Best Meredith Explains Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 2167: George Gilder on the Israel Test 39:57

1h ago39:57

39:57

I have to admit that I’m always a little uncomfortable with non-Jews fetishizing the supposedly unique gifts & accomplishments of the Jewish people. A century ago, Winston Churchill did it. And now George Gilder, the influential tech futurist, picks up that Churchillian mantle in a new edition of his 2012 book The Israel Test. Israel’s “genius”, Gi…

1
First Blow Job, Sweet and Spicy Korean Cookies, & Food For Your Soul with Meredith St John 53:51

2h ago53:51

53:51

Today, John and Meredith explore the connection between food and wellness, as well as the importance of home-cooked meals. They discuss the role of food in their lives and the connection between food and culture, and explore the emotional and nostalgic aspects of food, as well as the importance of self-care and conscious eating. Follow John on Inst…

1
Episode 2166: Meredith Sumpter on how to make American Democracy more Democratic 41:13

2h ago41:13

41:13

How to fix American democracy? It’s a question that, over the last couple of years, we’ve been addressing in my Bertelsmann Foundation supported How To Fix Democracy show, now its fifth year. And it is, of course, also a subject much addressed over the years on KEEN ON. My guest on today’s show, Meredith Sumpter, has also given the subject of fixin…

1
Episode 2165: A Meta Exec on why Corporations Should be in the Business of Social Engineering 40:33

3d ago40:33

40:33

Andrew C.M. Cooper is the author of the new book, The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business. He is also an Associate General Counsel and Head of Patent Acquisitions at Meta. While he didn’t write The Ethical Imperative as a Meta person, it is still intriguing that one of Zuckerberg’s lawyers should be writing a…

1
Maybe You're Already There (Let Me Explain) 30:18

29m ago30:18

30:18

Today, John discusses the importance of seeing life through new lenses and the need for inner journeys to gain new perspectives. He also explores the idea of success, the impact of relationships and community on personal growth, and how to trust oneself and dream big. Follow John on Instagram HERE Find out more about John HERE Learn more about your…

1
Episode 2164: Keith Teare asks if Europe is Dying 37:10

1h ago37:10

37:10

It’s ironic that Keith Teare, editor of That Was The Week newsletter, just spent two idyllic weeks in Europe, enjoying the Paris Olympics and London theater. Because his first newsletter on his return to the United States asks if “Is Europe Dying?” and suggests that innovation on the European continent has been killed by the regulatory bureaucratic…

1
Episode 2163: David Masciotra on Kamala and America's "Harrisist" Moment 38:45

25m ago38:45

38:45

We are living in interesting political times. A month ago, the Presidential election appeared over. Today, however, it appears as if it’s barely begun. So in my conversation today with the prolific columnist David Masciotra, I asked him if he glimpsed the outlines of a “Harrisist” ideology behind the avalanche of Kamala memes on TikTok. Is the Harr…

1
Episode 2162: Bethanne Patrick on the Hypocrite, Hitler's People and Hum 43:05

9h ago43:05

43:05

What do Hum, Hitler’s People and The Hypocrite have in common? They are all recommended new books from KEEN ON’s best read regular guest, Los Angeles Times book critic Bethanne Patrick. As usual, she recommends six books, but - whether you are looking for a magically realistic novel about the Dutch resistance to Nazism or new non-fiction on Putin’s…

1
Why It's Okay To Send Your Parents To Voicemail 21:40

1h ago21:40

21:40

Today, John reflects on the relationship he has with his mother and the dynamics that exist between them. He discusses the challenges of evolving and growing with family members and old friends, and the resistance that can arise when trying to create new tracks in these relationships. Follow John on Instagram HERE Find out more about John HERE Lear…

1
Episode 2061: Mimi Casteel explains the how to fix America, one sip of wine at a time 25:08

1d ago25:08

25:08

Last month, we were in western Virginia talking to the pioneering regenerative farmer Joel Salatin about how American can fix itself one bite at a time. Today we are on the other coast, in western Oregon, talking to another regenerative farmer, Mimi Casteel. In contrast with Salatin’s Polyface Farm, Casteel’s beautiful Hope Well vineyard focuses on…

