Meredith for Real: the curious introvert
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
Episodes
328 episodes
Ep. 328: What If It’s Not in Your Head? Mold Illness & Medical Blind Spots
Dr. Neil Nathan is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Pain Management as well as a Founding Dip-low-mitt of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine & International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illnesses.He spe...
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Season 1
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Episode 328
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52:46
Ep. 327: He Ate His Own Foot!? Grief, Friendship & Foot Tacos [REMASTERED]
When the Redditor known as Incrediblyshinyshart lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident & had to have it amputated, he made an unusual choice – to eat it. He shares his thoughts on mourning, cannibalism & why eating part of his ow...
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Season 1
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Episode 327
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15:51
Ep. 326: Retired at 29: Why & How? [REMASTERED]
Can you retire early from a normal income? How do you buy back your time?Lauren & Steven Keys of Trip of a Lifestyle share what inspired them to retire at age 29, how they did it on average incomes, why they don’t track th...
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Season 1
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Episode 326
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53:25
Ep. 325: Is Chaos Your Comfort Zone? Stress Addiction & How to Break the Cycle
Felipe Muñoz is the owner of Empathic Practice, a holistic stress management clinic. He combines his Masters in positive psychology, 20 years of marketing experience, & decade of business branding with hundreds of hours teaching meditation ...
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Season 1
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Episode 325
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1:02:37
Ep. 324: The Hoarder Within Us: The Psychology of Our Stuff [REMASTERED]
Dr. David Tolin is the Founder & Director of the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Institute of Living, the author of over 200 scientific journal articles & even received the Award for Lifetime Contribution to Psychology from the CT Psych...
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Season 1
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Episode 324
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33:29
Ep. 323: The Psychology of Arguing on the Internet: Can you ACTUALLY change someone’s mind?
JonRobert Tartaglione, PhD, studies & teaches influence. He is a psychologist, behavioral scientist & the founder & CEO of a consulting practice called influence 51. In this episode, we unpack persuasion, percepti...
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Season 1
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Episode 323
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1:09:16
Ep. 322: Early Sobriety: Can You Keep Your Friends? [REMASTERED]
How do you stay connected with friends when everything revolves around drinking?Casey McGuire Davidson was an ambitious corporate achiever who always had a full schedule & anxious energy. She felt wine was the glue holding her life t...
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Season 1
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Episode 322
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44:35
Ep. 321: Relationship Boundaries: NIGHTMARES, Ultimatums & Inner Demons
Are healthy boundaries lines in the sand? Going no contact? KC Davis is licensed professional counselor, host of the podcast Struggle Care & author of Who Deserves your love: how to create boundaries to start, str...
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Season 1
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Episode 321
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48:51
Ep. 320: AI = the END of thought freedom in America??!
How is AI influencing our decisions? Is opting IN to every AI offer causing us to opt OUT of our free will? Jake Ward is a former NBC News correspondent & is currently the founding editor & host of The Rip Current new...
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Season 1
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Episode 320
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1:09:13
Ep. 319: Micro-retirement: Cynicism, Burnout & Logistics
Is this the answer to burnout? How are mini-retirements even possible? Kira Schabram, PhD, is the Assistant Professor in management & organization at Pennsylvania State University & historian of work who has been stud...
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Season 1
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Episode 319
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43:17
Ep. 318: Dating in Midlife: Where have all the good men (& women) gone?
Why is dating so hard in midlife? Are we all sending mixed signals? Abe Morgentaler, MD & Marianne Brandon, PhD are the hosts of the Sex Doctors Podcast, where they deep dive into the science & psychology of sexual he...
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Season 1
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Episode 318
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1:07:10
Ep. 317: Life in the Vegas Tunnels: Clowns, Crickets & Crank [REMASTERED]
What’s it like living underground? How did he get out? Paul Vautrinot shares his story of living in the Las Vegas tunnels, or as he states it, beneath the neon. He shares what life in the Vegas underground city was like with ...
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Season 1
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Episode 317
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35:26
Ep. 316: Is Getting Alzheimer’s Inevitable?! Testing, Prevention & Treatment
Is it possible to maintain mental acuity well into your golden years? How do we assess ourselves (instead of waiting to see)? Dr. Dale Bredesen earned his M.D. from Duke University Medical Center & served as Chief Residen...
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Season 1
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Episode 316
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1:07:51
Ep. 315: Is Asexuality an Orientation or a Symptom?
What happens when attraction never shows up? Why does this label matter? Tony Bogaert, PhD, is the professor of health sciences at Brock University in Ontario, Canada where he has taught & conducted research for the last ...
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Season 1
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Episode 315
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44:33
Ep 314: Science & the Supernatural: Project Stargate, Experimental Metaphysics & Quantum Physics
What was it like to work on Project Stargate? Is Psi science being taken seriously? What if our mind is not our brain? Dean Radin, PhD, has been researching the paranormal for 45 years & currently serves as Chief Scientis...
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56:59
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 313
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49:55
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 co...
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Season 1
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Episode 312
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43:32
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 Crit...
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Season 1
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Episode 311
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45:16
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 documen...
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Season 1
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Episode 310
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37:25
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 309
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45:04
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.
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Season 1
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Episode 308
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58:25
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 ...
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Season 1
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Episode 307
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45:04
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...
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Season 1
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Episode 306
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33:41
Ep. 305: Are Political Parties Just Cults?!
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 em...
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47:40
Ep. 304: Could AI Blackmail You? Corporate Affairs, Self-driving Cars & Robot Romance
Michael Glawson is a PhD philosopher of science, technology, religion & ethics. As an ethicist, he has created corporate ethics training for government organizations & fortune 500 companies. In this episode, he puts into plain language ...
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Season 1
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Episode 304
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52:05