Joni McGary Talks with People

Conversations with interesting and inspiring people
  • 4.8 (8)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

Joni McGary Talks with People is for anyone who's lost all faith in institutional narratives and theatrics and is wondering how to actually live well right now. Host Joni McGary (co-founded No College Mandates) has real conversations with researchers, doctors, writers, artists, and independent thinkers about everything from medical freedom and pandemic policies to beauty, craft, community, and what it means to rebuild relationships and society when trust has been crushed. It's thoughtful, relaxed, with no frenzied spin—just genuine talks with interesting people who know things. jonimcgary.substack.com

  1. You Will Own Nothing: The Rise of Technocracy

    4d ago

    You Will Own Nothing: The Rise of Technocracy

    Most people have never heard the word "technocracy" and yet it may be one of the most important forces shaping our lives. I asked Patrick Wood, the world's foremost living expert on technocracy, to give us a Technocracy 101 lesson. Patrick has spent five decades researching this topic, and after reading his latest book, The New Economics of Technocracy: You Will Own Nothing, I was pretty bowled over by the depth of what he's uncovered. Patrick takes us through the history of Technocracy, how the Trilateral Commission has advanced it, and how the Gaza Rebuild is a live test case for technocratic governance. We talk about how you can fight it by opposing data centers in your own community. It’s a huge topic that needs much more discussion than a single hour. Patrick’s excellent Substack and his books are great sources of additional information. Links are in the show notes. Find Patrick Wood: Patrick Wood’s Technocracy News on Substack Books by Patrick Wood: Technocracy News Website On Amazon Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealth instead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with CrowdHealth CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 11m
  2. Trillion-Dollar Pandemic Agendas: Starving Basic Health for Inflated Biosecurity

    May 26

    Trillion-Dollar Pandemic Agendas: Starving Basic Health for Inflated Biosecurity

    I invited Professor Garrett Wallace Brown to discuss his work examining the data behind trillion-dollar global pandemic preparedness agendas and how those agendas are impacting the world’s poorest nations. The basic public health programs that save the most lives (malaria, tuberculosis, nutrition, sanitation, maternal health) are losing funding to biosecurity initiatives built on risk models that are grossly inflated and cost estimates that don’t add up. Garrett has spent more than 25 years in global health, often with a seat at the table where very high-level decisions are made. Through his work consulting for the WHO and World Bank, and as a principal investigator on REPPARE (RE-evaluating the Pandemic Preparedness And REsponse Agenda), he has evaluated the source data being used to drive enormous pandemic budgets and found serious problems with how risk, severity, and cost have been calculated. He is also part of a team developing a blueprint for what an ideal global public health organization could look like through the International Health Reform Project. His full bio is in the show notes below. Garrett’s impartial and circumspect approach to the material brings much-needed clarity to a crucial and too often sensationalized discussion. We close out with some practical advice from Garrett on how to read and evaluate news headlines about viral outbreaks. I found it very useful. More information about Garrett Wallace Brown and where to find him: Bio: Garrett Wallace Brown is Chair of Global Health Policy at the University of Leeds, UK. He is Co-Lead of the Global Health Research Unit and research collaborator with the WHO on health emergency evidence and analytics. His research focuses on global health governance, health financing, health system strengthening, health equity, and estimating the costs and funding feasibility of pandemic preparedness and response. He has conducted policy and research collaborations in global health for over 25 years and has worked with NGOs, governments in Africa, the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the UK Cabinet Office, WHO, G7 and G20. University of Leeds Profile Latest Publications 2026: * From pathogens to policy: using network analysis to map the knowledge base on human–zoonotic disease dynamics underpinning global pandemic policy, Health Research and Policy and Systems (2026): 10.1186/s12961-025-01434-5 * Rethinking Global Health Reform After Covid-19: Legitimacy Before Authority, International Health Policies (2026): https://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/featured-article/rethinking-global-health-reform-after-covid-19-legitimacy-before-authority/ * Closing the Deal? An Examination of the 2025 Report of the G20 High Level Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response: REPPARE report (2026). * The Right to Health Sovereignty. Policy Report. International Health Reform Panel. 164 pages. * The Right to Health Sovereignty. Technical Report. International Health Reform Panel. 249 pages. Supporting Health Initiatives Report * Increasing African Government Membership on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, report commissioned by SHI in advance of the South African G20 Leaders Summit (2025). Report. REPPARE Reports * ‘The cost of pandemic preparedness: An examination of costings and the financial requests in support of the pandemic prevention, preparedness and response agenda’ (2024): https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/234/the-cost-of-pandemic-preparedness-an-examination-of-costings-and-the-financial-requests-in-support-of-the-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response-agenda * Rational policy over panic: A report on zoonosis spill-over risk assessments in pandemic preparedness and response policy (2024): https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/downloads/download/228/rational-policy-over-panic IHRP Reports (International Health Reform Project) * The Right to Health Sovereignty. Policy Report. International Health Reform Panel. 164 pages. * The Right to Health Sovereignty. Technical Report. International Health Reform Panel. 249 pages. Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealth instead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with CrowdHealth CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 15m
  3. Dr. Meryl Nass on the Farm Crisis

