The Curious Middle

Polina & Yelena
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We're two San Francisco moms who got tired of pretending the obvious isn't obvious. Top 1.5% of podcasts globally not because we play it safe. We ask the questions people are thinking but won't say out loud, on the topics that actually shape how we live: media, politics, culture, parenting, careers and what it means to defend common sense in a state that often ignores reality. We're two women who've earned our opinions through life, careers, raising kids and educating ourselves, Expect ideas that challenge what you think you know. Conversations that don't wrap up neatly. And the occasional moment where one of us changes our mind on air, because that's what actually curious people do. Being "in the middle" isn't about being passive. It's about being grounded enough to question everything, open enough to learn from anywhere, and brave enough to push beyond comfortable assumptions. Expect conversations that challenge, entertain, and push you toward a more thoughtful, and wildly better life. Follow us on Instagram @thecuriousmiddlepod or reach out at thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

  1. 4 days ago

    Liza Libes Shares How Academia Turned Jane Austen Into a Colonizer (and Buried Tolstoy's Best Lessons)

    Liza Libes is defending literature like it's under siege, and after this conversation, you will understand why. Liza went to Columbia wanting to study Tolstoy and came out having read more Edward Said and Sartre she signed up for. We got into how her English degree turned into a theory degree overnight, why Anna Karenina isn't the feminist manifesto her professors taught it as, and why so much of what gets published now has had the backstory and the beauty edited right out of it by agents chasing a formula. Liza's family fled the Soviet Union, and her grandfather was imprisoned for being Jewish. Watching that same ideology resurface in new packaging on American campuses is terrifying. Find Liza at PensandPoison.org She also runs Advictus Prep and is shopping her first novel, which is basically a love letter to beauty written in spite of a literary world that's decided beauty is suspect. If you've been meaning to finally pick up that classic on your shelf, this is your sign! Memorable Quotes: "I don't think I met anyone in the English department who had the same reaction... A lot of people I think were actively trying to push this agenda because it had been sold to them." — Liza "Good fiction is inherently moral. That's not to say moral in one specific restricted sense, but good fiction should teach us something about the way to live our lives." — Liza "A lot of our art today is ironic, nihilistic, cynical, and just downright amoral." — Liza "If your response to [boredom in a marriage] is I'm just going to abandon this whole thing that gives everyone meaning, then that is going to lead you to a dark place." — Liza, on Anna Karenina "People will hold onto their identity more than the truth." — Polina, paraphrasing Chase Hughes "My family kind of went through horrific examples of antisemitism twice, just in our personal lives... and it's horrific that it's happening again." — Liza "If you're going to make one change in your life to lead a more full and fulfilling life, read classic literature." — Liza Follow us on Instagram  @thecuriousmiddlepod Our Website: https://curiousmiddlepod.com Email us: thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com Substack: https://curiousmiddle.substack.com Episode Time Stamps 04:32 — Arriving at Columbia expecting to study literature, getting Edward Said and postcolonial theory on Jane Austen instead 06:36 — Same pattern outside the English department — a philosophy class teaching Hegel through the lens of BLM, and why she eventually stepped back from academia 08:46 — How Pens and Poison started, and the slow, stuck-at-20K-followers climb before it took off 11:05 — The daily messages from silenced students and aspiring writers — and how the same ideological capture spread into publishing 13:15 — Columbia's Core Curriculum as a partial exception, and why STEM friends noticed the politicization more than English majors did 15:29 — Pausing to unpack just how deep this runs — you can't study literature today without studying Marx 17:39 — Edward Said and the "settler colonist" framing; Sartre's introduction to The Wretched of the Earth 19:57 — More on Sartre's radicalization, Simone de Beauvoir, and the ideas of theirs still taught as fact 22:10 — Derrida, deconstruction, and the postmodern claim that literature has no objective meaning 24:21 — Paulo Freire and how "social justice as the point of education" filtered into every subject, not just humanities 28:55 — Why you don't need to be a humanities major to benefit from literature — it as a stand-in for religious meaning 31:19 — Anna Karenina as a case study: Tolstoy's actual argument vs. balancing tradition with modern life 33:37 — T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, the cost of losing ritual, and the case for reading fiction (not just nonfiction) 38:12 — My Year of Rest and Relaxation as an example of fiction that critiques without offering anything — the retreat from beauty and sincerity in "serious" art 40:14 — Does bleak fiction reflect a bleak culture or create one? Introducing her novel-in-progress, inspired by Mann's Doctor Faustus 44:44 — The same pattern in music, art, and publishing; does fiction need a moral lesson, or is beauty enough? 47:06 — Noticing beauty as the theme of her novel, and the one contemporary book she's excited to read — Theo of Golden, rejected by publishers, self-published, then sold millions 49:12 — Why contemporary fiction gets rejected or forced into a formula: word counts, no backstory, action on page one 51:37 — What's lost without backstory or physical description — fiction that never lets you rest with an idea 53:39 — Her own reading habits: rereading Dostoevsky in the original Russian, and why she's wary of new bestsellers 55:44 — Life-changing book #1: Mann's The Magic Mountain and how it reshaped her sense of time 58:06 — Life-changing book #2: Zweig's The World of Yesterday and the loss of creative freedom 1:00:29 — Why so many young people can't name their own values 1:02:41 — How literature classrooms swap out "morality" for ideology without saying so (Anna Karenina as "anti-feminism") 1:04:58 — Othello and The Merchant of Venice taught through one narrow lens instead of the whole picture 1:07:08 — Social justice as a stand-in religion, and the Columbia encampments 1:09:25 — Her family's history: fleeing the USSR on political asylum, her father imprisoned and her great-grandfather killed for being Jewish, and where to find her — Pens and Poison (pensandpoison.org)

