Un-Uninformed

How would you describe the pandemic? Today we describe it with poetry. Whether it’s expressing anger, hope, or excitement, poetry paints the picture of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways social media posts and cable news never can. We feature three poems: “A Week in Coronaville,” by Hannah Watts “Wave-anelle Villanelle,” by Melanie Cox “Happiness is … Continue reading "Slamdemic! – Reflecting on the Pandemic with Poetry"

With a lot of conflicting info about the coronavirus, many are asking: What info can we trust? In this podcast episode, neuroscientist Dr. Jason Shepherd helps us navigate fact vs. crap with coronavirus science. Dr. Jason Shepherd is a professor of neurobiology and, most recently, he wrote an article that went…viral…called: Misinformation Goes Viral. We … Continue reading "Can We Trust COVID-19 Science? – with Dr. Jason Shepherd"

We all know about physical hygiene, but what about emotional hygiene (especially during a pandemic)? In a time where all our lives have been disrupted, therapist Keri Dyer helps us creatively navigate our emotional health. How are you coping with your stress and anxiety: binge-watching Netflix, eating junk food, overspending? In this episode, Keri Dyer … Continue reading "Emotional Hygiene – with Keri Dyer"

How quickly should we open up the economy? We answer big questions like this with Andrew Dougherty (a.k.a. Big Daddy Dough), who is a macro-economist for China (and rapper). We tackle questions from listeners across the world such as: How will the US/China relationship be affected by this pandemic? How will the total lockdown in … Continue reading "What Pandemic Shutdowns do to Global Economies – with Big Daddy Dough"

When San Diablo Churros had to halt all their churro catering services due to the pandemic, Scott Porter saw this as an opportunity. He combined forces with two other local food startups to create the Quarantine Survival Kit. This kit, available for delivery, features San Diablo’s famous churros, tostadas from Sobe Eats, and gourmet sodas … Continue reading "Savoring Churros and Connection – with San Diablo Churros Founder Scott Porter"

In this new season, our goal is finding meaning while “COVID-19-ing.” In other words, how are we navigating this new normal? We’ll hear from our expert guests and YOU (that’s right, you the listener…see below). Listen to this episode to get a 13-minute preview of the season ahead! Part I: Upcoming episodes: Scott Porter: founder … Continue reading "New Season: “COVID-19-ing” – Creatively Navigating a New Normal"

True or False: Watching the news makes the world a better place for you. Many say this statement is definitely false because it seems the news just makes people depressed, angry, and polarized. So what if the news actually equipped viewers with ways to solve the problems they report on? In this episode we are … Continue reading "What if the News Gave Us Solutions, not Just Problems? – with Alicia Gettys"

Are voters choosing their politicians or are politicians choosing their voters? In one week, Utah voters have the opportunity to weigh in on this question. In this episode we’re talking about something called gerrymandering: when politicians rig the system by choosing their own boundaries for re-election. We talk to Blake Moore, a co-chair of the … Continue reading "Should Politicians Draw Their Own Boundaries? A Look at Gerrymandering"

In a little over a week, thousands of Utahns will be voting on bringing medicaid expansion to Utah. Medicaid expansion is part of the Affordable Care Act that brings medicaid to thousands of additional Americans than were initially covered. But states can opt out of this expansion. Utah is one of those states. That’s because … Continue reading "Medicaid Expansion: the Benefits & Costs"

This November, Utahns are voting on an initiative to legalize medical marijuana. This, of course, is a point of controversy. Supporters say it’s about time we help people suffering with conditions that can be helped by marijuana. People opposing this initiative say it goes too far. Over the last few weeks leading up to the … Continue reading "Medical Marijuana is Coming to Utah"

In this new mini-season we’re talking about some hot issues: medical marijuana, medicaid expansion, and gerrymandering. Un-Uninformed is based in Salt Lake City, Utah where these three big issues will be on the ballot for this November’s midterm elections. So if you’re not a Utah voter–go ahead and not listen to this if you are … Continue reading "New Season: Medical Marijuana, Medicaid Expansion, & Gerrymandering"

We’ve seen our society be polarized over: democrat vs. republican, Christian vs. Atheist, black vs. white, etc., etc. The overarching issue here is something called tribalism. It turns out that tribalism is part of human nature as our brains categorize our world into two groups: the Us and the Them. So what do we do about … Continue reading "Overcoming Polarization, Recognizing Tribalism- with Elizabeth Gamarra"