    May 19

    Dr. Meryl Nass on the Farm Crisis

    My guest today is Dr. Meryl Nass, a physician, researcher, and one of the wisest voices I know on the forces shaping our health, our food supply, and our liberty. We dig into the American farming crisis and the government policies that have hurt rather than helped independent farmers, and that appear to be putting our national food security at genuine risk. Meryl explains how federal farm programs have been captured by agribusiness, leaving behind the 98% of farmers who are small operators. We cover the many pressures driving farms into unprofitability, including a stunning statistic: between 2017 and 2022, 20 million acres of harvested cropland went fallow and 142,000 farms — 8% of all American farms — went under. Meryl also gives an update on the Farm Bill that just passed the House. It’s mostly bad news, but there are a few silver linings worth knowing about. We then turn to the Ebola and Hantavirus outbreak headlines. Meryl gives her honest assessment of actual risk versus manufactured fear, and why she believes these stories may be serving a much larger agenda around WHO power and global health governance. We close with something I really needed to hear: how Meryl stays grounded, purposeful, and optimistic in the middle of all of this. I think you’ll find it as inspiring as I did. Find Dr. Meryl Nass On Substack: Meryl’s CHAOS Letter (Critical Health Analysis and OpinionS) Find Meryl on Children’s Health Defense: CHDTV (Dr. Nass is on every other Tuesday and the last Thursday of the month) New Hampshire Farm Bill: HB 396 Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 18m
  4. 3/11: Viral Takeover

    May 12

    3/11: Viral Takeover

    I was honored and delighted to speak with independent investigative journalist Sonia Elijah about her remarkable book 3/11 Viral Takeover: On March 11, 2020, a Pandemic was Declared and Our World Changed Forever. Elijah has written something truly unusual — a book that is packed with sourced and well-documented facts yet reads like a real thriller. She painstakingly details the pandemic simulations that came before COVID, the suppression of the lab-leak theory, the censorship apparatus that was up and running just two weeks after the pandemic was declared. We talk about what happened, the treachery that went on behind the scenes, and how the Covid response laid the groundwork for censorship, digital surveillance, and control going forward. The systems remain in place to be built upon during the next crisis, whatever it might be. Everyone should have this historical record on their bookshelf. I really can’t recommend it enough. Find Sonia Elijah: Buy the book: 3/11 Viral Takeover (and get some copies for your friends!) Website: SoniaElijah.com On Substack: Sonia Elijah Investigates On X: https://x.com/sonia_elijah Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 12m
  5. Is AI the Most Pressing Issue of Our Time?

    May 5

    Is AI the Most Pressing Issue of Our Time?