1
Episode 2160: Steve Benen on how the Republicans have become the Orwellian Party of Big Brother 42:21

2d ago42:21

42:21

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, which he wrote in 1948,George Orwell imagined the “Ministry of Truth” to be the central institution that Big Brother used to reinvent reality and make war on the recent past. Three quarters of a century later, Steve Benen, the Emmy award winning producer of the Rachel Maddow Show, revisits Nineteen Eighty-Four and sees the …

1
My Coming to America Story 44:24

1d ago44:24

44:24

Today, John reflects on his personal journey and the sacrifices his parents made as immigrants. He shares stories of their hard work, determination, challenges, setbacks, and emphasizes the importance of embracing and sharing our own stories. Follow John on Instagram HERE Find out more about John HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast…

1
Episode 2159: Richard J. Evans on how leading Nazis were, in some ways, just ordinary middle class Germans 43:17

1h ago43:17

43:17

As author of the authoritative three volume Third Reich Trilogy, Richard J. Evans is probably the most respected scholar of Hitler’s Third Reich in the world today. And his latest book, Hitler’s People, is an attempt to make all-too-human sense of Nazi lieutenants like Goebbels, Himmler, Eichmann and Streicher. It goes without saying of course, tha…

1
Episode 2158: Robin Bernstein on the Marriage of American Capitalism with the American Prison System 54:03

1d ago54:03

54:03

In her new book, Freeman’s Challenge, the Harvard historian Robin Bernstein reveals the early 19th century origins of America’s for profit prisons. Telling the tragic story of William Freeman, an Afro-Native teenager guilty of what she calls the “terrorist” act of killing a white family, Bernstein simultaneously explores the origins of America’s fi…

1
No Sexual Chemistry with My Ex Husband But I Want My Family Back 30:10

3d ago30:10

30:10

Today, John gives advice to a listener who is torn between wanting to get her family, but lacking sexual desire for her ex-husband. He explores the concept of customization in relationships and the importance of prioritizing self-connection before seeking a partner, the need to question old relationship models and create ones that feel honest, and …

1
Episode 2157: Lindsey Cormack on How to Raise a Citizen 34:55

1d ago34:55

34:55

In an America riven with both civic discord and ignorance, how can we nurture a next generation of responsibly informed citizens? That’s the all important question Lindsey Cormack addresses in her new book, How to Raise a Citizen. There are no magical tricks to learning how to be a good citizen, Cormack says, no clever shortcuts or miraculous new t…

1
Episode 2156: James Muldoon exposes the hidden human labor powering the AI revolution 38:41

3d ago38:41

38:41

There are two core critiques of AI. The first is that it is an existential threat because it replaces humans with algorithms. The second is that AI is a mirror that only compounds preexisting injustices. James Muldoon, an associate professor of management at Essex Business School and co-author of Feeding the Machine, fits into the second category. …

1
Episode 2155: David Daley Gets Inside the Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections 40:24

6d ago40:24

40:24

How democratic is American “democracy”. Dramatically less so that it was. That’s at least the rather worrying conclusion of David Daley, the author of ANTIDEMOCRATIC, a new book which exposes what he says is “the far right’s 50-year plot to control American elections”. This half century plot was successfully realized in 2013, Daley told me, with th…

1
Marriage Was Never About Love (Let Me Explain) 27:57

6d ago27:57

27:57

Today, John does a deep dive on marriage and explains how it has evolved and transformed, influenced by religion, societal norms, and the concept of romantic love. He talks about how marriage should be about creating a partnership that is based on choice, growth, mutual respect, and more. Follow John on Instagram HERE Find out more about John HERE …

1
Episode 2154: Shad White on Brett Favre's Mississippi Swindle 47:11

5d ago47:11

47:11

Shad White has an uncanny resemblance to J.D. Vance. Born in a tiny town in Mississippi, White went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, then Harvard Law School and is now the State Auditor of Mississippi. Like Vance, the lifelong Republican White is a converted Catholic whose faith informs his conservative, family centric politics. And, like JD Vance, W…

