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. 3H AGO

    Ep. 341: Lost at Sea at 16: Killer Whales & Courage [REMASTERED]

    "We made an agreement with each other that we would not eat each other no matter how hungry we got." Douglas Robertson is the author of The Last Voyage of the Lucette. He was just a teenager when his family was lost at sea for 38 days.     In this episode he shares more than just a survival story. He shares his unique coming of age story & an opportunity to recalibrate what crisis is. You’ll also hear about killer whale attacks, eating sharks, drinking turtle blood, sea water enemas & adjusting to life on land after being rescued.   This episode originally aired December 11, 2023.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 189: SURVIVING A SERIAL KILLER: VICTIM TO FELON TO FLOURISHING   Guest: https://www.facebook.com/groups/survivethesavagesea/ https://a.co/d/4PIalGL http://www.survivethesavagesea.com/   Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00:00 — Worst Field Trip Ever 00:00:53 — Learning Sailing… Sailing 00:03:33 — Six People, One Boat 00:05:27 — Before It All Sank 00:08:34 — The Rejected Life Raft 00:09:07 — Whale Loves Boat 00:10:00 — Everyone Had a Bad Feeling 00:12:23 — Three Whales. One Hit. 00:14:01 — Sinking in Two Minutes 00:17:12 — Checking for Missing Legs 00:20:03 — Truth Over False Hope 00:22:45 — The First "No" to Dad 00:27:06 — What's for Dinner: Turtle 00:29:42 — Day 38: Don't Get Excited 00:33:43 — Coffee After 38 Days 00:36:05 — Fear Doesn't Hit the Same 00:37:58 — The Story That Won't Die 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

    42 min

  2. APR 20

    Ep. 340: Funerals in America: Status FOR SALE?

    What made the American funeral industry what it is today? Why do we embalm? How do societal status & funeral styles overlap?   Gary Laderman, PhD, is the Goodrich C. White Prof of Amer Religious History & Cultures at Emory University in Georgia, the author of multiple books & featured on The Mortician: an HBO documentary covering a 1980s funeral home who exploited grieving families.   In this episode, you’ll hear how funeral rituals went from DIY to the elaborate & long list of menu options today, how those options supported or detracted from family status, the spooky status of the death worker themselves, how embalming changed everything (hello capitalism!) & the growing resistance towards the commodification of death   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 278: MORBID OR SACRED? LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH (WITH A DEATH DOULA)   Guest: https://garyladerman.com/  https://www.instagram.com/garyladerman/    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    04:00 — Death for Sale 05:30 — When Death Was a Family Affair 09:20 — Strange Death Rituals in America 12:00 — A Patchwork of Beliefs 13:20 — The Birth of the Funeral Industry 15:30 — Respect, Race, and Funeral Culture 17:00 — Profit Meets Death 20:30 — Death Moves to the Hospital 27:00 — Animals, Intoxication, and Curiosity 29:00 — Religion or Escape? 30:30 — The Power of Ritual 32:00 — The Embalming Shift 32:30 — Lincoln’s Death Tour 36:30 — JFK and Public Mourning 39:30 — Exposing the Death Industry 40:45 — Our Obsession with Famous Deaths 42:30 — Bringing Death Back Home 45:30 — When Options Become Overwhelm 46:00 — Life After Religion 47:30 — Reclaiming Death Traditions 48:45 — Designing Your Own Goodbye 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

    51 min

  3. APR 13

    Ep. 339: Cannibalism – Communion to Placenta – Where Do We Draw the Line? [REMASTERED]

    Is the “ick” factor of cannibalism nature or nurture? What does history tell us (& how much of it is a lie)?   Bill Schutt, a PhD zoologist & author of Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History, answers these questions by sharing the history of human cannibalism. We discuss why accounts of historic cannibalism may have been exaggerated, cannibalism in Europe, eating placenta & taking holy communion.   This episode originally aired July 11, 2022.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 327: HE ATE HIS OWN FOOT?! GRIEF, FRIENDSHIP & FOOT TACOS [REMASTERED]   Guest: https://a.co/d/0aFrqU73  https://billschutt.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BillSchutt1/   Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    03:27 — Europe’s hidden cannibal past 04:06 — Columbus’ narrative shift 05:23 — Cannibalism as a colonial weapon 06:22 — Undoing historical indoctrination 08:09 — “You weren’t dealing with humans” 09:16 — Eating enemies vs loved ones 09:37 — The Waray perspective flip 10:53 — Communion as cannibalism? 11:14 — The transubstantiation debate 12:05 — Flipping ideas on their head 12:50 — Europe’s “mummy medicine” 14:34 — Placenta as modern cannibalism 17:45 — Cooking and tasting placenta 20:04 — Is disgust learned? 21:55 — Curiosity over judgment 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

    24 min

  4. APR 6

    Ep. 338: COMMON GROUND: AI Grief Bots - Solving Grief or Distorting it?

