The Don Sullivan Show

For centuries, the Caribbean Sea has been a place of wonder and danger. Fierce hurricanes, active volcanoes, and shifting geology have shaped the Greater and Lesser Antilles and the richly diverse waters that surround them. In this episode, Don sails and hikes across the islands, uncovering the natural forces that make the Caribbean one of the most dynamic and beautiful regions in the world.

Science, Technology, and Computing is a broad umbrella, and this show explores everything beneath it. In past episodes, we’ve examined the evolution of music and its impact on the human experience. In this episode, we go deeper—and heavier. Join the team as they dive into the origins, construction, and cultural consequences of the strange, powerful, and often chaotic world of heavy metal, guided b...

Dental health is one of the least pleasant things to consider—and one of the most important. In this episode of The Don Sullivan Show, we talk with Dr. Elliott about the true state of America’s dental health, from whether it’s improving or declining to how modern dentistry compares with its brutal past. We also explore the real drivers of dental disease, the fluoride debate, access to care, emergi...

The show goes international this week, and for once, not on a cruise ship. Don travels to Colombia’s North Coast. A destination once infamous as the world’s cocaine capital, now revealed as a place of striking contrasts: towering mountains, remnants of ancient civilizations, richly diverse cultural traditions, dense jungles, and an environment defined by relentless rain and dramatic downpours. Joi...

AI now touches every part of life, delivering stunning innovation alongside troubling, sometimes disturbing, side effects. In this episode of The Don Sullivan Show, AI ethics expert Marian Newsome joins us to unpack the real-world impact of AI in 2025 and help us navigate the lines, limits, and societal guardrails we urgently need to consider.

Today, The Don Sullivan Show continues our series, Where Art Meets Engineering , exploring the world of timepieces and the craftsmanship behind them. We’re diving into the core of these devices—the mechanics known as “movements.” The first rule of watch club may be not to talk about watch club, but on The Don Sullivan Show we explore anything related to science, tech, and engineering, including wh...

Physical Therapy when preformed seriously and thoughtfully is essentially the medical version of athletic training. Except it can be included in a regiment of preventative care proactively or medicinal healing. But orthopedics as a discipline has very little interest in assessments at all. It may be the only medical concern that is nearly 100% reactive. The team talked about this concerning trend...

The team welcomes back Dr. Theo Hodge for a powerful and candid conversation about the history and current state of one of the late 20th century’s most devastating health crises, HIV and AIDS. Dr. Hodge, one of the world’s leading experts on the subject, explains how far we’ve come, what challenges remain, and what everyone should know about prevention and treatment today. It' s an honest and unfi...

U.S. Air Force veteran Pat Theberge — better known as “The Admiral” — has owned Cruise Vacations for the entire 21st century and knows the cruise industry inside and out. In this episode, he joins the team to explore the incredible world of big ships — the floating skyscrapers that move millions of travelers around the globe. How are these massive vessels built? How do they operate? And what keeps...

Today, Don takes the audience to a new realm of awe and inspiration in Northern Arizona — the Grand Canyon. This episode launches a fresh series exploring some of the most extraordinary places of scientific wonder. Join Don as he hikes halfway down the canyon along the iconic Bright Angel Trail to Havasupai Gardens, sharing vivid, captivating insights along the way. And to keep a bit of suspense i...

A few hundred miles south of the majestic Lake Clark, Alaska, lies the awe-inspiring Katmai National Park, a place as mystifying as it is magnificent. Accessible only by floatplane, our team had the rare privilege of being flown, guided, and escorted through this untamed wilderness by the remarkable Alaskan bush pilot Benjamin Bunn. Katmai is world-renowned for its unforgettable scenes of grizzly...

Weeks after completing a grueling seven-day backpacking trip along Yellowstone’s remote Thorofare Trail, Don returns to continue his Yellowstone series—this time exploring the park’s more iconic and accessible areas. More importantly, he dives into the extraordinary range of scientific phenomena and disciplines that make Yellowstone a living laboratory. Tune in and get inspired to experience the w...