  2. 15 Jun

    Oikophobia: Why Successful Societies Turn Against Themselves with Benedict Beckeld, philosopher and author of Western Self-Contempt

    What if you could name the thing tearing America apart?  Benedict Beckeld joined us to  trace a pattern that has played out in every great civilization in history: ancient Greece, Rome, Enlightenment France, Britain, and now America. The more successful a society becomes, the more its own people turn against it. Wealth, safety, and open intellectual space create the exact conditions for a culture to start eating itself alive. Benedict is a writer and philosopher whose work spans contemporary culture, political philosophy, and the philosophy of history. He holds a master's in ancient Greek, Latin, and German, and a PhD in philosophy. His book Western Self-Contempt: Oikophobia and the Decline of Civilizations is the only full-length study of the subject, and the work that brought the term into mainstream conversation. We get into all of it: why universities are ground zero, why intellectuals are the most susceptible, what October 7th has to do with it, whether religion is the antidote, and the uncomfortable historical truth about whether oikophobia has ever actually been reversed. The good news, America is different.  The bad news, the odd are not good. Uderstanding what we're up against is the first step to fighting back.  https://www.benedictbeckeld.com/ Key Quotes "The fact that we until recently only had a word for hating foreigners is itself a sign of oikophobia — it means it's only the hatred of the foreign that we consider worthy of condemning." — Benedict Beckeld "There is nothing so human as taking a good idea too far. We take the potential positive of self-criticism and it becomes a competition about who can be the most self-hating." — Benedict Beckeld "Historically, it has never been reversed. Which is not to say we shouldn't try — and I mean this, because America is unique." — Benedict Beckeld "Imagine if you were sick and didn't know what was going on — you'd be panicked. But if a doctor gave you a diagnosis, you'd say: okay, I know what this is, this is how I treat it. Before this, we were very sick and had no word for it. Now we do." — Polina Rubin "There is a spirit of freedom in America that is unmatched in the world. You say an idea in Europe and people say, are you sure that's wise? You say the same thing here and people say, that's amazing, what can I do to help?" — Benedict Beckeld More Podcasts on Culture: Alll the News that's Fit to Spin with Ashley Rindsberg From Foster Care to Yale with Rob Henderson From America is Evil to American Exceptionalism with Lucy Biggers Why so Many Gen Z's Cant Take a Joke or a Different Opinion   Follow @thecuriousmiddlepod Contact us: thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

