Meredith for Real: the curious introvert

Meredith Hackwith Edwards
  • 4.8 (172)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Each episode explores a taboo question or cultural blind spot with an expert who is themselves, a paradox -Like the atheist doctor who studied near death experiences for 50 years (ep 224)Or the deeply religious man studied by NASA who sees UFOs regularly (ep 261).The mission is to inspire the kind of curiosity that looks for & celebrates nuance, because we all deserve a more curious future.So tune in each week (new episodes every Monday) to question things like American individualism (ep 260), trigger warnings (ep 208) & circumcision (ep 178).Still not sure where to start?Other listeners loved ep 230 - Can a sexless marriage survive? and ep 237 - Black man who attends KKK rallies: race & friendship

  1. 4D AGO

    Ep. 313: Is a 4 Day Work Week Coming? Thursday = the NEW Friday! [REMASTERED]

    Why do most of us work Mon-Fri?  What would happen if Thursday was the new Friday?   Joe Sanok is a former psychologist & current author of Thursday is the New Friday.  In this episode, he shares how the signs of a shorter work week (& longer weekends) have been popping up since the 1980’s.    In this episode he shares why a four-day work week is critical to society’s advancement, examples of places already implementing alternative schedules, how we can recalibrate our minds away from the industrialist mindset & how to discover your internal inclinations & sprint type.   This episode originally aired in two parts on March 28 & April 4, 2022.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 202: IS TAKING A BREAK FROM WORK AN OPTION? MIDELIFE GAP YEAR   Guest: https://a.co/d/fBTWvsi https://www.instagram.com/heyyymizcarter https://www.carter-sherman.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/cartersherman.bsky.social     Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00 — Why we work five days a week 01:00 — The myth of “normal” work 02:00 — What the pandemic taught us about time 03:00 — Real-world case studies: Iceland to Shopify 04:00 — Cooling empty buildings and saving millions 05:00 — The outdated industrial mindset 06:00 — Why “butts in seats” is a bad KPI 07:00 — The messy middle of change 08:00 — Are Americans too proud to adapt? 09:00 — The rebellious gene pool of the New World 10:00 — Schools as factories for future workers 11:00 — Teaching consent, confidence, and conversation 12:00 — Building emotional intelligence at home 13:00 — Parenting as part of societal recalibration 14:00 — Four-day weeks in “essential” jobs 15:00 — Testing, tweaking, and experimenting at work 16:00 — A shift from prescription to experimentation 17:00 — Who gets to work less? Privilege or possibility? 18:00 — The Walmart question: can everyone benefit? 19:00 — Rethinking weekends as recovery 20:00 — Are you working for an industrialist? 21:00 — Early signs of a four-day revolution 22:00 — The affair between Friday and the weekend 23:00 — Part Two: how to get things done by Thursday 24:00 — Why slowing down makes you sharper 25:00 — Parkinson’s Law and the myth of busy 26:00 — One-minute breaks that change everything 27:00 — Add one, remove one: weekend resets 28:00 — Toxic friends, grocery delivery & energy leaks 29:00 — Designing weekends for joy, not recovery 30:00 — Boundaries aren’t walls, they’re choices 31:00 — Hard and soft boundaries in real life 32:00 — Improv night as productivity tool 33:00 — From farm country to flow state 34:00 — The three internal inclinations Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    50 min

  2. OCT 6

    Ep. 312: Did the #metoo Movement Even Help Us?

