Dr. Paul Turke, a pediatrician and anthropologist, discusses his book Bringing Up Baby, exploring evolutionary insights on child health, grandparent roles, and the social aspects of aging, with a focus on how early life and kinship networks impact development.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Paul Turke is a pediatrician and anthropologist with expertise in child development, evolutionary health, and pediatrics. He is the author of Bringing Up Baby, which explores child health through an evolutionary lens, with a particular focus on grandparent involvement, autism, and mental well-being.

Topics Discussed:

• The evolutionary role of grandparents in human lifespan and health
• Autism and the potential link to vision disorders in infants
• The importance of exercise and purpose in preventing anxiety and depression
• The influence of kinship networks on parenting in modern society
• The impact of diet and exercise on aging and long-term health
• The role of parents and grandparents in child development

Key Points:

• Grandparents are evolutionary assets, contributing to human longevity through indirect reproduction and support of grandchildren, helping to maintain strong natural selection.
• Autism may be linked to vision issues in infants, where early correction of visual impairments could potentially reduce the risk of developmental disorders.
• Anxiety is an evolved guidance system, and mental well-being can be better supported by exercise, outdoor activities, and social engagement rather than relying solely on medication.

Top 3 Quotes:

• "Live long and be helpful"
• "Anxiety serves a purpose. We need to learn how to deal with it, not eliminate it."
• "The planet will benefit if our children are the ones who solve the problems of the future."

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Dr. Jeffrey Funk discusses his book Unicorns, Hype, and Bubbles, offering critical insights on the current tech bubble, the limitations of AI, and the dangers of overhyped investments in today's startup culture.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Jeffrey Funk is a technology consultant, engineer, and retired professor with experience in academia and industry across the U.S., Singapore, and Japan. He holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and has been involved in the tech sector for decades, teaching courses on economics and new technologies.

Topics Discussed:

The AI bubble and its financial implications

• The challenges of AI adoption and revenue generation
• The reality of technological advancements and the lack of substantial innovation
• The evolving startup ecosystem and the rise of hype-driven investments
• The impact of low fertility rates on technological growth
• The flaws of modern education and the need for real-world context in teaching

Key Takeaways:

• AI is overvalued with low revenues.
• Technological progress today is less impactful than in the past.
• Startups focus on hype over profitability.
• Many tech metrics are misleading.
• Generative AI's impact is slower than expected.
• 90% of unicorns remain unprofitable after 10 years.
• The economy is driven by hype, not real progress.
• Investors are swayed by narratives, not business models.
• Education needs practical skills and critical thinking.
• Student debt remains a significant burden.
• Declining fertility rates challenge economic growth.
• Technology hype often overshadows practical impact.

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

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Luke S. Carlson, founder of LS Carlson Law, discusses his book Bad HOA and shares insights into common issues homeowners face with HOAs, including how to reclaim power from abusive boards.

Guest Bio:
Luke S. Carlson, Esq. is the founder of LS Carlson Law, specializing in helping homeowners fight against HOA abuse. With over 17 years of experience, Luke provides strategic legal advice in business, real estate, and estate planning, and is the author of Bad HOA: The Homeowner’s Guide to Going to War and Reclaiming Your Power.

Topics Discussed:

• Types of problematic HOA board members (the tyrant, meddler, fool, and self-dealer)
• The benefits and challenges of living in an HOA
• How homeowners can assert their rights and fight back against HOA abuse
• The role of financial mismanagement and inadequate reserves in HOA dysfunction
• How homeowners can proactively avoid bad HOA situations when buying property
• Common legal issues homeowners face with HOAs in California and Florida

Top Quotes:

• "Sometimes you have to declare war to secure peace."
• "If you get the right people on the board, HOAs can provide a lot of value, but when you don't, it leads to chaos."

📺Watch the full pod on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/pKOhFRUKODk

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

Thanks for listening!

Patrick Winn discusses his book Narcotopia, exploring the rise of the most powerful drug cartel in Asia, its ties to the CIA, and its transition from heroin to methamphetamine production in Myanmar's Wa State.

