Lyft Talk

Real Stories from Real People

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SOCIETY & CULTURE
UPDATED WEEKLY

Ride along with a driver who turns everyday trips into unforgettable conversations — where strangers open up, share their stories, and more. “Lyft Talk” is part confessional, part classroom, capturing the magic that happens when you connect with a stranger you will never see again. lyfttalk.substack.com

14 JAN

Episode 22: Derek’s Story

I didn’t plan this episode.There’s no rider. No car. No background noise, except some soothing guitar. Just me, sitting in my apartment near Sloan’s Lake, trying to make sense of the last few years. Driving Lyft was never the plan. It was survival. What I didn’t expect was that it would become an education — not the kind you get from books or debates, but the kind you get from listening to people who are rarely listened to. One of them was Derek. This is his story. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

20 min
17/12/2025

Episode 21: Screw the Money, Follow the Dream

On This Episode: * Leaving high income behind and why “broke” can feel better than “safe” * The hardest entrepreneurial skill: letting go * From satellites + trades → security to building teams at scale * The invisible work of leadership (relationships, motivation, culture) * How SCORE mentors helped shape a real business plan * Find out more at score.org * One Million Cups and why pitch feedback is a cheat code * Find out more here. * SEO, first customers, and the grind of making an idea real. * and More! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

1h 40m
03/12/2025

Episode 20: Vaccines, Mental Health & The Information War

On this episode: * A pediatrician’s view from the American Academy of Pediatrics convention in Denver * How 30 years in medicine feel in an era of vaccine debates and political pressure * How Doctors lost the public’s trust in the 60’s * Sean’s story: quitting consulting, taking the MCAT, and almost going into osteopathic medicine * What “polypharmacy” is and why some kids get stacked with unnecessary meds * The quiet crisis in rural healthcare and mental health access in Tennessee * A wild side road into autism, nonverbal communication, and the Telepathy Tapes podcast * A candid debate on vaccine evidence, double-blind trials, and what ethics even allows nowadays * How social media, algorithms, and charisma reshaped science communication—and why doctors feel like they’re losing the “information war” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

55 min
26/11/2025

Episode 19: Vegas, Telepathy & the Nature of God

On this episode: * How Mike went from wine and spirits to remote solar and battery storage sales after the pandemic * Why he and his online sales buddies meet up in Vegas every year for a not-so-traditional “work trip” * Sean calling out Mike’s subtle “sales voice” and what happens when we drop the professional mask * A thoughtful take on ego as self-preservation—and why even self-aware people still need some of it * Mike’s journey from Jewish upbringing to religious studies major to calling himself agnostic * A discussion of whether religions are more alike than we think, and why no one really has all the answers * Sean’s riff on telepathy, non-verbal autistic kids, and the idea of a shared field of consciousness * How AI, population decline, and an aging world might force us to rethink the entire economy * The question underneath it all: can humans actually behave altruistically at scale? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

33 min
19/11/2025

Episode 18: Commission Checks, Minnesota Cold Winters, and Alien Secrets

On this episode of Lyft Talk: * Roxanne explains what it’s like working commission-only at a furniture store and why she’s already job hunting * Growing up in Duluth: outdoor hockey, lake skating, eyelashes freezing, and winters that never really end * Sean’s take on rich neighborhoods where everyone looks stressed and annoyed despite the perfect scenery * Why some newly rich families seem miserable, fake, and trapped in lifestyles they secretly hate * A rant on billionaires, space trips, and why that money could be going toward mental health instead * Social media pressure, filters, Brazilian butt lifts, and how kids today are growing up inside a body-dysmorphia machine * The strange sense that “something big” is coming—and why so many riders quietly say they feel it too * Drones, mystery balloons, Utah monoliths, and stories from Brazil that sound a lot like real-life alien crashes * 5G towers, nighttime installations, and shadow-people conspiracy vibes * Sean’s rider whose maybe-CIA husband only eats carefully sourced vegetables * The bigger question behind it all: who’s really in control, and how do you stay sane when everything feels rigged? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

36 min
12/11/2025

Episode 17: Gentrification, Groceries, and JFK: A Late-Night Lyft Talk

On this episode: * Denver’s post-legalization boom: winners, losers, and the weirdness of timing * The 9-to-5 tradeoff (Nathan’s bank job, Kubernetes life) vs. buying time back * Food standards, affordability, and food deserts—why “eat healthy” isn’t simple * Culture, family recipes, and the hidden barriers to changing how we eat * Media literacy vs. “the internet is a mistake” (and why noise is a feature) * JFK, Epstein, and why some stories seem never to resolve themselves * Practical autonomy: water, food, shelter, body—back to the basics This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

34 min
05/11/2025

Episode 16: The one with the Paramedic

On This Episode: * The EPL season opener and the vibe at British Bulldog * Why Sean built Lyft Talk as a rolling classroom * Framing robots and the hidden expertise of everyday work * Experiments from Breath (nose breathing, jaw expansion) * Travel curiosity: China myths, Uruguay dreams * A paramedic’s perspective on mistakes, resilience, and mortality This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

20 min
29/10/2025

Lyft Talk: Episode 15 - Venezuelans and the current feeling of society on the brink

On this episode: * The origin story of Lyft Talk—and the state staffer who named it * Inside the room: budgets, buses, and the real price of “send them back” politics * Converting hotels, counting beds, and the logistics of dignity * Colorado then and now: ranching roots, progressive pragmatism * Disinformation, division, and the quiet majority that wants solutions This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lyfttalk.substack.com

20 min

Ride along with a driver who turns everyday trips into unforgettable conversations — where strangers open up, share their stories, and more. “Lyft Talk” is part confessional, part classroom, capturing the magic that happens when you connect with a stranger you will never see again. lyfttalk.substack.com

Creator

Real Stories from Real People
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

22
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Sean 📚 McMann
Show Website

Lyft Talk