On episode 236, we welcome Nicole Karlis to discuss the benefits of altruism, the link between depression and feeling unimportant, the disaster effect and bounded solidarity, the myth of self-love, burnout as an indicator of poor social structures, why some people won’t accept help, how helping others aids our own mental health, altruism’s effects on the brain, co-regulation as the rule rather than the exception, and cultivating the Malama Mindset.

Nicole Karlis is a health and science journalist. Her work has been published in Salon, The New York Times, Marie Claire, and The Bold Italic. Her new book, available now, is called Your Brain on Altruism: The Power of Connection and Community during Times of Crisis.

| Nicole Karlis |

► Website | https://nicolemkarlis.com

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/nicolekarlis

► Twitter | https://x.com/nicolekarlis

► Your Brain on Altruism Book | https://amzn.to/4laZ0qy

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On episode 235, we welcome Jaz Brisack to discuss unionizing efforts for Starbucks workers and Project Germinal, how unions form and why workers may fear them, the popular ideas of unions and how they’re misrepresented by corporate media, Jaz’s experiences in the Starbucks union and “salting,” whether corporate managers act in good faith, anti-union tactics and why they should be considered psychological warfare, and how workers can sustain a sense of hope in the face of their significant and persistent professional struggles.

Jaz Brisack is a union organizer and cofounder of the Inside Organizer School, which trains workers to unionize. After spending one year at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, they got a job as a barista at the Elmwood Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, becoming a founding member of Starbucks Workers United and helping organize the first unionized Starbucks in the United States. As the organizing director for Workers United Upstate New York & Vermont, they also worked with organizing committees at companies ranging from Ben & Jerry’s to Tesla. Their new book, available on April 29, 2025, is called Get on the Job and Organize: Standing Up for a Better Workplace and a Better World.

| Jaz Brisack |

► Website | https://www.insideorganizerschool.com

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jazbrisack

► Twitter | https://x.com/jazbrisack

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/jaz.brisack

► Get on the Job and Organize Book | https://bit.ly/GetontheJobandOrganize

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On episode 234, we welcome Vanessa Daniel to discuss the personal and professional challenges women of color face, how trauma influenced Vanessa’s understanding of the world, how to understand intersectionality, what it means to leave no marginalized groups behind as democrats fight for power, the importance of solidarity in addressing individual trauma, 360 degree vision, the lack of courage among democratic leaders, appealing to voters, why the left isn’t immune from criticism, and what cancel culture gets wrong.

Vanessa Priya Daniel has worked in social justice movements for twenty-five years as a labor and community organizer and funder. She founded and served for seventeen years as executive director of Groundswell Fund, a leading funder of women of color-led grassroots and electoral organizing. She is a recipient of the Smith College Medal, was featured by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of fifteen “Influencers” who are changing the non-profit world, and by Inside Philanthropy as one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful Players in Philanthropy.” Vanessa has written for The New York Times and other publications. Her new book, available now, is called Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning.

| Vanessa Daniel |

► Website | https://www.vanessapriyadaniel.com

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/vanessapriyadaniel

► Twitter | https://x.com/vanessapdaniel

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564853652820

► Unrig the Game Book | https://www.vanessapriyadaniel.com/books

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On episode 233, we welcome Constantine Sandis to discuss the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, his lifelong preoccupation with the question of understanding others, the social and clinical consequences of misunderstanding others, Wittgenstein’s personal struggles with misunderstanding, criticisms of empathy and how it may lead to further conflict as opposed to resolving it, the problem of mind-reading, understanding culture as opposed to another’s inner drives, and the significance of self-reflection.

Constantine Sandis is Director of Lex Academic, Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His books include The Things We Do and Why We Do Them, Philosophy of Action: An Anthology, and Human Nature, and From Action to Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Reasons and Responsibility. His newest book, available March 11, 2025, is called Wittgenstein on Other Minds: Strangers in a Strange Land.

| Constantine Sandis |

► Website | https://www.constantinesandis.com

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/csandis

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/csandis

► Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/csandis.bsky.social

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/csandis

► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/constantine-sandis-723454a4

► Wittgenstein on Other Minds Book | https://bit.ly/3Ff6458

Wittgenstein on Other Minds Discount Code for 35% Off: SEWPC35

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On episode 232, we welcome Adam Chandler to discuss the American myth of the self-made man, how it’s evolved over time, a potentially better argument for social benefits than the one normally provided by the left, the flaws of the “bootstrap” mentality, the self-made myth of Elon Musk, how billionaires benefit from us believing in the American Dream, the inconsistencies of the libertarian philosophy, how expanding the child tax credit alleviated poverty in the US, and the potential effects of AI on employees.

