The Curious Introvert

Meredith Hackwith Edwards

A weekly podcast covering societal taboos & cultural blind spots. Join host Meredith Hackwith Edwards as she deep dives with curiosity & nuance into philosophy, society & culture with expert guests. Episodes frequently feature philosophers, researchers, historians & journalists.

  1. 1d ago ·  Video

    Ep. 368: Should Sex Ed be Taught in Schools?

    Why is sex ed in public schools such a hot topic?   Jon Zimmerman, PhD, is and public school teacher turned historian currently teaching history at University of Pennsylvania. He’s also the author of Too Hot to Handle: a global history of sex education.   In this episode, you’ll hear Iran’s surprisingly explicit curriculum, patriotic sex ed in America, Individualism vs. Collectivism (reversed), where kids actually learn about sex & education vs indoctrination.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 315: IS ASEXUALITY AN ORIENTATION OR A SYMPTOM?  Guest: https://a.co/d/imbo806   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:03 Is Discomfort With Sex Universal? 2:40 Iran’s Surprisingly Explicit Curriculum 3:29 America as a surprising leader in sex ed 4:22 STIs, War & The Real Motive 5:23 Race Suicide & Eugenic Roots 7:43 Can Nuance Survive In A Classroom? 9:39 The American Plan & Patriotic Sex Ed 10:40 Individualism vs. Collectivism, Reversed 11:56 Why Protestantism Shaped The Divide 14:40 Purity Culture, Lived 19:00 The “Confirmed Bachelor” Problem 20:00 Globalization: Diversity Vs. Consensus 21:19 Public Vs. Private School Freedom 22:43 Were Teachers Ever Actually Taught? 24:08 True Love Waits Is Still Sex Ed 25:33 Calling Out BS On Both Sides 27:05 Is Sex Ed Just Political Theater? 28:28 Where Kids Actually Learn About Sex 32:08 One teachers unique approach 35:00 The T.I. Hymen-Check Controversy 37:00 Education Vs. Indoctrination 37:48 Why Is Sex “Impure”? 38:31 Baby Erections & Why We Circumcise 39:18 The complications of diversity Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  2. Oct 26 ·  Video

    Ep. 367: What if We Could Understand Animal Language?

    What if we could eavesdrop on animals …. Using AI?   Sara Keen, PhD, is a behavioral ecologist, electrical engineer, and Sr Research Scientist at Earth Species Project, a non-profit leveraging AI for interspecies understanding.   In this episode, you’ll hear actual audio clips from Earth Species Project Research, learn about animal naming conventions, regional accents, the spider communicating with vibration, the ethical considerations & why the goal is to listen over two-way communication.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 254: DO WE *NEED* SHARKS? Audio clip credits: Orcas: (Credit: By Raincoast Conservation Foundation, taken under SARA Research License XMMS-2-2022P)  Elephants: (Credit: ElephantVoices)  Birds:https://earthspecies.org/2026/08/20/birdcode-scaling-zero-shot-sound-event-detection-for-bioacoustics/    Guest: https://www.earthspecies.org/  https://www.facebook.com/earthspeciesproject https://www.instagram.com/earth_species_project/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthspecies/   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    2:44 Behavior as the Rosetta Stone 3:31 Chickadees: the town criers 4:52 Interspecies communication 5:49 Orcas & dolphins 6:50 The anthropomorphizing trap 9:19 Listening as the goal 10:02 What the orca boat trip changed 11:45 The orca audio clip 14:30 They're watching us too 15:02 Dolphin names 16:10 Signature whistles explained 17:16 Dolphins & ethics 18:14 Dolphin spy history 19:28 Where's the ethical line? 20:40 Animal surveillance 21:40 Why two-way communication is risky 22:57 The ocean as a sovereign nation? 26:11 Orca boat attacks: playing? 27:47 Do animals have humor? 28:05 Do animals swear? 28:43 Past & future tense 29:34 Do animals talk about humans? 30:04 Elephant research: something new 32:06 The elephant audio clip 33:14 Dogs, cats & button boards 34:40 Animal regional accents 36:00 Humpback whale slang 36:30 Jumping spiders 38:29 Spider Morse code 39:37 Why does this work matter? 40:22 The big why: awe & wonder 41:14 What do we owe them? 41:33 Listening as the remedy to ego 45:08 Aza Raskin & the tech bro paradox 45:39 De-centering ourselves 46:13 Awe without losing yourself 47:14 Aza's three laws of technology 48:30 The AI race & guardrails 49:20 What comes next for ESP Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  3. Oct 19 ·  Video

    Ep. 366: Baby $ Bonuses: Should Governments BRIBE You to Have Kids?

