Tangentially Speaking With Dr. Christopher Ryan

Dr. Turner Osler studied anthropology at Princeton, before becoming a surgeon and research epidemiologist. After 30 years working at the University of Vermont’s trauma center, Dr. Osler left the operating room and began a career as a research epidemiologist, which required hours of sitting at a computer, resulting in unrelenting back pain. Being an expert on the spine, he decided to try to design a chair that would work with, rather than against human anatomy and physiology. 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

Hey. I hope you missed me as much as I missed you! This is the podcast where I explain where I’ve been for the past few weeks and why. I also talk about some ways to get in touch with each other, including the retreat that photo is teasing, and facilmap. I missed you all. But I’ve finally dug out my recording gear, so I’m back, baby!Music: “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “Masterpiece,” by Big Thief, covered by Tara, of Raapta. 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

Thoughts while driving:— Why are teenagers so unhappy?— Are we drowning in a bullshit tsunami?— Shouldn’t there be a word for the current partner of your ex?— Are there love songs written to a former partner? 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

Eric Czuleger is currently banned from entering Turkey due to an accusation that he is a spy. He is not a spy. He is however, the author of books and plays as well as long form nonfiction and journalism. Most recently he spent a year living and working in countries that don’t exist. His travel book, You Are Not Here: Travels Through Countries That Don’t Exist, will be released when it’s good and ready. 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

Mike is a breathwork coach from the UK. After 15 years in the corporate world, Mike decided to leave to teach breathwork full time. Mike has trained with many of the world’s leading breathwork innovators; such as Wim Hof, James Nestor and Patrick McKeown. 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

At age nine, Marc was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome due to incessant vocal and motor tics that interfered with every aspect of his life. Every medical professional concluded that his condition was uncontrollable and incurable, but Marc overcame Tourette’s in 2013, drawing from innovations from courses in emotional intelligence (NXIVM), using only mind over body, and sheer will. (Adapted from Marc’s website.) Marc is a passionate advocate for NXIVM’s founder, Keith Raniere, arguing that Keith didn’t get a fair trial and that his actions have been misrepresented in the media.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Only a Fool Would Say That” by Steely Dan; Outro: “Homens,” by Manu Chao. 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

Are you a proud optimist? A glass half-full sorta person? How much is too much to spend on feline medical care? Should I stay or should I go? Do we actually love our pets or just convince ourselves we do? Is there wisdom to be found in ruthlessness? 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

Tony grew up in an intentional spiritual community in West Virginia that many called a hippie commune. His new book, Red, White & Blind looks at how censorship, propaganda, and disinformation are woven into American history and are becoming increasingly corrosive in the digital 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

On September 16, 1994, sixty-two students at Ariel School in Zimbabwe witnessed something incredible. In his fantastic documentary, Ariel Phenomenon, Randall Nickerson explores the close encounter these schoolchildren experienced. Over twenty-five years later, this incident is still fresh in their memories. They continue to search for answers – and the courage to speak their truth. 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 a lobster fisherman’s question about why he gets restless in relationships. I yammer on about the difference between a “romantic” approach to loving women vs. an “epic” approach, and how each can play out in terms of loving her righteously. 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 is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comIn which I talk about the difference between scarcity and value, and how conflating scarcity with value gets us into trouble. Diamonds aren’t your best friends. A few words about some of the reasons we’re in Crestone and the life-boat we’re designing.

I “met” Charlie when he wrote to gently correct me on some nonsense I’d said on the podcast about climate change. I could tell from the content of his email that he knew what he was talking about, and I could tell from the tone of his email that he was a good dude. So I asked if he’d be willing to join me to talk about climate change next time I was in the area (he teaches at University of California, Irvine). Eventually, it came to be. Then we had dinner.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Weather With You,” by Crowded House; Outro: “Better World,” by KnowMads.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers: 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 friend Allison Pelot was a gymnast from about the age of 5 to 22. Then, she studied pre-physical therapy before switching over to exercise science and personal training. She went on to study holistic health, energy work metaphysics, spirituality and whatever seemed related to physical health, holistic healing, and using food to both regenerate our bodies and keep them healthy. Her book is called Finally Thriving: Your Guide to Empowered Wellness. She’s also Murphy’s mom — episodes 121 and 547.If Allison seems familiar, she and her husband, Liam were on the podcast a while ago, episode 285, where they talk about confronting every parent’s worst nightmare when their 8 year-old son fall off a 40-foot cliff, just an arm’s length away from them.You can learn more about Allison and Finally Thrive here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Stranger on the Shore,” by Acker Bilk; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. (She’s on tour!)Here’s my chat with Tao Ruspoli. This is a public episode. I

Murphy first appeared on this podcast seven years ago, in episode 121. He was 13 1/2 years old at that time, getting ready to swim across the river of adolescence. Seven years later, he’s experienced many of the things he was anticipating then. He’s every bit as thoughtful, kind, and insightful as I figured he’d become. If you sometimes feel despair about “kids these days,” people like Murphy can melt your cold, cold heart into a puddle of liquid hope. 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’ve known Stanley Krippner since the mid-1990s, when he invited me to join him on a three week trip to Brazil. He’s a world-famous researcher and author who has has hung out with everyone from Timothy Leary to Alan Watts to the Grateful Dead. He and I have traveled together to all over the planet, from a shamanism conference in Bavaria to a Psychoneuroimmunology conference in Buenos Aires to an adventure in search of the desert spirits in Morocco. We entered the “Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art” together at Lascaux, France and visited religious scholars in Kerala, India. I’m leaving out A LOT. He’s been a close friend for 25 years, and was one of the first (and most frequent) guests on the podcast. Here are links to previous episodes: 5, 24, 82, 169, 211 (with Wim Hof), and 263. He celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday. This conversation was recorded (with Anya Kaats) recently. As you’ll hear, he’s sharp as ever and full of wisdom and humor.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “A Memor

I love this guy. He exudes kindness, generosity, and intelligence. This is the fourth time Rick’s been on Tangentially Speaking, but the first time we’ve met in person, so it’s a special conversation. We don’t talk about music as much this time around, but we go deep on family, dads, and how life looks from sixty. 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 mini-ROMA was recorded streamside at a Lund Park campground in Oregon. It includes an update on my dance with covid and some thoughts on a very strange word: bosom. 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

DEBORAH EDEN TULL, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator who trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and has taught engaged dharma for over 20 years. Her most recent book is Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Dark Cloud,” by Chris Thomas King; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.Here’s the link to our meetups. Check in, if you’re somewhere between Whitefish and Santa Cruz.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers. I’ve been listening to Peter Zeihan’s geo-political thinking lately. Here’s his take on Covid (recorded while on a month-long hike in the Sierras). 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

Alex Cody Foster’s next book, The Man Who Hacked the World: A Ghostwriter’s Descent into Madness with John McAfee, will be published November 15th (2022). In the meantime, the crazy story is told in the Netflix documentary called “Running with the Devil.” He’s ghostwritten eight #1 Amazon Bestsellers, written for one of the U.K's most successful thriller writers, and worked as John McAfee's biographer for six months. Before all that, Alex built a solar-powered trike, hitchhiked across America, was homeless in LA where he was nearly murdered, lost his mind, got it back, crewed on a yacht, and became a writer.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “The Mark of a Good Man,” by Bimini Road; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton.And now for something extra, just for Substack subscribers:If you prefer to watch, click through to the Substack page and you’ll find a video of our conversation (including extra bonus content I edi

Katherine Halper is an American comedian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and political commentator. She is the host of the podcast The Katie Halper Show and co-host of the Useful Idiots with Aaron Maté. 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