In this episode, Therese Markow and Elizabeth Burch discuss Elizabeth's new book, "The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory," which exposes a scheme where con artists, attorneys, and rogue doctors exploited women through mass torts involving pelvic mesh implants. Elizabeth explains how mass torts differ from class actions and explains how attorneys earn contingency fees. Throughout the episode, they discuss the ways in which the scheme was perpetuated and how vulnerable women were exploited by a data breach in India.

Key Takeaways:

• A tort is a harm, such as a punch or a car accident. A mass tort is when those harms happen on a large scale.

• Mass torts can be a goldmine for lawyers (and there is a convention held twice a year regarding mass torts in Las Vegas). This can be concerning as more states are allowing law firms to be owned, even partially, by non-lawyers.

• Many of the women involved with this mass tort were conned by people who had their specific information, including birth dates, surgery dates, and other medical information. It created a lot of confusion for many.

"You can imagine that your scam detector would probably go off if someone called you and asked you for that information. But if someone calls you and they already know your birth date and the name of your implanting doctor and the type of mesh that you have and exactly when you had the surgery and where you had the surgery, then all of a sudden it feels a lot more legitimate." — Elizabeth Burch

Connect with Elizabeth Burch:

Professional Bio: https://www.elizabethchambleeburch.com/about

Website: https://www.elizabethchambleeburch.com/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/eburch.bsky.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethcburch/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethcburch/

X: https://x.com/elizabethcburch

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECBurch/

Pre-Order The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Pain-Brokers/Elizabeth-Chamblee-Burch/9781668068861

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow, Dr. Jerald Kay, and Dr. Joel Yager discuss the various forms of ambition: lack of ambition, mismatched ambition, Machiavellian ambition, and how to deal with malignant narcissists.

Key Takeaways:

• There are biological underpinnings to ambition, but much of what we know about ambition is built on repeated interactions as children.

• Not everyone who is Machiavellian is ambitious. Not everyone ambitious is Machiavellian. But when you have people who have dark triad characteristics, it can mean trouble for those around them.

• There are levels of narcissism. Only some are treatable. The last division of severe narcissism is called malignant personality disorder and is relatively untreatable.

"It's both nature and nurture. We know ambition runs in families. And we know kids that are adopted into families with ambitious parents turn out to be more ambitious than if they weren't adopted into those kinds of families." — Dr. Joel Yager

Episode References: https://journals.lww.com/jonmd/fulltext/2023/04000/ambition_and_its_psychopathologies.1.aspx

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Sophie Lucido Johnson discuss the evolution of family and the concept of "kin" in Sophie's book "Kin: The Future of Family." They explore the isolation and loneliness in modern society, emphasizing the importance of chosen family networks, or "pods," for emotional and physical well-being. She highlights the benefits of close, non-genetic relationships, citing research showing that strong social connections can prolong life more than health habits. Sophie also addresses the challenges of maintaining friendships post-children and the mutual support needed in kin relationships, drawing parallels to primate behavior and community responses to disasters.

Key Takeaways:

• Digital connective tools are wonderful, but they do not take the place of human connection of conversation, and relationships.

• You do not have to live with someone to create a family pod together. Living in proximity can help to share the burden and lighten the load. It is good for your mental and physical health to build relationships with those in close proximity to you.

• Relationships do not need to be transactional. However, by nature, there will be levels of give and take.

• Commitment is not just for romantic relationships.

• Planning is difficult. Be spontaneous with short time hangouts, running errands together, and a willingness to commit more deeply with your friends while being flexible.

• Cross-generational relationships have many benefits for all parties involved.

"There's nothing that the science has shown to prolong your life more than relationships with other people." — Sophie Lucido Johnson

Connect with Sophie Lucido Johnson:

Website: https://www.sophielucidojohnson.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sophielucidojohnson

Book: simonandschuster.com/books/Kin/Sophie-Lucido-Johnson/9781668060650

Instagram: instagram.com/sophielucidojohnson

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.