“Whether you are a gun-lover, gun-hater, or someone in the middle, no one can deny that gun violence is a terrible plague on American society.” This is a line from the book Guns and the Law, which was written by two law professor on opposite sides of America’s gun debate: Andrew McClurg (pro-gun regulation) and Brannon Denning … Continue reading "Solutions to America’s Gun Problem"

Talking about gun rights and gun control almost always triggers a heated debate. Almost always. In this episode, Sean Sevy talks with two law professors who are on opposite sides of the gun debate: Andrew McClurg (pro-gun regulation) and Brannon Denning (pro-gun rights). Not only can these two talk about guns passionately without strangling each other, but they even … Continue reading "Guns: The Good, the Bad, and the 2nd Amendment"

Last week we talked about how the opioid epidemic kills more Utahns than guns and car wrecks combined.  Now, with Part 2 of this discussion, we talk about some of the solutions to the opioid epidemic. Does the solution rely on doctors? Patients? We also talk about some of the benefits of a drug called … Continue reading "Finding Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic – with Angela Stander Ito (Part 2)"

In Utah, opioid overdoses have killed more people than car accidents and gun deaths combined. In this episode we talk about the origins of the opioid epidemic both in Utah and throughout the nation. Joining us is Angela Stander Ito from the Utah Department of Health to give us some of her insights as she … Continue reading "Utah’s Opioid Epidemic – with Angela Stander Ito (Part 1)"

We all know that some companies make it and some don’t. But then there are those few companies that kick butt when it comes to being extremely successful and implementing radical innovation. There’s a science behind all of this. Joining us on this episode of Un-Uninformed is Dr. Sunnie Giles who has dedicated her research … Continue reading "How to Become an Extremely Successful Leader – with Dr. Sunnie Giles"

After a three-month break, Un-Uninformed is back with a new season that will knock your socks off. Here’s what you have to look forward to: How to be a leader that can create a kick-butt company like Google. We talk to Dr. Sunnie Giles about her new book The New Science of Radical Innovation. The Opioid … Continue reading "New Season: Guns, Opioids, & Innovative Leaders"

Almost a quarter of the people in the world are Muslim.  But how much do we really understand Islam and Muslim culture here in America? Joining us in this episode is Maysa Kergaye, the coordinator for the Islamic Speaker’s Bureau here in Salt Lake City, Utah. She frequently reaches out to the community in helping … Continue reading "Being Muslim in Utah – with Maysa Kergaye"

Many of the greatest conflicts in our world have been attributed to religious differences. So if religion has often been attributed to the cause of conflict, is religion creating world peace, or destroying it? To answer this question we attend the Global Peace and Spiritual Life Lecture Series where the keynote speaker is Elder D. … Continue reading "Is Religion Destroying World Peace or Creating It? – with Elder D. Todd Christofferson"

We’re having a conversation about why your internet sucks. But the internet doesn’t suck, your internet company does. Your internet is open and free to the world, but your Internet Service Provider (ISP), is surprisingly closed and lacking in innovation. This week, Jeff Christensen talks with Sean Sevy about how his company called EntryPoint has created … Continue reading "The Solution to Bad Internet Companies – with Jeff Christensen"

We’ve talked about racism and sexism, but today we’re talking about ableism–the discrimination against disabled people. In this episode we have a conversation about ableism with Dr. Romel Mackelprang, the Director of Disability Studies at Eastern Washington University. So how has society discriminated against disabled people? Here’s one: something called Inspiration Porn. This is when … Continue reading "How We Might Be Discriminating Against Disabled People- with Romel Mackelprang"

Next week, Utah State Prison will be having their prison marathon. As you would expect from any running event, the inmates have been training hard. And they have the rare opportunity of having a coach from one of the highest ranking cross country teams in the nation. BYU cross country coach Isaac Wood has been helping … Continue reading "What Happens When Jailbirds Run – with Isaac Wood"

What can we give to homeless people? Food? Money? How about: Haircuts. Joining us on the show is Leslie Kawai, who is a board member and Gala Events chair for an organization called Care-Cuts. We talk about how offering homeless people haircuts is not just a nice thing, but something that creates job opportunities and–most … Continue reading "Empowering the Homeless (through Haircuts)"

Tom Christofferson is a gay Mormon. To many, this is a conflict that cannot be reconciled. But for Tom, it’s not that simple. His personal journey brought him away from being an active Mormon years ago. But most recently, his journey brought him back to being a full-time member of the church. In this episode, … Continue reading "A Gay Mormon’s Perspective on Faith & Family- with Tom Christofferson"

Racism is hard to talk about. But we did it. Sean Sevy and Cheryl Neufville had a candid conversation about how racism is experienced and what we can do about it. This is the second time that Cheryl Neufville has been on the podcast. The first time Cheryl was on the show, she only briefly talked … Continue reading "A Conversation About Racism- with Cheryl Neufville and Sean Sevy"

Many people believe compassion and conservatism mix just like oil and water. But Marco Díaz says NO. Marco Díaz has been heavily involved with the Utah Republican Party and he talks about how compassion and conservative can not only coexist, but they can in fact complement each other. In our political climate where there’s a scarcity of compassion on both … Continue reading "Compassionate & Conservative: Can we do both?- with Marco Díaz"

Armando Porras is a Spanish Teacher for students experiencing the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. To Armando, cancelling school for the pending storm at first seemed like a good chance for a break. But (of course) it wasn’t. The storm hit harder than expected and Armando went from a full-time teacher to a full-time volunteer in disaster cleanup. … Continue reading "Hurricanes Harvey & Irma: Are We Disconnected from those Affected?"

A typical Engineering graduating class only has a handful of women. And often we see even less women in the actual engineering force. So how do we address this? That’s a question that the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is constantly asking. Joining us in this episode are two women heavily involved with SWE: Amy Jo Moore and … Continue reading "The Role of Women in Engineering"

Scott Porter has been to hundreds of taquerías (aka taco shops) across North America and he’s learned a few valuable lessons. It turns out that the secret to the universe when it comes to exceptional customer experiences can be found in the taquería experience. Scott Porter joins Sean Sevy in a random taquería near Salt Lake City, Utah called … Continue reading "Taco Stands: Models for Exceptional Customer Experiences-with Scott Porter"

Is the goal of receiving counseling for you to be happy all the time? We talk to a licensed clinical social worker, Keri Dyer, whose answer to that question is a big NO. So if it’s not about always being happy, what is it all about? For Keri, the answer lies in implementing what is … Continue reading "Why It’s OK to Not Always Be Happy-with Keri Dyer"

Linden Baker & Melissa Sevy co-founded a business which empowers artisans in developing countries who make indigenous handcraft which is sold to customers in the United States. Before they started this venture, all their efforts were in a similar non-profit called Musana International. But then they scaled up that concept to start Fair Kind, which … Continue reading "Nonprofit vs. For-Profit Social Ventures-with the Co-Founders of Fair Kind"

People who frequent networking events have a common problem: they keep meeting the same people at their table. Networking events try to fix this problem by having you draw a number out of a hat. But still, that’s not good enough. Because the hat doesn’t know what events you’ve been to before and how many people you’ve … Continue reading "Networkr: The New App that Revolutionizes Networking"

Trump loves to use phrases like “fake news” or “witch hunt.” In fact he’s used these phrases in over 100 of his Tweets. But what do these Trumpisms actually mean? We take a deep dive into Trumpisms as Sean Sevy interviews President Donald Trump (Sean Sevy). In this interview, we don’t get any new Earth-shattering statements from the … Continue reading "Impersonating Trump: Fake News, Witch Hunt, & #MAGA"

Are you wasting money by donating to a charity? And is it worth it to start your own charity? We talk with Alicia Gettys who is the Director of Communications at BYU’s Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance. We talk about what makes a good charity and what makes one bad. Finally, Alicia gives us the framework … Continue reading "Good vs Bad Charities: Finding Social Ventures that Work"

Will Artificial Intelligence take away my job? Is there a bright future ahead with the way technology is going? This week, we’re asking questions about the future of technology, and joining us to sort it all out is Kevin Kelly, a co-founder of Wired magazine.Last month, he published the paperback of his new book The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 … Continue reading "Technology 30 Years in the Future- with Kevin Kelly"

Piper Christian helped her city leaders pass a clean air resolution when she was only 16 years old. 16 years old! And she continues to inspire youth activism throughout her state as they approach government leaders with clean air and climate change issues. And her crew of young activists have had success with both left- and … Continue reading "Solving our Clean Air Problem: Science won’t be Enough"

The US/Russia relations have been pretty rocky recently, but not when it comes to manned space travel. In fact, crews on the International Space Station with both Russians and Americans get along so well, that these astronauts believe the space station is a model for society. But it wasn’t always this way. During the “Space Race” … Continue reading "US & Russia Relations are Better than Ever…in Space"

Many slum dwellers in India live without a toilet. As a result, they must attend to nature’s call out in the open. Not only is open defecation an inconvenience or embarrassment, but it causes other issues such as: insect bites, disease,  missed education opportunities, and sexual abuse. Sean Sevy talks to the founder of SAPID, Dr. … Continue reading "Toilets that Break Down Waste with Earthworms- with Dr. Meera Khader"

Typical female sanitary pads take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill. So unless we’re ok with future archaeologists digging up our remains in a thousand years just to find a bunch of used maxi pads…something must be done. In this week’s episode, Sean Sevy talks with Ali Dibble and Ben Bradford, who are … Continue reading "Biodegradable Maxi Pads: Female Hygiene Just Got More Sustainable"

Christians sometimes have a difficult time with evolution. And evolutionists are often Atheists. We hear from Dr. Steven Peck, who teaches evolution classes at BYU, which is a church-owned university. Steve talks about how he holds evolution–as well as religion–close to his heart. Can a strong belief in evolution and a complete dedication to Christianity coexists? For … Continue reading "Evolution & Christianity: Can they Coexist? -with Dr. Steve Peck"

Each year, over 3 million babies in developing countries die within their first month of life. Many of these deaths would be preventable if these countries had adequate health care. A social venture called Neonatal Rescue was aware of these unfortunate statistics, and they’re poised to save thousands of lives with their new medical device. They’ve invented … Continue reading "This Device Will Save Thousands of Babies’ Lives"

This summer, Un-Uninformed has some interesting episodes coming up, but we need YOU to submit questions about these topics! To be part of the conversation, follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Un_Uninformed On this short un-episode, we’re giving a sneak peek into 3 episodes that will come out this summer. Here they are: Soilets are toilets that break … Continue reading "Sneak Peek: Soilets, Crickets, and Artificial Intelligence"

Sean the Democrat and Sean the Republican face-off in a lively debate about immigration. Things get a little messy as they dive into these controversial issues. And there’s an extra quirkiness added as the moderator, the Democrat, and the Republican are all the voice of Sean Sevy. You can see how one mind can actually lean … Continue reading "Democrat & Republican Face-off: Immigration"

Stereotype, prejudice, and implicit bias are things we all deal with. The question isn’t whether we possess these, but rather, what do we do about it. To help us gain understanding on this, Sean Sevy grabs insight from a diverse crew: a director at a conservative think tank, a President of the NAACP, a director … Continue reading "If Someone Tells You: “You’re Biased,” They’re Right"

What does China think about Trump? What does China hope to gain in making deals with the US? Why is the US-China relationship important? All of these questions are answered as Sean Sevy interviews Big Daddy Dough, who is an economist in Beijing by day and a rapper by night. Big Daddy Dough recently released … Continue reading "The US-China Relationship Explained- with rapper Big Daddy Dough"

The March for Science last Saturday was only a reaction to anti-Science political rhetoric. In this episode we set the stage by digging into the Republican Platform on the Environment and Energy, which has plenty of claims which can make scientists cringe. And of course, we couldn’t tell this story without reading some Trump tweets on … Continue reading "March for Science: What was that all about?"

Kristy Sevy founded FuzePlay, which makes hackable toys which teach kids coding and how stuff works. Instead of kids becoming glued to mind-numbing devices, FuzePlay prepares kids for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The company’s current trending product is the Zubi Flyer, which is a Frisbee with on-board programmable electronics. So kids build it, … Continue reading "Toys that Turn Kids into Hackers (it’s a good thing)"

Sex education in our schools is a controversial issue. There are the two extremes: the abstinence-only approach and the comprehensive approach to sex ed. And these are big issues for a reason: parents are passionately protesting having their kids see a condom demonstration as part of education curriculum, among other things. It can get awkward. … Continue reading "The Unsexy Truths About Sex Ed"

Only one recording remains of C.S. Lewis’ radio show which aired during WWII. This was a tough time for people living in England. Not only did the families of soldiers deal with death on a regular basis, but families throughout the country lived in constant fear of German planes dropping bombs. In light of these bleak circumstances, the BBC’s … Continue reading "An Interview with Dead C.S. Lewis"

Cheryl Neufville is as American as they come. But she doesn’t hide the fact that being a second-generation immigrant comes with some issues. There are the small struggles of balancing American culture with the mother culture, and for Cheryl, often these can be endearing. But then there’s the reality of racism. And there’s the pain … Continue reading "Cheryl Neufville: an American & a Second-Generation Immigrant (same thing)"