    This is the first of a series of episodes that feature opposing sides of a hot topic. Today it’s the a tech entrepreneur who founded a grief bot service vs a cyberpsychologist specializing in the ethics of death & the digital.   We ask, is this healing or avoidance? Can the dead consent to this? What is the potential for harm?   John Kammer is the founder of Guardian A[I]ngels, a subscription service that sends you journal prompts in the voice of your deceased loved one.    Elaine Kasket, PhD, is cyberpsychologist & Visiting Professor at the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath in the UK & the author of Reset: Rethinking Your Digital World for a Happier Life& All the Ghosts in the Machine: The Digital Afterlife of Your Personal Data.   You’ll hear why John created the service while Elaine lays out potential for harm & how they ultimately find common ground.    If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 300: BIOFIELD THERAPY FOR ANXIETY & GRIEF: RECIPE FOR WELLNESS OR PURCHASED PLACEBO? Elaine Kasket, PhD: Reset book: https://a.co/d/081uhN8r  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-your-life-on-tech/id1666800931 https://www.elainekasket.com/  https://www.instagram.com/elainekasket/ https://www.facebook.com/elainekasketauthor   John Kammer: https://guardianaingels.ai/  https://www.instagram.com/guardian_aingels/  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575970961536    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:35 — “This feels like Black Mirror” 02:21 — The biggest risks of AI grief tools 04:23 — Pain to purpose: the origin story 06:15 — Why “time heals all wounds” is a myth 09:10 — The moment AI made him finally cry 13:41 — The danger of “never letting go” 18:45 — Why it shouldn’t feel too real 20:05 — The 4 tasks of mourning explained 25:49 — What is “AI-associated psychosis”? 31:00 — Why reminders of death are essential 38:24 — Why this runs on ChatGPT (and why that matters) 41:00 — Guarding against manipulation loops 44:19 — What grieving people should actually know 52:08 — The ethics of reviving the dead 53:12 — Memory vs. identity: what’s being recreated? 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

    1h 16m

  5. MAR 30

    Ep. 337: Can a Sexless Marriage Survive? [REMASTERED]

    What exactly is considered "sexless"? What are we counting as sex? What would cause someone to not want to have sex all of a sudden?   These are all questions I unpacked with Xanet Pailet. She was a successful healthcare lawyer married to an attorney with two children. She lived in a beautiful home in NYC as well as a sexless marriage. At age 45 and no sex for over 15 years, she considered sex as something she was just done with.    Now she is a full time intimacy educator with a fulfilling sex life. You’ll hear about resentment caused pain, the stuck place of indifference, what men are afraid of, medical procedures that can cause painful sex & listener Q & A from my Facebook group.   This episode originally aired March 11, 2024.   If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 214: WHAT ARE THE RULES OF MONOGAMY? THE PSYCHOLOGIST SWINGER   Guest: https://www.passionateintimacyretreats.com/ https://www.powerofpleasure.com/  https://www.instagram.com/xanetpop/ https://twitter.com/powerofpleasure https://www.facebook.com/xanetpop   Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:00 — What actually counts as “sexless” 03:00 — The “charcuterie board” of intimacy 06:00 — Separate bedrooms, separate lives 07:00 — Never masturbated… until 48 09:00 — When pleasure and anxiety get wired together 10:00 — Medical trauma no one talks about 13:00 — Circumcision, sensation, and what we lose 14:00 — Are some sexual issues permanent? 16:00 — The emotional root of physical pain 17:00 — Why resentment can make sex hurt 18:00 — When your partner feels like your child 20:00 — Masculine vs feminine energy in relationships 22:00 — Why men stop initiating (and don’t say why) 24:00 — Consent confusion and modern dating fears 26:00 — When no sex is… totally fine 27:00 — The menopause “I don’t care anymore” myth 28:00 — When bad sex kills desire completely 31:00 — The surprise return of desire after divorce 33:00 — The real answer: can it survive? 36:00 — Rebuilding intimacy from zero 40:00 — The hidden reality of sex in Japan 41:00 — Should you open the relationship? 43:00 — Sexless dynamics in same-sex couples 45:00 — Porn, gaming, and disconnection 48:00 — Rethinking sex after physical limitations 53:00 — Outercourse, body mapping, and new pathways 55:00 — Menopause, pain, and what actually helps 57:00 — Why “working on it” feels overwhelming 59:00 — The missing piece: non-sexual intimacy 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

    1h 4m

  6. MAR 23

    Ep. 336: Prescription NAPS??! Toddler Protocol for High Achievers

    Can napping replace medication? How do you get your brain to slow down enough to take a nap?    Dr. Hector Rodriguez is a psychiatrist, who views naps as medicine for your brain. He is the owner of the White Butterfly Clinic in Miami, FL. With both an MD and a Masters in theology, he is a psychiatrist who treats the soul, integrating neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based psychotherapies. In this episode, we discuss why some naps make you feel hung over, the ideal napping window, which kind of nap = which outcome, signs your “8 hours” isn’t’ working, what would happen if high performers gave in to naps & the waking nap strategy. If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 247: IS YOUR FOOD CAUSING YOUR DEPRESSION? NUTRITIONAL PSYCHIATRY  Guest: https://www.whitebutterflyclinic.com/mag  https://www.instagram.com/doctor_hector https://www.doctorhector.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/doctorhector/  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006047643168    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:00 — Do naps actually change your brain? 01:13 — The hidden cost of bad sleep 01:29 — What your hippocampus does while you nap 02:03 — Why naps sometimes feel like a hangover 02:30 — The “right nap” depends on your goal 03:00 — 10 vs 60 vs 90 minutes: what changes 04:43 — Do nap conditions actually matter? 07:02 — Should naps have a “curfew”? 08:34 — The ideal nap window (and why it matters) 08:58 — Would more naps improve mental health? 10:10 — Why fragmented sleep quietly wrecks you 10:51 — Two buckets: fixing sleep vs optimizing it 11:57 — Signs your “8 hours” isn’t working 16:12 — When it’s time to see a professional 17:30 — Which doctor should you actually see? 19:26 — Symptom vs root cause: the real question 20:17 — What if you have sleep apnea already? 22:03 — The truth about finding a doctor who cares 25:34 — How to vet a doctor (for real) 27:30 — Build your own sleep system (not someone else’s) 28:35 — One habit at a time actually works 29:16 — Do the benefits of napping compound? 30:00 — Can naps reduce dementia risk? 30:28 — Can napping replace medication? 32:00 — Why high performers resist naps 32:39 — Napping as a “biohack” trend 38:06 — How to train your brain to nap 41:11 — How to rest in a corporate environment 42:25 — A “waking nap” might be your entry point 42:58 — Should you drink coffee before a nap? 45:12 — Why rest is more than sleep 48:33 — How to work with Dr. Rodriguez 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

    50 min

  7. MAR 20 ·  BONUS

    ANNOUNCEMENT! New name & logo

    Meredith for Real: the curious introvert is now The Curious Introvert! When I started this show in 2019, there were a few other shows with the words curious & introvert in them, but fewer with the name Meredith.  Now that time has passed, there’s more room in the podcast landscape for a more concise name. So, I introduce you: The curious introvert podcast. It’s still the great content you’ve come to love: curious, nuanced episodes largely featuring experts, philosophers, researchers & journalists to inspect societal taboos & cultural blind spots. But I also hope to bring you fresh & creative experiments within that framework. Could be new segments, contrasting guest perspectives with somewhat of a debate style episode, man on the street style interviews or ones done at conferences or while traveling.  I’m not sure what the future holds, but I can promise that it will be curious! 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 min

  8. MAR 16

    Ep. 335: Anxiety: Where does it come from & what do we do with it?? [REMASTERED]

    What’s the difference between social anxiety & social anxiety disorder? What should you do if you’re spiraling?    Dr. Ali Mattu was so socially anxious as a child, that he had selective mutism. Since then, he’s become a clinical psychologist specializing in treating anxiety disorders. Wanting to create more accessible mental health education, he created a YouTube channel with over 8.5 million views that helps viewers live a more compassionate, courageous, and connected life. He was the co-host of PBS’s Emmy Nominated Self-Evident, an expert on Netflix + Vox’s The Mind Explained: Anxiety, HBO’s Doctor Commentaries, & A&E’s The Employables.    In this episode, we discuss the difference between social anxiety & social anxiety disorder, where it comes from, how RSD, Autism, Introversion & Reddit come into play & give practical tips to feel grounded.   This episode originally aired May 15, 2023.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 300: BIOFIELD THERAPY FOR ANXIETY & GRIEF: RECIPE FOR WELLNESS OR PURCHASED PLACEBO?   Guest: https://www.instagram.com/alimattu/ https://www.facebook.com/dralimattu http://alimattu.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePsychShow/featured   Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    01:12 — Selective mutism (sadly not an X-Men power) 04:05 — Anxiety as evolution’s survival feature 04:48 — Why anxious people thrive in emergencies 05:02 — Social anxiety vs. social anxiety disorder 07:05 — Humans’ real superpower: collaboration 08:05 — The hidden usefulness of everyday social anxiety 09:00 — When social anxiety becomes a disorder 11:00 — Generalized anxiety vs. social anxiety 14:40 — Introversion vs. social anxiety (they’re not the same) 16:35 — Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria explained 20:05 — ADHD, rejection sensitivity, and social anxiety overlap 23:00 — Where social anxiety actually comes from 29:05 — Why social anxiety looks different in everyone 31:10 — Finding your core fear with the “downward arrow” 32:15 — Why identifying the core fear is empowering 33:05 — The terror of large gatherings explained 34:00 — What coping really means (and what it doesn’t) 35:00 — The difference between helpful coping and avoidance 36:00 — The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique for anxiety 38:10 — Supporting a loved one who shuts down socially 41:00 — Helping someone through social anxiety in real time 43:10 — True alarms vs. false alarms in social anxiety 44:05 — Social anxiety within marginalized communities 46:10 — Scaling social support for the mental health crisis 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

    50 min
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4.8
out of 5
176 Ratings

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
    342
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Curious Introvert
  • Show Website
    The Curious Introvert

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