Reasons Not To Die

Welcome to Smash My Pod. This series is currently in development, and this is the only place to find it. This is a joint production from Sam Ikin and Dan McHugh, two journalists jaded by decades of work in Australia's disastrous news media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WE'RE BACK. Stewart Morris joins the show again to discuss the horrific loss of the world's best authoritarian leader, Jacinda Ardern. To be clear, she's okay, she's just resigning because she wants to "spend more time with her family." We also dive into the amazing future our benevolent overlords at the World Economic Forum have decided they will allow us to have. Praise be to Klauss. Apologies for the crappy audio in this recording. We're still not sure what happened, but it still works.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you handle angry people, who get all up in your face, without it affecting you? We have no idea, but that won't stop us from talking about it. If only you could flick a switch and turn off tens of thousands of years' worth of evolutionary fight-for-flight conditioning. Maybe Elon Musk will solve that for us too.  One person who chose flight over fight this week was Sam Bankman-Fried, who manage to make tens of billions of dollars evaporate overnight. We do know that some of it went to the Democratic party, who, in a completely unrelated story, has said they don't want to investigate SBF, but they do want to investigate Elon Musk. We would also like to congratulate Dan Andrews for winning the Victorian election, which will be held later this month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warning!! This episode contains cuss words. Mum, maybe skip this one.  Stewart Morris joins us in the studio to talk about the ridiculous way some journalists are carrying on about the US midterm elections, which are being held this week. We specifically make fun of one of Australia's top journalists after a cringe-worthy attempt to take on Trump endorsed US politician.  We also talk about Twitter and how it's probably not the best place to be attacking your colleagues and employer unless you're particularly keen on getting fired. This story leads me down a long and convoluted path to reassessing how I deal with my trauma. Specifically, why I've decided not to try to attack everyone on the brain-dead bird site (Twitter) who says anything that upsets me.  I've spent a lot of time in earlier episodes of this show whinging about my past trauma. Oh, poor me. I've been through hard times. Everybody, look at me. I'm special. I have trauma.  If you want to know what it is, go and listen to the back catalogue. That makes me cringe now.  Here's the thing. Everyone has been through hard times. It's human. Trauma is ordinary. My trauma is ordinary.  I lost my father to suicide, and it still chokes me up when I talk about it. But I don't think that makes me special in any way.  I'm not saying it's not significant to me. It's helped to make me who I am today, and I love who I am today. And I know that my dad would be proud of who I am today - mostly. NOTE anyone who is struggling and is experiencing a personal crisis, please reach out. Lifeline is there 24/7 on 13 11 14 or call me if you have my number. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are testing out a new hosting platform. For more on this show please go to ikinmedia.au and click on Connecting the Climate Science Dots,See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The day before the federal election, we ask what we've gained from the last six weeks of election campaigning. Reformed journalists Sam Ikin and Chris Glassock analyse the horrendous bombardment of spin and public relations messaging that Australia has been subject to and try to see if there's any sense in it at all. Sam says "Public relations and the news media are so closely intertwined that they should be considered the same industry," and we would be better off going into a news blackout for three months. They also chat with Tasmanian senate candidate Topher Field to see what it's like from the inside as an outsider.

After working as a journalist and broadcaster for twenty years I have quit the news. I don't mean that I've left the news industry, I've completely cut it out of my life for the last two years and I can't recommend it highly enough. What we've come to know as "the news" is completely unnecessary for most of us. When I say "the news" I mean the traditional news bulletins we've grown up with on the radio, television and in the news paper. These publications are centred around making the audience feel something and that something mostly negative. With the rapidly spiralling state of our collective mental health the last thing we need is to have our emotions manipulated constantly through the 24 hour news cycle. I'm not suggesting you stop looking for information about the world you live in, I'm saying that I prefer to find it elsewhere. In this episode veteran journalist Chris Glassock and explore the failings of the legacy media and the alternatives.

With the next full episode still in production I'm going through some feedback from the Poorly Thought Through Guide to the Apocalypse and have a look ahead to the next episode. For those who said they want to commit arson on my old school, please don't.In Episode Three we look at the industry that is likely going to be the driving force in the breakdown of civilisation, the media. The industry I worked in for two decades. I think independent media is the only way to keep people adequately informed. In this episode I talk to two huge players in Australia's independent media scene, Anthony Klan from The Klaxon and Claire Lehmann from Quillette.Get on it. Thanks for listening.

An old school friend contacted me after 25 years wanting to talk about how he was bullied at school. My initial thought was that it was me that was the bully. I went to an all boys school where everyone bullied everyone. It turns out I wasn't the bully but the fact that I thought I could have been was surprising, considering I'm a complete pussy. Also, the first kid who ever punched me in the face was there when I was given the cane in front of the class at the age of nine. He remembers it vividly which is surprising because he doesn't remember that time he punched me in the face. Bullying is a product of fear. Everyone is scared of shit, especially me, but if I let fear control me I start making stupid decisions. Living in fear is no way to survive the impending collapse of civilisation. If I'm going to be a survivor I'm going to need to work on that. In this eipsode: Stewart Morris from The Point 0 Five and The Beerstreet Boys Josh Langley from Josh Langley Gets to Know Sifu Leigh Duff from the Tasmanian Wing Chun Training Centre For more one what I do visit ikinmedia.com, and for the full interview with Josh check out Josh Langley Gets To Know

I've seen glimpses of civilisation beginning to unravel and they're happening more and more often. It started with bogans brawling over toilet paper in the supermarket during COVID lockdown. Since then these little portals into an apocalyptic future have been popping up more and more regularly.This is the first episode in a rebooted Poorly Thought Through series. If you were a PTT fan when I worked one public broadcaster or another you will notice a massive reduction in rugby content. To be honest I'm done with rugby until the yellow team learns how to play again. But these are the same preposterous thought processes that got me started years ago.For more one what I do visit ikinmedia.com, and for the full interview with Josh check out Josh Langley Gets To Know

As the world descends into a super slow motion apocalypse, this episode takes a light hearted look at how to survive. This series replaces Reasons Not to Die which is going on the shelf for a happier time. Join me for a happy stroll towards what appears to be the end of the world as we know it, but like Lenny Bruce, I'm not afraid. We will talk to people who seem to have it all sorted out, although they probably don't. If you like podcasts like This American Life and 99% Invisible you'll probably find them on this app too. Poorly Thought Through is nothing like them.

The host of hit podcast Mystery Show, Starlee Kine, takes us back to the time Gimlet Media cancelled her show at the height of its popularity and how she's rebuilt her career as a podcaster. We also dig into the importance of creativity to our wellbeing with Josh Langley, author of How to Find Your Creative Mojo.Need help? Please reach out. This link from the International Association for Suicide Prevention will help you find the support you need anywhere in the world https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/

Sam Ikin is a little bit broken but he's determined not to end up like is father who died of suicide. As he approaches the age his dad was when he died, and probably going through a midlife crisis, he's decided to make some drastic changes.