Culture Changers with Allison Hare

Allison Hare
  • 4.9 (104)
  • Philosophy
  • Updated Weekly

Culture Changers is where we pour gasoline on fiery topics like power, politics, religion, and relationships (thoughtfully) and find a better way through. I've interviewed people like Seth Godin, Mariel Hemingway, and Jesse Itzler among other notable world-changers. And of course, we are talking cults, trad wives, microtrends, money, faith, and what it actually means to be human right now. Listen, it's time to get up and do something. We've got a world to change!

  1. The Guru Era is Dead. What comes next? with Dr. Liz Bucar

    1d ago

    The Guru Era is Dead. What comes next? with Dr. Liz Bucar

    We went from prophet to profit with an IT. Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Deepak Chopra — one by one, the curtain got lifted. And we're left asking: who do we actually trust? Religious ethicist Dr. Liz Bucar has spent 25 years studying exactly that question. Her answers will surprise you. What you'll learn in this episode: Why the guru era is collapsing and what a good teacher actually looks like versus a predatory one The hidden Orientalism behind Deepak Chopra and Jay Shetty's appeal — and the latent racism nobody's talking about How a 19th century minister literally named after the Graham cracker gave us our food guilt Why a single question from a tarot card reader reversed years of orthorexia when therapy and church couldn't touch it What happened when a straight-edge religious studies professor did ayahuasca three times a day for three days in an Oregon yurt — and what it broke open about death, grief, and living well What sangha means and why real community requires you to be inconvenienced Prefer to watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/5kXU5Cf2heE Resources & Links: ORDER Beyond Wellness book: https://amzn.to/4wQJypx Liz's website: https://www.lizbucar.com/books Liz's Substack (Religion, Reimagined): https://lizbucar.substack.com/ Liz on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizbucar/ Liz on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lizbucar Work with Allison: https://allisonhare.com/freecall NOTABLE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Intro: Prophet to profit. The guru era is over. 02:25 — Welcome Dr. Liz Bucar 03:25 — Is the guru era over? Jay Shetty, Deepak Chopra, and what cracked 07:35 — The halo effect: how platform-built gurus get their power 09:23 — Red flags of a bad spiritual teacher 10:57 — What a good teacher actually looks like 11:47 — The Orientalism and latent racism behind the wellness guru industry 13:43 — What is wellness — and why it's too low of a bar 15:05 — Women, optimization, and the anemic version of human life we've been sold 16:22 — What if dying well is part of living well? 17:56 — What a "none" borrows from religion without belonging to it 21:21 — Religion's PR problem and who's controlling the narrative 24:01 — Safety, belonging, and the search for somewhere to land 25:24 — Disordered eating, orthorexia, and the tarot reading that reversed it 30:01 — How bad theology gave us food moralizing (the Graham cracker guy) 34:26 — Ayahuasca: the plan Liz did NOT have 36:58 — Santo Daime, the sacrament of Daime, and a legal ayahuasca church in the US 39:12 — Why the religious container was everything 41:53 — Confronting her father's death in an Oregon yurt 43:18 — Death doulas, dying well, and the epiphany that changed everything 44:01 — Sangha: what community actually means 45:23 — Hope vs. optimism — and why the difference matters right now 48:20 — Rage has good intel. Embrace the ugly parts. 49:05 — Why individualism has done us dirty 50:33 — Biohacking, hustle culture, and inviting friction back in 51:06 — Real community requires showing up, not just extracting 52:46 — Where to find Liz and preorder Beyond Wellness Allison's Offer: Schedule a free podcast clarity call: https://allisonhare.com/freecall Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    57 min
  2. Ex-Mormon, Ex-MAGA, Ex-Tradwife: How Lesbians Broke the Spell with Jennie Gage