    What do we have to show for the #metoo movement? Were men benefited or hurt by the movement? Carter Sherman is an Emmy nominated reproductive health & justice reporter at The Guardian & author of the book The Second Coming. Her comprehensive review of sex, culture & policy combined with over 100 conversations with people about their sex lives made her uniquely qualified to unpack the good, the bad & the confusing of the #metoo movement.  You’ll hear about false accusations vs. real assault rates, why “good men don’t do this” backfired, sex Ed's missed opportunity, vulnerability, therapy, and better sex. If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 208: TRIGGER WARNINGS: MAKING US FRAGILE OR HELPING US HEAL?   Guest: https://a.co/d/fBTWvsi  https://www.instagram.com/heyyymizcarter https://www.carter-sherman.com/ https://bsky.app/profile/cartersherman.bsky.social    Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    02:00 — Story #1: the creepy guest 04:00 — Story #2: when consent gets messy 05:00 — Can Me Too prevent both extremes? 06:00 — What Me Too did (and didn’t) change 07:00 — A legacy without real policy 08:00 — Fear on both sides of the spectrum 09:00 — False accusations vs. real assault rates 10:00 — Who’s doing the assaulting? 11:00 — The “eye contact = consent” problem 12:00 — Assault among men, too 13:00 — Do some women misuse Me Too? 14:00 — Why false reports are so rare 15:00 — Modeling work and overlooked male consent 16:00 — How hegemonic masculinity hurts men 17:00 — Could Me Too have lifted all boats? 18:00 — Why “good men don’t do this” backfired 19:00 — Internet outrage vs. nuance 20:00 — Is “pervert” a life sentence? 21:00 — Cancellation: perception vs. reality 22:00 — Who really pays the price of harassment 23:00 — The ripple effect on women’s futures 24:00 — Young people connecting the personal to politics 26:00 — Why Me Too reforms focused on work, not sex 27:00 — What legislation do we actually need? 29:00 — Title IX and sexual harassment in schools 30:00 — Enforcing protections in K–12, not just college 31:00 — Sex ed failures: STDs, fear, no consent 33:00 — Why talking to your kids matters 34:00 — Local school boards and sex education battles 37:00 — Why Gen Z is having less sex 38:00 — Politics, anxiety, and intimacy colliding 39:00 — Have the “rules” really changed? 40:00 — Conversations as the simplest (but hardest) fix 41:00 — Vulnerability, therapy, and better sex 42:00 — Integrating politics and intimacy in the bedroom Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    44 min

  3. SEP 29

    Ep. 311: Is Modern Day Witchcraft on the Rise? LSD, Feminism & Fungus

    Is there an uptick of people claiming to be actual witches? When in history were witches NOT seen as evil? Is this commercialism packaged as a spiritual practice?   Julie Walsh, PhD, is the Whitehead Associate Professor of Critical Thought & Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her primary research focus is on metaphysics & the ethics of human freedom in the early modern period.   In this episode, we talk about the historical origin of witches & word choice, the connection between female sexual satisfaction & witches, the 1400’s witch hunting manual & how time legitimizes magical practices   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 195: ROUNDING UP SUSPICIOUS WOMEN? THE AMERICAN PLAN    Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00 — Generations of witches in pop culture 01:20 — First encounters with “I’m a witch” 02:10 — The word wicce and its earliest meaning 04:00 — Magic before evil: shifting definitions 05:00 — Witch as a living, changing word 06:10 — Salem isn’t the beginning 07:00 — The 1487 bestseller that fueled hunts 09:00 — Sex, power, and the devil’s contract 10:30 — Why ridiculous ideas still matter 11:30 — How witch manuals went viral 13:00 — From Europe to Salem: ideology travels 14:00 — What counted as a witch in 1690s Salem 15:00 — Tituba’s confession and survival strategy 17:00 — Executions, prisons, and spectral evidence 19:00 — How do you defend against a ghost? 20:00 — LSD bread or land grabs? Debunking theories 22:30 — Property disputes and colonial lawsuits 24:30 — From persecution to empowerment today 25:30 — Why modern women claim “witch” 27:00 — Moon cycles, ancestors, and ritual 29:00 — Ancient solstice parties and survival 31:00 — The risks of claiming witchhood 32:00 — Are modern witches linked to the executed? 34:00 — Saints, voodoo dolls, and cultural taboos 36:00 — Whose magic gets mainstreamed? 37:00 — Why old beliefs feel more “legit” 38:30 — Tarot cards, tradition, and authority 39:30 — Crystals, consumerism, and moon circles 40:30 — Salem today: trinkets and tourism 41:30 — Can spirituality resist commercialization? 42:00 — Beyond WitchTok: finding your roots 43:30 — Elders, ancestry, and empowerment through knowledge 44:30 — Where history, nature, and identity converge 45:00 — Closing thoughts + future book tease Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    45 min

  4. SEP 22

    Ep. 310: American Circumcision: Preference or Cultural Hypnosis? [REMASTERED]

    When & why did circumcision begin (it’s not what you think)? What are the arguments for it & what are the experts saying? Sugar water instead of anesthetic??   Brendon Marotta is a filmmaker whose feature-length documentary, American Circumcision, won multiple awards & can be found on Amazon & YouTube. In this episode, we talk about the surprising history of circumcision, the practice today, parental consent & why this is so hard to talk about, but female circumcision isn’t.    This episode originally aired March 13, 2023.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 293: THE SECRET LIVES OF MEN: MENTAL HEALTH CONFESSIONS!   Guest:  https://www.hegemonmedia.com/ https://brendonmarotta.com/ https://twitter.com/bdmarotta https://www.instagram.com/bdmarotta/   Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00 — Why Americans still circumcise 02:00 — Thought barriers around foreskin 04:30 — Cultural hypnosis at work 07:00 — The ripple effect on men’s lives 09:00 — Masculinity, shame & silence 13:00 — Who really benefits? 14:00 — Circumcision’s strange beginnings 16:00 — From “cure for masturbation” to medicine 18:00 — Parental choice or medical coercion? 21:00 — Relative vs absolute risk explained 23:00 — Science, politics & cultural blame game 27:00 — The baby restraint nobody wants to see 28:00 — Sugar water instead of anesthetic 29:00 — Trauma that lives in the body 30:00 — Physical consequences & lost sensation 33:00 — When men discover hidden trauma 35:00 — Anger, intimacy & what’s really missing 36:00 — The simplest solution of all 37:00 — Where to find Brendon’s work Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    37 min