Guest Bio:
Patrick Winn is an investigative journalist based in Bangkok, Thailand, specializing in black markets and underworld economies across Asia. His latest book, NarcoTopia, delves into the powerful narco-state in Myanmar, its history with drug trafficking, and the complex relationship with the CIA.

Topics Discussed:

• The Golden Triangle and its role in the global drug trade
• The rise of Myanmar’s Wa State as a narco-state
• The clash between the CIA and DEA over drug trade control
• Transition from heroin to methamphetamine production in Myanmar
• The influence of China on the Wa State
• The complex relationship between the U.S. and global drug cartels
• The ethics of investigating criminal organizations

Top 3 Quotes:

• “The world’s most powerful drug trafficking organization is not in Mexico, it’s not in Colombia, it’s in Myanmar.”
• “China supplies weapons to the WAA, political guidance, medicine, mobile phone towers. You’d think they were a client state of China.”
• “Be curious about people that you’ve been told are scumbags. Reach out to them, try to meet them, and you might actually learn something.”

📺Watch Full Pod on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/pSSQFk7iefI

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

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Vauhini Vara explores the impact of technology on identity, grief, and personal agency in a world dominated by AI and surveillance capitalism.

Guest Bio:
Vauhini Vara is a journalist and prize-winning author whose work focuses on technology, its societal impacts, and selfhood in the digital age. She has written for numerous outlets and authored books such as Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age. Wahini has worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and has written extensively on the role of tech companies in shaping modern life.

Topics Discussed:

• The intersection of selfhood and technology
• The power of big tech companies and their influence on society
• AI’s role in shaping language and the future of work
• The implications of surveillance capitalism
• The evolution of Silicon Valley and its impact on culture
• Grief and technology's role in processing personal loss
• Agency and personal choices in a tech-driven world

Top 3 Quotes:

• "The goal of these companies is to get us to use these products for longer and longer periods, because that makes them more money."
• "What these companies are doing is that they are amassing so much knowledge about us that they will ultimately have this body of knowledge that far exceeds anything that we as individuals, as communities, as institutions can possibly know."
• "Only we can tell our own stories because only we have the experiences that we have the position in the world that we have."

📺Watch full pod on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/cdbHeBS5JAY

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

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Medical research journalist Tony Edwards joins us to discuss the research behind his books The Good News About Booze and The Very Good News About Wine. He challenges common myths about alcohol and health, based on deep dives into medical literature.

Topics covered:

• Health Benefits of alcohol
• Wine’s effects on heart disease, diabetes, and dementia
• Why alcohol doesn’t necessarily lead to weight gain
• How public health messaging gets it wrong
• Best kinds of wine
• AND MORE

Watch the full episode on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/Q0AYwStXsHw

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

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🎙️ In this episode, economist and futurist Robin Hanson (George Mason University) explores the global fertility decline and what it means for innovation, culture, and civilization’s future.
We discuss:

• Why fertility is falling even in times of plenty
• How cultural drift is driving demographic collapse
• Why population decline may slow innovation and collapse economies
• What happens when civilizations are replaced by high-fertility subcultures
• Whether AI can save us — or if lifeboats like the Amish already have

A fascinating, wide-ranging look at what happens after the peak.

• 📺Watch the full episode on YouTube➡️ https://youtu.be/1LfALQy0E9Q

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

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In this episode, Jesse talks with Dr. Donald Asher, renowned career strategist and author of Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, and Why. They dive into how to survive toxic workplaces, master office politics, manage your boss (without brown-nosing), and build a reputation that gets you promoted — even in remote and AI-disrupted workplaces.

Topics Discussed:

• Why almost every workplace is toxic — and how to survive it
• The 80/20 rule for career success
• Why you must manage your boss to get promoted
• When to go to HR — and when it can ruin your career
• How AI and remote work are changing office politics
• Why staying late can hurt you more than help you
• Strategic job-hopping and the power of moving cities
• How to become irreplaceable — without getting stuck

Mentioned Books:
📘 Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, and Why
📘 How to Get Any Job
📘 Cracking the Hidden Job Market

📺Watch the full episode on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/sJakStmNYqY

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.

Thanks for listening!