In this interview I discuss how Robyn McLean was able to overcome and transform some of the trauma she experienced as a victim in an abusive relationship into a life of victory. Robyn spares no details in the positives and negatives of her story. From being raised in the church with a solid family, but also becoming pregnant from the abuses she suffered and choosing life for her son in refusing abortion and escaping the dark relationships she was trapped in, Robyn shares a remarkable story of ho...
May 06, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 23
This is an interview with Adam Coleman, the author of the book "Black Victim to Black Victor: Identifying the ideologies, behavioral patterns and cultural norms that encourage a victimhood complex" This is a relevant topic during our cultural moment, because it offers a counter-narrative to the majority of what we hear in popular culture and the media where black pain can be a commodity, and where victimhood can sound like the only option. We discuss some of the major themes from his books title...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 22
This is an excellent conversation on free black thought, race, and faith with journalist and commentator Brittany Talissa King. We discuss her desire to see others through the lens of a common humanity, practicing reconciliation through forgiveness and apology, living out enemy love, and so much more. I really believe she is one of the important voices of sanity amidst our cultural moment. Subscribe to her channel and follow her below. ------------------------------------------------------------...
Apr 08, 2021•58 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Ryan Hartwig was a content moderator for a company called "Cognizant" that were contracted by Facebook in 2019, but he began to notice that his job description was tilting at times into censorship that was ideologically and politically skewed. Ryan tells his story about how this led him to go undercover to document what he was being asked to do, and we try to answer questions around what everyday people should do when faced with similar types of pressures on social media and online (either the p...
Mar 27, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this interview with John Higgins, the host of "The Bible is Art" show on YouTube, we discuss beauty and some of its objective principles. Principles like unity and diversity, hierarchy, objectivity and subjectivity, and other concepts while trying to connect it up to philosophy in general and Christianity in particular. John's YouTube show is a tremendous help with these patterns and Bible breakdowns of narrative, poetry, symbolism, and more. I highly recommend giving him a follow and helping...
Feb 28, 2021•52 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Paul Vanderklay is a church pastor who has been contributing to the Jordan Peterson phenomenon and conversation on YouTube from the early days of Jordan's biblical lectures, and we continue that conversation together, asking what the Evangelical Church missed during the Jordan Peterson moment (and some things they got right too). Today Paul is contributing to so much more than just "Peterson commentary" in being part of a growing online network of people trying to address what we might call "The...
Feb 07, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Sam Alvey is a well respected UFC fighter with a number of fights under his belt, but he is also a guy full of practical thoughtfulness and wisdom around being a husband and a father. Hear what he has to say about what he has learned inside and outside the UFC octagon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Sam: - Instagram: https://instagram.com/smilensam?igshid=78hec8rx1h1 - TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJEnrRaF/ - Website & More: https://link...
Jan 28, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this conversation with screen writer and cultural commentator, Joe Garza, we discuss the important role the arts plays in society, and our shared concern about the ways woke thinking is influencing the work he does and loves in art and writing. Rather than simply complaining about problems we see in culture, Joe and I give some ideas about how we might find common ground with those who are oftentimes too dismissively labeled as "woke," and what we might do in trying to see the humanity in eve...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this conversation with Zuby (hip-hop artist, self-help thinker, cultural commentator, and more), we talk about what he is aiming to do in amplifying humanity through avenues like music, podcasting, and publishing that. We talk about his rise to fame, and what he is trying to do for his growing following, but also what those of us who don't have his platform or reach can do in order to elevate humanity with whatever influence we do have. Zuby has had viral moments that bristle those engaged in...
Dec 23, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this conversation with Will Reusch, we discuss some of the creative ways he is trying to heal online tribalism through his activity on social media. We also discuss the influence he is trying to have on the next generation in helping them be critical thinkers as a teacher, and his work with "Heterodox Academy." I would strongly recommend following him on Instagram where he is active in engaging those who disagree with him in ways that we could all learn from. Give his podcast a listen too! --...
Dec 07, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this conversation with Professor of Theology & Philosophy, Dan Sheffler, we discuss many of the Greek concepts that we take for granted in our world today. You will learn what words like "cosmos & logos" mean, and why they matter for your day to day life. Dan is a phenomenal teacher who has a gift of making complicated ideas relatable and enjoyable, rather than just speaking over all of our heads. ----more---- Connect & Follow Dan Sheffler: - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/chann...
