Unlearning Out Loud

Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Mike and Melissa kick off a new series exploring American history through the lens of curiosity rather than certainty. Inspired by America's 250th anniversary, they challenge listeners to reconsider many of the historical stories they have accepted without question. Rather than promoting political viewpoints or rewritin...

Episode Summary: What if the way we measure learning is actually working against it? In this thought-provoking episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Melissa and Mike tackle one of education’s most debated topics: grading. Together, they explore whether traditional grading systems have unintentionally diminished students’ natural curiosity and shifted learning from an intrinsic joy to an external reward...

Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking and entertaining episode, Mike and Melissa challenge a common assumption: that only “dopey” or uninformed people believe in conspiracy theories. Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and real-world examples, they unpack how even highly intelligent, educated individuals can fall into conspiratorial thinking. The conversation explores how our brains are wi...

Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Melissa and Mike dive into a deceptively simple question: Are we truly in control of our choices—or are our choices shaped by forces we barely recognize? Through engaging storytelling, humor, and real-world examples, they explore how the brain’s need to conserve energy influences decision-making. From “intellectual laziness...

Episode Summary: In this thought-provoking episode, Mike and Melissa explore the concept of “unlearning” by challenging the simplified, often mythologized versions of well-known public figures. From icons like John Wayne and Bob Ross to unexpected examples like Paris Hilton and Alice Cooper, they reveal how society tends to flatten complex individuals into digestible archetypes. The conversation d...

Episode Summary:In this episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Mike and Melissa take a step back from their usual deep dives to reflect on the conversations they’ve been having throughout the series so far. Framing the episode like a “digestif” after a big intellectual meal, they revisit ideas, reactions, and themes that have surfaced in earlier episodes and explore what it means to pause, reflect, and c...

Episode Summary: In this insightful and entertaining episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Mike and Melissa welcome two frontline medical professionals—cardiac nurse Julia Lee and pediatric doctor Shelly Batra—for a candid conversation about health misinformation in the digital age. Together, the group explores why having more information doesn’t always lead to better health decisions, the risks of “doi...

Episode Summary: In this episode, Mike and Melissa are joined by Joel Knight for an engaging and thoughtful conversation exploring the transformative power of music, creativity, and authentic expression in education and personal growth. Together, they examine how music extends beyond entertainment and serves as a meaningful tool for connection, identity development, and emotional understanding. Th...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Mike and Melissa explore the idea that one of the most urgent things we must “unlearn” today is the belief that we are a deeply divided society. Instead, they propose a powerful reframing: we are not naturally divided—we are actively sorted. Through candid conversation, humor, personal stories, and real-world examples, Mike and Melissa exami...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Unlearning Out Loud, Mike and Melissa dive into a thoughtful and timely exploration of how we engage with history—and what it really means to “learn” from it. What begins as a light, post-Thanksgiving conversation quickly evolves into a deeper discussion about the way history is often reduced to simplified narratives of “good guys” and “bad guys.” Rather than fo...

Episode Summary: In this second installment of our opening series, we continue digging into a tough but universal question: Why does it often feel like everyone around us is difficult, unreasonable, or “the problem”? Melissa and Mike unpack the layers behind our snap judgments, the stories we tell ourselves, and the habits we’ve unknowingly built over years of conditioning. This episode explores...

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: Welcome to the very first episode of UnLearning: Out Loud! where hosts Mike and Melissa dive headfirst into a question we’ve all asked ourselves: Is everyone else the problem—or could it be us? Through humor, honesty, and a bit of social psychology, they unpack the concept of Attribution Bias—how we explain our own mistakes as situational, but see others’ mistakes as personal flaw...

Episode Summary: In this kickoff “Episode Zero,” Mike Lee and Melissa Sadorf introduce Unlearning Out Loud, a podcast for curious humans who are willing to rethink what they think they know. With humor, humility, and a whole lot of curiosity, Mike and Melissa explore why humans cling to misinformation, how childhood myths shaped our understanding of the world, and why unlearning is often harder th...