Unknown Variables

Is there any safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy? In this episode of Unknown Variables , I sit down with Dr. Alexandra Perez, PsyD , a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at Emory University, to unpack one of the most misunderstood—and rarely discussed—topics in public health: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) . Despite what many people hear from friends, social media, or even...

What if the real goal of money isn’t wealth—but time? In this episode of Unknown Variables , I sit down with Andy Hill , creator of Marriage Kids and Money and author of Own Your Time , to talk about financial independence, Coast FIRE, and why so many people feel stuck even when they’re “doing everything right.” Andy shares how he and his wife went from a negative $50,000 net worth to nearly $2 mi...

Most people assume the answer is simple: greed. But the real story is far more complicated — and far more surprising. In this episode, I sit down with Sam Kazer, PhD , a scientist who has worked across academia, global health, and the pharmaceutical industry, to break down what it actually takes to turn an idea into a real medicine. We talk about why drug development takes 10+ years , why clinical...

Is the medical system broken? And what does plastic surgery really do? In this episode of the Unknown Variables Podcast , Dr. Anthony Rojas speaks with Dr. Kianna Jackson, MD , Chief Resident in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Vanderbilt University, MIT graduate, and founder who challenged the residency application system itself. Most people think plastic surgery is about Botox, breast imp...

What is it actually like to work at the CDC? In this episode of the Unknown Variables Podcast , I sit down with Dr. Erin Thomas — a sociologist at the CDC — to unpack the side of public health most people never see: systems, behavior, trust, and the human factors that determine whether good science turns into real-world outcomes. We talk about: Why “CDC work” is so much more than labs and vaccines...

How do you actually become a college professor — and who really makes it? In this episode of Unknown Variables , I talk with four professors who recently landed faculty positions across a range of institutions — from teaching-focused universities to research-active campuses — to unpack what the path to academia really looks like. You’ll hear from: A first-generation scholar who didn’t even realize...

What do Americans consistently misunderstand about China — its people, its politics, and how it quietly became the world’s manufacturing powerhouse? This week, I sit down with Joshua Woodward , a South Side Chicago native turned MIT mechanical engineer who spent four years inside Apple’s camera supply chain in Shenzhen before founding a manufacturing consultancy based in China. Josh didn’t just vi...

This week on Unknown Variables , I sit down with Atlanta’s viral lawyer, Cody Randall — better known online as ATL Cody — whose mission is to democratize legal knowledge one sidewalk conversation at a time. With more than 1,000,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Cody has become a nationally recognized voice for people who can’t afford traditional legal help. From giving free advi...

In this episode, Anthony sits down with Dave Farina , better known as Professor Dave Explains , the science educator with over 4 million subscribers who has taught more chemistry students than any professor on Earth — literally. Together, they dive deep into: 🔥 Dave’s Origin Story How a touring rock drummer accidentally became one of the biggest science educators online Why passive income for a s...

Science is self-correcting — but that process can look messy from the outside. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Rojas sits down with Dr. Marshall Brennan , Editor-in-Chief of Device (Cell Press’s flagship applied science journal) and founding editor of ChemRxiv , to explore how scientific publishing really works. They discuss what happens after a scientist hits “submit,” the role of peer review in mai...