    I sat down with Dave Rollo, a long-time Bloomington city council member with a background in biology and policy, who has spent the last few years studying the risks of advanced AI. We talk about why AI poses an existential threat, not only to our society, but to our continued existence as a species. Dave breaks down why top experts are genuinely frightened, and why the rest of us should be too. Dave brought a resolution to the Bloomington City Council calling on officials at all levels of government to acknowledge these risks and impose a moratorium on artificial general intelligence development until there is certainty that the technology will align with human values and well-being. Right now, no such certainty exists. We discuss the challenges of slowing this development, what individuals can do to raise awareness, and why one of the most impactful actions right now may be opposing data centers in your own community. Dave illuminates the threats of this complex technology without jargon, making it accessible to anyone. By the end of this conversation, you may find yourself agreeing with Dave that this is the most pressing issue of our time. Find Dave: Dave welcomes further discussion on this issue. He can be contacted via the Bloomington City Council Website Additional Resources: Websites: The Center for Humane Technology Pause AI Recommended Reading: If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies (NYT Bestseller) by Eliezer Yudkowsky and NateSoares. Podcasts: John Sherman For Humanity AI Risk Network Podcast Diary of a CEO Podcast Interviews with AI Experts: * Geoffrey Hinton * Stuart Russel * Tristan Harris * Karen Hao * Roman Yampolskiy Tristan Harris interviewed by Chris Williamson Eliezer Yudkowsky interviewed by Chris Williamson Nate Soares (co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies) interview with Nate Hagens Suggested Film: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptomimist * Trailer * Website Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 17m
  6. Robyn Stylman on Breast Cancer and Charting Her Own Healing Path

    Apr 28

    Robyn Stylman on Breast Cancer and Charting Her Own Healing Path

    I recently invited my good friend Robyn Stylman to talk with me about how she navigated the treatment landscape after her breast cancer diagnosis. Robyn had already experienced how alternative treatments could heal, so when her diagnosis came, it was natural for her to look beyond the conventional playbook. We discuss how she researched and put together a personalized care plan using many different healing modalities rather than opt entirely into the allopathic standard of care protocol. She decided to be an active participant in her healing, researching all possibilities and using her instincts to guide her to what her body needed to be healthy. Along the way, Robyn decided to study some of the healing methods she discovered and is now a practitioner helping friends and family on their own paths to better health. It takes courage and quite a lot of effort to forge an alternate treatment path when faced with a scary diagnosis. Robyn’s experience illustrates how claiming your agency and doing just that is in itself a powerful healing modality. Dislcaimer: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. It is one person’s experience with a breast cancer diagnosis. Find Robyn Stylman: On Substack: Robyn Stylman On Instagram: Robyn Stylman Resources suggested by Robyn: Tend the Terrain Website by Nasha Winters Recommend books by Nasha Winters: The Metabolic Approach to Cancer and Mistletoe and the Emerging Future of Integrative Oncology Believe Big (lots of resources) Integrative Metabolic Practitioner Directory How to Starve Cancer Chris Beat Cancer Radical Remission Book recommendation: Tripping Over the Truth: How the Metabolic Theory of Cancer is Overturning One of Medicine’s Most Entrenched Paradigms by Travis Christofferson and Dominic D’Agostino Biofield Tuning (not for active cancer, but for general health) Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 5m
  7. What Ayahuasca Taught This Doctor That Conventional Medicine Couldn't

