Podcasts about MFA

Blurb:   Daniel Tucker interviews Georgia Kotretsos about her work with the ΤΗΕ ΤΕΛΟΣ SOCIETY which is conceived of as a Arts & Culture Research Lab Observatorium with projects throughout Greece and beyond. This interview was conducted at the Twenty-First International Conference on the Arts in Society conference "Modeling Life Systems: Art, Algorithms, Ecologies" at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.    Bio: Georgia Kotretsos is a visual artist, researcher, the founder of the nonprofit organization THE ΤΕΛΟΣ SOCIETY, Arts & Culture Research Lab Observatorium, in Athens, Greece and the publisher of TTS Press, which operates in the field of cultural studies and art research in Greece, the Balkans, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. TTS focuses on the Greek periphery, the islands, and remote areas. It creates interdisciplinary teams tailored for each project, working collaboratively on site-specific intangible projects that uncover the unique aspects of each locale. TTS publications are available at the following bookstores: Politeia, Ianos, Museum of Cycladic Art, Iambos, Pixel,and Public (online). Through these endeavors, THE TEΛΟΣ SOCIETY highlights the importance of contemporary art and cultural heritage while fostering new creative perspectives and audiences. She holds an MFA in Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA, 2004), where she studied on a full merit-based scholarship, and a BFA from the Durban Institute of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2000), where she relocated as a teenager during the country's post-apartheid transition. Her work systematically critiques conventional theoretical positions on viewing and perceiving artworks, seeking—through liberatory and anarchic visual practices—to reveal that the experience of viewing is site-specific, and that the emancipation of the viewer is a crucial source of artistic knowledge. Her research-based approach—whether in the form of artwork, text, or interview—resists traditional forms and historical modes of acquiring knowledge, proposing alternative methodologies for its creation and reception. Her work has been presented both in Greece and internationally, including at the Onassis Art Center and the Asia Society in New York, the 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Tinguely Museum (Basel), La Kunsthalle (Mulhouse), the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art (Thessaloniki), and the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis. She has held seven solo exhibitions and participated in numerous significant international initiatives, including the 56th Venice Biennale, MediaImpact in Moscow, and FIELD MEETING in New York. From 2006 to 2010, she co-founded the independent art space Boots Contemporary Art Space in St. Louis, USA—an alternative contemporary art laboratory—and served as editor-in-chief of BootPrint, a biannual journal by and for artists. From 2009 to 2013, she served as a columnist for Art21 Magazine of PBS Arts Feature in New York, with her column Inside the Artist's Studio. In 2014, her writing was also published on LABKULTUR.TV in Germany. In 2019, Kotretsos published a report on the arts in Greece reflecting on the decade of recession 2008-18 entitled "Athens is the Only Cave in the World that has a Skylight" for the Field Journal in the US.  Her works are held in private collections, including the National Bank of Greece, the Mamidakis Foundation, and others. More information about her work can be found at:  www.georgiakotretsos.com | www.thetelossociety.com  Georgia Kotretsos portrait for RTIN by Kostas Pappas and the TTS Logo

Today’s conversation between Thalia Field and David Naimon, moderated by Anne de Marcken, was recorded in February as part of the Pacific Northwest College of Art’s Visual Arts low residency MFA program. Thalia and David discuss and explore their pieces within the anthology Creature Needs: Writers Respond to the Science of Animal Conservation, where each writer was given a scientific study to engage with and create art in relation to. As a result, side-blotched lizards, boreal toads and the green cutthroat trout all help make up the cross-species chorus of today’s conversation, one that isn’t just about making art in relation to science, but also about interrogating, through art-making, the assumptions baked into the scientific frame, and using art to reveal the unexamined stories hidden within that frame. Looking at other non-normative modes of scientific inquiry, ones where the line isn’t so bright between art and science, nor the subjective and the so-called objective, Thalia, David and Anne explore the various possibilities and pitfalls for art-makers and writers when engaging with the more-than-human world. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, consider joining the Between the Covers community as a listener-supporter. Find out about all the potential rewards and benefits of doing so at the show’s Patreon page. Finally, here is the BTC BookShop specific to today’s episode. And don’t miss Milkweed Editions own BookShop bookstore as well.

Kim Murphy joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about unburdening herself from decades of shame, her often absent and unpredictable mother, what we owe or don't owe our parents at the end of their lives, gaining a level of remove from the character versions of ourselves, the push and pull of dependence and disappointment, hoping our parents will be different, getting raw and vulnerable on the page, molding lived experience into a narrative arc, depicting the younger versions of ourselves, the motivation and accountability of a writing partner, making art from a messy childhood, working with vulnerable and difficult material, creating her own imprint and becoming an indie author, and her new memoir Unmothered: A Memoir of Parental Neglect and the Search for Love and Belonging.   Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: - the divided self - writing with metaphor - having your family's blessing   Books mentioned in this episode: The Memoir Project by Marian Roach Smith Deep Memoir by Jennifer Selig   Kim Murphy is the author of Unmothered, a memoir that explores the long shadow of maternal absence, the quiet work of self-parenting, and the ways women learn to survive--and eventually soften--without the care they needed. Her writing traces the intersections of trauma, identity, resilience, and healing, with particular attention to the enduring impact of childhood emotional neglect and abuse.   A longtime writer and communications strategist, Kim spent more than three decades as an independent contractor crafting narratives for government agencies, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 organizations, translating complex material into clear, easy-to-understand content.  She is the author of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial: 25 Years of Healing and Educating and co-author of The Best Friends' Guide to Getting Fit. Her work has also appeared in Ritz-Carlton Magazine. When she's not writing or hanging out with her husband, Kim plays Mahjong, pulls weeds from her flower garden, and walks the beach while listening to podcasts and audiobooks.   Connect with Kim: Website: https://kestrelhousepress.com/ On Instagram: @kma_copy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-murphy-593b01/   Purchase Book: https://books.by/kestrelhousepress – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank   Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

Notes and Links to Julian Randall's Work     Julian Randall is a Living Queer Black author from Chicago. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, CantoMundo, Callaloo, and the Watering Hole. Julian is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and the winner of the 2019 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award from the Publishing Triangle.   His writing has been published in New York Times Magazine, Ploughshares, and POETRY, and anthologized in Black Boy Joy (which debuted at #1 on the NYT Best Seller list), Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed, and Furious Flower. Julian has essays in Vibe Magazine, Los Angeles Review of Books, and other venues. They hold an MFA in poetry from University of Mississippi.    Julian is the author of five books across three genres. For adults: Refuse (Pitt, 2018), winner of the 2017 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and a finalist for a 2019 NAACP Image Award and The Dead Don't Need Reminding: In Search of Fugitives, Mississippi and Black TV Nerd Shit (Bold Type Books, 2024) winner of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters award in Life Writing. For middle grade novel readers, he has written the Pilar Ramirez duology, The Chainbreakers and Shook, a middle grade novel in verse, which was published on August 9th, 2026.    Buy Shook   Julian Randall's Website   Review of Shook at BookPage   Support Flourish Community Hub on the Ground in Gary, Indiana     At about 1:45, Julian lays out the sobering situation in Gary, Indiana-support here At about 3:20, Julian talks about feedback he has received on Shook and tour events At about 4:30, Julian talks about favorite bookstores at which to buy his book, including Call and Response At about 5:30, Julian details his reading journey, especially his father's influence on his reading and his language and literature background  At about 7:00, Julian talks about, among others, Artemis Fowl, Langston Hughes, and Van Helsing-influences on his sensibility At about 9:50, Julian riffs on Shawn of the Dead and his reference in the book At about 11:50, Julian responds to Pete's question about his contemporaries and literary influences, including Jason Reynolds and Leah Johnson At about 14:55, Jason expands on the greatness of Leah Johnson At about 16:50, Pete asks Julian about how he “inhabits” his younger characters so well, and Julian adds information about how his writing has been informed by his own experiences  At about 21:20, Julian responds to Pete's question about his basketball player profile  At about 22:20, Julian reflects on the avoidance of moralizing in his writing, and he expands on his admiration for Suzanne Collins, especially her Gregor the Overlander series At about 30:15, Julian talks about seeds for Shook and connections to the pandemic  At about 33:45, Julian responds to Pete;'s asking about the book's sequencing and use of unique “chapters” At about 37:00, Julian connects his writing style in Shook, featuring “beats,” to DVD “scene selection” At about 38:00, Pete lays out some of the book's exposition  At about 39:00, Julian characterizes and compliments his main character, Malik “Shake” Page At about 40:15, Julian talks Malik, backstory, and “My Story” on NBA 2K At about 42:40, Julian talks about a question for his characters, “What is magic for you?” and connections between the calming factor of basketball and anxiety  At about 44:30, Russell Westbrook Love At about 45:40, The two discuss the protagonist's group chat, and the genesis of the book's title and the titular character  At about 47:45, Julian compares the group chat to a “Greek chorus” At about 48:55, The two discuss the book's semifinal game and the importance of trash talking  At about 53:00, Discussion of a damaging injury to Shake leads to discussion of “Up North,” Chicago redlining history, and economic and racial segregation  At about 55:55, At about 57:00, Dr. Betts and real-life inspirations are discussed-Dr. Tara Betts  At about 59:35, Shake and his “widening gulf” with friends discussed At about 1:00:15, Julian talks about a prominent character, Duke, real-life connections, and how he is a quiet “hero” in the book, instructive for Shake  At about 1:04:00, Pete recounts a crushing comparison made by Kaveh Akbar that speaks to the idea of everyone's expansive stories  At about 1:05:20, Dr. Jason Clopton and his fictional doppelganger, Dr. Kendrick J. Drake are lovingly referenced  At about 1:06:40, Julian talks about the “manifestation of the classic middle-school” fear and “anxiety representation” and therapy discussions in his book At about 1:09:50, Pete cites some profound and moving quotes in the book      You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow Pete on IG, where he is @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where he is @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both the YouTube Channel and the podcast while you're checking out this episode.       Pete is very excited to have one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. His conversation with Jeff Pearlman, a recent guest, is up now at Chicago Review.     Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl      Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting Pete's one-man show, DIY podcast and extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!    This month's Patreon bonus episode is the second episode for Pete's limited podcast series, Rage is a Gift: Evil Empire at 30. Pete reflects on the Importance (and the power of this capital "I") of Rage Against the Machine and their seminal Evil Empire album, which is celebrating 30 years of resistance. The episode focuses on the opening track, “People of the Sun.” The limited podcast series will do a deep exploration of, and reflection on, the lyrics and context of each of the 12 powerful songs on the album.     Pete has added a $1 a month tier for “Well-Wishers” and Cheerleaders of the Show.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.     Please tune in for Episode 348 with Daniel Dockery, who has been a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor at Crunchyroll, as well as a Columnist and Assistant Editor at Cracked.com. He's also written for WIRED, Vulture, Polygon, SYFY, Paste Magazine, Roger Ebert, Thrillist, and various other outlets. His first book, Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All, was released by Running Press on October 4, 2022. His upcoming book, I AM THE NIGHT: The Ultimate Unauthorized History of Batman: The Animated Series, is out with St. Martin's Press as of September 1, 2026.      The episode airs on September 8.     Please go to ceasefiretoday.org, and/or https://act.uscpr.org/a/letaidin to call your congresspeople and demand an end to the forced famine and destruction of Gaza and the Gazan people.    You can also donate at chuffed.org, World Central Kitchen, and so many more, and/or you can contact writer friend Ursula Villarreal-Moura directly or through Pete, as she has direct links with friends in Gaza.  

Matthew Toffolo interviewed Rocky Karri, who discussed his award-winning sci-fi TV pilot script "Ammamma & Raag." Rocky explained that the story was inspired by his relationship with his grandmother and his own experiences growing up in Milwaukee with Indian parents. He described the process of writing the script at USC's MFA program and his plans to adapt it into a comic book. Rocky also mentioned his feature film script, "Open Arrangement," a romantic comedy about an arranged marriage with a modern twist. He shared his journey from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, his graduation from USC, and his current efforts to gain representation in the industry. The conversation also touched on cultural influences, personal inspirations, and the themes of love and self-discovery in his writing. —- Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod —— Love for you to try the Indy Film Festival AP. • Daily new film festival of the best new films from around the world. New archived festival to watch anytime. • Library of over 500+ award-winning films to watch anytime. Go to https://www.wildsound.ca and sign up for the free 3-day trial. Check out the daily film festival (and previous ones from last month) at https://www.wildsound.ca/browse Always an amazing lineup of films. Inspiring for storytellers.

A CHILANGA MOM WRITER Natalia Mejía shares growing up in Mexico City, starting her TV career straight out of college writing Mexican telenovelas, moving to Los Angeles to get her MFA at UCLA and learn to write in English while keeping her voice, working in U.S. rooms like Snowfall and FBI: International, and exploring motherhood, contradiction, and women caught between worlds in her work. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

On this episode of Antioch MFA's LitCit, host Gabriela Revilla Lugo of the MFA in Dramatic Writing (Screenwriting) program sits down with writer, editor, and translator Mike Fu. Mike Fu is a Tokyo-based writer, editor, and translator. His Chinese-English translation of Stories of the Sahara by Sanmao (Bloomsbury, 2020) was named a Favorite Book of the Year by the Paris Review and shortlisted for the 2021 National Translation Award in Prose. Fu's debut novel, Masquerade, was published by Tin House in 2024. He has taught at Temple University Japan, Parsons School of Design, and the City University of New York, and received his PhD in cultural studies from Waseda University. He is a writer and editor for The Japan Times. This episode was produced by Hylee Kim and mastered by Max Pearl and Odin Rasco.

