The Legend of SwordQuest

In this deeply personal conversation, recorded at the launch of Waking Up with Ryan at The Lighthouse in Brooklyn, Ryan sits down with his dear friend Ricki Lake to explore the real work of spiritual awakening. Together, they trace Ryan’s journey—from a decades-long career in entertainment to walking away from it all in a single day and building a life devoted to helping others heal.&n...

On the Waking Up with Ryan podcast, coach Ryan Weiss explores how the first five minutes of your day can shape everything that follows. Through short daily audio and video episodes (10–12 minutes), he delivers powerful "moments of awakening" designed to interrupt the inertia of fear, ego, and judgment, helping listeners reconnect with themselves before the noise and demands of the day take o...

Thanks to her McDonald’s fortune, Joan Kroc was one of the world’s wealthiest people. And she was determined to die nearly broke. * Special thanks to our guests Lisa Napoli, Dick Starmann, and Stephanie Bergsma. Go check out Lisa's excellent book Ray & Joan .  Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Jake Rossen Senior Producer is Josh Fisher Editin...

During its first 50 seasons, Saturday Night Live has welcomed legendary actors, superstar athletes, and notable politicians. But for one memorable night in 1977, Lorne Michaels turned the show over to an 80-year-old amateur.  * On the Very Special Episodes podcast, we tell one incredible story each week. Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every...

A waste management specialist unearths thousands of Atari games buried in a New Mexico landfill. As gaming historians rejoice, he plots to turn Atari’s unwanted trash into cash. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After decades of speculation, a mysterious source emerges that may solve the mystery of the missing SwordQuest treasures once and for all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The trail to find the missing SwordQuest treasures leads back to one of the most controversial figures in Atari history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An unreleased SwordQuest game suddenly surfaces online; the fate of the missing prizes undergoes fresh scrutiny by gaming historians. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Years after SwordQuest came to an abrupt and disappointing end, a gamer makes a surprising discovery in a Brooklyn thrift shop. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atari’s financial problems force the company to issue an ultimatum to SwordQuest players—one that may involve a top-secret gaming tournament closed to the public. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SwordQuest players discover that being video game rock stars comes at a price. Meanwhile, delays in the contest raise suspicions among contestants that Atari may not intend to see it through to the end—and that the prizes may not even exist at all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expert gamers are invited to an all-expenses paid trip to California for the first round of Atari’s SwordQuest contest and a chance at the first treasure: a $25,000 medallion. The problem? Solving the game’s central puzzle will prove nearly impossible.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 1980s, Atari is one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world and seeks to promote the biggest video game contest to date, promising $150,000 in prizes. But what starts out as a promising adventure quickly devolves into chaos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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