Adam Chandler is a journalist and author based in New York. A former staff writer at The Atlantic, his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, WIRED, Vox, Slate, New York Magazine, Texas Monthly, Esquire, TIME, and elsewhere. Chandler is the author of Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey Through the Heart of America's Fast-Food Kingdom and a recurring guest on The History Channel's The Food That Built America. He regularly appears across television, radio, and digital platforms including CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Planet Money, Morning Edition, and Here & Now. His newest book, available now, is called 99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life.

| Adam Chandler |

► Website | https://www.adamchandler.com

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/adamisaac

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/allmychandler

► Twitter | https://x.com/AllMyChandler

► 99% Perspiration Book | https://www.adamchandler.com/99-perspiration

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On episode 232, we welcome Elaine Weiss to discuss the grassroots foundation of the civil rights movement, the origins and aspirations of the Highlander Folk School, how and why Black people educated themselves when schooling was illegal for them, Septima Clark and the activism of ordinary people, Esau Jenkins teaching Black citizens on his bus rides, literacy tests and other ways voting for Black people was thwarted by whites, myths around education in the Black community, Rosa Parks as both a passive and active activist, and lessons from Highlander activists for how to maintain and foster democracy.

Elaine Weiss is an award-winning journalist, author, and public speaker. She is the author of Fruits of Victory: The Woman’s Land Army of the Great War; and The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote. Her newest book, available on March 4, 2025, is called Spell Freedom: The Underground Schools That Built the Civil Rights Movement.

| Elaine Weiss |

► Website | https://elaineweiss.com

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ElaineWeissAuthor

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/efwauthor

► Twitter | https://x.com/efweiss5

► Spell Freedom Book | https://bit.ly/3Qt33R7

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On episode 230, we welcome Michelle Sherman to discuss mental illness within families, the missteps people make in attempting to address it, our tendency to personalize others’ struggles, what happens when others aren’t aware of why they’re struggling and can’t explain it, the 4Cs model of navigating mental illness in others, the effects and trauma and neglect, asking for support and overcoming the shame of doing so, and why having a mental illness doesn’t necessarily mean one is incapable of being a good parent.

Michelle D. Sherman, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified, licensed clinical psychologist who is a nationally recognized leader in the family experience of mental illness and trauma. She is the editor-in-chief of Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice and worked for many years in the Veterans Affairs system. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and was named their Family Psychologist of the Year in 2022. Her newest book, co-authored with DeAnne Sherman, available now, is called Loving Someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma: Skills, Hope, and Strength for Your Journey.

| Michelle D. Sherman, PhD |

► Website | https://www.seedsofhopebooks.com

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557940777748

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seeds_of_hope_books

► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-sherman-phd-lp-abpp-312897100

► Loving Someone with a Mental Illness or History of Trauma Book | https://amzn.to/3CSwQiR

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On episode 229, we welcome Steven Heine to discuss his research in existential psychology, humans as meaning-making creatures, existential crises as crises of meaning, the importance of story-telling in cultivating a deeper sense of purpose, cultural differences in meaning and our innate desire to contribute to our cultures, terror-management theory, Nietzsche’s nobleman and action vs reaction, tribalism in meaning-making, the importance of gratitude, and healthy ways to cope with death anxiety.

Steven J. Heine is distinguished university scholar and professor of social and cultural psychology at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Cultural Psychology, the top-selling textbook in the field, and his research has been covered in outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Newsweek, and New Scientist. His newest book, available now, is called Start Making Sense: How Existential Psychology Can Help Us Build Meaningful Lives in Absurd Times.

| Steven J. Heine |

► Website | https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/steven-heine

► Psychology Today | https://bit.ly/3CLtuhA

► Start Making Sense Book | https://amzn.to/3ErQIKf

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