Welcome to this week's episode of the PEBCAK Podcast!  We've got four amazing stories this week so sit back, relax, and keep being awesome!  Be sure to stick around for our Dad Joke of the Week. (DJOW) Follow us on Instagram @pebcakpodcast   Please share this podcast with someone you know!  It helps us grow the podcast and we really appreciate it!   Simple 6 signup link https://simple6.co/r/CFUR98   Meta buys its way out of the teen engagement lawsuit and writes the curfew into the settlement. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/meta-agrees-to-18-billion-settlement-over-teen-social-media-harms/ Meta settled with 52 attorneys general for ~$18B over claims Facebook and Instagram were built to drive compulsive teen use, resolving a 2023 suit led by California AG Rob Bonta that also alleged illegal under-13 data collection under COPPA. The product terms are the real story: a default two-hour daily cap for under-18s that only a parent can lift, a midnight–6am blackout, notifications muted 10pm–7am and during school hours, hidden like counts, no cosmetic surgery filters, and expanded age verification to find under-18s and purge under-13s — locked in for ten years under an independent auditor. Only $12.7B goes to states now. The other $5.3B is held back until YouTube and TikTok adopt matching one-hour limits, nighttime restrictions and age assurance, and each makes a matching payment — at which point Meta's own cap drops to one hour. Meta openly framed this as driving industry-wide adoption. Read that again: Meta just put a $5.3B bounty on its competitors adopting mandatory age verification, and everyone's calling it a punishment. Meta books ~$10B in Q3 legal expenses; California takes $1.5–2.1B.   A watermark-removal industry sprang up overnight for a watermark nobody can detect. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ai-watermark-removers-flood-the-web-almost-none-can-prove-they-work/ Days after Anthropic switched on invisible watermarking in everything Claude writes, a removal market appeared: a 4,500-star GitHub project, freshly registered domains like claudewatermark[.]rip and gptcleanup.com, and existing Turnitin-bypass shops (StealthGPT, Human Writes) bolting Claude onto their pitch. None of it is verifiable; Anthropic hasn't published the scheme or shipped a detector. The technical punchline: stripping zero-width characters and C2PA/EXIF metadata works, but it's trivial, since file metadata dies on a re-save or a screenshot. The real mark lives in which words the model picked, so the only known removal is a heavy rewrite through a second model. Guillaume Meyer, who wrote the biggest tool, says so himself, metadata only, for now. Tester Pasquale Pillitteri read the code instead of the READMEs and found one popular cleaner passed a hidden payload through intact. Driver is EU AI Act Article 50, enforceable since Aug 2, penalties to €15M or 3% of global turnover. And a detected mark only proves Claude touched the text, not that it wrote it. Defender angle: these ship as agent skills people wire into pipelines and feed documents through. That's a supply chain surface.   Chrome finally kills the infostealer's favorite trick: the stolen cookie that walks past your MFA. https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/08/chrome-adopts-what-may-be-the-best-protection-yet-against-account-takeovers/ Chrome shipped device-bound session credentials, storing a key in the device's security chip: TPM on Windows, Secure Enclave on macOS and iOS and cryptographically binding session cookies to that hardware. A stolen cookie can't be replayed on the attacker's box to walk past MFA, because the private key never leaves the chip. This is the fix for the failure mode we keep covering: as users adopted 2FA and passkeys, infostealers stopped fighting the login and started lifting the post-auth session instead. Announced in 2024, beta in April, GA for Workspace on Chrome for Windows from May 25, on by default with no admin config, and binding events are visible in Admin console audit logs. Honest caveat: it kills one very popular path, not every takeover, and only where the server side implements it.   Dad Joke of the Week (DJOW)   Find the hosts on LinkedIn: Chris - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlouie/ Glenn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennmedina/ Victor - https://www.linkedin.com/in/victordeluca/

Rebecca Stafford is a YA author, poet, and writing teacher. Her debut novel, Rabbit and Juliet, was named a Best YA Book of 2024 by both Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Her second novel, The Ending You Deserve, is forthcoming from Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins in September 2026. She is also the author of four poetry collections — Fair Copy, Vow, Gloss, and Generic Husband — and a two-time Pushcart Prize winner whose poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, The New Yorker, and Best American Poetry. She holds an MFA from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD from Florida State University, and has been teaching writing for twenty years, currently as a Professor at North Central College. Her latest novel is The Ending You Deserve. Learn more at rebeccastaffordauthor.com Intro reel, Writing Table Podcast 2024 Outro RecordingFollow the Writing Table: @writingtablepodcastEmail questions or tell us who you'd like us to invite to the Writing Table: writingtablepodcast@gmail.com.

Too many nonprofits still act as if funders hold all the power. In reality, many of today's most generous foundations and donors are actively looking for bold, aspirational partners who can help them create meaningful change. In this episode, Melissa Cowley Wolf talks with Jaimie Mayer, founder of Middle Child Philanthropy and former chair of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, about what it looks like when nonprofits stop behaving like "grantees" and start showing up as strategic partners. You'll learn why the old funder/fundee dynamic no longer works, what today's funders are really looking for in nonprofit leaders, and how to tap a funder's totality of assets — from grants and impact investments to communications and connections. Want to suggest a topic, guest, or nonprofit organization for an upcoming episode? Send an email with the subject "NPFX suggestion" to contact@ipmadvancement.com. Additional Resources [NPFX] Greater Visibility Equals More Funding https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/greater-visibility-equals-more-funding [NPFX] Next Gen Donors and the Arts (with Jaimie Mayer) https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/next-gen-donors-and-the-arts [NPFX] Why Change Feels Impossible — And Why Your Funding Depends on It https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/why-change-feels-impossible-and-why-your-funding-depends-on-it-grounded-leadership [NPFX] Why Consistency Is Your Strategic Advantage https://www.ipmadvancement.com/npfx/grounded-leadership-why-consistency-is-your-strategic-advantage Guest Jaimie Mayer is the Founder of Middle Child Philanthropy, partnering with families and philanthropic leaders to transform how values, power, and wealth move across generations. She recently completed a seven-year tenure as Chair of the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Under her leadership, the Board unanimously voted to shift 100% of the foundation's assets into mission-aligned investments, partnering with a values-aligned OCIO and deepening its commitment to racial, economic, and environmental justice. Jaimie holds an Executive MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and an MFA in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University's School of the Arts. She serves as Vice President of The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation and sits on the boards of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the National Center for Family Philanthropy, Caramoor, and The Vineyard Theatre, as well as Morgan Stanley's Diversity Portfolios Advisory Council. She is a frequent speaker on multigenerational philanthropy, next generation leadership, impact investing, and values alignment in giving. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimiemayer/ https://www.middlechildphilanthropy.com/ Host Melissa Cowley Wolf is a strategic advisor, executive coach, author, and speaker working at the intersection of leadership, organizational impact, and philanthropic strategy. She is the founder of MCW Projects LLC, an advisory firm focused on next-era executive development and mission-driven strategy for leaders seeking meaningful impact. With more than 20 years of experience in philanthropy, leadership coaching, and campaign strategy — including work on campaigns up to $4 billion — Melissa has partnered with leading cultural, corporate, and academic institutions, philanthropists, and changemakers. Her coaching approach integrates wellness and somatic practices to help executives build clarity, groundedness, and strategic insight in a volatile environment. Named a Global Innovator Transforming the Art Industry, Melissa also directs the Arts Funders Forum, a platform advancing private support and new financial models for the cultural sector. https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-cowley-wolf-6440a79/ https://www.mcw-projects.com/ Connect with NPFX LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/npfx/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/npfxpodcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/npfx_podcast/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ipmadvancement

“We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we are as gods, and we are not.” — John West Back in 2006, at the height of Web 2.0 optimism, Time made YOU person of the year. The user-generated technology of the internet, Time implied, would make all of us into digital gods of memory and forgetting. Twenty years later, the script has been totally flipped. Now we know that the internet is all-too-human. And so are we. This reminder of our mortality is the heart (if that's the right word) of the new book by John West, the double Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal computational journalist. West's The Internet Will Die, and So Will You is a kind of digital memento mori. His argument is metaphysical rather than political. Offline, he writes, our lives are marked by constraint. But we mistake the internet's destruction of physical distance for limitlessness. “We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we are as gods,” he reminds us, “and we are not.” A Christian and a digital deconvert (not an uncommon combination in the technocrati), West wants us to import our mortality online. If we recognize that the internet will decay and finally die, he suggests, we will make it human. (Re)Make it, as us. I've been making a version of this argument since The Cult of the Amateur in 2007. Only West's version — by contrasting Bach, Ecclesiastes, and Mary Oliver with the infinite scroll — is more poetic and musical. Politer too. Noli timere, as the poet Seamus Heaney texted before he died. Be not afraid. Of life, of death. But beware of YOU. Be afraid. Timere. Very afraid. Five Takeaways •       We Are Not Gods. The book's thesis: offline life is marked by constraint — you cannot talk to people farther than you can shout, or hug your child while she's at school — while online we act at a distance and mistake that “foot-loosening technology” for limitlessness. “We have deluded ourselves into thinking that we are as gods, and we are not” — the AI singularity being the theological version of the same delusion, and “a recipe for disaster, both interpersonally, but also within ourselves.” The fix is not logging off but bringing our mortality online: “this is where we live,” and the Internet's magic only stays magical when tempered by limits — “in order for it to be magical, we need the flip side, which is that it can't always be magic.” Andrew's frame: in 2006, Time made YOU person of the year, promising digital gods of memory and forgetting. Twenty years on, the internet is all-too-human — and so are we.•       The Deconvert's Meditation. “No one is more strident than the convert or the deconvert.” West's digital utopianism began in a middle-school computer lab, where an unhappy kid discovered he could find friends and communities online — and it died by monkey's paw: the same mechanism that found him anime fans now routes lonely kids into pro-anorexia TikTok rabbit holes (his own Journal colleagues' reporting) and neo-Nazi forums. “That supercharging is something that I wished for.” He concedes the lineage Andrew has worked since The Cult of the Amateur (2007) and The Internet Is Not the Answer (2015) — and goes further: “I actually think largely, Plato and Postman were right.” Culture must metabolize its technological ruptures. Or, per the Freudian slip Andrew gifted back to him for the next book: its raptures. Andrew's verdict on the lineage: the same argument, more poetic and musical. Politer too.•       A Few Thousand Weeks. On the Luddite summer, West channels past guest Brian Merchant: hatred of technology is usually hatred of lost control. The backlash against AI data centers is about being “completely removed from democratic control over that technology,” and the marketing — a magic box that will take your job — has backfired predictably. His arithmetic of dignity: we get only a few thousand weeks on this earth, and “our dignity demands that we have some say over what we do with our lives.” He cites Freddie deBoer's Copernican principle — everyone believes they live at history's hinge — then breaks it honestly: “but I also think this time, it might be right,” the elder millennial awestruck at the rupture he came of age inside.•       Religious, Not Spiritual. West inverts the modern chestnut: “everyone says they're spiritual and not religious these days. I actually think it's important to be religious, and spiritual can take it or leave it” — religion being “a powerful technology” for binding people into the civic fabric. His Christianity runs to liberation theology: not storing up treasure for the glorious day, but making this world more just now. Hence Bach cantatas, Ecclesiastes, and Mary Oliver as the book's unnamed philosophies — and hence his verdict on the billionaires who struggle with finitude: it doesn't shock him that men who earn millions while sleeping believe themselves gods, since “every dollar is like a little Iago whispering poison into the ears of the Silicon Valley elite.” The advantage belongs to us mere normals, unburdened by the whispering.•       Noli Timere. The Latin on West's X page — be not afraid — was Seamus Heaney's last text message, sent by SMS before the surgery he didn't survive, then carried by the Internet to thousands who found hope in it. That, West argues, is the network at its best: “it is about how you spend your time on the Internet, not what you can do on the Internet.” On memory, his formula is to remember “not more and not less, but rather differently” — choosing what we remember (the Odyssey's oral re-membering, retold body to body) rather than having it forced on us (the red solo cup photos, the traumas that refuse processing). The great mismatch of the web: “the things that we think should be permanent are often the things that are the most impermanent online, and the things that I really wish would fade away are the ones that refuse to.” Andrew's send-off inverts Heaney: be not afraid — of life, of death. But beware of YOU, the ultimate human conceit. Timere. Very afraid. About the Guest John West is a writer and technologist. He reports the news with code at The Wall Street Journal, where his work has won multiple awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes. The Boston Globe called his first book, Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery, “lyrical and crystalline.” He holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and degrees in philosophy and music performance from Oberlin College, and lives outside Kingston, New York, with his partner, children, and unruly cat. The Internet Will Die, and So Will You (Here Below, September 10, 2026) is his digital memento mori. References: •       The Internet Will Die, and So Will You: On Learning to Live in Our Digital Age by John West (Here Below, September 10, 2026).•       Lessons and Carols: A Meditati...