    Do subsidized marriage & reproduction work? What happened to “earth is overpopulated?”   Elizabeth Nolan Brown is Senior Editor at Reason Magazine, a libertarian magazine that promises to exist outside the left/right echo chamber. Her biweekly Sex & Tech newsletter covers issues surrounding sex, tech, bodily autonomy, law & online culture.   In this episode, you’ll hear about global government efforts to get more babies, why families might be getting smaller, why people used to have lots of kids, current-day efforts that sound fake and what actually might work to get families to have more children.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 136: VIRTUAL SIGNALING. CAN WE MAKE IT STOP? NACHOS & NARCISSISM    Guest: https://reason.com/  https://reason.com/2023/05/02/storks-dont-take-orders-from-the-state/ https://x.com/ENBrown https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine  https://www.instagram.com/reasonmagazine/  https://reason.com/people/elizabeth-nolan-brown/    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:14 From overpopulation panic to birth rate bust 06:00 Pronatalist policies of the past: Russia, Hungary, Romania 09:24 Can money make anyone want a baby? 11:53 South Korea, the 4B movement & gender equality 14:01 Why families are getting smaller 15:19 Why the right cares more (and the teen birth drop) 20:16 Status symbols, child mortality & sex ed 21:41 The Great Recession & the smartphone theory 24:21 Should government even be doing this? 26:13 Is it rage bait or is it real? 28:00 Why marriage? The selection effect 31:27 The soulmate myth & who marriage is "for" 33:16 Does capitalism need marriage? 34:48 Social media, gender wars & the Handmaid's Tale 37:00 What's actually working? 38:32 France's fall from pronatalist poster child 39:37 So... is it a big deal? 40:39 Fertility tech & the older-mom contradiction 42:45 Government, get out of the way 47:30 Where to find Elizabeth Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  4. Oct 12 ·  Video

    Ep. 365: Why Do Disney Adults Give Us the Ick?

    Why do we shrug at grown men in body paint at a football game but cringe at an adult in Mickey ears? Are we judging an entire community by the loudest 1% the algorithm shows us?    AJ Wolfe is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, and media creator. She is a New York Times Bestselling author of  Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture. She is also the founder and owner of Cambrick Yard Media, The Disney Food Blog and is a multi-million follower personality.    In this episode, we speculate on why Disney adults get so much other hate compared to similar levels of fandom in other areas of society, unpack how much of the cult following is addiction by design on behalf of Disney & how even Disney adults can’t escape criticism from each other.     If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 334: FOOTBALL: ARE WE CHEERING FOR BRAIN TRAUMA?  Guests: https://www.instagram.com/ajwolfeofficial https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-wolfe/ https://www.facebook.com/DisneyFoodBlogAJ https://ajwolfe.com/  https://a.co/d/09yHGTjm    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:01 Stereotype vs. reality 05:12 Why football fans get a pass 06:40 Walt wanted adults all along 10:08 Are Disney adults making it pricier? 13:41 Resorts, adolescence, and who gets judged 16:05 Who can really afford Disney? 19:11 Is it Disney or big corporations? 22:18 Attacked from both sides 23:47 Youth group meets Mean Girls 27:35 The rose gold ears frenzy 30:43 Blame the algorithm? 33:27 Disney and FOMO 34:47 From suing fans to courting them 36:53 Is Disney hacking your biology? 43:11 Disney’s $1.5B betting bet 44:33 Stop judging from one-liners Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  5. Oct 5 ·  Video

    Ep. 364: Are Your Shoes Bad for Your Brain? Walking, Foot Health & the Lie of 10K Steps