Yellowstone National Park holds the distinction of being the world’s first national park, established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant. This landmark decision, made under the authority of the Antiquities Act—which allows presidents to designate federal lands as national monuments—paved the way for conservation efforts across the globe. Spanning over 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone is a vast wi...

Music is the language of emotion—few forms of human expression reflect the spirit of a society more powerfully. In the 21st century, music has undergone a profound transformation. Modern computing has reshaped how music is created and distributed, shifting from traditional instrumentation to digital production. But has this technological evolution stifled musical expression, or is the reality more...

AI is the energy gluten of modern times—but can it save more energy than it consumes? From stadium-sized, power-hungry data centers filled with blazing-hot GPU racks to smart systems optimizing residential air conditioning, AI now touches nearly every aspect of energy consumption. Is this influence ultimately a net positive—or a costly development we may come to regret? Our team explores this time...

Oleg Ulianov is a man of many talents. In addition to his reputation as a top networking expert in Silicon Valley, he has spent much of his life conquering some of the world’s most formidable mountain ranges. His climbing résumé spans the Himalayas, the Urals, the Caucasus, the Rockies, and the Alps — including the towering Ismoil Somoni Peak (formerly known as Stalin Peak) in Tajikistan, which ri...

Young athletes rarely consider the long-term bodily consequences of their pursuits. Don interviews his University of Virginia teammate from the early 1980s to discuss their early and later athletic careers. The physical toll of pushing the human body is profound, yet the experiences are exhilarating. Listen as Don and Leon, the Bionic Man, reflect on the fourth quarter of their lives.

Lake Clark National Park is a rarely visited National Park in south central Alaska, but at 55 miles long and over 1,000-feet deep - encircled by hundreds of mountains - it is a place of perfect serenity. Bears of all types, moose, mountain goats - they all surround the lake where sockeye salmon desperately desperately fight the waters to find their spawning grounds. Don spent 12 days on a catamara...

Over the last 150 years, ocean travel has transformed from what was primarily a form of long distance transportation to the ultimate vacation experience. This modern vacation paradigm offers both a luxury getaway and an opportunity for adventure seekers to discover new and exotic locations. What is most amazing, however, are the ships themselves. Some are big enough to house and feed 10,000 passen...

Nature is able to create landscape scenery that both settles the anxious mind and creates a sense of wonder and awe at the same time. Please listen to Don climb to 12,000 feet in central Colorado through Herman Gulch, an area of spectacular wildflower growth and be inspired to go there and learn about nature's ability to create the greatest tapestries in existence.

Today, Don describes the most daunting and popular hobby in the state of Colorado: climbing mountains. Colorado has 58 peaks at a altitude greater than 14,000 feet and Don will be hiking Mt Bierstadt while making the recording. Please listen to the episode to see if Don can "Bag the Peak".

American history has been driven by transportation. Bicycles, automobiles, airplanes and -- of course -- railroads allowed commerce to fuel the development of history's greatest economic dynamo. Rails were standardized hundreds of years ago, but the standard gauge, or any other gauge, wasn't effective in the mountains of the American West. So, in this episode, we take a ride on the Durango-Silvert...

Western Colorado is an amazingly diversified place with a rich history. So Don, who is going solo with this episode, discusses two tremendously disparate subjects that are innately connected through the tiny town of Fruita, Colorado. First, Don discusses the Dinosaur Diamond where America's rich cache of Jurassic Period Dinosaur fossils are discovered as well as the amazingly sad, but hopeful hist...

Throughout modern history computing has driven the exponential expansion of the economic dynamos of western civilization. Throughout this history there are patterns. Some of those patterns set a path to repetitive success. Some of those patterns result in uncontrollable havoc. Most are in-between. Please listen to this important discussion about patterns in computing history with the ever sage Gin...

Timekeeping is a functional need as as old as civilization, and the creation of beautiful timepieces is an art older than the magnificent paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance. In this episode, Don and Steve talk with Jason Hahn, horology and industry expert, about both the art and technology behind today's timepieces -- from your basic wrist watches and smart watches to exquisitely-crafted,...