Kevin Surace, Chief Executive Officer at TokenCore, opens with the attack path he says is doing the most damage right now. A phishing email carries a PDF and no links, so it clears the filters. The domain is one character off from the real one, the site is pixel perfect because AI built both the page and the message, and the employee approves an auth prompt they were already expecting. The code was real and the approval was real. Kevin Surace points out that auth apps and passkeys run over cellular and Wi-Fi, so the prompt has no way to know the request came from ten thousand miles away. Anything a person can read or hand over can be shared, and by his account an attacker needs about thirty seconds of trust to get it. Passkeys moved the target rather than removing it. Kevin Surace counts 39 separate passkey attacks in the wild within two weeks of Microsoft telling customers to migrate, and points to Michael Grafnetter of SpecterOps, who presented passkey and Entra research at Black Hat. He walks through the FIDO2 counter that WebAuthn treats as optional so shared passkeys can move between devices. What changes with TokenCore in the mix is where the proof sits. Kevin Surace describes signing into Entra in under two seconds, both passwordless and ID-less, over secure Bluetooth, with the device carrying no apps and no screen. Proximity holds it within three feet of the computer being logged into, the credential stays bound to the original domain, and fingerprints stay off the network. Agents raise the same question in a new place. Kevin Surace describes a policy where an agent action above a million-dollar check needs a person to approve it, and notes that another agent, a hacked one, or a bad actor can clear that approval just as easily. A biometric gate is what tells you the CFO was actually in the room, which is a governance answer as much as a security one. For CISOs, identity architects, and risk owners, the question worth asking is what an identity program looks like when the proof of a person becomes the control, and how much residual risk that removes from privileged access, financial approvals, and agent workflows. This is a Brand Briefing. A Brand Briefing is an on-location conversation recorded on site at Black Hat USA 2026, putting a spotlight on the guest and their company and pairing it with the editorial reach of ITSPmagazine. Learn more: https://www.studioc60.com/performance/#briefing GUEST Kevin Surace, Chief Executive Officer at TokenCore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ksurace/ RESOURCES Black Hat USA 2026 event coverage: https://www.itspmagazine.com/black-hat-usa-2026-cybersecurity-event-coverage-in-las-vegas Learn more about TokenCore: https://www.tokencore.com TokenCore products: https://www.tokencore.com/products Are you interested in telling your story? ▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full ▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight ▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlight ▶︎ Get your own Brand Briefing at an upcoming event: https://www.studioc60.com/buy-brand-briefings KEYWORDS Kevin Surace, TokenCore, Sean Martin, brand briefing, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, Black Hat USA 2026, biometric identity, identity assurance, passkey attacks, MFA relay attack, phishing resistant authentication, auth app compromise, FIDO2, WebAuthn, Microsoft Entra, passwordless authentication, agent authorization, privileged access

On this week's show Patrick Gray and James Wilson are joined by guest co-host Ollie Whitehouse, the CTO of the UK's NCSC, to talk through the week's news, including: Iranian hackers take down a small-scale power generator in the UK Siemens PLCs in critical US sectors are also being targeted… We're stumped on who could be behind that one, too. Microsoft fixed a CVSS 10 deserialisation bug in Entra before someone else found it and owned the planet Prompt injection isn't going away LLMs are deceiving us meat sacks and it's a worry Much, much more… This week's show is brought to you by Okta. VP of Threat Intel Brett Winterford joins the show in this week's sponsor interview to talk James through how the company is turning its plethora of accumulated data into free alerting for its customers. They also chat about Okta's new threat intelligence product line. This episode is also available on YouTube Show notes Iran-linked hackers blamed for cyber-attack that shut down UK power plant | theguardian.com Hackers using AI to target Siemens PLCs in critical US sectors | securityweek.com Defending Against an Active Threat to Siemens S7 Series PLCs | IC3.gov Industry Alerts US charges Iranians for sprawling hacking campaign on government agencies, universities | therecord.media T-Mobile ‘chopped a cable' to expel Chinese hackers from its network | techcrunch.com The long tail of Clop's PTC hack is just beginning to emerge | cyberscoop.com CISA: Medusa ransomware hit over 500 critical infrastructure orgs | BleepingComputer Ransomware disproportionately targets medium-sized firms, straining customer relationships | Cybersecurity Dive Microsoft warns of max severity Entra ID flaw exploited in attacks | BleepingComputer Critical RCE flaw in Windows IKE Extension now actively exploited | BleepingComputer Rust supply chain attack linked to North Korean hackers | securityweek.com Grok exfiltrates user data when malicious instructions are encrypted | arstechnica.com New phishing toolkit uses passkeys to maintain access after password resets | securityweek.com Password spraying attacks surge 155x as hackers exploit MFA gaps | BleepingComputer Hackers compromise 14,500 Dahua web cameras in 35-day campaign | BleepingComputer Hackers infect Android car head units with proxy botnet malware | BleepingComputer ToxicPanda Android malware uses VPN permissions to block Google Play | BleepingComputer New Manic Android malware can exfiltrate data through nearby devices | BleepingComputer Citrix urges admins to patch new NetScaler flaws as soon as possible | BleepingComputer AliExpress caught fingerprinting visitors after sending inaudible sounds to browsers | arstechnica.com EXCLUSIVE: How a Texas student blew the whistle on a rogue AI hacking attempt | reuters.com Detections and customer notifications | Okta Threat Intelligence

Michael J. Weithorn knows a thing or two about making television work — and about what happens when it doesn't. The creator of The King of Queens joins Jay Kogen to talk about the years of trial, error, difficult actors, canceled shows, and hard-earned lessons that eventually led to one of television's most successful sitcoms. Michael shares how Jerry Stiller initially turned down The King of Queens, what it was like having Charlie Kaufman in the Ned and Stacey writers' room, recognizing Bryan Cranston's talent long before Breaking Bad, and what he learned about running a television show from Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg. They also get into the strange reality of creative success: after you finally make the hit show, are you allowed to stop trying? Jay and Michael compare The Simpsons and The King of Queens, talk about why writers keep creating long after they have something to rest their laurels on, and wonder whether any of it ever actually feels like enough. Plus, Michael discusses directing Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick in his new film The Best You Can, the disappearing world of old-school TV writers' rooms, and why comedy writers may simply be incapable of leaving a perfectly good dramatic moment alone. Michael J. Weithorn is an award-winning writer, producer, director, and creator of The King of Queens, with credits including Family Ties, Cheers, Ned and Stacey, True Colors, and The Wonder Years. Bio: Michael J. Weithorn is an award-winning writer, producer, and director with over four decades of experience in Hollywood television and film. He is best known as the creator and executive producer of The King of Queens, the beloved CBS sitcom that ran for nine seasons and 207 episodes, and has brought numerous other series to life across major networks, including Ned and Stacey, True Colors, and Weird Loners. Earlier in his career, he honed his craft as a producer and story editor on Family Ties and earned a WGA Award for his Cheers script and an Emmy nomination for The Wonder Years. His feature work includes A Little Help (2011) and the upcoming The Best You Can (2025), starring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Judd Hirsch, and Ray Romano.  Beyond his creative work, Weithorn is a dedicated educator, teaching screenwriting as an adjunct professor at Columbia University's MFA program and UC Santa Barbara, while also leading comedy writing workshops for organizations including the Ghetto Film School and Inside Out Writers, an L.A.-based anti-recidivism program. Subscribe to Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen for more conversations with writers, comedians, actors, creators, and thought leaders exploring life, creativity, politics, and the human experience. Website: https://www.dontbealonewjk.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dontbealonewithjaykogen/ https://www.instagram.com/jaykogen/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dont.be.alone.wit Substack: https://substack.com/@jaykogen Merch: https://shop.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're sitting down with powerhouse actor Logan Marshall-Green, who has spent decades carving out an extraordinary career from the stage to the screen. His story begins with famously turning down a role in Terminator 3 in order to finish his MFA. In this episode, Logan takes us through his raw and honest journey, from battling intense imposter syndrome on the set of Ridley Scott's Prometheus to eventually finding his camera "sea legs" and learning to trust himself on screen. We dive into what it was like to get into an unscripted, physical scrap with Richard Gere in Brooklyn's Finest, direct the legendary Ethan Hawke in Adopt a Highway, share the screen with Al Pacino in Killing Castro, and step onto the epic scale of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Plus, Logan shares his invaluable "walkaway" audition philosophy: a mindset that teaches artists how to let go, trust the work they've done, and keep moving forward. These are the unforgettable stories that landed Logan Marshall-Green right here. Credits: The Odyssey Marshals Killing Castro Spider-Man: Homecoming And Just Like That... Big Sky When They See Us Devil The Sound and the Fury Prometheus The Invitation The O.C. 24 Guest Links: IMDB: Logan Marshall-Green THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition SLAYTEMBER CLASS: Starting September 24th THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR - 50% OFF THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly PATREON: @thatoneaudition CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com APPLE PODCASTS: Subscribe to That One Audition on Apple Podcasts SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher EPISODE CREDITS: HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Maddie McCormick WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

Jason Allen joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up working poor on Eastern Long Island with an alcoholic father, the threat of different types of violence, his father's quickness to anger, trying to get sober, the difficulty of committing to recovery, his brother's hard drug addiction, rethinking a memoir a million times, finding a narrative focus, the querying process, how writing memoir can feel cathartic, knowing what to cut and what to keep in our manuscripts, balancing our vision of what we know to be true with what other people say about our work, finding hope, and his new memoir Boys Without Fathers.   Ronit's upcoming workshop: Writing Dynamic Memoir: From Lived Experience to Gripping Story https://www.lmcmurtrylitcenter.org/workshops/writing-dynamic-memoir-from-lived-experience-to-gripping-story   Also in this episode: -writing and publishing in different genres -choosing a small indie press for our work -incorporating stand-alone pieces into memoir   Books mentioned in this episode: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls The Liar's Club by Mary Karr The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr Wild by Cheryl Strayed   Jason Allen writes fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. For his novel, The East End, Bonnie Jo Campbell provided the cover blurb: “Every page is filled with wise insights about social class and the human heart.” Jason has since been nominated for an Edgar Award and the Georgia Author of the Year Award, and recently completed his memoir, Boys Without Fathers, which will be released September 1st, 2026. His poetry collection, A Meditation on Fire, is now with Black Lawrence Press, and he has published essays with Salon, Literary Hub, and The Strand Magazine. Jason teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Wichita State University and lives in Kansas with his sweet rescue dog, Luna.   Website: https://www.jasonallenauthor.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.allen.908132/ Instagram: Jason_Allen_Books   Preorder link for Boys Without Fathers:  https://square.link/u/URHWk0x0

katie wills evans is a second-year MFA candidate in fiction at the University of New Orleans who considers herself a poet and teacher above all else, having spent the last fourteen years working with teenagers in New Orleans public schools. Their short story "Something for the Children" was a finalist in Writer's Digest's 2024 Short Short Story contest, their poem "meth addicted fish" was a finalist in the Connecticut Poetry Society's Experimental Poetry Contest, and they have essays and interviews published in The Progressive, EdSurge, and Variable West Magazine. In this episode, Jared and katie talk about choosing an MFA program not only for the writing, but for the place where you'll be living and creating. They discuss what makes New Orleans such a remarkable home for writers and artists, and how the city's distinct history, culture, music, and traditions find their way into the creative life. They also talk about balancing teaching and writing, the intensity of working as a TA in graduate school, and why writing across genres can make us stronger writers. They get into how workshop can make us better teachers and citizens, what writing pedagogy looks like in the age of AI, and how the LSU New Orleans Writers' at Work program gives students a look at the professional side of the writing industry.MFA Writers is hosted by Jared McCormack and produced by Jared McCormack, Hanamori Skoblow and Brié Goumaz. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can find more MFA Writers at ⁠MFAwriters.com⁠.BE PART OF THE SHOW— Donate to the show at ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠.— Leave a rating and review on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠.— Submit an episode request. If there's a program you'd like to learn more about, contact us and we'll do our very best to find a guest who can speak to their experience.— Apply to be a guest on the show by filling out ⁠our application⁠.STAY CONNECTEDInstagram: ⁠@MFAwriterspodcast⁠Facebook: ⁠MFA Writers⁠Email: ⁠mfawriterspodcast@gmail.com