    Why isn’t there a consistent message about alcohol and health? How do you know if you’re putting yourself at risk? Is it really “all things in moderation”?   Courtney Conley, D.C holds a doctorate in chiropractic medicine & 2 bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology & human biology & is the founder of Gait Happens. Milicia McDowell, DPT holds a doctorate in physical therapy & has over 20 years of experience. Together, they are the authors of Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost your Health & Longevity One Step at a Time.   In this episode, you’ll hear the BEST kind of footwear (& why it lasts longer than what you’re buying right now), why strong feet matter & all the ways walking could make your life better for FREE.     If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 130: BAREFOOT IN CANADA: REWILDING, BRAIN FOG & STARBUCKS  Guests: https://a.co/d/0c20BNFz  https://www.drcourtneyconley.com/  https://www.instagram.com/gaithappens/  https://www.instagram.com/drcourtneyconley/  https://www.facebook.com/gaithappens  https://www.milicamcdowell.com/  https://www.instagram.com/drmilicamcdowelldpt   Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    5:57 Functional, minimal, or wrong? 12:34 Why minimal shoes outlast conventional ones 15:41 Stop fearing pronation 18:38 I went barefoot for a year 27:39 So why do podiatrists still say cushion? 28:45 Fashion is the real enemy 29:41 The status symbol on your feet 34:28 How strong should your big toe be? 36:17 Can walking really prevent dementia? 37:32 The 6th vital sign nobody checks 41:42 Is 10,000 steps a lie? 43:56 The step count that beats depression 45:09 What CrossFit and yoga can't give you 48:49 Do antidepressants fix foot pain? 57:27 Weighted vests: helpful or harmful? 58:13 Heel striking: good or bad? 1:00:00 Why some people bounce when they walk Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  6. Sep 28 ·  Video

    Ep. 363: Are Political Parties Just Cults?! [REMASTERED]

    Why isn’t there a consistent message about alcohol and health? How do you know if you’re putting yourself at risk? Is it really “all things in moderation”?   Rachel Bernstein is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Cult Specialist & the Host of the IndoctriNation Podcast. She has spent the last 35 years helping former cult members & those who have had loved ones in cults, focusing on emotional abuse recovery, identity repair & moral injury.    In this episode she explains the psychology of political allegiance, why religion & politics always fuse together, thought stopping cliches & media influence vs media manipulation.   This episode originally aired August 18, 2025     If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 229: IS YOUR HAPPINESS BEING POLITICIZED? CULTURE, CORTISOL & THE BRAIN   Guest: https://rachelbernsteintherapy.com/  https://www.facebook.com/rachelbernsteintherapy https://www.instagram.com/indoctrinationpodcast/ https://open.spotify.com/show/1prXo4iIxUfjYpfX671cUD?si=3522f54be4ae456f https://rachelbernsteintherapy.com/book--journal.html  Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    2:15 When We Get Vulnerable 4:18 Easily Offended, Easily Swayed 5:04 Are Parties Actually Cults? 6:19 High-Control Groups, Explained 8:13 The Death of Diplomacy 9:35 Identity Over Ideas 11:16 Why Religion and Politics Fuse 13:34 Thought-Stopping Clichés 16:34 Two Magnets, Same Playbook 18:35 The Theocracy Blind Spot 19:17 Allergic to Gray Areas 20:15 The Seven Mountain Mandate 22:32 Anything But Them 23:06 Education as the Antidote 25:35 Reacting vs. Acting 27:54 You're Being Played 31:12 Chasing Likes, Losing Truth 32:59 Data Mining Is Grooming 35:02 Nobody Taught Us This 38:31 Where to Find the Truth 42:10 Shrinking Your Data Footprint Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  7. Sep 21 ·  Video

    Ep. 362: Alcohol Advice Keeps Changing. What Are We Supposed to Believe?