  3. 12 May

    Why Antizionism Is a War on Jewish Existence | Adam Louis Klein

    Adam Louis Klein is a PhD student in anthropology at McGill who became one of the leading voices against antizionism after October 7. He was in the Amazon jungle doing fieldwork when the attacks happened. When he returned and refused to stay silent, he was immediately labeled a Zionist and told he had no future in his field. Instead of backing down, he built a movement. In this episode, Adam explains why antizionism is its own category of bigotry, distinct from antisemitism but equally harmful, and why naming it matters more than debunking individual claims. He lays out a practical framework for how to respond when you're hit with terms like "colonial," "apartheid," or "genocide," and why the key is boundary-setting rather than fact-checking. We cover: Real-time role play: what to say when someone claims Israel is colonial, genocidal, or apartheid Why calling something antisemitism often backfires and what to say instead How antizonism functions as a moral identity, not just a political position What Jewish antizionism actually is and where it comes from The role of legacy institutions, philanthropy, and academia in changing the narrative Adam's movement, MAAZ Action (mazaction.org), offers free trainings — 1 to 2 hours — that communities, synagogues, and corporations can access right now. Know someone who needs to hear this? Send it. Share it in your community. Especially with people who think you can be anti-Zionist and still be a friend to the Jewish people. https://www.movementagainstantizionism.org About Adam Louis Klein Follow Adam on IG

  4. 28 Apr

    What Your Relationship With Money Says About Your Character With Rabbi Daniel Lapin

    What if pursuing wealth isn't greedy,  it's morally good? Rabbi Daniel Lapin has spent decades making that case, and in this conversation he makes it clearly. He's the bestselling author of Thou Shall Prosper, founder of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, and one of the most practical thinkers on money, character, and how to live well. We get into his Five F's framework: Family, Finance, Friendship, Fitness, and Faith, and why these five areas, arranged in a circle, are the clearest measure of whether someone has their life together. Rabbi Lapin breaks down which F matters most at different life stages, why your relationship with money says more about your character than almost anything else, and how ancient biblical wisdom maps directly onto the way the world actually works. We also talk about why socialism keeps spreading, what the fall of empires has to do with America right now, and why AI is being overhyped in exactly the same way the internet and the automobile were. 90% of Rabbi Lapin's listeners are not Jewish. These are universal principles — and this is one of those conversations you'll want to share. A few of our favorite lines from this episode. It's full of transformative life advice, but you'll have to listen for the rest: "I ask people on planes: what do you do for your fellow human beings? Not what do you do for a living, that's a very self-centered way of looking at it." "Empires end not because of outside invasion — but because of internal collapse. The breaking apart of a common moral shared outlook." If this episode made you think of someone , that's your sign. Stop and share it with them! Follow us on Instagram at @thecuriousmiddlepod Follow our Substack Email us thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro: why Polina and Yelena are obsessed with Rabbi Lapin and what to expect 3:43 — The Five F's introduced: Family, Finance, Friendship, Fitness, Faith 6:03 — Family defined: all relationships that flow from male-female connection 7:30 — Finance defined: money, ownership, and your professional relationships 8:29 — Faith explained: anything that can't be measured in a lab — including why you paid $64 for jeans 10:43 — Why the Five F's live on a circle, not a ranked list 11:50 — Which F matters most by life stage — counterintuitive advice for men and women 13:45 — Why society is conditioned to see wealth as greedy — and why that's wrong 15:17 — What a man's relationship with money reveals about his character 19:46 — Jewish tradition views the pursuit of profit as morally good 20:45 — Why socialism spreads and why it's dangerous 22:04 — Freedom vs. equality: you can't have both 24:25 — The 250-year empire cycle — and America turns 250 this year 28:43 — Money and God: gold is the eighth thing God calls "good" in Genesis 31:01 — Why half the guests at a Jewish wedding are business connections, not family 33:11 — Yelena's personal question: how do you measure worth when you've stepped away from a career? 35:20 — Why having children above 2.1 is one of the most important contributions to society 37:44 — Abundance vs. scarcity mindset — and why you can't will money into existence 40:05 — The Screw Magazine story: why everyone needs to believe they're doing something of lasting value 42:26 — Whale oil, copper wire, and the pattern of false scarcity throughout history 43:45 — AI is being overhyped — same pattern as the internet and the automobile 47:02 — People need people: why AI won't replace human connection 49:27 — How media has brainwashed us to see business as villainous 51:00 — Perspective check: 1930, 1941 — things have been worse and we got through it 53:45 — What to actually do right now: build your Five F's 56:16 — Closing: happiness is a decision

