Ill Conceived

Josh Boerman & June Sternbach

A podcast about natalism. Hosted by Josh Boerman (The Worst of All Possible Worlds, Traditional Scrench) and June Sternbach (Kill The Computer, The Onion).

  1. Viktor Orbán

    6 hr ago

    Viktor Orbán

    ***TICKETS TO OUR JULY 2 SHOW IN CHICAGO ARE ON SALE! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BY CLICKING HERE!!!!*** While natalism as a political project has its proponents, few heads of state have been willing to attempt to use the full force of the state to raise birth rates. However, one leader does stand out: Hungary's recently-ousted prime minister, Viktor Orbán. This week, June and Josh take a look at Orban's 16-year term as PM, the effects of his policies, and the ways that right-wing authoritarianism in Europe both mirrors and partners with similar movements in the United States. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Viktor Orbán, the former prime minister of Hungary. AUDIO CLIPS: 1:08:34 – Marco Rubio speaking in Budapest in February 2026, declaring a "golden era" in relations between Hungary and the United States 1:14:09 – JD Vance calling Donald Trump at an April 2026 Viktor Orban election rally in Budapest SOURCES: How Viktor Orban hollowed out Hungary’s democracy How Viktor Orbán’s Hungary Eroded the Rule of Law and Free Markets Hungary’s opposition struggles to beat Viktor Orban’s stealth autocracy Home Building Allowance for Families Viktor Orban’s pro-natalist policies are not working In a state of necessity. How has Orban changed Hungary Hungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ public events Hungary Ends Legal Recognition for Transgender and Intersex People Hungary’s ongoing demographic decline: an increase in birth rates is the only hope Authoritarian Populism in Disguise: Orbán’s Anti-Worker ‘Pro-Worker’ Regime Hungary races to build border fence as migrants keep coming Orbán rejects the European Union’s migration agreement and defends keeping asylum seekers out of EU territory Conference of U.S. conservatives opens in Orban’s Hungary Hungary offered €30,000 to couples having 3 kids—but its birth rate has still fallen to a record monthly low Vance, after rallying in Hungary for Orban, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeat Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced a seven-point family protection action plan Hungary’s New Leader Reveals Viktor Orbán Was Paying CPAC  Here's why American conservatives are heading to Hungary for a big conference At CPAC, Hungary’s Orban decries LGBTQ+ rights, migration  What one country's experiment says about attempts to boost birth rates  Farewell To Hungary, And To Europe FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.com Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com Tumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.com Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds Stream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beer Other podcast: Kill The Computer Writing: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

    1hr 32min
  2. Simone & Malcolm Collins: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    7 Jun ·  Bonus

    Simone & Malcolm Collins: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived -------------------------- We weren't able to cover everything we wanted to discuss about the Collins family in the main episode, so this week we dug in for a look at the Based Camp Discord community, the Collins Institute's bespoke homeschool learning management system Parrhesia.io, and Malcom's attempt at crafting a core family theology. Plus, we read your letters about: Josh blowing it on knowing anything about Lord of the Rings The sociopolitical context of the University of St Andrews in Scotland The creative output of genetic dead-enders like us

    40 min

  3. 2 Jun

    UPDATE: Chicago Live Show Postponed to July 2

    Josh got sick and had to go to the hospital, so we're postponing our Chicago live show to Thursday, July 2. Here's the link to the new event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-70226-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator Previous ticket buyers should have already received a refund and a link to rebook their tickets; please let us know if you experience any issues with that. Thank you for your understanding and we'll see you in a month!

    1 min
  4. Simone & Malcolm Collins

    30 May

    Simone & Malcolm Collins

    In mainstream media coverage of natalism, one specific couple keeps popping up. Their eccentric appearance and apparent ironclad commitment to the principles of tech natalism make them catnip to curious reporters, who have profiled them exhaustively. But who are Simone and Malcolm Collins, and what are they actually trying to sell you? This week, Josh and June do their best to find out. ***GET TICKETS TO JOSH'S SHOW IN CINCINNATI HERE AND THE ILL CONCEIVED JUNE 4TH LIVE SHOW IN CHICAGO HERE!!!*** ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Malcolm and Simone Collins in a press photo by Hannah Yoon AUDIO CLIPS: 18:35 – Simone Collins in a YouTube video entitled "Are You an Ambivert?" originally uploaded in November 2011 24:15 – Simone performing a cover of the Firefly theme song in a video originally uploaded to YouTube in July 2011 46:59 – Simone introduces Malcolm to the channel in a video originally uploaded to YouTube in November 2014  1:00:08 – Malcolm and Simone discuss "A Pragmatist's Take on the Red Pill" originally uploaded to YouTube in March 2020 1:16:46 – The introduction to the Based Camp episode "One Conspiracy Explains All Modern Culture (This Explains EVERYTHING)" originally uploaded to YouTube in May 2026 1:20:09 – The Bort license plate scene from "Itchy And Scratchy Land" (The Simpsons, S06E04) SOURCES: "How I Proposed to My Girlfriend on Reddit" by Malcolm Collins (Huffington Post, August 6, 2013) ArtCorgi's profile on Crunchbase "Why Many Entrepreneurs Are Turning to a ‘Search-Fund’ Model" by Glenn Hunter (D Magazine, January 9, 2017) "Scoop: Dialog, a secretive forum, plans D.C.-area campus" by Mike Allen (Axios, August 7, 2025) Simone's LinkedIn profile Malcolm's LinkedIn profile Simone's Reddit account Malcolm's Reddit account "Meet the ‘elite’ couples breeding to save mankind" by Io Dodds (The Telegraph, April 19, 2023) "About Simone and Malcolm Collins’ Smear Campaign Against Me" by Lyman Stone (Medium post, October 22, 2024) "America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world: ‘There are going to be countries of old people starving to death’" by Jenny Kleeman (The Guardian, May 25, 2024) Based Camp on YouTube FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.com Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com Tumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.com Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds Stream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beer Other podcast: Kill The Computer Writing: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