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 13
Dr. Larry Sanger is a co-founder (or as he likes to call it "ex-founder") of Wikipedia who just came out with a book about the development of the revolutionary company and where it is today called "Essays on Free Knowledge: The Origins of Wikipedia and the New Politics of Knowledge" Larry and I discuss not just what Wikipedia was originally slated to be, but much more on what it is today (especially some of it's negative influences and practices in culture). It is one of the most highly traffick...
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This is a very informative conversation with the founder and CEO of "Dollar For," Jared Walker. We learn all about why Time magazine and others want to interview him about how he has helped get millions in medical debt forgiven this year, some of the ins-and-outs of hospital and insurance navigation under the affordable care act, and much more. I hope you learn a thing or two from this conversation to help people in your own life, but I also hope you consider learning more about Jared's organiza...
Oct 16, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this conversation with systematic theologian, author and professor Kyle Strobel, we discuss a few topics he has been writing and talking about over his career. We focus specifically on Spiritual Formation (and how the evangelical church is having a renaissance in it but may not fully understand it), as well as the concept of "power" from the perspective of culture and the Bible. We highlight where they overlap and differ in the realm of politics, the interpersonal level, and much more while s...
Oct 03, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Join me for a conversation with University of Toronto professor of cognitive psychology and science, John Vervaeke. In this episode we dig down on the idea of "collective wisdom" (where this show gets its name), opponent processing vs. adversarial processing (human flourishing vs. polarization), living in the midst of a meaning crisis, and more. John's work and thinking has been very formative on the whole idea for this show and community called "Wisdom Collective." ----more---- Follow John's wo...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this conversation with the podcast host and commentator of "The State of Venezuela," we talk with Rafael Struve about all things Venezuela. From poverty, criminal dictatorship, socialism, ideological journalism, geopolitical foreign involvement and interference, and much more. We take care to try and understand not just what is going on, but why, how we oftentimes misunderstand what is going on from the West with various forms of socialism and romanticized journalism, and some of the reasons ...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this conversation with Paul Pastor (author & editor for Penguin Random House/Waterbrook/Multnomah) we talk about the re-release of his first book "The Face of the Deep." We spend time discussing more than just his book though, we try to dig into why what Paul is writing about matters for our understanding of the Holy Spirit at more than just a head level, trying to understand the experiential nature of a life lived in God through Christ in the power of the Spirit. I strongly recommend you...
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this conversation with Tripp Parker Tripp, we hear his unique perspectives on religion given his education and interests. Tripp is a graduate from Duke University with a BSE in computer engineering and a MA philosophy of mind (along with studies at Reformed Theological Seminary). He had a recent article published in the Federalist that discussed the religious nature of many on the "woke left" which was the focus of our discussion. In this conversation we talk about their sin narrative, atonem...
Aug 15, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this interview with T.K. Coleman (the Director of Entrepreneurial Education at the Foundation for Economic Education and Co-Founder & Education Director of Praxis) we talk about drawing a distinction in how "cancel culture" is not a new phenomenon, and how Christians should respond to these realities with what he calls "compassion culture" or what we might call "enemy love." We also talk about our cultural moment and racial tensions, political polarization that objectifies Black people (f...
Aug 02, 2020•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this conversation with Benjamin Boyce (YouTube commentator and documentarian) we talk about the Evergreen State College momentary takeover by student activists of their college campus in Washington. Benjamin tells the story about what it was like to be a student during these incidents in 2017, and his ongoing investigative journalism and documentation of the events during and after. After talking about Evergreen State, we try to understand by way of metaphor and analogy, how some of the logic...
Jul 25, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this interview with journalist and commentator Katie Herzog, we talk about her experiences as a journalist, what it's like to have people try to "cancel" you, how journalism and cancel culture intersect today, and a last minute muse on Robin DiAngelo/White Fragility, because, why not! I had a lot of fun chatting with Katie and officially meeting her, and I hope you check out the fastest growing podcast on Patreon that she is co-hosting, "Blocked and Reported" (links below). Don't forget to ra...
Jul 25, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this interview with visual artist Mandeep Singh, we talk about his style of art, and how he weaves in the philosophy of stoicism with themes like virtue, beauty, and "memento mori." We also talk about how to navigate "going viral" and questions like "what is art?" and "what is the purpose of art?" We also touch on modern art (especially in a digital age). Don't forget to subscribe, and enjoy! Mandeep's Instagram (link to buy his art in his bio): https://www.instagram.com/mvndeep/?hl=en Connec...
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In this interview with Eastern Orthodox icon carver and commentator Jonathan Pageau, we discuss what he calls "The Symbolic World," how it manifests everywhere (including popular culture), his relationship with Jordan Peterson, and how we might understand some of what we are seeing with the reactions to COVID-19.
Jun 06, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 1