    May 21

    Ex-Mormon, Ex-MAGA, Ex-Tradwife: How Lesbians Broke the Spell with Jennie Gage

    She burned her Bible in the backyard. But that came years after leaving a marriage she was pressured into at 19, going homeless, losing her faith, and waking up from a coma. Jennie Gage has lived several lifetimes inside one — and she's using all of it to fight back. What you'll get from this conversation: How Mormon indoctrination works and why it's different from "just going to church on Sundays" What "a man is not a plan" really means and how Jennie learned it the hard way The tradwife pipeline that cracked 44 years of belief wide open Why the lesbians were always the canary in the coal mine What "shield maidens" are in white supremacist movements and where Erica Kirk fits in Why Turning Point USA is essentially running a Mormon missionary program on college campuses How cults use fear and inspiration to change behavior — and why it always wears off What identity collapse actually feels like when you leave a high-demand religion Where Jennie finds spirituality, hope, and her own voice as an atheist Why she calls herself an activist, not a content creator Jennie's Resources and Links: Jennie Gage on YouTube: Life Take Two: https://www.youtube.com/@lifetaketwo7662 Jennie on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/lifetaketwo Jennie's Substack: Mormon Wife's Secret Life: https://lifetaketwo.substack.com/p/a-mormon-wifes-secret-life Jennie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/lifetaketwojennie/ Allison's Resource: Book a free clarity call with Allison: allisonhare.com/freecall Trigger warnings: This episode covers suicide, sexual assault, domestic abuse, child marriage, and religious coercion. Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    1h 9m
  3. Culture Changers Turns 7 TODAY! Big announcement

    May 14 ·  Bonus

    Culture Changers Turns 7 TODAY! Big announcement

    Culture Changers Podcast is 7 TODAY! Award-winning. Globally ranked (top 1.5%) Almost 300 episodes and a million downloads. And to celebrate, I'm doing a ridiculous marathon livestream starting today at 1pm EST.  And I might even go for SEVEN HOURS! Join me LIVE (please comment and say hi - surprise guests, surprise announcements, spice level 1000.  YouTube Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Definitely NOT Twitter/X 👎🏼). I can't thank you enough for being part of this global conversation. xo, Allison Hare   Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    2 min
  4. Healing from Religious Trauma, Silence Culture, and Modern Politics with Tia Levings

    May 7

    Healing from Religious Trauma, Silence Culture, and Modern Politics with Tia Levings

    Learn what healing looks like after 40 years of identity collapse in Christian patriarchy. Tia Levings is a New York Times bestselling author, featured in Amazon's "Shiny Happy People," who escaped Christian fundamentalism, recovered from religious trauma, and now decodes why patriarchal family structures mirror the theocratic policies taking shape in American government right now. In this episode, Tia walks us through: The mechanics of silence culture and why it protects abusers How to identify when you're in a high-control group (it's rarely obvious) Why women brought into patriarchal power structures become scapegoats What healing actually looks like (not spiritual bypassing, not "I'm grateful it happened") The healing modalities that work for complex PTSD after religious trauma How modern politics is the scaled-up version of the family systems she lived in This is a warm, grounded conversation about one of the most urgent cultural issues we're not talking about clearly enough. Books mentioned: A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy (https://amzn.to/4tTCvug) I Belong to Me: A Survivor's Guide to Recovery and Hope After Religious Trauma — released May 5, 2026 (https://amzn.to/4epEiCy) Find Tia: Website: https://tialevings.com/ Substack: https://tialevings.substack.com/ Social: @TiaLevingsWriter Viral first appearance on Culture Changers Podcast "What Christian Patriarchy Doesn't Want You To Know" - https://youtu.be/aU6CcgskrUE Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/tCeYbmwcnXA Ready for your own megaphone for change - the podcast that grows? Schedule a free clarity call with me here: https://allisonhare.com/freecall Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    1h 4m
  5. Has biohacking made us lonely? with Chris Schembra

    Apr 30

    Has biohacking made us lonely? with Chris Schembra

    Have we biohacked our way to loneliness? We've over-optimized every aspect of our lives—Oura rings, trackers, endless connections on social media. We're fitter, more quantified, more tracked than ever. Yet we're the loneliest society that has ever existed. Suicide rates have never been higher. Somewhere along the way, we lost touch with each other and maybe even ourselves. Chris Schembra makes the case that true fulfillment doesn't lie in adding more optimization. It lies in adding friction back. In this conversation, we break down why convenience is the enemy of connection, what earned intimacy actually requires, and how the serenity prayer—tattooed on Chris's arm from early sobriety—reveals the wisdom we're desperately seeking. What You'll Learn: Why "biohacking" and optimization have backfired on human connection The difference between weak ties (what social platforms designed for) and deep relationships (what we actually need) What "earned intimacy" means and why it requires inconvenience and repeatability The League of Gentlemen: how a village of 100 friends grew from three people having breakfast together Why we're outsourcing our emotions to chatbots instead of sitting in our own thoughts The serenity prayer as a practical life design tool—not spiritual advice The discernment crisis: why judgment and taste are the most valuable skills of tomorrow How to reclaim your life from algorithms and convenience Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/8xxiRxRR24E Resources & Links: Chris Schembra on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chrisschembra Reach out: chris@chrisschembra.com 7:47 Gratitude Experience: https://747club.org EP79of CC: A new twist on gratitude: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0V49SVlsXGMmcH8Af2aGnO?si=3f708350572a4b01 EP101: BDSM and the Boardroom: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cBTAzKRV27qa3wSOwpsQV?si=be9222f7e2104674 EP157: Ketamine psychedelic therapy: Chris Schembra's story: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0V49SVlsXGMmcH8Af2aGnO?si=3f708350572a4b01 Key Timestamps: 00:00 — Intro: Have we biohacked our way to loneliness? 00:41 — Mother Teresa on the poverty of the soul 02:23 — Allison pushes back on the framing 03:40 — The distinction between "too easy" and "too optimized" 04:09 — Why tech companies call us "users" 05:56 — The convenience trap: clicking vs. calling 06:51 — Outsourcing emotions to chatbots and streaming services 54:26 — Building true intimacy vs. collecting weak ties 55:27 — The Strength of Weak Ties study and social media's backfire 56:25 — The breakfast story: how a village of 100 friends was born 58:26 — Walking through seasons of life together 59:13 — The League of Gentlemen and being held when you show up messy 01:01:14 — The serenity prayer tattoo and the three pillars 01:03:40 — Wisdom to know the difference: the discernment crisis 01:04:40 — The beauty of inconvenient choices and earned connection Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    1h 12m
  6. White Women Villains: Brené, Mel & the Wellness Grifter Blame Game

    Apr 23

    White Women Villains: Brené, Mel & the Wellness Grifter Blame Game

    We celebrate female empowerment while simultaneously destroying women who actually achieve it. This episode unpacks why we pile on female leaders—from Brené Brown to Mel Robbins to Gwyneth Paltrow—in ways we never do for men. Not to defend these women although some deserve critique. It's about understanding the line between legitimate critique and character assassination, and asking what happens when we redirect that energy toward systemic change instead of moral policing. Where is the line where you go from beloved to canceled? Timestamps: 0:00 Intro: The White Women Villain Pattern 2:18 We're at an Inflection Point 4:42 The Brené Brown Takedown (Threads, Reddit, Appropriation Claims) 7:04 Appropriating Black Feminist Theory 9:23 The Mendoza Line: Where Does Deserving Cancellation Begin? 12:45 Why Thought Leaders Stay Silent (Fear of Judgment) 15:20 The Grifter Accusation (Mel Robbins, Gwyneth, Reese) 18:00 Cult Leaders, Wellness Culture & False Profits 21:30 The Poet Cassie & Mel Robbins' Poem 25:15 Accountability vs. Character Assassination 28:40 The Over-Optimization Backlash 31:00 We're All Learning (Both/And Complexity) 34:20 Toxicity & Beloved-by-Millions Syndrome 37:15 It's Envy and Gender, Not Ethics 40:30 I Want to See People Win 43:00 Don't Die with Your Song Unsung 45:15 Systemic Change Happens in Community 48:30 These Women Are Mirrors, Not Heroes or Villains 51:32 We Can't Dismantle Patriarchy by Policing Women 53:55 Little Drops of Water Matter 56:14 Your Message Needs to Be Heard Be sure to share this one. Subscribe/follow/leave a review. Do all the things. It means the world to me. Prefer to watch on YouTube? Voila! https://youtu.be/9qKRgKekea4 Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    58 min
  7. Psychology Behind Political Polarization w/ Dr. Jay Van Bavel

    Apr 16

    Psychology Behind Political Polarization w/ Dr. Jay Van Bavel

    You can watch two people look at the same video of the Minneapolis shooting and come to completely opposite conclusions about what happened. Why? Because their brains — literally — were looking at different parts of the screen. That's selective perception. And once Dr. Jay Van Bavel explained it to me, I couldn't stop seeing it everywhere. In my feed. In my family. In myself. Jay is one of the top 1% of researchers in the world — not my words, that's Clarivate — and a professor of psychology and neuroscience at NYU. His research has been cited by the US Supreme Court, the Senate, and the World Health Organization. And in this conversation, he did not let me off the hook. Neither will you. We went deep on why our brains are not built for social media, how AI is becoming a full-time confirmation bias machine, what's actually happening to democracy right now, and — I promise there's a reason to keep listening — one genuinely hopeful hack backed by hard data that can lower your polarization by 25%. In this episode, you'll learn: Why two people can watch the exact same video and reach opposite conclusions — and it's not about intelligence or bad faith How AI chatbots are 50% more sycophantic than actual humans — and what that's doing to your relationships and your politics What the research actually says about Trump's approval drop and the role of "apolitical" influencers in shifting minds The one social media move backed by a clinical study that can reduce your polarization by 25% in a single month — and keep it lower for a full year Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/-upTCa6s7oc Resources & Links Mentioned: Dr. Jay Van Bavel's Substack: The Power of Us NYU Center for Conflict and Cooperation: nyu.edu The Power of Us (book) by Jay Van Bavel & Dominic Packer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allison__hare LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonhare/ Website: https://allisonhare.com Book a free podcast clarity call: https://allisonhare.com/freecall Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    54 min
  8. Magic Mushrooms, Body Trauma, and the Message I Couldn't Ignore