    Apr 14

    What Ayahuasca Taught This Doctor That Conventional Medicine Couldn't

    Lisa Benink was an elderly care physician in the Netherlands who spent her career thoughtfully weaning vulnerable patients off the avalanche of drugs they’d been prescribed, watching them come alive again in the process. She was recognized for her skill and compassion by patients, their families, and the medical establishment at a national level. During COVID, she became disillusioned when she witnessed the removal of informed consent through vaccine coercion and mandates, and saw firsthand the cruel isolation forced upon her elderly patients in the name of keeping them safe. Her disillusionment prompted her to leave medicine and search for real healing — for herself and her patients — that could transcend the strict confines of conventional care. Around that time, a friend introduced her to ayahuasca, specifically the Santo Daime tradition founded in Brazil, where Lisa now lives. What followed was a years-long spiritual immersion that has reshaped how she understands the body, healing, and what medicine was always missing. We talk about her remarkable and inspiring journey and the power of this plant medicine to transform. We also discuss the risk of pharmaceutical capture, the sacred versus the clinical, and the looming threat of plant medicines being swallowed by industry. Find Lisa Bennink: On Substack: Strelitzia On X: @strelitzia_heal Essays by Lisa Bennink: Medicalization of Our Spiritual Life Why I Left The Healthcare System Bio: Elisabeth (Lisa) J.C. Bennink, MD, MA, is a Dutch elderly care physician with a Master's degree in Philosophy (with honors) from the University of Groningen. She has extensive experience in geriatric medicine, dementia care, and palliative care, with a focus on reducing polypharmacy. During her medical career in the Netherlands, she was commissioned by healthcare insurers to develop innovative care models for elderly patients. In December 2020, she stepped away from conventional medical practice due to concerns about restrictive healthcare policies. She relocated to Brazil, where she studies indigenous spiritual traditions and ayahuasca culture. Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealth instead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 11m
  8. They branded it "Biosolids". It's Sewage.

    Apr 8

    They branded it "Biosolids". It's Sewage.

    In 1993, the EPA rebranded toxic sewage sludge as “biosolids” and created a federal rule (40 CFR Part 503) that lets municipalities dump it on farmland near homes, schools, and drinking water supplies. Today, millions of tons are spread across tens of millions of American acres every year with virtually no disclosure and no testing for PFAS or hundreds of other known toxins. Paula Yockel lived this nightmare firsthand in Oklahoma. For years her family suffered unexplained illnesses, not knowing that thousands of tons of sewage sludge were being dumped on fields surrounding their home. When she finally connected the dots, she decided to act. She spent a decade researching, testing, and building the factual case and then founded Mission 503 to raise awareness and to advocate for infrastructure changes to process sewage safely and properly. In this episode we cover: * What 40 CFR Part 503 actually says — and what it doesn’t * How sewage sludge got rebranded as “fertilizer” and exempted from hazardous waste requirements * Why PFAS forever chemicals concentrate in sludge and end up in your food * What Class A and Class B biosolids are and why Class A may actually be the bigger problem * What Maine and Connecticut have done — and why most states still allow this practice * What Mission 503 is doing to change the national conversation Find Paula Yockel and Mission 503: Mission 503: Website Mission 503 Data: Powerpoint deck with health data, sample results & more X for Mission503 / @Mission503USA FB for Mission503 / @theofficialmission503 FB for Paula Yockel / @PaulaYockel503 TikTok for Mission503 / @Mission503Offical      IG for Mission503 / @Mission503Official Truth Social for Paula Yockel / @PaulaYockel LinkedIn for Paula Yockel / Paula Yockel Learn more about CrowdHealth: I’ve been spreading the word about a great company called CrowdHealth, an alternative to having health insurance. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com

    1h 26m
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Joni McGary Talks with People is for anyone who's lost all faith in institutional narratives and theatrics and is wondering how to actually live well right now. Host Joni McGary (co-founded No College Mandates) has real conversations with researchers, doctors, writers, artists, and independent thinkers about everything from medical freedom and pandemic policies to beauty, craft, community, and what it means to rebuild relationships and society when trust has been crushed. It's thoughtful, relaxed, with no frenzied spin—just genuine talks with interesting people who know things. jonimcgary.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Conversations with interesting and inspiring people
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Joni McGary
  • Show Website
    Joni McGary Talks with People

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