  5. SEP 15

    Ep. 309: How Did the Media Become Such a Biased, Stress-Inducing Circus?

    Forget good news. How about just honest news? How did we get here? Guest Ken LaCorte unpacks the history of news production, behind the scenes of how it’s made, information vs entertainment & how human psychology ironically drives the train we’re all so desperate to get off.   Ken LaCorte left main stream media in 2016 after nearly 20 years of serving in senior management at Fox News. Today he writes about censorship & media misconduct, but you might recognize from his YouTube channel called Elephants in Rooms, where he explores Uncomfortable truths & Awkward questions without sensationalism.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 235: EPISTOCRACY: SHOULD WE BE PROTECTED FROM UNINFORMED VOTERS?   Guest:  https://www.youtube.com/@ElephantsInRooms https://substack.com/@kenlacorte  https://x.com/KenLaCorte https://x.com/Elephants_Rooms   Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00 – Why the news feels like a Jerry Springer rerun 01:15 – Ken’s shift from Fox News to YouTube truth-telling 02:20 – The lost art of nuance in media 03:10 – Was news ever really better “back then”? 05:00 – Media bias from the 1700s to now 07:15 – Internet clicks, candy headlines, and our appetite for outrage 09:20 – Idiocracy and “we get what we deserve” 10:30 – Are we living in the ugliest but most informed media age? 12:00 – If it bleeds, it leads: truth or myth? 14:00 – Long-form content as an antidote to manipulation 16:00 – Why short clips often equal fake news 19:20 – Lies told through technically true facts 22:40 – Ken’s personal run-in with The New York Times 24:30 – Is more information always the best cure? 25:00 – Fairness Doctrine: would bringing it back fix anything? 29:00 – How cable news killed equal-time rules 31:00 – The rise of censorship—and why it made things worse 33:00 – Teaching kids to spot spin (and why old folks may struggle more) 35:20 – Why Ken trusts Joe Rogan over CNN 37:00 – Media bias, advertisers, and following the money 40:00 – The unspoken pressures inside big media companies 42:00 – Why a thousand media voices beat just four 43:00 – Ken’s go-to news sources worth checking out 44:00 – Ground News, curiosity, and the hunt for nuance Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    45 min

  6. SEP 8

    Ep. 308: How to Think Impossibly: Precognition, Poltergeists & Time

    Can we take psi seriously while maintaining critical thinking? Jeffrey Kripal, PhD, explores the YES AND of the ordinary & extraordinary. You’ll hear about precognition, poltergeists, Skinwalker Ranch, time travel, demons & X-Men.   Jeffrey Kripal, PhD is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He is also the author or co-author of thirteen books including, How to Think Impossibly: about souls, ufos, time, belief and everything else.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 287: IF ALIENS ARE REAL, WHY DOES NO ONE CARE?    Guest:  https://a.co/d/9OAQIWi https://jeffreyjkripal.com/    Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    00:00 – What sounds crazy now, but won’t later? 02:15 – Meet Dr. Jeffrey Kripal: real-life Professor X 04:10 – What happens when we stop “thinking possibly”? 06:30 – Is impossible thinking actually pro-social? 09:20 – Beyond self: why impossibility matters 11:00 – The John story: a visit from the future 15:05 – Why impossible experiences are deeply emotional 17:15 – Meredith’s own “it’s gonna be okay” voice 19:40 – Breaking time down like a fifth grader 23:00 – Is time a function of the brain? 26:00 – A child’s prank turns prophetic 28:45 – Feeling special but set apart 30:12 – “Think-with” vs. “listen-lite” 32:18 – Stories that want to be told 34:05 – Time as a sales pitch or reality? 36:20 – Einstein, relativity & no universal “now” 39:14 – Are precognitive visions real physics? 42:02 – When religion calls it “the devil” 45:15 – Poltergeists as psychokinesis 48:20 – Skinwalker Ranch — entity or human? 51:05 – Deception vs. evil 53:40 – Closing the loop vs. living in openness 55:12 – X-Men are real? 57:20 – Why we embrace fantasy but reject reality Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    58 min

  7. SEP 1

    Ep. 307: Can Psychedelics Help Us Grieve? Getting Unstuck with Truth Medicine

    Is psychedelic assisted therapy is BETTER than traditional talk therapy? You’ll hear how they’re different, how psychedelics may help not just the combat veteran or trauma survivor, but the functional griever (goes to work every day, acts like everything is fine, but having panic attacks out of nowhere). You’ll also hear about my own experience with psychedelics and different types of medicines for different types of grief.   Michael Sapiro, PsyD, is an ordained Buddhist monk, poet & clinical psychedelic psychotherapist. In addition to working extensively with first responders, he is a psychological consultant for SWAT command & a member of a crisis negotiation team. In his new book, Truth Medicine, he details how psychedelic assisted therapy has helped many find peace, purpose and healing after loss & trauma.   If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 278: MORBID OR SACRED? LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH (WITH A DEATH DOULA)   Guest:  https://a.co/d/eK7nTrw  https://www.michaelsapiro.com/  https://www.instagram.com/dr_mike_boise/   Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert    Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/    0:00 – Why psychedelics and grief belong in the same conversation 1:10 – Meet the monk-turned-therapist exploring new ways to heal 4:20 – How psychedelics shift what talk therapy can’t reach 7:05 – The brain’s default mode network and why it matters 9:00 – The surprising ways grief hides in everyday life 12:45 – Why the “stages of grief” don’t tell the whole story 15:40 – What happens when grief goes untended 18:30 – What psychedelics reveal about anger, relief, and forbidden feelings 21:50 – Ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin: how each one helps differently 25:40 – Why preparation is everything before a psychedelic journey 29:30 – What risks you should know before trying psychedelics 32:45 – Self-guided journeys vs. guided therapy: what’s the difference? 36:50 – How one client went from panic attacks to presence 40:10 – How identities like “the grieving mother” can keep us stuck 42:20 – Why grief isn’t about “getting it out” but tending it 44:15 – Final insights on grief, psychedelics, and telling the truth Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    45 min

  8. AUG 25

    Ep. 306: Sex Addiction: Real or Convenient Diagnosis? [REMASTERED]

    In this episode, we discuss the difference between addiction & dependence, convenient diagnoses, compulsive sexual behavior within bipolar disorder & OCD, how to identify sex addiction & what recovery looks like. Dr. Joshua Grubbs is an addiction researcher who found his interest in sex addiction in college (not as exciting as it sounds). He’s since published over 100 papers on sexual compulsive behavior disorder & serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Center on Alcohol, Substance use & Addiction at the University of New Mexico. This episode originally aired February 13, 2023. If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 156: SHOULD SEX BE SAVED FOR MARRIAGE?   Guest:  https://twitter.com/JoshuaGrubbsPhD  https://www.joshuagrubbsphd.com/   https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-grubbs-a3aa05267/  https://www.lifeafterpornography.com/privacy33621776  Host:   https://www.meredithforreal.com/   https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  meredith@meredithforreal.com https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal   https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert  Sponsors:  https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/  https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/   0:00 – Why we tackle taboo topics  2:16 – Is “sex addiction” just an excuse?  3:21 – Meet the researcher untangling the myth  5:41 – What really makes something an addiction?  9:11 – From ancient myths to modern labels  13:26 – Why novelty (not tolerance) drives porn use  17:51 – Cheater… or compulsive addict?  22:41 – When hypersexuality is a symptom, not a sin  26:41 – Addiction, OCD, or trauma response?  31:31 – How shame makes people self-diagnose  36:56 – The classic cases researchers look for  41:16 – Warning signs you shouldn’t ignore  45:51 – What recovery actually looks like  50:21 – Why you should be cautious online  54:11 – Where to learn more from Dr. Grubbs  56:31 – Next episode: psychedelics & grief Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

    34 min
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About

Each episode explores a taboo question or cultural blind spot with an expert who is themselves, a paradox -Like the atheist doctor who studied near death experiences for 50 years (ep 224)Or the deeply religious man studied by NASA who sees UFOs regularly (ep 261).The mission is to inspire the kind of curiosity that looks for & celebrates nuance, because we all deserve a more curious future.So tune in each week (new episodes every Monday) to question things like American individualism (ep 260), trigger warnings (ep 208) & circumcision (ep 178).Still not sure where to start?Other listeners loved ep 230 - Can a sexless marriage survive? and ep 237 - Black man who attends KKK rallies: race & friendship

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