Phishing resistant MFA is the difference between a bad guy getting one email address and a bad guy getting your entire company's inbox. On this episode, Prasanna, Dr. Mike Saylor, and I dig into why plain old multi-factor authentication isn't the finish line anymore; it's the starting line.We open with a real attack: a vulnerable REDCap database, stolen Google Workspace admin credentials, and email forwarding rules quietly running for over a year before anyone noticed. From there Mike breaks down how social engineering actually works (the research bad guys do on you before they ever send an email) and why "report as phishing" buttons have themselves become an attack vector. I share the story of the free credit monitoring scam that got me, and why freezing your credit reports is one of the best five-minute security moves you can make.Mike then walks through FIDO2 and passkeys, why they're built on old-school public/private key encryption, and why they're transactional instead of just another code sent to your phone. We cover the Flax Typhoon espionage campaign, the Raptor Train botnet, and how hard-coded credentials on IoT devices turned into root-level access for a foreign intelligence operation.Then Mike introduces "killing the trust button," which is phrase for the idea that most networks default to open, and every one of those defaults is a decision somebody made without thinking about the risk. We talk about blocking traffic by country, limiting concurrent logins, expiring MFA tokens, and why starting with your administrative accounts is the easiest place to build momentum. And yes, we talk about just asking an AI assistant like Copilot or Claude to walk you through turning this stuff on, because you probably already have these tools and don't know it.We close on why MFA by itself still isn't enough — session token theft, MFA exhaustion attacks, and the "remember this device" setting that undoes everything you just set up. If you're the person responsible for an environment with important accounts sitting there with no MFA, we've got a name for that, and it's not a nice one.Chapters:0:00 – Cold Open1:31 – Welcome to the Show4:12 – The REDCap/Google Workspace Attack8:38 – Social Engineering: How Attackers Do Their Homework13:06 – Freeze Your Credit Reports16:55 – What Is FIDO2? (Phishing Resistant MFA Explained)18:58 – Flax Typhoon and the Raptor Train Botnet24:43 – Professional Malfeasance: No More Excuses for Skipping MFA28:05 – Killing the Trust Button32:51 – Start With Your Administrative Accounts36:36 – Why MFA Alone Isn't Enough: MFA Exhaustion39:27 – Passkeys, Impossible Travel, and Final Takeaways

Scott Wright joins Shared Security to discuss his Digital Legacy Tree framework and upcoming book, The Digital Legacy Tree. We talk about what happens to your accounts, passwords, devices, files, money, cloud storage, crypto, and online identity if you die, become incapacitated, or are suddenly unavailable — and how to plan for trusted access without weakening your security today.The conversation covers why “just use a password manager” is not enough, the roots-trunk-leaves model for organizing access, dependencies, and priorities, platform legacy-contact options, and the one practical first step: set up legacy or emergency contacts on your most critical accounts.** Links mentioned on the show **Scott Wright — securityperspectives.com (Digital Legacy Tree, Digital Legacy Tools, book beta review)https://securityperspectives.com/digital-legacy-tools/RUFADAA — Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Uniform_Fiduciary_Access_to_Digital_Assets_ActOpenID Foundation (digital legacy / account handover research) https://openid.netPrior Shared Security episode — What Happens to Your Social Media Accounts After You Die? https://sharedsecurity.net/2021/08/31/what-happens-to-your-social-media-accounts-after-you-die/** Watch this episode on YouTube **[YOUTUBE URL]** Become a Shared Security Supporter **Get exclusive access to bonus episodes, listen to new episodes before they are released, receive a monthly shout-out on the show, and get a discount code for 15% off merch at the Shared Security store. Become a supporter today by going to our YouTube channel's membership section: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg9CCDIYkDDqwEZ3UYaxjnA/join** Thank you to our sponsors! **GuardsquareSpecial thanks to Guardsquare for sponsoring this episode! Guardsquare is the leader in mobile application security, with multi-layered protection for your Android and iOS apps. Learn more at Guardsquare.com.SLNTVisit https://slnt.com to check out SLNT's amazing line of Faraday bags and other products built to protect your privacy. As a listener of this podcast you receive 10% off your order at checkout using discount code "sharedsecurity".** Subscribe and follow the podcast **Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SharedSecurityPodcastFollow us on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sharedsecurity.bsky.socialFollow us on Mastodon: https://infosec.exchange/@sharedsecurityJoin us on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/SharedSecurityShow/Visit our website: https://sharedsecurity.netSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://sharedsecurity.net/subscribeSign-up for our email newsletter to receive updates about the podcast, contest announcements, and special offers from our sponsors: https://shared-security.beehiiv.com/subscribeLeave us a rating and review: https://ratethispodcast.com/sharedsecurityContact us: https://sharedsecurity.net/contact

 Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Kimberly Lau interviews Yu-Mei Balasingamchow about her debut novel, Names Have Been Changed. Their conversation explores Ophir, a Singaporean woman who commits a crime, flees the country, and spends the next decade moving through Tokyo, London, Colorado, and unnamed U.S. locations under changing identities. Lau and Balasingamchow discuss the novel's themes of diaspora, survival, language, home, and the life-changing act of telling one's story aloud.Born and raised in Singapore and now based in Boston, Yu-Mei Balasingamchow earned her MFA from Boston University, teaches at GrubStreet, and has received awards and fellowships for her fiction.Follow Yu-Mei Balasingamchow on Social MediaInstagram -  @yumei.balasingamchow Threads -  @yumei.balasingamchow  Follow Diverse Voices Book Review on Social Media: Facebook - @diversevoicesbookreview Instagram - @diverse_voices_book_review Bluesky - @diversevoicesbooks.bsky.social 

Imagine pouring your heart into a massive sculpture, only to watch it crash to the floor. What if that disaster was exactly what your practice needed? In this episode of The Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova talks with multimedia visual artist, curator, and educator Rebecca Casement. Based in Michigan, Rebecca creates affective, abstract sculptures and installations using ceramics, mixed media, sound, and textiles. This conversation explores her practice of pushing materials to their breaking point and why building instability into artwork mirrors life's unpredictability. Episode Highlights: The Beauty of Instability — why Rebecca intentionally builds heavy, precarious clay sculpture with a high likelihood of breaking in the kiln A Shift in Perspective — the story of a shattered personal sculpture that changed her entire artistic mindset Art as a Lifestyle — how to ditch the burned-out artist trope, protect your physical energy, and bring joy back into a daily studio practice Carried Together — inside her new collaborative project featuring 14 women artists exploring community and care About Rebecca Casement: Rebecca Casement is a multimedia visual artist, curator, and educator who creates affective abstract sculptures and installations. Raised in rural Michigan, she developed a habit of creative experimentation with materials that carries into her studio practice today. Focused on material language and history, her work is both emotive and honest. Rebecca holds an MFA in Studio Art and a Certification in College Teaching from Michigan State University. Connect with Rebecca: https://www.rebeccacasement.com/ Community & Opportunities: Join our Substack for fresh articles, longer-form insights, and community conversation. Submit your work to our current open call, The Artist's World, juried by Marina Press Granger, at createmagazine.com/call-for-art.

Isabel Chenot reads her poem "incarnation at Manafon," and Matthew E. Henry reads his poem "waking with nightmares," both from our Summer 2026 issue.Isabel Chenot has loved, memorized, and practiced poetry all her remembered life. Some of her poems are collected in The Joseph Tree, available from Wiseblood Books.Matthew E. Henry (MEH) is an educator, essayist, occasional fiction writer, and author of seven poetry collections, most recently Promises to Keep (Wayfarer Books, 2026). Editor-in-chief of The Weight Journal, a poetry editor at American Poetry Journal, and creative nonfiction editor at Porcupine Literary, MEH's publications include Anglican Theological Review, Massachusetts Review, Mom Egg Review, The Pedestal Magazine, Ploughshares, Stone Circle Review, Terrain, Vita Poetica, and The Worcester Review. MEH earned an MFA yet continued to spend money he didn't have completing an MA in theology and a PhD in education. He writes about education, race, religion, and burning oppressive systems to the ground at www.MEHPoeting.com.

Episode 540 / Hidenori Ishii Hidenori Ishii is an artist born in Yonezawa, Japan, who resides and works in LIC, New York. He holds a BFA from George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, and an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. His work traverses painting, screen-printing, installation and public art. His solo exhibitions include venues like Erin Cluley Gallery in Dallas, TX, C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore, MD and Hub-Robeson Gallery in Penn State University, PA. His work has been featured in group exhibitions worldwide, including at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art in TX, Tian Contemporain, Montreal, Canada and Art in Embassies in Ankara, Turkey. He has received awards such as 2024 and 2019 FST Studio Project Funds in NYC, 2024 Finalist in MTA Arts & Design Program and was previously a Keyholder Resident at the LES Printshop in New York City. His work is part of collections such as the Fidelity Investments Corporate Art Collection, TD Bank Art Collection, Morgan Stanley Art Collection, the Microsoft Art Collection and the University Texas Southwestern Medical Center Art Collection.

Naima Coster talks about how to trust that future writer self, about crafting beginnings that hold the seeds of the book, and about leaving behind the pages that we don't need anymore. Naima Coster is a New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 honor. Her novel, What's Mine and Yours, was a Read with Jenna pick and named a best book of the year by Kirkus Reviews, Esquire, Marie Claire, and more. Her first novel, Halsey Street, was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, Time, and The Cut. She earned her MFA at Columbia University and has taught writing for over a decade. Naima lives in Brooklyn. Take What You Can is her most recent novel. The Cut article: https://www.thecut.com/article/learn-to-trust-writing-instincts.html⏰ DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING SLOTS AVAILABLE (limited): http://rachaelherron.com/edit

“As psychedelics move into the mainstream media driving clinical research, venture investment, and therapeutic treatment, they are often framed as a scientific breakthrough. But much of the cultural framework behind this movement can be traced back to figures like Terrence McKenna, whose ideas were shaped not by controlled research but by highly personal, perception-altering experiences.In A Short Strange Trip, John revisits the 1971 “Experiment at La Chorrera” and places it in a broader historical and psychological context. He examines how narrative, belief, and altered states of consciousness intersect, and how those early interpretations still echo in today's conversations around mental health, spirituality, and medicine. The result is a grounded, investigative perspective on a movement often discussed in purely optimistic terms.John's work has appeared in The New York Times, GQ, Men's Journal, Financial Times Magazine, Oxford American, and The Boston Globe. His Previous book, The Secret History of Bigfoot, was named best book of 2024 by NPR and the Chicago Tribune and was covered by outlets including The Washington Post and NPR. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and teaches Journalism at Boston College. Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan (the original home of Gibson guitars), he lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his wife and children.TAG ALONG ON A TRIP THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING...MARCH 4, 1971: Deep in the Columbian rain forrest, a motley crew of “psychonauts” prepared for what they believed would be the ultimate experiment. Convinced that a mixture of powerful hallucinogenic plants held the key to unlocking human consciousness, they soon found themselves entering hyperspace.The return journey was...complicated.PRESENT DAY: Acclaimed journalist John O'Connor is fascinated by this forgotten expedition. What really happened in those jungle depths? Armed with decades-old field notes, new interviews, and a healthy dose of curiosity, O'Connor ventures into the same Amazon territory, retracing the psychonauts' steps through the remote Putumayo in search of a legendary hallucinogen called Ukue' and the truth about an “experiment” that's been quietly gathering dust.Working alongside Indigenous Uitoto people who bore witness to it all, O'Connor explores how humanity's relationship with psychedelics has shaped everything from ancient religion to modern medicine. But as he journeys deeper into both the rainforrest and the cosmic dimensions these substances reveal, one question keeps nagging at him:Were the psychonauts on to something truly profound—or just profoundly stoned?Some stories are worth the trip.You can find John at his website:https://www.johnmoconnor.com/Instagram: https://www.johnmoconnor.com/

The reality of the Bavarian Illuminati is much less dramatic than conspiracy theories would indicate. It wasn’t a mystical organization, but a protest organization formed by a rather conceited man who was frustrated with the Catholic church. Research: Britannica Editors. "illuminati". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Feb. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/topic/illuminati-group-designation Carlson, Michael. “Robert Anton Wilson [Obituary].” The Guardian. Jan. 17, 2007. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/18/guardianobituaries.usa “Two Letters from Adam Weishaupt, Founder of the Order of the Illuminati (1776).” German History Intersections. https://germanhistory-intersections.org/en/knowledge-and-education/ghis:document-190 “1776.” Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. https://www.lmu.de/en/about-lmu/lmu-at-a-glance/history/1776/ Goldenbaum, Annika. “250 Years of the Order of the Illuminati: New Research Puts Gotha in the Spotlight.” Centre for Transcultural Studies. Universitat Erfurt. https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/forschungskolleg-transkulturelle-studien/ueber-uns/aktuelles/news/news-detail/250-years-of-the-order-of-the-illuminati-new-research-puts-gotha-in-the-spotlight Greene, Jim, MFA. Discordianism. EBSCO. 2024. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/discordianism Hernandez, Isabel. “Meet the Man Who Started the Illuminati.” National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/profile-adam-weishaupt-illuminati-secret-society “To the Fathers Departing for Germany.” Georgetown University Library. https://library.georgetown.edu/woodstock/ignatius-letters/letter12 Galer, Sophia Smith. “The accidental invention of the Illuminati conspiracy.” BBC. July 11, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170809-the-accidental-invention-of-the-illuminati-conspiracy Stauffer, Vernon. “New England and the Bavarian Illuminati.” Columbia University. New York, 1918. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/newenglandbavari00stauuoft Taylor, Michael. “British Conservatism, the Illuminati, and the Conspiracy Theory of the French Revolution, 1797–1802.” Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 47, no. 3, 2014, pp. 293–312. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24690289 Miller, Shari Parsons. “Illuminati.” EBSCO. 2022. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/illuminati#bibliography Robison, John. “Proofs of a conspiracy against all the religions and governments of Europe, carried on in the secret meetings of Free masons, Illuminati, and reading societies.” Philadelphia : T. Dobson. 1798. https://archive.org/details/proofsofconspira00r/page/n9/mode/2up Vickery, Matthew. “The Birthplace of the Illuminati.” BBC. Nov. 28, 2017. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20171127-the-birthplace-of-the-illuminati See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greetings, Slushies! In this, our final encore episode for the summer, we revisit two poems from Glenn Shaheen. We hope you enjoy the conversation. We'll be back in your feeds with a brand new episode on September 9. Thanks, as always for listening. Our first order of business was debating lifestyle choices in NY vs. Philly, after which we dug into two wonderfully different poems by Glenn Shaheen. “Imago” plunged us into an elegaic interrogation of modern life, identity, and poetics framed by both the real world and open world gaming. With Glenn's poem as our guide we roamed wide, touching on gaming terminology, Bey's “Single Ladies” and 2008 as the last year of optimism, Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, Shakespeare's “filthy” Sonnet 135, and the ageless concern over the shelf life of language in poems and artistic works. The circular format of short, interlinked stanzas in the second poem, “Power and Punish”, introduced a real change in tone in the discussion. Frankly, we wondered if the poem's format and approach would allow us to discuss it. We were delighted to discover it was possible, if different – but hey, you be the judge! Some links we think you'll like: NPC (Non Player Character) on WikiHow Beyoncé - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) Michel Foucault on the Panopticon Effect, Farnham Street blog   At the table: Marion Wrenn, Kathleen Volk Miller, Jason Schneiderman, Dagne Forrest, Isabel Petry   Glenn Shaheen received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and his PhD in English Literature & Creative Writing from Western Michigan University. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and currently lives in Houston, Texas where he is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Prairie View A&M University. His book of poems, Predatory, won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize and was the finalist for the Norma Farber First Book Award. It is available from the University of Pittsburgh Press. He is also the author of the chapbook of flash fiction, Unchecked Savagery, available from Ricochet Editions. His second collection of poetry, Energy Corridor, is available from the University of Pittsburgh Press, and was published in 2016. Carnivalia, his full-length collection of flash fiction, was published by Gold Wake Press in February of 2018.   Website: https://glennshaheen.com/ IMAGO DROSOPHILA MUTANTE