  5. 18 Mar

    All the News That's Fit to Spin with Ashley Rindsberg

    How much power does The New York Times really have , and what happens when that power is used to shape narrative instead of pursue truth? In this episode of The Curious Middle, we speak with Ashley Rindsberg, author of The Gray Lady Winked, about the Times' reporting on some of the most important stories of the last century: the Nazi invasion of Poland, Stalin's Soviet Union, the Holocaust, Israel, the 1619 Project nd more. Ashley Rindsberg is an investigative journalist and author focused on media malfeasance, information warfare, and the hidden systems influencing public discourse. Ashley joins us to explain why he believes the paper has repeatedly protected power, buried inconvenient truths, and helped shape public opinion in ways that changed history. We also talk about the Sulzberger family, the culture inside elite newsrooms, the collapse of trust in journalism, and how listeners can build a healthier media diet today. Follow Ashley's Substack In this episode: What first inspired Ashley to write The Gray Lady Winked Why the New York Times is unlike any other media institution The Times' Holocaust coverage and what was buried How tne NYT Created a Narrative on the Soviet Unioo, Hitler, Cuba, Iraq, Israel and the Intifada, The 1619 Project and narrative-driven reporting The Tom Cotton op-ed controversy, safe spaces, silencing dissent and newsroom ideology How to find better journalism in a fractured media environment More reading: Books: Buried by the Times by Laurel Leff Stalin's Apologist: Walter Duranty: The New York Times's Man in Moscow by S.J. Taylor Articles About the NYT Nazi Correspondent from Tablet Magazine NYT journalist Walter Duranty, who downplayed the Ukraine famine. "Committed to protecting his own influence and to a future "greater good" promised by the Soviet regime, Duranty at first dismissed rumors of the Ukrainian Famine. Then he downplayed them. Then he claimed that Ukraine's "food shortages" were the result of local mismanagement and the work of "wreckers" and "spoilers" intent on undermining Soviet progress."   More podcasts with Ashley: Ashley on the Coleman Hughes podcast Ashley on the Winston Marshall podcast Key Quotes "They set cultural agendas, they set the news agenda, they influence politics, they influence culture." "They didn't want to appear to be the Jewish newspaper that was advocating for Jewish lives or Jewish people. So they did the exact opposite." "You don't bury a story about tens of thousands of people being murdered in Europe by accident." "The narrative was so overpowering for them that it obliterated what was in front of their faces." "It became a culture of silence." Timestamps 05:13: Origin Story of the Book Spark: reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Shock discovery: NYT reported Poland invaded Germany (1939) Core question: "If they got that wrong, what else did they get wrong?" 08:42 – Why Focus on The New York Times 11:32 – Ochs-Sulzberger Family Ideology German-Jewish assimilation philosophy: Judaism = religion only (not identity) 14:23 – Holocaust Coverage Critique Only 6 front-page Holocaust stories in 6 years 17:56 – Historical Parallels to Today Narratives like: "Jews cause wars" "Israel manipulation" 20:34 – Could Coverage Have Changed History? 21:12 – Fascination with Power / Dictators 24:15 – Ukraine Famine Denial (Walter Duranty) 26:43 – Publishing Barriers Publishers avoided book due to: Fear of NYT retaliation Bestseller list control Insight: NYT bestseller list = editorial, not purely sales-based 30:12 – NYT Power Today Less local dominance, more global reach ~600 million monthly users Now a digital ecosystem 32:32 – NYT Lack of Accountability 35:30 – State of Journalism Today 38:48 – Misleading Image Example (Second Intifada) Photo falsely captioned: Palestinian victim → actually Jewish man being saved Example of narrative overriding facts 41:20 – Mohammed al-Dura Case Widely reported killing blamed on Israel Later forensic evidence contradicted it NYT never corrected narrative 43:10 – The 1619 Project Claim: U.S. founded on slavery, not liberty Criticism: Historians said key claims were false Still: Won Pulitzer Entered school curricula 51:54 – Tom Cotton Op-Ed Controversy 57:55 – Future of Media 59:27 – Advice for News Consumers (GREAT CLIP) 🔥 "Unbundle the news like Spotify unbundled albums" 1:01:09 – Closing + Current Work Focus on: Narrative spread across platforms Wikipedia, Reddit, AI manipulation Company: NPOV   Follow @thecuriousmiddlepod Contact us: thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

