Post-Nomad

Russell Max Simon•www.russellmaxsimon.com

Society & Culture

Places & Travel

Education

Self-Improvement

Meaning, legacy, and finding home in an age of infinite choice.

www.russellmaxsimon.com

Last refreshed: August 22nd, 2025 at 11:06 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

Podcast - Episode 10: Gena Gorlin on self-actualization & meaning in the time of coronavirus

On this episode I talk with Gena Gorlin. Gena is an assistant professor of psychology at Yeshiva University in the Bronx, but she came to my attention via an excellent blog post on meaning and self-actualization during coronavirus (link below). We discuss Maslow’s hierarchy, self-deception, imbuing meaning to primal activities, the problems with evolutionary psychology, the difference between what you want and what’s expected of you, and the importance of studying Classical philosophy. Note: you...

May 28, 2020•1 hr 1 min

Podcast - Episode 9: Devon Reehl on life choices, being a professional musician, Christian Science summer camp, and moving his family to Costa Rica

On this episode I talk with Devon Reehl, and old friend from when we worked together at a Christian Science Summer camp in Maine. Devon and I talk a little about that shared, unique experience, but we also go deep on Devon’s fairly extraordinary life since then, in which he made his living as a professional musician for 10 years, founded a successful marketing agency with his wife, and moved his family to Costa Rica. We talk about how he made that decision to move, what life is like in Costa Ric...

May 08, 2020•1 hr 12 min

Podcast - Episode 8: Wake up calls

Hi folks - This episode serves as a sort of companion piece to an episode I recorded in December, incidentally just before coronavirus burst into the public consciousness. It’s not absolutely necessary, but if you haven’t listened to that one ( Episode #6 - Go North ), I encourage you to do so, either now or after you listen to this one. Best from New Hampshire, - Russell Get full access to Post-Nomad at www.russellmaxsimon.com/subscribe...

Mar 17, 2020•9 min

Podcast - Episode 7: Lynne Bundesen on feminism, politics, and spirituality (with anecdotes from a storied life)

On this episode I talk with Lynne Bundesen. She is the author of several books on women and spirituality, including the memoir So the Woman Went Her Way and most recently The Feminine Spirit at the Heart of the Bible . Across her storied, extraordinary life, she, among other things: unknowingly married into the Chicago mafia; became a correspondent for Time, the Wall Street Journal, and numerous other newspapers; wrote speeches for the Congressional Black Caucus in California; was a staff member...

Jan 19, 2020•1 hr 4 min

Podcast - Episode 6: Go North

On this solo episode I talk about two great challenges facing society right now: the first is climate change, and the second is the disintegration of tight-knit communities and the support we’ve historically received from having close relationships. Put these two challenges together, and there’s only one choice: go north. I mean that literally. I explain further in the episode. Have a listen, and let me know what you think. Get full access to Post-Nomad at www.russellmaxsimon.com/subscribe...

Dec 16, 2019•13 min

Podcast - Episode 5: Paul Millerd on work, meaning, and navigating life without a map

On this episode I talk with Paul Millerd. Paul went to grad school at MIT before embarking on a traditional high prestige, high earning career path. He worked for global management consulting firms like BCG and McKinsey - and then it all changed. I’ll let him tell the story, but the short of it is that Paul got off the traditional career track and reassessed what he truly wanted from life. That’s not easy to do, but I think Paul has done it with uncommon thoughtfulness, so I was very pleased he ...

Oct 17, 2019•53 min

Podcast - Episode 4: Nate Murphy

On this episode I talk with the great Nate Murphy. Nate is a rock climber, adventurer, entrepreneur, and van life aficionado with nearly 160,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. From the moment I started this podcast, I knew I wanted to get Nate on as a guest because he is particularly thoughtful about one of the questions I’m most interested in: how to spend your time according to what you want, and not what society expects. I was super excited to get ahold of him in his van in Catalonia to ...

Sep 26, 2019•41 min

Podcast - Episode 3: Frederique Irwin

For this episode, I talked with Frederique Irwin about her family’s recent year of working and living in New Zealand. We talk about parenting, travel, the challenges and rewards of living abroad, the cultural differences between raising kids in the U.S. vs. New Zealand, and her family’s re-entry to the U.S. earlier this Summer. Show links include: * DC2NZ, the blog that Frederique’s family kept throughout the year * Whether to stay in New Zealand, by Frederique * Her Corner (Frederique’s company...

Sep 14, 2019•46 min

Podcast - Episode 2: Rob Raffety

I had the distinct pleasure of recording a conversation with my friend and creative collaborator Rob Raffety. Almost for as long as I’ve been making movies, I’ve been running ideas by Rob, so I was excited to talk with him about why we do creative work, where we get validation, and how we keep going in the face of uncertainty and doubt. Some of the things we cover: * Why do we do creative work? * What have we learned from our work in filmmaking, and how have we changed in our approach since we f...

Aug 28, 2019•43 min

Podcast - Episode 1: Kitesurfing, the DR, & Reassessing My Relationship to Place

Hi all - In this episode of What Really Matters, I talk about my recent trip to Cabarete in the Dominican Republic, how it’s changed since the first time I went seven years ago, how I have changed, and how all of that led me to reassess my relationship to a place that had felt like home. - Russell Get full access to Post-Nomad at www.russellmaxsimon.com/subscribe

Aug 18, 2019•12 min

The What Really Matters Podcast - Intro

Hi everyone - Today, I’m introducing the podcast version of What Really Matters. Click above to listen to the introduction (it will launch Substack’s web-based podcast player). I’ve also recorded a first episode about my trip to Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. That’s coming soon. - Russell Get full access to Post-Nomad at www.russellmaxsimon.com/subscribe...

Aug 18, 2019•3 min

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