    Why isn’t there a consistent message about alcohol and health? How do you know if you’re putting yourself at risk? Is it really “all things in moderation”?   Dr. Sarah Wakeman is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School & Sr. Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham. She is also the author of Treatable: Rethinking Addiction and How to Get Care Right.   In this episode, she shares why we hear conflicting messages on alcohol, why what “one drink” means is subjective, the actual health risks even for moderate drinkers, drinking stigma & what real sobriety means.     If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 265: HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE AN ALCOHOLIC? [REMASTERED]   Guest: https://www.drsarahwakeman.com/ Book https://a.co/d/0afUgsLE https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/ https://www.instagram.com/massgeneralbrigham/ https://www.instagram.com/drsarahwakeman/  https://www.facebook.com/MassGeneralBrighamInternational/?brand_redir=45556346121#    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    1:04 — How People Measure Their Own Drinking (Spoiler: They Don't) 2:08 — Why the Science Is So Confusing: CDC vs. WHO 3:35 — What "Class 1 Carcinogen" Actually Means 4:39 — Why We Can't Study Alcohol the Way We Study Other Things 6:09 — What’s “a” drink? 11:04 — Does It Matter Why You Drink? 12:27 — The Capsule Wardrobe Approach to Alcohol 14:21 — Health Risks for Moderate Drinkers 16:08 — Breast Cancer and Light Drinking: The Uncomfortable Truth 17:42 — Toxic Load: Can We Blame the Country We Live In? 20:04 — The Challenge of Counseling Patients on Alcohol 25:00 — What Alcohol Does to the Brain 25:34 — Alcohol-Induced Dementia: How Would You Know? 27:17 — Alcohol, Anxiety & Depression: A Two-Sided Coin 29:10 — Dry January: Helpful Reset or False Start? 33:00 — Moral Incongruence and the Drinking Stigma 34:38 — The "Alcohol Puppy" in Your Brain: Dopamine & Reward 36:20 — The Endorphin Connection: Why Alcohol Feels Like a Painkiller 37:17 — Naltrexone & the Sinclair Method: Medicine for Moderation 39:22 — How to Talk to Your Doctor About Drinking 41:40 — The South Dakota 24/7 Sobriety Experiment 44:00 — Is Alcoholism a Disease, a Behavior, or Both? 46:31 — Contingency Management: Rewarding Sobriety 48:23 — "The Opposite of Alcoholism Isn't Sobriety — It's Connection" 49:31 — Where to Find Dr. Wakeman & Her Book Treatable Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

  8. Sep 14 ·  Video

    Ep. 361: Is Racism Reversible? From a Black Man Who Goes to KKK Rallies [REMASTERED]

    Can you befriend someone OUT of racism? Are Klan members just misguided? Is racism a permanent state?   Daryl Davis is a musician & author. He’s also a black man who chooses to be friends with Klansmen. Over his lifetime, he has inspired over 200 Klu Klux Klan members to give up their robes.    In this episode he shares about the boyscout parade where he got a race reality check, FBI files, the connection between travel & racism, his first encounter with a klansmen, his first KKK friend & true transformation in the age of cancel culture.       This episode originally aired April 29, 2024   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 134: HE VOTED OBAMA & JOINED THE KKK: the How & the Why (PART 1)   Guest: https://klanwetalk.com/  NEW BOOK! https://a.co/d/06vMvFop https://x.com/realdaryldavis https://www.instagram.com/realdaryldavis/  https://www.facebook.com/realdaryldavis    Sponsors:  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    02:22 – Ambushed at a Boy Scout Parade 04:27 – The Day His Parents Had to Explain Hate 06:29 – 63 Countries, 50 States, One Missing Piece 08:14 – What Mark Twain Got Right About Prejudice 10:00 – The Fight in a Parking Lot at 2 A.M. 12:07 – Why the Cops Wouldn't Arrest Him 17:39 – "I Never Sat Down With a Black Man Before" 22:26 – The Question That Had Been Waiting 15 Years for an Answer 29:22 – A Bodyguard, a Gun, and a Bible in a Motel Room 32:50 – The Noise That Almost Got Someone Killed 37:02 – The Four-Step Chain That Leads to Destruction 38:30 – Why Diverse Companies Still Eat Lunch Segregated 42:49 – The Five Things Every Human Being Wants 45:07 – The History Books Left This Out 51:20 – The Year America's Racial Majority Flips Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/ Follow me in all the places: https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

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4.8
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About

A weekly podcast covering societal taboos & cultural blind spots. Join host Meredith Hackwith Edwards as she deep dives with curiosity & nuance into philosophy, society & culture with expert guests. Episodes frequently feature philosophers, researchers, historians & journalists.

Information

  • Creator
    Meredith Hackwith Edwards
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    369
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Curious Introvert
  • Show Website
    The Curious Introvert

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