  6. 21 Jan

    If Iran Breaks Free with Jonathan Harounoff

    In this powerful episode, we sit down with Jonathan Harounoff, British-Iranian journalist and author of Unveiled: Inside Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom Revolt. Jonathan takes us inside the Woman, Life, Freedom movement—how it began, why it refuses to die, and why the regime continues to answer peaceful protest with barbaric force. Drawing on years of reporting and deeply personal conversations with Iranians inside the country and across the diaspora, he shares the brutal realities of life under the regime—and the extraordinary courage of people who keep standing up anyway. We talk about hunger, fear, and economic collapse. About mothers, daughters, and young people risking everything. About why the regime blames Israel and the West—and what Iranians are actually fighting for: dignity, choice, basic freedom, and a future without constant terror. We also ask a question that feels almost unthinkable, and yet possible: What would a free Iran mean for the Middle East, and for the world? This is a sobering yet hopeful conversation about sacrifice, resilience, and the power of ordinary people to challenge unimaginable tyranny and change history. Memorable Quotes: "There's a very clear distinction between the Islamic Republic and the 92 million Iranians it governs." "This is a proud, resilient civilization with thousands of years of history—and they're not giving it up for a 47-year-old regime." "The regime will blame Israel, the U.S., even 'cloud theft'—anything except its own mismanagement." "Women were deliberately shot in the eyes to leave a permanent mark." "A free Iran wouldn't just transform the Middle East—it would transform the world." Timestamps: 00:00 – Why this moment in Iran matters 01:46 – Jonathan's book and the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising 04:08 – Iranians vs. the Islamic Republic 06:22 – Why Israel gets blamed for everything 08:36 – Is this the biggest uprising yet? 10:56 – What Iranians want after the regime 12:40 – How the regime crushes dissent 15:41 – Can the protests survive another crackdown? 17:15 – Do Iranians want Western help? 18:09 – What a free Iran could mean for the world 20:23 – The UN's silence on Iran 21:30 – Stories that changed Jonathan forever 22:36 – How to truly learn Iranian culture 24:51 – Hope for a free Iran Please share this episode with a friend: Follow us on Instagram at @thecuriousmiddlepod Follow our Substack Emal us thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

  7. 18 Jan

    When Education Turns Into One-Sided Activism with Marissa Streit CEO of PragerU

    We spreak with  Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU   about education, civics, and parenting in a time of cultural chaos. Marissa shares the moment that inspired her to "enlist" through education, explains why activism can show up even in math and literacy, and calls on parents to stop outsourcing values to institutions. Our discussion also explores he crisis facing young women today—marriage, meaning, dignity, and femininity—and why Marissa believes a new "revolution" is needed. Plus: practical ways to use PragerU at home in just 5–20 minutes a day. https://www.prageru.com Timestamps & Key Moments 00:04 — Intro: Who is Marissa Streit & what is PragerU Why parents must play an active role in teaching civics and history. 04:36 — Education as the root of today's cultural crisis Marissa argues education didn't just reflect the problem—it helped create it. 06:28 — A formative moment at Yad Vashem How a visit at age 13 shaped her belief in personal responsibility and moral courage. 08:55 — America under attack—through ideas, not force Why failing to teach civics leaves the country vulnerable. 17:59 — Division vs. unity in schools From "melting pot" to identity fragmentation. 22:32 — Activism in education How ideology shows up in teacher training and classrooms. 24:55 — The NEA agenda shock What disturbed Marissa most about the union's priorities. 29:45 — Bureaucracy, unions, and incentives A critique of the education system's structure and power dynamics. 38:32 — Civics collapse How can kids defend a country they don't understand? 40:53 — The parent solution Teaching values, debate, and civic responsibility at home—regardless of school quality. 45:20 — Young women, meaning, and modern feminism Marriage, family, and fulfillment in a confusing cultural moment. 54:43 — Europe as a warning What happens when a shared civic identity disappears. 57:02 — Cultural literacy Why "we all spoke American" matters. 59:23 — How parents can use PragerU A simple daily habit that works.   If you enjoy this podcast and topic, check out our conversations with America's favorite government teacher Sharon McMachon and Professor of Political Science Lindsey Cormack on How to Raise  a Citizen   One Semester of Civics: The Threat You didn't See Coming with Sharon McMahon Key Quotes "Education got us into this mess. Education is going to get us out of this mess." (≈ 04:36) "Most people rely on others to do the fighting for them… and they don't begin to fight until it's absolutely too late." (≈ 06:28) "America… is being taken down through ideas, through the erosion of what it is to be an American." (≈ 08:55) "Civics education is reduced to just activism… How do you defend a country that you don't understand and don't love?" (≈ 38:32) Please share this episode with a friend: Follow us on Instagram at @thecuriousmiddlepod Follow our Substack Emal us thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