    Apr 2

    Magic Mushrooms, Body Trauma, and the Message I Couldn't Ignore

    How can we be so self-aware and so clueless about ourselves at the same time? Have you ever wondered why so many high-achieving, self-aware people still struggle to actually feel seen and healed? In this episode of Culture Changers, I’m inviting you behind the scenes of my fifth ceremonial psilocybin-assisted therapy journey to crack open the messy, nonlinear world of emotional healing, trauma recovery, and the radical power of self-discovery. I ditch the filters (you know me) and share what magic mushrooms (psilocybin) revealed to me about my own deeply held fears, body trauma, perimenopause mood swings, and that gnawing sense of never being “enough”, even after years in therapy and spiritual hustle. I get real about the pitfalls and promise of the psychedelic healing landscape, from shady, bougie retreat centers to the truly ethical practitioners at Entheo Temple, plus why safety and integrity matter more than ever in this wild west of plant medicine. Whether you’re psilocybin-curious, passionate about trauma healing, or just looking for a brutally honest conversation about what it means to be fully seen, this episode is for you. We’ll dig into everything including: microdosing, EMDR, healing community, body image, and I’ll share how embracing vulnerability (with a side of irreverence) can help you break open, reconnect, and rise the hell up. Healing isn’t linear, but with the right questions, support, and a little mushroom magic, real progress is possible. I cover: How healing isn’t linear or predictable Psychedelic-assisted therapy experiences Importance of ethical practitioners/facilitators Self-awareness and emotional vulnerability Being seen vs. hiding oneself Personal trauma and body acceptance Building supportive community for growth Timestamps: 00:00 Reflecting on healing and self-awareness 04:53 Preparing for guided ceremonies 07:16 Exploring psilocybin's healing benefits 12:21 Reflecting on a bad business experience 13:26 Attending an ethical healing retreat 16:28 Heroic doses and emotional healing 22:01 Realizing personal relationship patterns 24:51 Attending a small group ceremony 27:29 A mushroom ceremony experience 31:21 Reflecting on a healing session 32:49 Relaxing in nature with reflection 36:01 Struggling with body image 41:24 Closing thoughts and next steps 43:09 Supporting the show and staying connected Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/AmpeTTXQzVs —--------------------------------------------------------- To Learn More About Entheo Temple: Website: https://www.entheotemple.org  My Psychedelic Docu-Series: First Time Ever: EP150: My psychedelic journey inward: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2zWPpOEQchQ7g9azKJ3bcO?si=b57e2a0e7c214835 EP154: LIFE Update: Psychedelic Aftermath, 12-hour walk: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zy86Rj0a1C2ojq4ZZiClk?si=a64d3dd8c55e498b 2nd journey: EP168: Psychedelics Part 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wQTCTc4kSlqYZFicWy2ni?si=78af6ff3c4aa474b 3rd journey: Psychedelics, brutal solo hike, and overcoming fear and doubt: https://open.spotify.com/episode/15L2tjPE0Cvx3YMQQ8fiop?si=fe13431a55914b44 4th Journey: Psychedelics Uncovered My Hidden Shadow: https://open.spotify.com/episode/06QFKj1Ak2mQuPw10UBD1i?si=e3cc9bc30d0e4f07 To Connect With Me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allison__hare LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonhare/ Website: https://allisonhare.com Book a free podcast clarity call with Allison: https://allisonhare.com/freecall Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff. Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!Sign up for the free weekly emailAllisonHare.comFollow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording todayReb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.Feedback and Contact:: allison@allisonhare.com

    44 min
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About

Culture Changers is where we pour gasoline on fiery topics like power, politics, religion, and relationships (thoughtfully) and find a better way through. I've interviewed people like Seth Godin, Mariel Hemingway, and Jesse Itzler among other notable world-changers. And of course, we are talking cults, trad wives, microtrends, money, faith, and what it actually means to be human right now. Listen, it's time to get up and do something. We've got a world to change!

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