1
Episode 2153: Lola Milholland on Group Living and Other Deliciously Polyamorous Recipes 42:26

6d ago42:26

42:26

If it’s lunchtime, it must be KEEN ON time. At least that’s what it seems, given the long menu of food guests recently on the show. First there was the lunatic regenerative farmer, Joel Salatin, fixing America one bite at a time. Then Nicola Twilley, the food blogger and historian of refrigeration. And don’t forget Andrea Freeman, who reminded us t…

1
Leaving a Long Term Relationship 27:16

14d ago27:16

27:16

Today, John gives advice on how to emotionally prepare to leave a long-term relationship. He emphasizes the importance of building a better relationship with yourself, and creating a program or structure for yourself during this transition, including having a support system, engaging in somatic experiences, setting goals, and more. Follow John on I…

1
Episode 2152: Peter Wehner on the Fate of "His" Republican Party 52:57

7d ago52:57

52:57

Peter Wehner is the conscience of American conservatism. Having worked in three Republican administrations, the ex Republican is now a regular contributor to the New York Times and the Atlantic, writing compelling moral critiques of Trump and the authoritarian populism now dominant in the GOP. Many of you will have already read his latest Times pie…

1
Episode 2151: Edmund Fawcett compares the Futures of Liberalism and Conservatism 46:53

8d ago46:53

46:53

Were politics chess, liberals had white; they moved first. Conservatives had black; they countered liberalism’s opening moves. In time, the initiative changed hands. Conservatives, who began as anti-moderns, came to master modernity, for the right was in telling ways the stronger contestant. So write Edmund Fawcett in his exemplary intellectual his…

1
How Do I Know If I'm Ready For a Relationship? 22:08

10d ago22:08

22:08

Today, John discusses the importance of looking at past memories through different lenses to gain a more accurate understanding. He also answers two listeners questions: how to know if you've done enough healing to be in a relationship? And how to accept that you and your partner may not be right for each other? Follow John on Instagram HERE Find o…

1
Episode 2150: Jonathan Taplin on why American Exceptionalism lies in its Powers of Creativity 33:10

9d ago33:10

33:10

So what’s exceptional about America? According to the writer, film producer and scholar Jonathan Taplin, American exceptionalism lies its uniquely global cultural influence. For Taplin - the tour manager for Bob Dylan & producer of Martin Scorcese’s masterpiece Mean Streets - this reflects what he calls America’s right-brain power which dominated t…

1
Episode 2149: How the Populist Attack on Modern Government Endangers our Future 47:37

12d ago47:37

47:37

Much of the critical writing about authoritarianism warns that contemporary populism threatens democracy. But as Stephen Hanson and Jeffrey Kopstein argue in their interesting new book, The Assault on the State, this global attack on legalistic government by wannabe dictators like Putin, Erdogan and Modi endangers not just democracy but also much o…

1
Episode 2148: J. Doyne Farmer on how to Invent a Better Economics for a Better World 33:56

18d ago33:56

33:56

In the 1970’s, J. Doyne Farmer built the first wearable computer which he used to predict the game of roulette. While this didn’t make him particularly popular in casinos, it did mark the beginning of a glittering scientific career in complexity and systems theory, as well as in theoretical physics and biology. And, along the way, Farmer founded a …

1
My Singlehood Journey 22:12

14d ago22:12

22:12

Today, John shares his personal journey of being single and finding his authentic self after going through a divorce. He emphasizes the importance of connecting to one's solid self, living a life that feels honest, the significance of having a sense of purpose before entering another relationship, and more. Follow John on Instagram HERE Find out …

1
Episode 2147: Matthew Warshauer on the Real Story of 9/11 (it's not what you think) 51:10

12d ago51:10

51:10

According to the historian Matthew Warshauer, there was no giant conspiracy on 9/11. The real story about September 11, 2001, he argues in his provocative new book Creating and Failing the 9/11 Generation, is its impact on Gen Z who he believes should be renamed the 9/11 Generation. 9/11 and its disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he argues, h…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Meredith Explains Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide