Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

Kelly is a postdoc at Stanford. She's using fMRI to investigate whether cognitive processes may help predict relapse after addiction treatment. But we talk about everything from free will to hallucinogens to how the brain generates the feeling of having a mind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Elena is a graduate student at UBC in Vancouver. She spent four months researching sex workers in India, and is now focussed on the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A.J. walked away from a corner office on Wall Street because he realized that his life was inauthentic. Since then, he's been on a roll. He founded Misfit—one of the most enigmatic, admirable hunter-gatherer enterprises around. His life is full of travel, love, passion, and positive energy. Plus, he's brilliant, good-looking, and dances like a Cuban. F*ck that guy. Music: "Distinto," by Orishas; "Lekela Muadi," by Tshala Muana. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Suedfeld is a Holocaust survivor whose research is focused on how people experience extreme, unusual, challenging, and traumatic events and environments -- including arctic explorers, astronauts, and prisoners. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A bit of a critical look at Adam Curtis's film, Hypernormalisation, and a few totally unqualified responses to listener's emails. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

World-famous Jake and I sit in his kitchen, talking about the importance of dicks and complaining about leaf blowers. And other stuff, too. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Neil Strauss is the author of 8 bestselling books and was music critic for Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, and the New York Times. We're chilling on his sofa. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Emails, most of the "should I stay or should I go" variety. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Professor of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia and author of Trying Not to Try: The Power of Spontaneity, Slingerland has a uniquely informed perspective on the biggest questions we all face. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I met Georgina on a plane. Long before the seatbelt sign had gone off, I knew I was going to enjoy chatting with her all the way to LA. Getting to know this smart, funny, candid, and quirky woman, the hours flew by. She agreed she'd appear on my podcast a few weeks down the road--once she'd finished shooting a film. I doubted she'd get around to it, but true to her word, she found some time for this wide-ranging conversation about fame, beauty, Hollywood, Australia, and what it's like to make a living pretending to be someone else. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Wade Davis is an extraordinary guy. He's wandered into nearly every corner of this planet, published a slew of fantastic books (several of which have become films), studied hallucinogenic plants in the Amazon, explored voodoo rituals in Haiti, and tells the best shit-knife story you'll ever hear. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The tenth episode of Ranting Out My A$$. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Brian is one of the top dogs at Tinder. He invited me to headquarters in Hollywood, where we had this candid chat about technology, business, dating, and the future of all of them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This very special episode features Wim Hof (the Iceman) and Dr. Stanley Krippner discussing extraordinary human capacities. Co-hosted by Sam Lawrence and co-released on his podcast: Grow Big Always. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Darcia Narvaez teaches in the Psychology department at the University of Notre Dame. She's an expert in how human beings raise children in various cultures around the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Academy award nominee, playwright, banjo player, dancer, rabble-rouser, and kick-ass pasta saucer, Josh Fox is a freakin force of nature. Join us as we talk about the state of the world, how Josh became Josh, and how to run a great 4-day party. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Deia makes documentary films. She has worked with troubled kids in the remote wilderness and walked from Ecuador to the tip of Tierra del Fuego, through the Andes. We recorded this one floating on a pond in northeast Pennsylvania, which makes this one a "pondcast." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Adventures with camels, mace, and a special woman in Jaisalmer, India. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Tyler is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, winner of The Amazing Race, and has walked the length of Japan--then made an award-winning documentary about the experience, called Kintaro Walks Japan. Dude is busy! Plus, he's super smart and funny. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Simon is a biologist with special interest in birds of prey and marijuana. You'll hear how one led to the other (by way of Zimbabwe). We spent a lovely Dutch afternoon chatting amidst the animals all around us. He is the owner of Serious Seeds, one of the most respected lines in Holland, and originator of famous strains like AK-47, Bubble Gum, Chronic, Kali Mist, and White Russian. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Wim Hof holds a slew of world records and has done things like climb within spitting distance of the summit of Mount Everest in shorts, run marathons above the arctic circle in shorts and in the Kalahari desert without water, sit in ice water for 90 minutes, swim under icebergs.... You get the picture. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The inherently fraudulent nature of fame, fortune, and beauty; premature ejaculation; traditional education; the Unabomber, and existential despair. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Uber-blogger Mark Manson has a new book coming out called The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, which was inspired by a blog piece he wrote that struck a nerve. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

A man in his 30s starts to think he might be gay, a young couple wonder about seeing other people, a couple try to deal with a rape. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Willem was the guide on my 9-day tour of southern Africa. Over the course of our trip, I grew to know and like him. He's quiet, but runs deep, as you'll hear. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

David Ley is a sexologist, therapist, and author of three important books that challenge mainstream views of human sexuality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

When Johann arrived in the Galapagos for an educational trip, he knew that something important had changed in his life. He's built a life around that recognition. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Rivah Winter is a marine biologist specializing in coral reef systems. As of 2017, she'll be at the Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Florida. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew Baker teaches at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami, FL. He studies coral with a focus on resiliency and recovery. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I respond to a guy who is mystified at all the people who are taking totally absurd shit seriously. It's the fundamental conundrum all sane people face in an insane society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Malith walked away from his home in France about 15 months ago and has been walking ever since. He walked past me last night and I knew I wanted to hear his story. He wandered along the Camino de Santiago then kept going south in Portugal until he reached Gibraltar, where he met a couple sailing to the Canary Islands. He'll be here for a while, then hopes to find a boat going to the Caribbean, South America, and on to Asia. He's a bit over a year into a 5-year journey. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I consider the difference between appreciating something and wanting it, porn addiction, the importance of constructive crashing and burning in one's love life, and serve a large dollop of troll chow. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

That Dos Equis guy's role model must have been my uncle Dan. Has Mr. Dos Equis ever delivered babies? Has he piloted several types of planes all over North America? Has he been rolling in money and then seen it rolling away? Does he effortlessly charm women 30 years younger than him without so much as a hint of creepiness while laughing about two types of cancer and serious nerve damage from a motorcycle accident? Go on, Mr. Dos Equis, have another drink and listen to my uncle Dan's story. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

What began with a shrimp boat to Colombia in the late 70s grew into a major drug smuggling operation using a fleet of military transport planes over the next decade before it all came crashing down. Charles kindly agreed to share his extraordinary story with us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Listener emails, including a Homeric epic rendering of episode 99 (Justin de Ruyter's brush with death on the Deschutes), intergenerational relationships, how to escape the rat race, and advice for someone else's kid. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Pree spent six months on the Appalachian Trail, searching for organic time and avoiding becoming the kind of person who spends their life wishing they'd taken the time to take some time for themselves. You can follow her on Instagram at @preeconceptions. This conversation was recorded just 20 days after she'd returned to "the real world," or its opposite. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

"Tom Spanbauer is the critically acclaimed author and founder of Dangerous Writing. As a writer he has explored issues of race, of sexual identity, of how we make a family for ourselves in order to surmount the limitations of the families into which we are born. His five published novels Faraway Places, The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon, In The City Of Shy Hunters, Now Is The Hour, and I Loved You More." (from Tom's site) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

My pal Justin joins me in Spain to talk about prehistoric cave art, his first impressions of Spanish culture, and the challenges of living life to the fullest without getting stressed about it. And of course, we answer your emails. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Extensive research and clinical trials have demonstrated that the introduction of small doses of intestinal worms may be effective in the treatment of asthma, allergies, and some autoimmune conditions. Dr. Llamas is a pioneer in this emerging field. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I respond to two listener emails in this one: 1. How to handle old friendships gone sour. 2. How did/do hunter-gatherers treat people with disabilities? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Jake and I drink too much coffee and discuss what to do when you get sand in your twat, the dubious nature of having a circus-sized penis, guaranteed basic income, blind pigs looking for acorns, and the coming Age of Trumpocracy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Dan Engle, MD is a practicing psychiatrist, board certified in psychiatry and neurology. He graduated medical school at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, and finished his residency in psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. After residency he completed a fellowship in child psychiatry at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR. His current practice combines functional medicine with integrative psychiatry to enhance the foundations of regenerative health and peak performance training. Before completing his medical degree he was a collegiate soccer player for St. Edwards University in Austin. (Bio from Dan's bio at Onnit.com, where he is a consultant.) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Susie has been at the forefront of progressive socio-sexual change for decades. She's written books (most recently, a memoir: Big Sex, Little Death), several plays, countless articles and editorials, and hosts a popular podcast called In Bed with Susie Bright. She's a very smart woman with a lot to say about some of the most important issues of our age. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Pardi is one of the most knowledgeable people I know in thefields of sleep and health research. He does research with thePsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department at Stanford, and theDepartments of Neurology and Endocrinology at Leiden University inthe Netherlands. His current research looks at how sleep influencesdecision making (publications). Dan also works with Naval SpecialWarfare to help the most elite fighters in the world maintainvigilant performance in both combat and non-combat conditions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Reid is one of the leading sex educators in the United States.His humor, thoughtfulness, and common sense have made him a muchsought-after presence on the college speaking circuit. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In which I respond to listeners' responses to my responses tolisteners. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

The second episode devoted to responding tolistener emails. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

This conversation was recorded March 10th, 2016, six weeksbefore Bennett died unexpectedly. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Zach Leary (like Kelly Carlin, ep #172) managed to grow up in a world somewhat distorted by his father's fame without becoming distorted himself. As you'll hear, he's got a very thoughtful, balanced, and deeply informed perspective on himself, the world, and his place in it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Charles was raised as a Mormon, became an Eagle Scout, went to Japan for a while, and then began exploring various consciousness-altering substances. He eventually stumbled into a heroin addiction. From there, things took a dark turn for a while. He now works helping others find their way back. Download this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe