Labyrinths

Most people are pretty bad at having difficult conversations. We don't get much practice--the internet makes sure that we mostly see content from people we agree with. When we do see opposing viewpoints, it's usually in the form of hateful comments. But when Dylan Marron started receiving a deluge of online abuse in response to his viral video series, he did the opposite of what most people do. He gave his detractors a call. Photo credit: Mindy Tucker. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's Right is back by popular demand! Between our usual Hard Knox episodes, Amanda sits down with her husband, Chris to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who's Right?” In this Who's Right? episode, Amanda and Chris explore what really happens when we say “no”—to others, to expectations, and even to ourselves. Is saying no an act of selfishness or self-respect? They unpack why boundaries feel so hard to set, how guilt and people-pleasing shape our choices, and whether learning to refuse might actually be the key to deeper connection. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment, Missionaries, and Uncertain Ground, whose work examines the moral and emotional toll of modern war. How do soldiers make sense of what they've done when the meaning of war keeps changing? Why does true patriotism demand not blind loyalty, but the courage to question—and to forgive? Released on Veterans Day, this conversation dives into the nature of service, moral injury, and the fight to keep faith—with one's country, and with oneself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment, Missionaries, and Uncertain Ground, whose work examines the moral and emotional toll of modern war. How do soldiers make sense of what they've done when the meaning of war keeps changing? Why does true patriotism demand not blind loyalty, but the courage to question—and to forgive? Released on Veterans Day, this conversation dives into the nature of service, moral injury, and the fight to keep faith—with one's country, and with oneself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's Right is back by popular demand! Between our usual Hard Knox episodes, Amanda sits down with her husband, Chris to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who's Right?” In this Who's Right? episode, Amanda and Chris debate whether marriage should be a spiritual bond or a practical alliance—and whether we might all be better off if an AI or “romance consultant” helped us choose our partners. How do love, logic, and cultural expectations collide when deciding who to marry, and why do we still trust hormones and happenstance more than wisdom and experience? How could rethinking the myth of “soulmates” actually make for healthier, longer-lasting relationships Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicholas Christakis is a Yale sociologist and physician whose research explores how human connection, cooperation, and contagion shape societies. In this episode Amanda and Nicholas explore how our social networks influence everything from kindness to cruelty, and why the impulse to punish, forgive, or imitate spreads just like a virus. How does trust and empathy hold civilization together and why is building stronger relationships the most powerful medicine we have? Nicholas studies how cooperation, love, and trust are encoded in our biology and expressed through social networks that persist beyond any single person, arguing that the “real” structure of human life lies in the invisible web of connections between us. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dolores Fonzi is an acclaimed Argentine actor and filmmaker whose new film Belén—Argentina's official submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars—tells the true story of a young woman wrongly imprisoned after a miscarriage. This episode explores how Belén exposes the cruel overlap of medicine, morality, and misogyny in Latin America's justice systems, and why storytelling can be a radical act of empathy. Amanda and Dolores discuss how art reclaims dignity from sensationalism, and why fighting for privacy can be as powerful as speaking out. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda and Chris get lost in the wide world of puzzles with AJ Jacobs, author of the The Puzzler: One Man's quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life. And pay close attention, because this episode has a puzzle embedded within it! Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's Right is back by popular demand! Between our usual Hard Knox episodes, Amanda sits down with her husband, Chris to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who's Right?” In this weeks pre-Halloween episode they debate the role of death in living a full life. How do we live fully when death feels both inevitable and avoidable? Why does facing mortality make life feel more vivid, even as science tempts us with the dream of living forever? Amanda and Chris wrestle with Zen philosophy, longevity science, and the question of whether accepting death, or fighting it, is the real key to living well. We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Marshall is a writer and podcaster, best known as the cohost of You're Wrong About and creator of The Devil You Know, a CBC podcast series exploring the Satanic Panic which explores how a wave of moral hysteria in the 1980s fused pop culture, politics, and fear into an era where heavy metal lyrics and daycare centers became symbols of evil. In today's episode she and Amanda discuss why this moment still echoes today in new forms of conspiracy thinking, and how looking back helps us understand the stories we tell to feel safe—and the ones that turn us against each other. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode Amanda relfects on how to tell your story while protecting a teenager's privacy, why intentional oversharing can build connection, and how Zen, Nonviolent Communication, and even a near dog scam teach everyday resilience. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Lemov is the author of The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyperpersuasion, whose work explores how people are persuaded, manipulated, and sometimes brainwashed. In this conversation, Amanda and Rebecca unpack why intelligence doesn't protect us from influence, how moments of “ungrounding” make us vulnerable to brainwashing, and why shame keeps many survivors silent. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's some wisdom you can only find when you're lost, which has led Kevin Kelly, senior Maverick and co-founder Wired magazine, to get lost intentionally through decades of travelling. Along the way, he's collected some gems of wisdom and invented many of his own. Kevin Kelly is the author of Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Ask Amanda Anything, Amanda unpacks the complexity of memory, truth, and the quiet work of setting boundaries with those we love, even when love feels conditional. How do we navigate the minefield of family relationships when our histories clash and our beliefs collide? Why do some people rewrite the past to protect themselves, and how do we hold on to our reality without losing compassion? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Oster is an economist, bestselling author, and creator of Parent Data, where she uses research to cut through fear-driven myths about pregnancy and parenting. In this episode she discusses how data and boundaries help us make better choices when there's no way to guarantee an outcome, why treating everyone—including toddlers, teenagers, and even adults—like they need both love and limits leads to resilience and how parenting can reveal universal lessons about responsibility, connection, and growth. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you laugh at the absurdity of your own trauma without minimizing it? Why do we expect people who've been hurt to perform grace, and what if they just want to be messy and real? In this AMA, Amanda tackles questions about forgiveness, therapy, and surviving the spotlight. Please help our independent podcast by voting for our podcast Labyrinths We are finalists in 2 categories in the Signal Awards Listener Choice categories. Vote here for Best Indie Podcast Vote here for Best Writing in a series (False Confessions Mini-Series) Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Moynihan is a journalist, co-host of The Fifth Column podcast, and a writer known for his unflinching takes on politics, culture, and free expression. In this episode, he and Amanda discuss how satire and skepticism cut through today's noise, why outrage has become the default language of public life and how to keep your sense of humor intact when the world seems determined to lose its mind. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating. In this “Old School” episode, Megan Phelps-Roper talks with Amanda about her upbringing in and departure from the Westboro Baptist Church. What does it mean to be lost in faith, to lose our faith in an ideology or in a person, and how do we find our balance in aftermath? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Ask Amanda Anything: From prison letters to public scrutiny, Amanda reflects on trust, resilience, and what it means to be seen. She shares her take on Kim Kardashian's surprising role in criminal justice reform, the philosophy behind her Waking Up series, and why some bonds from prison endure while others fade. Along the way: lessons from stand-up comedy, the challenges of dating under the shadow of notoriety, and the bittersweet experience of letting go after years spent creating The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

R.G. Shore, author of The Ocean Inside Me and a meditation teacher who began his practice in prison, joins Amanda for a conversation on resilience and self-discovery. They discuss how meditation can turn confinement into freedom, why facing hate can lead to compassion and how surrendering to the hardest circumstances can reveal unexpected strength. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Simon's latest book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault, explores how survivors chart diverse paths to healing. In this episode, she reveals how she walked away from a life that looks perfect from the outside, why listening to your body can be the most radical act of self-preservation and how intimacy after trauma asks for patience, honesty, and courage. Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Tell-What-You-Like-Discussion/dp/0806542764⁠ Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yascha is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, the Founder of Persuasion and the host of The Good Fight podcast, known for his work on democracy, identity, and polarization. In this conversation with Amanda, he describes how growing up between cultures shaped his obsession with belonging and freedom, why personal resilience matters just as much as political resilience and how finding your voice in a world that wants to define you can illuminate the fight for democracy itself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating. In this “Old School” episode, Dr. Kari Nixon joins Amanda to talk the intersection of death, disease, and community and how illness impacts identity. It's a topic she pursued without even realizing that she herself was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which despite the flashy true crime narratives often manifests in much more subtle ways than you might expect. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Ask Amanda Anything: How it feels to watch your own life turned into television. Why false confessions still shape the way justice fails. How a flood of letters — from Harry Potter fan fiction to marriage proposals — carried Amanda through prison. And why the eternal debate of Han Solo versus Indiana Jones reveals more about resilience than you might think. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Herzog is a journalist, podcaster, and author of Drink Your Way Sober, a candid and science-based look at alternative paths to recovery. In this discussion with Amanda, uncover answers to some hard questions. How do you break free from addiction when the standard treatments don't work? Why might shame, denial, and even doctors themselves stand in the way of effective solutions? And how can rethinking what sobriety looks like open the door to resilience, freedom, and a life beyond craving? Dink Your Way Sober by Katie Herzog www.drinkyourwaysober.com Blocked and Reported www.blockedandreported.org Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Ask Amanda Anything: Why do betrayals from old friends still cut so deep, even years later? How can a lie about something small spiral into a wrongful conviction? Why does our justice system reward the best storytellers instead of the search for truth? How do you keep your balance when negative energy comes at you from strangers or even people you once trusted? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brook Urick became the public face of Seeking Arrangement, the dating site that brought sugar babies and sugar daddies into the mainstream—and into a media firestorm. In this episode, she and Amanda unpack the cultural panic around sex, power, and money. They dig into how narratives get hijacked, why judgment moves faster than truth, and what it takes to reclaim your identity after going viral for the wrong reasons. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating. In this “Old School” episode, Dr. Michael Shermer joins Amanda to unpack why convictions, from religion to conspiracy theories, grip us so tightly—and how skepticism can help us stay grounded in an age of polarization and misinformation. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Amanda responds to your questions and reflects on how public judgment can shape your identity, why dramatization can spark empathy, how wrongful convictions often stem from human error, and why surveillance culture makes private mistakes feel permanent. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, CNN anchor and novelist Jake Tapper joins Amanda in a wide-ranging converasation about navigating public scrutiny, maintaining personal ethics in a polarized news cycle, and why storytelling is essential to understanding power. They explore how to hold onto your principles in a profession built on spin, and why humor might just be the best weapon against despair. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Hard Knox...music! We're sharing Amanda's guest appearance on Life in Seven Songs, a podcast where guests tell their life stories through seven tracks that shaped them. In this episode, Amanda reflects on how music became a lifeline during her years in prison—through the three CDs she was allowed in her cell and even a paper keyboard she used to practice piano. Music connected Amanda to her fellow prisoners, to the outside world, and to the silly, optimistic person she'd always been. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony Graves spent 18 years in prison—12 of them on death row—for a crime he didn't commit. In this conversation, he shares how he survived solitary confinement, why he chose forgiveness over rage, and how he's turned his unimaginable ordeal into a mission for justice, dignity, and healing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a bonus for our Hard Knox listeners we are sharing Amanda's recent appearance on the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss. Bari is a journalist, author, and founder of The Free Press, known for her fearless interviews and sharp commentary on culture, politics, and free expression. It's a wide-ranging conversation exploring the themes of Amanda's new memoir, Free: My Search For Meaning. If you already know Amanda's story, you'll find new depth here as she talks about surviving prison, reintegrating into society, returning to Italy to confront the prosecutor who put her behind bars, and why she chooses forgiveness over bitterness. It's a candid, thoughtful exchange, and a chance to hear Amanda reflect on her life in a way that's both deeply personal and profoundly universal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zosia Mamet is best known for her starring role as Shoshanna Shapiro in the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning HBO series Girls. In this episode Zosia joins Amanda for a vulnerable and funny conversation about anxiety, imposter syndrome, and what it means to feel “too much” in a world that keeps asking for something else. They explore how control becomes a survival strategy, why writing a memoir can feel like publishing your diary, and how intuition might just be the most radical form of safety. Mamet released a collection of essays with Penguin Random House in November 2022, titled My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings. Her upcoming collection of essays about the challenge and magic of growing up in show business, titled Does This Make Me Funny?, will be released by Penguin Random House in September of 2025. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monica Lewinsky and Amanda Knox—self-described “Sisters of Ill Repute”—have each reclaimed their own narratives in the face of withering public scrutiny. Now, as executive producers of the new Hulu series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, they come together for a deeply human conversation about surviving public shaming, living with a past you didn't choose, and why empathy can be a radical force for change. Together, they explore how to hold on to your sense of self in the face of global judgment, and why choosing kindness isn't weakness—it's strategy. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dessa is a genre-defying rapper, writer, poet and thinker. In this sharp and witty conversation she talks with Amanda about why being a “good person” so much messier than it sounds, moral hangovers, the science of heartbreak, and what it means to live thoughtfully in a world that rewards hot takes and hustle. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating. Chris Ballew never expected or even particularly wanted mainstream success. But when his band, the Presidents of the United States of America, hit it big, he had to reckon with what success meant to him and figure out how to say no when everyone around him wanted him to say yes. Reach out to us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠ or ⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation Apphttps://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Amanda explores how to navigate conflict without getting trapped in outrage cycles, and why responding with intention matters more than always being right. She shares how power dynamics shape the way we speak up, and why the choice to let something go can be just as meaningful as the decision to push back. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation Apphttps://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick Steves is a renowned travel writer, television host, and guidebook author known for turning tourism into a tool for cultural connection, personal growth, and global citizenship. In this episode, Rick Steves shares how decades of exploring the world have shaped his values, his politics, and his understanding of what makes life meaningful. He and Amanda talk about finding joy in discomfort, why venturing outside your comfort zone builds resilience, and how travel can be a spiritual act—not because it offers answers, but because it teaches you how to ask better questions. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠ ⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Tam shares how naming his band “The Slants” launched him into a decade-long legal battle over identity, free speech, and what it means to reclaim power. He and Amanda explore why owning the narrative is a form of resistance and what happens when activism becomes art—and vice versa. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you let go of control when survival once depended on it? In this candid and searching conversation, world-renowned mountaineer Melissa Arnot talks with Amanda about the tension between self-reliance and vulnerability, what Everest taught her about fear and identity, and why the real challenge begins after the climb. Together they explore the limits of resilience, the myth of mastery, and how to make peace with the parts of yourself you can't outwork. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices