A Song Called Life

In Episode #248, cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins joins Osi to discuss the rise and fall of private life. As social media, surveillance, and the pressures of constant openness reshape our daily lives, Tiffany and Osi grapple with a timely question: Can private life survive the demands of the twenty-first century? They also discuss why it is crucial to recognize that privacy is a man made concept, and trace the long history of the constant battle between the state and the people over privacy, a struggle that began long before technology entered the picture.

Dr Tiffany Jenkins is a writer and cultural historian. She is the author of the recently published Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and Fall of Private Life, reviewed in the Times Literary Supplement as a “magisterial intellectual history”. She is also the author of the acclaimed Keeping Their Marbles: How Treasures of the Past Ended Up in Museums and Why They Should Stay There, described in the Sunday Times as “an outstanding achievement, clear-headed, wide-ranging and incisive.” Her other works include Contesting Human Remains in Museum Collections: The Crisis of Cultural Authority, and she is the editor of Political Culture: Soft Interventions and Nation Building.

In Episode #247, historian Sophia Rosenfeld sits down with Osi to dig into one big question: Does having more choices really make us freer? They discuss how modern society’s obsession with choice can backfire, leading to decision fatigue, anxiety, and second-guessing. From politics to everyday life, this conversation unpacks the hidden costs of “more options” and what true freedom might really mean.

The Age Of Choice -Press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691164717/the-age-of-choice?srsltid=AfmBOoo8uhqOrF--CQbXWiWXmfJeu6LIGdH94IfCpMncbAqTBEZACzOj

Sophia Rosenfeld is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History and former chair of the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches European and American intellectual and cultural history with a special emphasis on the Enlightenment, the trans-Atlantic Age of Revolutions, and the legacy of the eighteenth century for modern democracy. Her latest book is The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in the Modern World (Princeton, 2025), which was recently named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and longlisted for the Cundill History Prize. It explores how, between the 17th century and the present, the idea and practice of making choices from menus of options came to shape so many aspects of our existences, from consumer culture to human rights, and with what consequences.

In Episode #246, whistleblower Reality Winner joins Osi to talk about her decision to leak a classified NSA document on Russian election interference. She reflects on the consequences of her actions, the prison sentence that followed, why she chose to write her memoir I Am Not Your Enemy, and new details that provide deeper context on her case and its lasting impact.

Reality Leigh Winner is a former U.S. Air Force linguist and National Security Agency (NSA) contractor best known as the whistleblower who leaked a classified intelligence report in 2017 about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. In 2018, Winner pleaded guilty to violating the Espionage Act and received a 63 month prison sentence, the longest ever imposed in federal court for an unauthorized media disclosure. Her case drew national attention to issues of government secrecy, press freedom, and election security.

In Episode #245, author and journalist Paul Vigna joins Osi to explore the world’s most widely practiced religion: Money. If money is not truly “real” but only functions because we believe in it, why have we allowed it to govern nearly every aspect of our lives? What happens when that belief falters and trust in the system breaks down? And why did ancient societies embrace debt forgiveness through jubilees, while modern ones resist it? Paul & Osi dive into these questions and more.

The Almightier - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250343284/thealmightier/

Paul Vigna was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and also contributes to the popular MoneyBeat blog. He is the author (with Michael J. Casey) of the critically acclaimed The Age of Cryptocurrency, The Almightier and The Truth Machine. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and son.

In Episode #244, author and journalist Tom Zeller Jr. joins Osi to shine a light on one of the most overlooked medical conditions: headaches. For many people, headaches are an occasional nuisance, but for others, migraines and cluster headaches can be utterly debilitating. Perhaps most frustrating of all, the medical community still struggles to provide real answers for those who suffer. Tom shares his own experiences with cluster headaches, explores why these conditions are so challenging to treat, and more.

Link to The Headache - https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-headache-tom-zeller-jr?variant=43238054133794

Thomas Zeller Jr. is an American journalist who has covered poverty, technology, energy policy and the environment, among other topics, for a variety of publications, including 12 years on staff as a writer and editor at The New York Times.

In Episode #243, law professor Joan C. Williams joins Osi to discuss how the widening gap between college graduates and non-college grads is reshaping American politics, and threatening democracy itself. How did the Democratic Party go from championing the working class to being seen as out-of-touch elites? And why has the right been so successful at tapping into the frustrations of working-class Americans? Joan and Osi unpack these questions and more.

Class Bubble Quiz: https://www.classbubblequiz.com/

Described as having “something approaching rock star status” in her field by The New York Times Magazine, Joan C. Williams is a scholar of social inequality and a prominent public intellectual. Williams is the author of 12 books and 116 academic articles in law, sociology, psychology, medical and management journals. She is the 11th most cited legal scholar both in critical theory and employment law. She is a Sullivan Professor and the Founding Director of the Equality Action Center at UC Law San Francisco, former Founding Director of the Center for WorkLife Law.

In Episode #242, Damizza joins Osi to unpack the ongoing fallout from the Epstein files scandal. There’s a growing hunger among Americans to uncover how the rich and powerful operate behind closed doors, and to hold them accountable when wrongdoing surfaces. In an age where major news stories are often buried under the weight of a relentless 24-hour cycle, the Epstein saga has proven unusually persistent. As speculation intensifies, questions loom: How will Trump navigate his base’s growing demand for answers about Jeffrey Epstein? And if the heat turns up, could we see J.D. Vance begin to quietly put distance between himself and Trump?

Damion "Damizza" Young is a record producer, radio executive, and artist who has shaped the modern entertainment landscape. He's known for his work in underground hip-hop and collaborations with artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Mariah Carey. Damizza's career spans decades and includes roles as a CEO, producer, and radio executive. He's credited with helping to popularize artists like Fiona Apple, Garbage, and Hootie & the Blowfish. 

In Episode #241, writer, podcast host, and author Chad Sanders joins Osi to discuss what it takes to break into the entertainment industry in 2025, especially for young artists. They also discuss AI and how it's reshaping the creative landscape, what the future of opportunity might look like in the next 5 to 10 years, and how emerging technologies are transforming the artistic process.

Chad Sanders is the author of Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph. He is the host of the Yearbook podcast on the Armchair Expert network and the Audible Originals podcast, Direct Deposit. Chad’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Time, Fortune, Forbes, Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and other publications. Chad has also written for TV series on Max and Freeform. Chad was raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, and earned his BA in English at Morehouse College. He lives in New York City.

In Episode #240, Mark Lynas joins Osi to confront one of the most urgent and underdiscussed threats facing humanity today: nuclear war. They discuss why nuclear war poses a far more immediate danger than climate change, the troubling lack of public awareness and political will, and consider what actions can still be taken to pull us back from the brink.

Six Minutes To Winter - Bloomsbury.com/us/six-minutes-to-winter-9781399410519/

Mark Lynas is an environmental writer and campaigner whose books have drawn attention to the perils of global warming. He is Vice-Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Emerging Technologies, a Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University's School of Geography and the Environment, and was Climate Advisor to the President of the Maldives from 2009 to 2011. He has contributed extensively to global media, writing for the Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and numerous others. He is research lead at the Alliance for Science at the Boyce Thompson Institute, an affiliate of Cornell University, and has co-authored peer-reviewed papers on vaccines, climate and GMOs. He is co-founder of the pro-science environmental campaign network RePlanet, launched in 2021 and now active in 12 countries.

In Episode #239, historian and human rights lawyer Steve Swerdlow returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on the Russia and Ukraine conflict, viewed through the lens of the rising "America First" movement.

What role should the United States play on the global stage when it comes to foreign aid and intervention? Is America truly stronger when it focuses inward? Are Americans actually upset about helping other countries, or does the anger come from feeling ignored while others receive support? Steve and Osi do their best to honestly grapple with these questions.

Steve Swerdlow, esq. is a human rights lawyer and Associate Professor of the Practice of Human Rights in the Department of Political and International Relations at the University of Southern California. An expert on the former Soviet region, Swerdlow teaches international human rights law, human rights research and advocacy, and human rights across Eurasia. Swerdlow has been a visiting professor at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Webster University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Kyiv School of Economics, and the University of San Diego. Swerdlow was Senior Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch from 2010-2019, heading the organization’s work on Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, also founding its Kyrgyzstan field office, and conducting field missions to Azerbaijan, Moldova, Russia, and Kazakhstan.