver, Canada, an intimate care service for adults with disabilities. With everyone trying to be more sex-positive, we ask the question, why then is it so uncomfortable to think about someone with a spinal cord injury having sex? In this episode, she shares how she went from HR executive to sex surrogacy agency owner, why we prefer people wi...

Ep. 285 Is Heart Coherence a Chaos Cure-All? Health, Behavior & Intuition 31.03.2025

Rollin McCraty, PhD is Psychophysiologist & Director of Research at the HeartMath Institute where his primary areas of focus are the mechanisms by which emotions influence cognitive processes, behavior, health, & global interconnectivity between people & Earth’s energetic systems. His research has appeared in journals including the American Journal of Cardiology , Journal of the Americ...

Ep. 284 Can You Get Fit on Fast Food?! Supersized to Shredded 24.03.2025

Matt Lane is a certified personal trainer, behavioral change specialist and practicing registered nurse who gained 50lbs ON PURPOSE, so he could experiment on himself to see IF it was possible to lose weight by only eating fast food for 60 days.  In this episode, you’ll hear the emotional impact of his weight gain, the fallacy of portion control, food as a cultural cornerstone & what it was li...

Ep. 283 Is Narcissism on the Rise? Internet, Influencers & the Dark Triad 17.03.2025

Dr. Stephanie Sarkis is a psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience specializing in ADHD, anxiety, & narcissistic abuse. She’s a contributor to Forbes & Psychology Today & the Author of Healing from Toxic Relationships: 10 Essential Steps to Recover from Gaslighting, Narcissism, and Emotional Abuse . In this episode, you’ll hear the reason there isn’t a lot of research on narcis...

Ep. 282 Are Technology, Religion & UFOs Connected? [REMASTERED] 10.03.2025

Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka is a Professor of religious history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her research focuses on religion and technology, but it was her research about purgatory specifically that lead her to UFO culture, a journey she documents in her book, American Cosmic. Here she helps us understand the connection between tech, religion & aliens, explains why you might th...

Ep. 281 Family Influencers: Are Kids Content? 03.03.2025

The world of family influencers is one we all know, but what are the impacts of on the children of these influencers when they come of age? Erin Quinn Kong is a longtime magazine editor, having worked at Allure & UsWeekly. Her most current endeavor led her to merging real influencer allegations into a fictional novel called Hate Follow about a teenage daughter of a family influencer who sues h...

Ep. 280 Is Hawaii Haunted? History, Pele & Pizza [REMASTERED] 24.02.2025

Lopaka Kapanui is a native Hawaiian who was adopted by a non-Hawaiian family & raised Catholic. When he was 7, he died during a medical procedure & his near-death experience left him with some unusual gifts & an open door to connecting back to his culture. He now celebrates over 25 years of owning & operating Hawaii’s only locally-owned ghost tour company, Mysteries of Hawaii. In t...

Ep. 279 Blurred Boundaries: Deepfake Porn Ethics & Impact 17.02.2025

Sophie Compton & Reuben Hamlyn are the directors of Another Body, a documentary highlighting an engineering student's experience becoming a victim of nonconsensual intimate imagery or what most call deepfake porn.  The documentary walks through how a young engineering student became a victim of image based sexual abuse and in this conversation you’ll hear, how this can be legal, the origi...

Ep. 278 Morbid or Sacred? Let’s Talk about Death (with a Death Doula) 10.02.2025

Dr. Sarah Kerr is the founder of The Centre for Sacred Death Care & has been a practicing death doula since 2012. In this episode, she shares conversational onramps to death conversations (including kids), the difference between death the moment & death the process, how to find death rituals that feel authentic & what a death doula does. If you liked this episode, you’ll also like epis...

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