Tricia Rose Burt spent nearly fifteen years doing everything right — director of corporate communications, a career built inside Fidelity Investments and Harvard Business School, the whole stable, predictable life she was raised to want. Then a career counselor told her she needed freedom and art, and within a year she'd quit the job, sold the car, ended the marriage, and moved to an artist's studio in Ireland for what was supposed to be six months. She stayed four. Now she's a Moth storyteller, a TEDx speaker, and the host of No Time to Be Timid — a podcast built entirely around one idea: the riskiest thing you can do is play it safe.In this conversation, Tricia and Bill dig into what it actually costs to become someone else on purpose — and why fear, boredom, and failure aren't obstacles to the creative life, they're the price of admission.Three reasons to listen:The week she blew up her old life. Job, car, marriage — gone in seven days, on the strength of one priest's line: "Everyone will tell you the cost of going. No one will tell you the cost of staying."Even the pros get scared. Why a 22-time Grammy winner joining the Eagles and a Nashville hitmaker turned wheelchair-tech founder both told Tricia, on record, that fear never actually goes away — you just get better at using it.A 10-point manifesto for getting unstuck. From "practicality is overrated" to "constraints are opportunities" — the field-tested rules Tricia now hands to everyone from artists to executives.Notable MentionsNo Time to Be Timid — Tricia Rose BurtPeopleTricia Rose Burt — Speaker, storyteller, and podcast host who left a corporate career at Fidelity Investments and Harvard Business School to become an artist; host of No Time to Be Timid and a longtime storyteller and instructor for The Moth.Vince Gill — Grammy-winning country musician who joined the Eagles in 2017 following Glenn Frey's death; discussed on No Time to Be Timid the fear he still feels performing, including tackling the Beach Boys' notoriously difficult "Surf's Up."Barry Dean — Nashville hit songwriter ("Heartache Medication," "Pontoon") who co-founded the smart wheelchair technology company LUCI with his brother Jered after his daughter Katherine was born with cerebral palsy.Devin Finigan — Self-taught chef-owner of Aragosta at Goose Cove in Deer Isle, Maine, trained through stints at Per Se, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and The French Laundry; her restaurant was named among Food & Wine's top U.S. dining destinations in 2024 and 2025.Laura Wilson — American documentary photographer inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2019, known for her decade-plus access to photograph Montana's Hutterite communities; mother of actors Owen, Luke, and Andrew Wilson.Nell Painter — Princeton historian who, in her mid-60s, left academia to earn a BFA and MFA in painting, chronicled in her memoir Old in Art School; she is a past guest on Tricia's own podcast.The War and Treaty (Michael & Tanya Trotter) — Husband-and-wife Americana duo; Michael, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, found his voice singing at the funerals of fellow soldiers before he and Tanya began performing together.Amy Grant — Six-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and friend of Tricia's; discussed anticipating the excitement rather than the anxiety of returning to the stage after a decade away from releasing new music.Organizations & InstitutionsThe Moth — Global nonprofit dedicated to live, unscripted personal storytelling; Tricia is a longtime storyteller and instructor for the organization.Fidelity Investments — Boston-based financial services firm where Tricia worked in corporate communications before her career pivot into the arts.Harvard Business School — Part of Tricia's original corporate career track before she left the business world for art school in Ireland.Aragosta at Goose Cove — Devin Finigan's destination restaurant and inn on Deer Isle, Maine, ranked among Food & Wine's top U.S. culinary destinations.LUCI Mobility — Smart technology company founded by songwriter Barry Dean and his brother Jered, building collision- and tip-prevention sensors for power wheelchairs.Books, Talks & MediaNo Time to Be Timid — Tricia's award-winning podcast (a Signal Award winner in Arts & Culture) featuring artists, entrepreneurs, and everyday people who made a bold creative leap.The No Time to Be Timid Manifesto — Tricia's 10-point guide to living more creatively, including principles like "the riskiest thing you can do is play it safe" and "constraints are opportunities."Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over — Nell Painter's memoir of leaving a celebrated academic career to earn a BFA and MFA in her 60s; a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist."How I Redeemed 35 Years of Regret" — Tricia's TEDxPortsmouth talk built around the idea that the biggest risk in life is playing it safe.Acknowledgements (FreeSound.org)Sounds from the forest by GirlWithSoundRecorder -- https://freesound.org/s/636921/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0Horses Whinnying.wav by LeandiViljoen -- https://freesound.org/s/502084/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0Pulse Breath with Bells_version 1.wav by phylobates -- https://freesound.org/s/493559/ -- License: Creative Commons*******Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you're an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

Today we're visiting with ceramic artist, educator, organizer, and muralist, Margarita Paz Pedro, whose work runs from the neighborhoods of Albuquerque to the Venice Biennale. She was born in Albuquerque, raised in Las Cruces, and carries family ties to Laguna Pueblo. She recently completed an MFA in studio arts from the incredible IAIA, the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.She's built a body of work where public art and private practice inform each other in beautiful ways. In her recent studio work, she's been embedding seeds into clay, so that breaks down over time and goes back to the earth. Beautiful. Margarita also leads AlmaTile. That's an apprenticeship-based public art organization that builds murals all over New Mexico.She and her collaborators are building the next generation of mural artists by building real walls in real neighborhoods, alongside artists who already know the craft. These are really notable skills. Enjoy this deeply personal exploration of art and community. Nyá:wen Indigenous Screen Office for supporting these stories. Host: Kahstoserakwathe (Kanyen'kehà:ka, Six Nations)Project Manager: Tamara LouksEditor: KahstoserakwatheAudio Engineer: Mariana Hutten CzapskiMarketing Consultant: Kattie Laur Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kara Zivin joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about maternal mental health and her own her mental health crisis during pregnancy and postpartum, how she became a patient and professor in the same health system, navigating shame and guilt around sharing a personal story, taking risks with our professional life, incorporating medical records and journal entries into a memoir narrative, grounding memoir in our own story, supporting women and families, the relief that comes from sharing the hard thing, increasing awareness and helping women to feel less alone, and her new memoir Persevered: A Maternal Mental Health Memoir.   Email Ronit after graphics and episode is scheduled:  https://www.loom.com/share/7be1c961b881401a9939edc25e34a08e   Also in this episode: - claiming our stories - letting go of an initial structure - maternal mental health and mortality   Books mentioned in this episode: - The Two Kinds of Decay by Sarah Manguso - Tell Me Everything You Don't Remember by Christine Hyung-Oak Lee - The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham  - You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith - The Braille Encyclopedia by Naomi Cohn - Hell Gate Bridge by Barrie Miskin   Kara Zivin, PhD, MS, MA, MFA, is a professor of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and health management and policy. She aims to increase public awareness about mental health conditions and to influence policy addressing them by combining research expertise (data) and personal narrative (story).    Longer: https://karazivin.com/about/   Connect with Dr. Kara Zivin Website: www.karazivin.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kzivin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-zivin-ann-arbor/ Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/kzivin.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karazivin/   Purchase book: https://www.ohioswallow.com/9780804012645/persevered/ https://www.amazon.com/Persevered-Maternal-Mental-Health-Memoir/dp/0804012644/ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/persevered-kara-zivin/1148516116 https://bookshop.org/p/books/persevered-a-maternal-mental-health-memoir-kara-zivin/0f1698b9c560969c https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Persevered/Kara-Zivin/9780804012645   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book.   More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank   Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

In this episode of the Sacred Purpose Podcast, Lisa Malia and Beth Clayton explore themes of vulnerability, grief, and the journey of self-discovery. They discuss the impact of the 'good girl' archetype on personal growth and leadership, emphasizing the importance of embracing both light and shadow in our lives. The conversation delves into the transformative experiences that arise from navigating grief and the role of community in healing. Beth shares her insights on intimacy and relationships, highlighting the significance of being authentic and transparent in our connections with others. In this conversation, Beth Clayton and Lisa Malia explore the profound journey of self-discovery, healing, and the transformation of inner demons into guardians. They discuss the importance of facing our fears, the emotional depth of personal growth, and the complexities of navigating relationships as we evolve. The dialogue emphasizes the significance of understanding our own patterns and the role of the 'wild daughter' archetype in embracing our authentic selves.   Takeaways: Grief can be a profound teacher and companion. The 'good girl' archetype often protects us from facing grief. Leadership involves showing vulnerability and humility. Self-discovery is a continuous journey, often through dark times. Embracing both our light and shadow leads to wholeness. Community plays a crucial role in healing and transformation. Intimacy requires authenticity and transparency. We all have parts of ourselves that need to be acknowledged and integrated. The journey of healing can reveal unexpected allies and lessons. Transformation often comes from surrendering to the process. Empathy arises from personal experience and humility. Facing our demons can lead to profound self-discovery. Demons can transform into guardians when we embrace them. The journey of healing is not just about lessons but about experiencing aliveness. Navigating relationships requires understanding our own changes. We put down patterns, not people, in our growth journey. Sovereignty is about becoming the one we were looking for. Intimacy requires discernment and understanding of our own needs. Grief is a necessary part of the healing process. The wild daughter archetype represents our authentic self in the journey.   Beth Clayton is the founder of Born Wild™, an initiatory journey guiding highly sensitive, visionary women from unmasking their Good Girl conditioning into embodied Untamed sovereignty — so they can build a life and legacy that finally reflect the truth of who they are and the depth of their hunger. A TEDx Broadway speaker, somatic mentor, and ceremonialist with over 15 years of experience — and an MFA in Acting from one of the nation's top conservatories — Beth blends nervous system work, mythic storytelling, archetypal embodiment, and ritual to create immersive transformational thresholds rather than traditional coaching programs. Her work calls women back to the wisdom of their bodies, the medicine of their lived experience, and the leadership that emerges when they root into who they have always been — before the masks. Follow Beth: On Instagram Take The Good Girl Quiz   Follow Lisa: Join The Feminine Leadership Loung Community and access breathwork portal: Join for free here  On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisamalia.evoke/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisamalianorman/   Sound Bites: 00:00 "I feel very porous and softened right now." 09:28 "I was scared and not completely embodied." 09:52 "My job is to do my work." 21:22 "I can lead anyway." 29:24 "I had done enough work at that point." 30:01 "The light is found in the dark." 33:12 "I was waiting to be chosen." 35:26 "We all have a room in us." 36:28 "Facing our demons is brutal and beautiful." 37:16 "I love my demons so much." 40:00 "We learn how to stay with ourselves." 56:33 "We put down patterns, not people." 67:17 "The wild daughter is our authentic self."   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Divine Timing 02:58 Navigating Grief and Vulnerability 06:00 The Good Girl Archetype and Its Impact 09:00 Leadership Through Humility 11:44 The Journey of Self-Discovery 15:00 The Dark Woods of Transformation 18:04 Embracing Both Light and Shadow 21:01 The Missing Piece of Self 24:10 Intimacy and Relationships 27:00 The Role of Community in Healing 35:47 Embracing Our Demons 40:00 The Journey of Aliveness 45:12 Navigating Relationships and Sovereignty 55:12 Patterns vs. People: A Shift in Perspective 65:02 The Wild Daughter and Good Girl Archetypes