  8. 20/12/2025

    Foster Care to Yale: The Truth About Luxury Beliefs with Rob Henderson

    Rob Henderson, known for coining the term "luxury beliefs," joins us to discuss his memoir Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class. Rob shares his extraordinary path—from homelessness and the LA foster care system, to adoption in rural Northern California, to enlisting in the Air Force at 17, and eventually studying at Yale and Cambridge. Rob shares research that shows how childhood instability (more than poverty alone) shapes life outcomes; why the foster system is so under-resourced; how elite cultural narratives can unintentionally harm the very communities they claim to help; and how certain "status beliefs" spread through universities and media. We discuss the hypocrisy and social dynamics of campus ideology, the "Halloween costume controversy" at Yale, and why honest conversations about family structure, class, and social policy are so hard to have yet so critical for making real progress. Key themes and Quotes Luxury beliefs give status to the elite—and the costs are paid by people with the least power." Poverty alone doesn't predict failure. Instability does." The people most skeptical of family are usually the ones who grew up in intact families. "They live like it's the 1950s—and talk like it's the 1960s." "I benefited from structure, plan to give it to my kids—and publicly argue others shouldn't." "Elite students condemn capitalism on Monday and interview at Goldman Sachs on Wednesday." Foster Care / Instability Truths "You don't need the worst childhood to feel the damage of instability."  Privilege / Backlash Lines "Telling struggling kids they're privileged doesn't create compassion—it creates resentment." Check out our website: https://meantforyoupod.com Reach out to us: meantforyoupod@gmail.com Follow us on IG If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like these conversations: Brandy Shufutinsky on the Marxist Roots of Ethic Studies Your School's Ethic Studies Curriculum with Monica Harris from FAIR For ALL Key Topics + Timeline 01:00–02:13 – Why labels like "privileged/unprivileged" flatten real life; every story is individual 04:15 – Rob explains who he wrote the book for: the typical educated reader + the kid in chaos who needs hope 07:30–12:00 – Rob's "three names" origin story: biological parents, homelessness, foster care, adoption 11:16 – Red Bluff, CA: family fragmentation, addiction, instability in a working-class town 12:40–16:30 – Foster-care policy: frequent moves to avoid attachment; "least bad option" dilemmas 18:15 – Why foster care gets little attention (and why stories are painful to face) 19:00–23:30 – What made Rob "successful": curiosity + the military as structure, mentors, and environment shift 25:17–29:46 – Research distinction: harshness (poverty) vs instability (unpredictability) as predictors 27:38 – Striking stats: college graduation rates—poor kids vs foster kids (as cited by Rob) 32:10–36:52 – "Luxury beliefs": elites "walk the 50s, talk the 60s"; the social mechanism of cultural messaging 39:18 – After-school programs, screens, and class gaps in supervision/structure 41:39–46:20 – Luxury beliefs as social currency: status signaling through "virtue" positions (white privilege, defund police) 46:20–53:21 – Ethnic studies curricula + backlash: why telling struggling kids they're "privileged" can fuel resentment 57:46–01:02:27 – Yale 2015 Halloween controversy + the irony of Rob being told he's "too privileged" 01:03:00–01:07:07 – Veblen → Bourdieu → Henderson: from luxury goods to cultural capital to luxury beliefs 01:09:09–01:11:18 – Careerism + hypocrisy: condemning institutions while competing to join them 01:11:18–01:15:45 – Post–Oct 7 campus protests; when beliefs meet real consequences 01:15:45–01:18:03 – Hope for higher education: reform, alternatives, and "you don't have to go to college" 01:18:03–01:20:27 – Why the story resonates beyond foster care; instability, immigration, divorce, loneliness

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About

We're two San Francisco moms who got tired of pretending the obvious isn't obvious. Top 1.5% of podcasts globally not because we play it safe. We ask the questions people are thinking but won't say out loud, on the topics that actually shape how we live: media, politics, culture, parenting, careers and what it means to defend common sense in a state that often ignores reality. We're two women who've earned our opinions through life, careers, raising kids and educating ourselves, Expect ideas that challenge what you think you know. Conversations that don't wrap up neatly. And the occasional moment where one of us changes our mind on air, because that's what actually curious people do. Being "in the middle" isn't about being passive. It's about being grounded enough to question everything, open enough to learn from anywhere, and brave enough to push beyond comfortable assumptions. Expect conversations that challenge, entertain, and push you toward a more thoughtful, and wildly better life. Follow us on Instagram @thecuriousmiddlepod or reach out at thecuriousmiddlepod@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Polina & Yelena
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    158
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Curious Middle

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