    1hr 59min

  5. Trailer

    ANNOUNCEMENT: Ill Conceived Gives You The Talk

    Thursday, June 4 at 7pm / Lincoln Lodge, Chicago $20 per ticket / 50 tickets only https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-60426-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator

    2 min
  6. JD Vance: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    16 May ·  Bonus

    JD Vance: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived -------------------------- The natalist arguments of people like JD Vance are increasingly being used to defend new laws rolling back bodily autonomy, and in Wyoming, a newly signed "fetal heartbeat" bill has made this connection explicit. We're talking about it, plus we read your mail about: The tendencies of fundamentalist Catholicism vs. more mainstream Catholicism and the people they tend to attract The varying cultural tendences of different ethnic Catholic traditions JD's connection to Erika Kirk and her whole deal

    28 min
  7. JD Vance

    9 May

    JD Vance

    The Vice President of the United States and his wife Usha are expecting their fourth baby, setting an apparent example for their fellow natalists. But just how intertwined is JD Vance with the natalist movement overall and what does it have to do with Usha’s new podcast about children’s books? This week, June and Josh dig into JD Vance’s history with conservatism and Catholicism to try to figure it out. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: JD Vance in a press photo by Niall Carson for Getty Images. Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, eventually working under Peter Thiel at Mithril Capital. After being elected to the United States Senate in 2022, Vance was selected by Donald Trump to serve as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election. AUDIO CLIPS: 18:51 – Donald Trump reading from 2 Corinthians as part of the America Reads the Bible special event 24:51 – JD Vance referring to Democratic opposition as "childless cat ladies" 59:39 – Usha Vance reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter for her podcast Storytime with the Second Lady SOURCES: J. D. Vance and the Right’s Call to Have More Babies The troubling history behind JD Vance's natalism JD Vance And Peter Thiel: What To Know About The Relationship Between Trump’s VP Pick And The Billionaire What have I done? I forced my kid to listen to Usha Vance’s podcast - now she’s a fan JD Vance Repeats ‘Anti-Family’ Criticism of Democrats on Sunday Morning News Show Tour Baby Bonuses and Motherhood Medals: Why We Shouldn’t Trust the Pronatalist Movement Trump May Soon Offer a Motherhood Medal, an Idea Popularized in Nazi Germany Republicans Are Right: One Party Is ‘Anti-Family and Anti-Kid’ Usha Vance and JD Vance, Pronatalism’s Poster Couple, Are Having a 4th Kid JD Vance’s Approval Rating Plunges to New Historic Low Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul Announce First Four Communities to Receive Free 2-K Seats Democracy | Of Childless ‘Psychopath’ Women and ‘Replacement’: JD Vance’s Birthrate and Immigration Obsessions Have Shared History An Analysis of Happy No Snakes Day and the Deeper Implications on the Horizon for Children’s Literature and Christian Nationalist Policies in the Public School System Beyond the Nuclear Family The Role of the Nuclear Family in Capitalism With Defense of ICE, JD Vance Clarifies His Next Target: You J.D. Vance Used to Be an Atheist. What He Believes Now Is Telling. Gold Mother's Cross Wikipedia: Order of Maternal Glory Who in the USSR was awarded the ‘Mother-Heroine’ title? National Conservatism: A Statement of Principles 5% of People Detained By ICE Have Violent Convictions, 73% No Convictions FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.com Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com Tumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.com Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds Stream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beer Other podcast: Kill The Computer Writing: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

    1hr 39min
  8. Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    18 Apr ·  Bonus

    Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

    THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived -------------------------- Fox News has reported on the "problem" of teenagers not getting pregnant anymore. We're talking about it, and reading your letters because it turns out that a lot of you had a lot to say about Hannah Neeleman, including: The cultural specifics of Mormonism and how they're reflected in Ballerina Farms The sinister overtones of her husband's whole deal The economics of farm tourism vs. functional scale farming Natural births and why many people prefer them Ballerina Farm-style natalism as a reflection of European settler-colonialism As always, our babies stay winning!

    23 min
See All (47)

Trailers

About

A podcast about natalism. Hosted by Josh Boerman (The Worst of All Possible Worlds, Traditional Scrench) and June Sternbach (Kill The Computer, The Onion).

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Boerman & June Sternbach
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Ill Conceived

You Might Also Like