Episode 347:  Passwords, verification codes, fingerprints, Face ID… why does simply logging into your own accounts have to be so complicated?In this episode, Vonda and Lori tackle the love-hate relationship we all have with multi-factor authentication (MFA)—and why those extra 20 seconds of frustration could save your flower shop from a much bigger headache.They talk about the places floral business owners may be most vulnerable, including email, banking, point-of-sale systems, websites, social media, payroll, vendor accounts, and shared employee logins. Plus, they explore how AI is making cybersecurity even more important as scams and phishing attempts become harder to recognize.You'll walk away with practical steps you can take today to better protect your business, your customers, and your team—without needing to become a cybersecurity expert.Because MFA may be annoying…but getting hacked is a whole lot worse.Sponsored by: Flower CliqueFlower Clique Prep SchoolReal Life Retail Florist

Katie Dozier joins Timothy Green on the Rattlecast for a conversation about poetry, trauma, memoir in verse, and her new book, Residency Review: A Memoir in Verse. Rattle's Creative Editor and creator of The Poetry Space_, Katie is also the author of All That Glitter and Watering Can. Residency Review grew out of her experience at a low-residency MFA program and braids poetry with emails, quotations, and a Title IX document to explore sexual assault, institutional silence, disability, motherhood, and what happens when a community fails to listen. In this episode, Katie shares poems from Residency Review and discusses writing about trauma, transforming lived experience into poetry, the possibilities of memoir in verse, and using forms including haibun and contemporary haiku alongside documentary material. We'll also talk about the relationship between poetry and testimony, the challenges of writing an intensely personal book, and how poetry can say what official language cannot. As always, we'll open the lines for this week's prompt-based poetry reading. This Week's Prompt: Write a poem about something you've kept on a shelf for far too long. Next Week's Prompt: Write a hot haibun. Submit your poem through Submittable by midnight Sunday for a chance to be invited on the show: https://rattle.submittable.com/submit/269309/rattlecast-prompt-poems-online Find more about Katie Dozier here: https://www.khdpoet.com/ The Rattlecast livestreams every Monday on YouTube, Facebook, and X, then becomes available as an audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

From grounded mental discipline and identity sovereignty to high-stakes property fraud and unresolved true crime investigations, this wide-ranging episode explores the systems that protect—and fail—our physical and digital lives. In this episode, we cover: The AfroDruid Ethos: Why the AfroDruid praxis isn't dogmatic religion or occult magic, but a biological, nervous-system-grounded approach to personal sovereignty and mental clarity. The Mystery of "Mostly Harmless": The life, disappearance, and digitally crowdsourced identification of Vance John Rodriguez, exploring internet-sleuthing ethics and the duty of remembering the unidentified. Real Estate Title & Deed Fraud: How scammers use public records to steal property equity, forged document tactics, and critical defense tools like the Hamilton County Register of Deeds notification system. Identity Security Best Practices: Practical steps to lock down personal records, configure multi-factor authentication (MFA), and audit public data exposure. Critique & Media Storytelling: A breakdown of disjointed narrative structures and audio pitfalls in modern docuseries/reality television (analyzing the storylines of Ziggy and Lulu).   Enjoyed this discussion? Follow the podcast on Podbean, leave a 5-star review, and share this episode with anyone looking to protect their assets and master their mindset. #AfroDruid #TrueCrime #MostlyHarmless #RealEstateFraud #IdentityProtection #MindsetAndDiscipline #Podbean

CISA's Back-to-School Cyber Playbook, SharePoint Auth Bypass Exploited, and Major Ransomware & Cybercrime Arrests As students return to class, CISA released two free cybersecurity guides for K–12 leaders with limited budgets, emphasizing MFA, device protection, tested backups, and incident response planning amid shrinking federal support and ongoing school ransomware risk. Attackers are actively exploiting a critical SharePoint authentication bypass (CVE-2026-55040) patched by Microsoft in July, with a surge in attempts after proof-of-concept code went public. Ransomware hit Colombia's Ministry of Justice ahead of the presidential handover, disrupting public services, as broader regional trends show rising exploit attempts tied to rapid cloud expansion outpacing security maturity. Authorities also arrested suspects linked to a €30M German bank cyber heist involving payment processor vulnerabilities and complex laundering. Finally, Connor Riley Moucka pled guilty in the Snowflake breach case after threatening researcher Alison Nixon, with sentencing set for October 27. 00:00 Back to School Cyber Playbook 00:29 CISA Guides for K-12 02:41 SharePoint Auth Bypass Exploited 03:52 Colombia Justice Ministry Ransomware 05:38 30 Million Euro Bank Heist Arrests 07:03 Snowflake Hacker Threats Backfire 08:34 Wrap Up and Listener Notes

Backup security best practices start with one uncomfortable truth: if you haven't checked your backup server for a default password, someone else might check it for you. In this episode, Prasanna and Mike Saylor join me to dig into how backup systems become the easiest way into your network — and the easiest way out for stolen data. We walk through the real story of a red teamer who used a backup server's weak credentials to restore a domain controller straight outside the company's firewall, then had the run of the place.From there we get into the stuff that actually gets skipped: service accounts nobody's watching because they're "always on" and mostly invisible, default passwords baked into backup hardware that never get changed, and why the backup admin — usually the newest, most junior person on the team — ends up holding the keys without the security training to know what they're holding. We talk about how to find every service account you've got, how to figure out which ones actually need the privileges they've been handed, and why "it's always been that way" is exactly how breaches happen.We close out on authentication: multi-factor authentication versus passkeys, why email one-time codes aren't the security win companies think they are, and why an authenticator app with its own PIN beats "remember this device" every time. Mike also shares a story about catching failed admin logins that turned out to be something a lot more human than a hacker — and why monitoring for those anomalies matters either way.If you manage backup infrastructure, run a security team, or just got handed the backup admin job because nobody else wanted it, this episode is your checklist. Backup security best practices aren't complicated — they're just consistently ignored, and that's exactly what attackers count on.Chapters:00:00 – Cold open: the hacker on your backup server01:34 – Welcome and episode setup04:17 – The Duane Lafleur red team story06:41 – Backup servers as an exfiltration risk08:19 – Service accounts: the invisible attack surface28:40 – Locking down the admin account30:08 – MFA vs. passkeys for backup security

How can harm reduction support eating disorder recovery when full recovery feels complicated, nonlinear, or far away? Dr. Marianne welcomes back journalist, professor, and author Mallary Tenore Tarpley, MFA, for a conversation about eating disorder harm reduction, anorexia recovery, long-term eating disorder recovery, and the pressure to achieve full recovery. Mallary is the author of Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery, a memoir that combines her lived experience with extensive research on how people actually experience eating disorder recovery. Eating Disorder Harm Reduction and Full Recovery Eating disorder recovery often gets framed in black-and-white terms: you are either sick or fully recovered. Mallary challenges that binary without dismissing the possibility of full recovery. For Slip, Mallary surveyed more than 700 people with lived experience of eating disorders and interviewed approximately 175 survey respondents, clinicians, and researchers. Of those surveyed, 85% identified with what she calls the “middle place,” the gray area between acute illness and full recovery. Dr. Marianne and Mallary discuss why rigid definitions of recovery can create shame for people navigating long-term anorexia recovery, lingering eating disorder thoughts, slips, relapse, and ongoing recovery work. What Does Eating Disorder Recovery Actually Mean? Recovery involves more than weight, food intake, or eliminating visible eating disorder behaviors. Mallary describes recovery through changes in identity, cognitive freedom, mental bandwidth, and physical well-being. She shares how her eating disorder once consumed her thoughts and identity. Now, eating disorder thoughts may still appear, but they no longer dictate her life in the same way. Dr. Marianne connects this with her own lived experience and discusses how reducing food and body preoccupation can create more capacity for relationships, work, interests, and life outside the eating disorder. Harm Reduction, Slips, and All-or-Nothing Recovery Mallary explains how harm reduction in eating disorder recovery can help someone move forward without demanding immediate perfection. Instead of treating an eating disorder thought or behavior as proof of failure, harm reduction creates room to notice what happened, reduce risk, and make another choice. Mallary shares a vulnerable example involving making grilled cheese for herself and her children. When a lingering eating disorder impulse influenced how she prepared her own sandwich, she noticed it, changed course, and moved forward without shaming herself. Dr. Marianne and Mallary also discuss neurodivergent eating disorder recovery, including how autism, ADHD, perfectionism, certainty-seeking, trauma, and nervous system needs can make rigid treatment expectations especially difficult. Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery Mallary's book, Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery, combines memoir, journalism, and research to challenge simplistic narratives about eating disorders and recovery. Drawing from her own history with anorexia and changing eating disorder symptoms alongside the experiences of hundreds of others, Mallary asks what recovery can look like when it does not follow a clean before-and-after story. Mallary also shares what she is researching next, including optimization culture, the thin ideal, healthmaxxing, anti-aging pressures, body image, and cultural messages that encourage us to treat our bodies as endless projects requiring improvement. If you have ever wondered whether your eating disorder recovery “counts” because you still struggle, this conversation offers a more flexible way to understand healing, progress, and recovery. Follow Mallary on Instagram: @mallarytenoretarpley Go to her Substack: https://mallary.substack.com Related Episodes Check out "The Middle Place in Eating Disorder Recovery: How Slips Can Be Stepping Stones With Mallary Tenore Tarpley, MFA @mallarytenoretarpley" on Apple or Spotify: Listen to “'Slips'” in Eating Disorder Recovery in 2026: Why Setbacks Are Part of Progress, Not Failure (With Mallary Tenore Tarpley, MFA)" on Dr. Marianne-Land Podcast on Apple or Spotify. Work With Dr. Marianne Looking for eating disorder therapy, ARFID treatment, or neurodivergent-affirming eating disorder support? Dr. Marianne works with people navigating ARFID, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, long-term eating disorders, autism, ADHD, and complex relationships with food and body image. Visit DrMarianneMiller.com to learn more about working with Dr. Marianne through therapy or coaching, explore her ARFID & Selective Eating Course for individuals, parents, and providers, and find additional eating disorder and neurodivergent-affirming resources. You can also listen to more episodes of Dr. Marianne-Land for conversations about eating disorder recovery, ARFID, autism, ADHD, body image, and creating a more sustainable relationship with food.

Children's fiction studio founder Jasmine Richards (Storymix), publisher Natalie Doherty (Puffin and HarperCollins Children's Books), and bestselling author Soman Chainani (The School for Good and Evil) on shaping an idea commercial enough to sell, what makes a children's book impossible to put down, and trusting the unconscious to write it.   You'll learn Why the most commercial idea is the one that centres its reader from the very first thought. How a single pithy log line can carry a book all the way from the slush pile to the playground. The counterintuitive trick of starting your story at chapter three. How to read what children are reading now so your pacing keeps up with theirs. What a publisher is really looking for when a manuscript lands on the desk — and why voice comes before plot. How the categories from early readers to YA actually break down on the bookshop shelf. The difference between weaving in a message and writing a book that feels worthy. The case for never self-censoring in a first draft, and saving the negotiation for later. How tiring out your conscious mind can unlock a freer, more instinctive way to draft. Why the goal of writing should be the writing itself, not the bestseller list.   Episode Links #050: Jasmine Richards — How to Pitch Commercial Children's Fiction & The Business of Children's Publishing #081: Natalie Doherty — The Magic of Writing for Children, Market Trends & Behind the Scenes of Publishing Children's Books #035: Soman Chainani — Writing Dark Tales for Children & Balancing Creative Work with Discipline   About the Guests Jasmine Richards is the author of over a dozen children's books, ranging from picture books to teen fiction. Her most recent novel, Keeper of Myths, was published by HarperCollins. She has over 15 years of experience as an editor, including roles at Hamish Hamilton, Puffin, and Dutton Books in New York. Jasmine is the founder of Storymix, a children's fiction studio, where she uses her unique experiences to develop new voices and inclusive stories. Natalie Doherty is a Publisher at Puffin, although during this interview she was at HarperCollins Children's Books. She's worked with award-winning and bestselling authors, including Tom Fletcher, Robin Stevens, R. J. Palacio, Tamzin Merchant, and Nazneen Ahmed Pathak. Before moving into editorial in 2010, she worked in Contracts and Rights at Hachette and holds a BA in Modern European Languages and an MA in Translation. Her recent middle-grade acquisitions include Simon Stephenson's The Snowman Code and Philippa Leathley's Inkbound. Soman Chainani's debut series, The School for Good and Evil, has sold more than 3 million copies, been translated into 30 languages across 6 continents, and became a major motion picture from Netflix starring Charlize Theron, Laurence Fishburne, Kerry Washington, and Michelle Yeoh, with Chainani as an executive producer. Each of the six books in the series — The School for Good and Evil, A World Without Princes, The Last Ever After, Quests for Glory, A Crystal of Time, and One True King — debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. A graduate of Harvard University, Soman created his own fairy-tale major before going on to an MFA in film at Columbia University. He has made films that have played all over the world, and his writing awards include honors from Big Bear Lake, the CAPE Foundation, and the Sun Valley Writers' Fellowship. In Beasts & Beauty: Dangerous Tales, Soman reimagines old stories into fresh fairy tales for a new era. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers' Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS' SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you're enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Who Is Hunting Whom? — The God Hunter and the Search That Changes Everything

A wide-ranging conversation about identity, therapy, psychedelics, and artificial intelligence. He shares how his own origin story shaped his understanding of narrative agency, self-knowledge, and the limits of expert systems. The discussion also digs into the promise and risks of combining EMDR, ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and AI in therapeutic work. MARK A. MICHAELS, a writer and conceptual artist. Mark's work examines fundamental paradigm dilemmas in both traditional psychotherapy and contemporary psychedelic therapy. In his forthcoming preprint, BINARIES, MULTITUDES, AND BEYOND, Mark focuses the lens on his own journey and uses narrative analysis and critique to explore how authority, expertise, and healing are currently defined. https://markamichaels.com/about/ Key topics In this episode, Mark Michaels explains why he calls himself an "uncontrolled experiment" and how being conceived through artificial insemination shaped his worldview. The conversation covers the secrecy and social shame around sperm donation, infertility, and the long-term effects of not knowing one's biological origins. Mark describes the eight-year process of uncovering his biological father through research and DNA testing, and how that discovery changed his sense of self. He connects that origin story to his interest in identity, narrative agency, psychotherapy, and the promises and limits of science. Mark discusses his early exposure to therapy as a child and his teenage experimentation with LSD, including an early bad trip and later renewed interest in psychedelics. The episode centers on his recent treatment program combining EMDR, ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and AI-assisted reflection after a severe post-divorce mental health crisis. Mark argues that ketamine-assisted EMDR can accelerate therapeutic work by making clients more open and reducing psychological defenses. He is sharply critical of therapy culture when it becomes passive, overly rigid, or unwilling to share power with clients. The conversation examines the shortcomings of therapist training, especially when practitioners cling to one modality and fail to support client-led exploration. Mark and the hosts discuss the "wild west" state of psychedelic therapy, including concerns about over-medicalization, bad actors, and unregulated practice. The AI section focuses on both usefulness and danger, including hallucinated facts, false confidence, "kissing my butt" responses, and the risk of reinforcing poor psychological ideas. Mark explains that AI is best used as a high-speed organizer and drafting tool, but only if the user already has enough subject knowledge to challenge errors. The episode closes with Mark encouraging people in crisis to get help, evaluate whether therapy is actually working, and seek support rather than enduring alone.   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support. For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   Support the show directly: https://open.spotify.com/show/2punSyd9Cw76ZtvHxMKenI?si=ImKxfMHgQZ-oshl499O4dQ&nd=1&dlsi=4c25fa9c78674de3 Watch or Listen on Spotify https://www.simulationmaps.com/#products Disaster Maps, Volcano Sim, Asteroid Sim, Shipwreck Map, UFO Map etc https://grimericacbd.com/ CBD / THC Tinctures and Gummies https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica grimerica.ca/chats   Discord Chats Darren's books www.acanadianshame.ca Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com    Timestamps 00:00 - Mark Michaels introduction and the intersection of psychotherapy, psychedelics, and AI 02:06 - Why he calls himself an "uncontrolled experiment" 03:11 - How commercial sperm donation worked in the 1950s and 1960s 05:08 - The secrecy around donor insemination and the lack of research on its effects 06:07 - Searching for his biological father and the role of DNA testing 08:40 - Genealogical bewilderment and how his origin story shaped his identity 10:06 - Why he feels uniquely positioned to think about AI and artificial reproduction 11:35 - Early therapy, teenage LSD use, and returning to psychedelics later in life 12:42 - The family crisis that pushed him to investigate his origins 14:33 - The emotional impact of learning the truth about his conception 17:01 - Shame, infertility, and the cultural pressure to become a parent 18:48 - How his background informs his preprint on binaries, multitudes, and beyond 20:19 - Building a treatment protocol with EMDR, ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin 22:56 - Suicidal ideation, post-divorce crisis, and the need for a different intervention 24:21 - Using recordings and AI transcripts as part of the therapeutic process 25:23 - Reclaiming narrative agency after a decade of stress and distortion 27:05 - Problems with therapy when the therapist refuses to adapt or share power 29:37 - Training gaps and the limits of single-modality thinking in therapy 33:13 - Why intensive therapy may be more effective and cost-efficient than weekly sessions 34:38 - SSRIs, suicidal ideation, and Mark's experience with Prozac and stimulants 37:42 - Concerns about over-regulating or over-medicalizing psychedelic therapy 39:23 - His current ketamine practice as a creative, spiritual, and therapeutic tool 40:18 - Sweat lodges, ceremonial practice, and cultural context 41:18 - Plastic shamans and the long history of spiritual tourism 44:07 - Similarities across indigenous traditions and why they do not mean the same worldview 45:35 - Brain structure, recurring symbols, and the limits of universal explanations 47:56 - AI as a psychological tool and the problem of overly agreeable responses 49:41 - How AI absorbs watered-down pop psychology 50:47 - Hallucinations, invented citations, and the danger of trusting AI blindly 53:44 - What AI is genuinely good at: organizing large amounts of material 54:42 - Why Mark wrote the paper now and what he hopes it sparks 55:43 - Advice for people in crisis: get help and reassess therapy if it is not working 56:22 - Why ketamine can function as a rapid antidepressant stopgap 58:01 - What's next: peer review, the MFA program, and more writing  

The Page One Podcast, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books. About the guest author: Margrét Ann Thors is an Icelandic-American writer based in Reykjavík, Iceland. She received her MFA from Columbia University and teaches at the University of Iceland. Her writing has appeared in Glamour, Creative Nonfiction, Ós Pressan, Storychord, and other outlets. Freyja is her debut novel. About the host: Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning novelist and writing coach, and the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup that built an AI book discovery platform with a grant from the National Science Foundation. She is an internationally published author of four historical fiction novels. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. Her latest book, Rose Girl: A Story of Resilience and Rumi, a medieval, mystical thriller was awarded a Kirkus (starred) review and named Editors Choice from the Historical Novel Society. Holly lives on a houseboat near the Golden Gate Bridge with her daughter and Labrador retriever, and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, swimming and pretending to surf. To learn more about her books and writing coaching services, please visit her at hollylynnpayne.com  and subscribe to her FREE weekly mini-masterclass, Power of Page One, a FREE newsletter on Substack, offering insights on becoming a better storyteller and tips on hooking readers from page one! (And bonus: discover some great new books!) Tune in and reach out: If you're an aspiring writer or a book lover, this episode of Page One offers a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice. I offer these conversations as a testament to the magic that happens when master storytellers share their secrets and experiences. We hope you are inspired to tune into the full episode for more insights. Keep writing, keep reading, and remember—the world needs your stories.  If I can help you tell your own story, or help improve your first page, please reach out @hollylynnpayne or visithollylynnpayne.com.  You can listen to Page One on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and all your favorite podcast players. Hear past episodes. If you're interested in getting writing tips and the latest podcast episode updates with the world's beloved master storytellers, please sign up for my very short monthly newsletter at hollylynnpayne.com and follow me @hollylynnpayne on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook. Your email address is always private and you can always unsubscribe anytime.  The Page One Podcast is created near the Golden Gate Bridge, California, as a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Thank you for being a part of my creative community!  Be well and keep reading, Holly @hollylynnpayne on IG Thank you for listening to the Page One Podcast! I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I loved hosting, producing, and editing it. If you liked it too, here are three ways to share the love:Please share it on social and tag @hollylynnpayne.Leave a review on your favorite podcast players. Tell your friends. Please keep in touch by signing up to receive my Substack newsletter with the latest episodes each month. Delivered to your inbox with a smile. You can contact me at @hollylynnpayne on IG or send me a message on my website, hollylynnpayne.com.For the love of books and writers,Holly Lynn Payne@hollylynnpaynehost, author, writing coachwww.hollylynnpayne.com

Food historian and costume designer Professor Brittney Belz of Union College talks with host Rosemary Armao about the travails of 18th Century housewives who had no appliances, no refrigeration, no supermarkets, no expectation of help from the men, not even measuring cups, timers or whisks, and we think we have it rough today.Are you seeing food prices continuing to rise at your supermarket? Speaker Bio: A youthful fascination with history and a desire to work as a museum interpreter led Brittney Belz to studying historic clothing and to a career as a costume designer. After earning a BFA in theater design and technology and an MFA in costume design and Technology, she worked at professional theaters and colleges across the country from Alaska to Vermont.  That focus on historic clothing transitioned into the study of all things related to the domestic experience. She now researches  the clothing and kitchen customs of the early modern era. She uses the feel, images, and flavors of the past to help bring every day stories from history to life. She is the faculty costume designer and current chair of the Theater and Dance Department at Union College in Schenectady, NY. She can often be found throughout the region designing costumes for stage, or presenting workshops on historic clothing.

Have you experienced False Hope Syndrome? Without telling you exactly what that is, I'm going to let you know chances are good that you have. I have certainly done so in more than one area of my life! False Hope Syndrome runs rampant in relation to weight loss. Listen in, learn exactly what it is and how to keep yourself safe from falling into the disappointment associated with False Hope Syndrome as you move forward in losing and maintaining weight loss.The Weight Loss Winformation Podcast gives you essential psychological information to help you lose weight and more importantly, to help keep you at a healthy weight for your body! No matter how you are working to lose weight and no matter how much weight you want to lose, Weight Loss Winformation will keep you moving in a positive direction. Let's get started because well… Why Weight? (get it? Pun intended… )?Resources:·      BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com·      Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com·      BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare·      BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare·      Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy   https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people·      Instagram: @ (Caleshia Haynes)·      Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)·      Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)·      Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)·      ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)·      Rob DiMedio: https://www.busybariatrics.com/·      Dr. Joan Brugman: drjbrugman@outlook.com·      Dr. Nestor de la Cruz-Munoz on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdelacruzmunoz/From: How Much Weight Will You Lose After Bariatric Surgery? Nestor de la Cruz-Munoz MD, FACS, DABOMJuly 12, 2026 The Evidence Is Clear — And It's Not What Most Patients Expecto    The AACE/TOS/ASMBS guidelines are explicit: Very few preoperative factors are sufficiently predictive to give a precise individual weight loss number.This means the honest answer is not a number — it's a range.The Real Weight Loss Ranges by ProcedureThe most reliable metric is total weight loss percentage (TWL) — not excess weight loss.Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG)·       23–25% TWL at 1 year·       17–19% TWL at 5 years·       PCORnet (65,000+ patients): 18.8% TWL at 5 yearsRoux‑en‑Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)·       28–31% TWL at 1 year·       21–26% TWL at 5 years·       20–27% TWL at 10 years·       PCORnet: 25.5% TWL at 5 years·       SM‑BOSS RCT: 27.5% TWL at 10 yearsOne‑Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB)·       Highest early TWL·       Emerging evidence suggests greater long‑term durability than SG and RYGB·       Randomized TrialsBy‑Band‑Sleeve RCT (3‑year outcomes):·       RYGB: 26.8% TWL·       Sleeve: 19.4% TWL·       Band: 14.0% TWLWeight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysiso   West S, Scragg J, Aveyard P, Oke JL, Willis L, Haffner SJP, Knight H, Wang D, Morrow S, Heath L, Jebb SA, Koutoukidis DA. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2026 Jan 7;392:e085304. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2025-085304. PMID: 41500720; PMCID: PMC12776922.o   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41500720/·       The primary anti-obesity medications (AOMs) highlighted in this high-level study are newer incretin mimetics, specifically:o   Semaglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist)o   Tirzepatide (a GIP/GLP-1 receptor co-agonist)The Rebound Effect: High-Level EvidenceThis January 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis published in The BMJ synthesized data from 37 studies involving 9,341 participants, providing robust, high-level clinical evidence on what happens after stopping these medications:·       Rapid Return to Baseline: On average, patients return to their baseline weight within 1.7 years after stopping any weight management medication.·       Accelerated Regain for GLP-1/GIP Drugs: For those stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide, the rebound is even faster—returning to baseline weight in just 1.5 years.·       Faster than Behavioral Programs: The rate of weight regain after medication cessation is significantly faster than the regain observed after finishing behavioral weight management programs.·       Reversal of Health Benefits: Stopping these therapies also rapidly reverses their positive, beneficial effects on cardiometabolic markers.·       These findings emphasize that using these medications short-term without a more comprehensive, long-term approach to weight management leads to a rapid reversal of both weight loss and cardiometabolic improvements, and this is the real benefit we can offer to our patients: a long-term plan that can and should be updated on the course of their chronic disease and its natural course. Nothing in obesity treatment should be absolutely static.·      How to overcome past dieting failures. By Kristen A. Carter MSo   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/health-and-human-nature/202103/false-hope-syndrome-reveals-big-problem-dieting·      Getting Real: Warning Signs of False Hope Syndrome. by Dan J. Tomasulo PhD., TEP, MFA, MAPPo   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-healing-crowd/202209/getting-real-warning-signs-of-false-hope-syndrome·      Expected Weight Loss From Gastric Bypass – Calculatoro   https://www.obesitycoverage.com/weight-loss-surgeries/gastric-bypass/how-much-can-i-expect-to-lose·      Expected Weight Loss (after Sleeve)o   https://www.obesitycoverage.com/gastric-sleeve-reference-manual/

Julia Kang-Reeves shares her story with Dr. Stephanie J. Wong of immigrating from Seoul to NY. She later spent nearly two decades in London, raising her daughter who attended all-female schools until returning to the US. From learning to navigate various cultures to becoming the CMO of wellness company, Earth Therapeutics to co-lead the family business, Earth Therapeutics, Julia shares the challenges and joys of a multi-dimensional identity.  Bio ========================================== Julia co-leads the 30-year-old company alongside her brother John Kang (Founder & CEO) — a brand he launched in 1993 as an offshoot of the family's business after leaving a budding law career. With virtually no skin-care experience at the time, John began selling loofah sponges to Bed Bath & Beyond — one of the first to introduce the loofah to the U.S. market and laying the foundation for what would become a category-defining wellness brand. Together, Julia and John have continued building on the entrepreneurial spirit of their immigrant parents, who remain actively involved and still come into the office — a daily reminder that the company is rooted in family, resilience, and long-term relationships. Earth Therapeutics went on to help pioneer both the early natural body care movement and the rise of Korean spa (K-spa) beauty stateside — long before "wellness" became a marketing buzzword. A classicist-turned-writer-turned-CMO, Julia studied Classics at the University of Chicago and Columbia (where she received a Presidential Fellowship) before earning an MFA in Fiction Writing at NYU. After nearly two decades in London, she returned in 2020 to help lead her family's brand into a new era. Having grown up alongside the original '90s natural products movement — long before "wellness" became a buzzword — she now brings that long-view perspective to a Gen Z world shaped by burnout, trend cycles, and social media pressure. She believes America doesn't have a beauty crisis — it has a health crisis (including mental health). And she's leading a brand focused on function, ritual, and longevity over hype.

Lebanese weaver and performance artist Saba Sadr, an MFA student at Otis College of Art and Design, joins Javier Proenza to discuss returning to Los Angeles after more than two decades in Lebanon and how experiences of displacement, caregiving, and political conflict inform an evolving artistic practice. Although Sadr's work centers on weaving and performance, the conversation expands into broader questions of identity, memory, and belonging. Together they examine the meaning of resilience, the complexities of Lebanese conservatism and resistance, queer community organizing in Lebanon, the challenges of public visibility, and the long-term consequences of war on individuals, families, and cultural memory. Throughout the discussion, Sadr reflects on the relationship between art, community, and the responsibility of speaking from lived experience rather than abstraction.

Professor and multi-award-winning author, David Heska Wanbli Weiden discusses his fantastic new crime novel, WISDOM CORNER, the sequel to his celebrated debut, WINTER COUNTS. David talks about his craft, magical realism, the anthology he's editing, NATIVE NOIR, and how Native American crime writers are pioneering a new type of crime fiction. ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation. He holds an MFA, a PHD, and a law degree, and works as a professor of English and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Stony Brook University and teaches in an MFA program. His debut, WINTER COUNTS won the Lefty, the Macavity, the Barry, The Anthony, and the Thriller Award. He was also nominated for an Edgar. Time Magazine named Winter Counts as one of the “100 best mysteries and thriller books of all time.”

Digital surgery has morphed from buzzword into ubiquitous high-impact technology. In this episode, the BTK MIS team steps into the rapidly evolving ecosystem of cameras, sensors, robotics, and software that are turning surgical operations into structured, analyzable datasets. From AI segmentation to real-time telepresence, don't miss this opportunity to catch up on what's new and what's next, what's exciting and what's terrifying, just on the horizon of your surgical career. Hosts: ·      James Jung, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Duke University·      Jacob Greenberg, MD, EdM, MIS Division Chief and Vice Chair for Education, Duke University·      Zachary Weitzner, MD, Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellow, Duke University, @ZachWeitznerMD·      Joey Lew, MD, MFA, Surgical resident PGY-3, Duke University, @lew__actuallyLearning Goals: By the end of this episode, listeners will be able to:·      Define “digital surgery” and describe its core components, including video capture, instrumentation, robotics, data analytics, and system connectivity. ·      Discuss current and emerging applications of digital surgery in surgical education, including video-based self-assessment, procedural segmentation, and structured feedback models. ·      Describe how digital tools can be used to improve OR efficiency and resource utilization, including instrumentation usage, operative time analysis, and workflow optimization. ·      Summarize current telepresence and teleproctoring technologies and their clinical use cases, including augmented reality–based collaboration across institutions and geographic boundaries. ·      Identify key ethical, legal, and operational challenges in digital and tele-surgery, including credentialing, cross-state licensure, liability, and trust in remote expertise. ·      Discuss how digital surgery may reshape surgical training and competency-based assessment, including implications for autonomy, deliberate practice, and feedback frequency. ·      Recognize future directions of digital surgery integration, including predictive analytics, simulation using patient-specific imaging, and AI-assisted intraoperative decision support.References:  Balvardi S, Semsar-Kazerooni K, Kaneva P, et al. Validity of video-based general and procedure-specific self-assessment tools for surgical trainees in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surg Endosc. 2023;37(3):2281-2289. doi:10.1007/s00464-022-09466-6 [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36307525/] Hospital Utilizes Intraoperative Idle Time Metrics to Improve Surgical Safety and Efficiency. Theator | The Surgical Intelligence Company. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://theator.io/customer-story/hospital-utilizes-intraoperative-idle-time-metrics-to-improve-surgical-safety-and-efficiency/ Campbell KK, Abreu AA, Zeh HJ, et al. Using OR Black Box Technology to Determine Quality Improvement Outcomes for In-situ Timeout and Debrief Simulation. Ann Surg. 2026;283(1):122. doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000006438 [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38317208/] Al Abbas AI, Meier J, Daniel W, et al. Impact of team performance on the surgical safety checklist on patient outcomes: an operating room black box analysis. Surg Endosc. 2024;38(10):5613-5622. doi:10.1007/s00464-024-11064-7 [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39069926/] Proximie's telepresence platform helps surgeons across the globe grow and exchange experience in real-time. World Health Expo Insights. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://www.worldhealthexpo.com/insights/telemedicine/proximie-s-telepresence-platform-helps-surgeons-across-the-globe-grow-and-exchange-experience-in-real-time Hassan AE, Desai SK, Georgiadis AL, Tekle WG. Augmented reality enhanced tele-proctoring platform to intraoperatively support a neuro-endovascular surgery fellow. Interv Neuroradiol. 2022;28(3):277-282. doi:10.1177/15910199211035304 [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34538166/] SAGES Digital Surgery Working Group; Ali JT, Yang G, Green CA, Reed BL, Madani A, Ponsky TA, Hazey J, Rothenberg SS, Schlachta CM, Oleynikov D, Szoka N. Defining digital surgery: a SAGES white paper. Surg Endosc. 2024 Feb;38(2):475-487. doi: 10.1007/s00464-023-10551-7. Epub 2024 Jan 5. PMID: 38180541. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38180541/] Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.  If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: https://behindtheknife.org/listenBehind the Knife Premium: https://behindtheknife.org/premiumOral Board Review: https://behindtheknife.org/oral-boardOral Board Simulator: https://behindtheknife.org/oral-board/simulatorGeneral Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/general-surgery-oral-board-reviewTrauma Surgery Video Atlas: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/trauma-surgery-video-atlasDominate Surgery: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Clerkship: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/dominate-surgery-a-high-yield-guide-to-your-surgery-clerkshipDominate Surgery for APPs: A High-Yield Guide to Your Surgery Rotation: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/dominate-surgery-for-apps-a-high-yield-guide-to-your-surgery-rotationVascular Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/vascular-surgery-oral-board-reviewColorectal Surgery Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/colorectal-surgery-oral-board-reviewSurgical Oncology Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/surgical-oncology-oral-board-reviewCardiothoracic Oral Board Review Course: https://behindtheknife.org/premium/cardiothoracic-surgery-oral-board-reviewOBGYN Oral Board Review Coures: https://behindtheknife.org/course/obgyn-oral-board-reviewEPA Playbook: https://behindtheknife.org/course/epa-playbookSurgical Instrument Flashcards: https://behindtheknife.org/course/surgical-instrument-flashcardsABSITE Review: https://behindtheknife.org/course/absite-2026-exam-reviewDownload our App:Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/behind-the-knife/id1672420049Android/Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.btk.app&hl=en_US

Building a cybersecurity culture in your company doesn't take a bigger budget — it takes a weekly habit. In this final episode of our encore series, returning guest snorkel42, a longtime Reddit voice in InfoSec, breaks down how he turned a company with zero dedicated security staff into one with a real security culture, just by committing to one small improvement every week instead of waiting on the next six-figure product.We picked this one to bring back because of how it performed with you — not just downloads, but how much of the episode people actually stuck around for. That combination told us this conversation landed, and a lot of you came back to it more than once.snorkel42 walks through where the term "security cadence" came from: a network engineering team, no InfoSec department, and a room full of unused tools nobody had the bandwidth to run. Instead of asking for more products, the team set a rule — one security change a week, no new vendor purchases allowed — for six months straight. What happened next is the real story: leadership noticed, and the team went from begging for resources to being handed them.From there we get into what it actually took to build that cybersecurity culture day to day — the early challenges, how the team picked what to tackle first, and how a scrappy internal habit turned into something leadership actively championed. We also cover MFA, including why not all MFA is created equal, the SIM jacking risk that undercuts SMS-based codes, and the push-notification fatigue tactics attackers use to wear users down until they hit "yes" out of exhaustion. snorkel42 closes with a piece of advice worth sitting with: stop chasing the latest zero-day and start building your cybersecurity culture around how attacks actually function, start to finish. Do that, and ransomware protection comes along for free.If you're the person in your company quietly carrying the security load, or you're trying to convince leadership that culture matters more than another line-item purchase, this one's for you.00:00:00 — Cold open: you already own the tools you need00:01:36 — Show intro and disclaimers00:04:05 — Guest introduction: snorkel42's Reddit history and security cadence series00:05:53 — Where the term "security cadence" came from00:08:40 — Early challenges building the habit00:44:57 — MFA, password security, and why not all MFA is equal00:47:46 — SIM jacking and push-notification fatigue attacks00:51:45 — Patching, WannaCry, and why chasing zero-days misses the point

Author Rachel Beanland discusses The Half Life on Book Gang—a juicy Italian-set novel exploring early marriage and finding oneself in the 1970s. I'm thrilled to welcome Rachel Beanland to Book Gang for an intimate conversation about her newest novel, The Half Life. Rachel brings her trademark honesty and warmth as she shares the personal stories and creative risks behind this lush Mediterranean tale. Together, we dive into her childhood memories, the challenges of writing from a single perspective, and the complex blend of history and self-discovery that makes this novel so unforgettable. The Half Life follows Eileen, a young newlywed,  who moves to the remote Italian island of La Maddalena in the 1970s after marrying a Navy officer. As Eileen  adjusts to the insular world of military life abroad, she finds herself navigating cultural divides, the expectations of marriage, and an unexpected awakening. Against the lush Italian landscape and under the shadow of Cold War politics, Eileen's journey becomes one of self-discovery and new identity in a place where the past and present collide. In this week's absorbing episode, we discuss:

Special education enrollment in the United States has reached record highs, but what's really driving the increase? Is it better diagnosis, changing academic expectations, broader legal protections, or something else entirely?(NOTE: If you don't want to hear about Jen's wild concert adventure and why her voice sounds like a 70-year-old smoker, bypass our banter and skip to the 6:50 time stamp)In Episode 2 of our special education series, we move beyond the history of IDEA and examine what's happening inside today's schools. We break down the latest enrollment trends and ask whether the education system has changed more than the students themselves.Although billions of dollars are spent every year supporting students with disabilities, reliable nationwide cost data is decades old, federal funding continues to fall short of original promises, and local school districts are increasingly forced to make up the difference.Whether you're a parent, educator, policymaker, or simply curious about the future of public education, this episode provides the numbers—and the context—to understand one of the fastest-growing challenges facing American schools.What it means that more than 8.2 million students now receive special education services.The 13 disability categories recognized under federal law and how students qualify for services.Why boys are identified for special education at much higher rates than girls.Competing theories behind rising special education enrollment.Why many Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) rely on common accommodations like extended time—and whether those supports are enough.The surprising lack of modern nationwide data on special education spending.How the federal government has consistently funded far less than the level originally envisioned under IDEA.Why educating students with disabilities costs substantially more than general education—and what those rising costs mean for school districts.Special education enrollment continues to rise nationwide, now serving approximately 15% of all public school students.Autism diagnoses represent one of the fastest-growing disability classifications in American schools.Federal funding has never fully matched the commitment originally envisioned when IDEA became law, leaving states and local districts responsible for much of the financial burden.Understanding special education requires looking beyond statistics to the legal, educational, and financial systems that shape the delivery of services."The numbers keep climbing—but the funding promised to support those students never truly caught up."RESOURCES USED IN THIS EPISODE:Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)U.S. Department of Education special education data The Advocacy Institute California special education funding reports Special Education Stats [2023 Update]What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.SPublic School Teacher Salary in California.COE - Students With Disabilities3 Reasons Why More Students Are in Special EducationWho Qualifies for an IEP in California?Dumping Kids with IEPs into General Education Classrooms is not Inclusion | by Laura J. Murphy, MFA, MEd | Age of Awareness | MediumCalifornia annually spending over $13 billion on special education California's $2.4 billion special education boost addresses critical needs, but challenges remain | EdSource  2026-27Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Funding Gaps by School District | NEA.Follow the podcast so you never miss an episode in this series exploring the history, policy, funding, and real-world impact of special education in America.If this episode helped you better understand today's education system, please leave a 5-star review, share it with a friend or colleague, and join the conversation on social media. Your support helps more educators, parents, and community members discover the podcast.