Audacious with Chion Wolf

We all know people who love Costco or Trader Joe’s. But what compels someone to devote their time and travel to visiting as many stores as possible, to wrap so much of their identity around these massive shopping chains?

Meet three people whose lives brighten the moment they put their hands on a Trader Joe’s or Costco grocery cart.

For a transcription of this episode, which originally aired on December 14, 2023, click here.

GUESTS: 

• David and Susan Schwartz: Authors of The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z. They have traveled over 220,000 miles visiting over 250 Costco warehouses in 13 countries
• Natasha Fischer: Runs the social media account TraderJoesList, where she offers product reviews and recipes to over two million followers. She also sells spatulas

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Brains are weird. Bodies are weird. People are weird! Brains, bodies, and people together in a psychological or medical setting? Man, it can get REAL weird.

Ethical conundrums abound, like navigating boundaries, bias in treatment, managing power dynamics… And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

So who's in charge of figuring out the ethics behind all of this? Meet the Chief of Ethics for the American Psychological Association, Lindsay Childress-Beatty. And hear stories from the hospital from Andy Kondrat. He's the one that doctors call when they or the patients they serve are experiencing ethical medical questions.
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Suggested episodes:

• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire
• I downloaded my soulmate: Stories of love and AI
• TOPS: A woman summits Everest, a man considers a body transplant, and world-record hat-wearing
• Faking it: Munchausen syndrome and the compulsion to be ill

GUESTS: 

• Andy Kondrat: Ethics consultant and Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars‑Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. He's a member of the Bioethics Committee, and co-director of CSMC’s Responsible Conduct of Research training course
• Lindsay Childress-Beatty: Chief of Ethics for the American Psychological Association

Khaleel Rahman, Jessica Severin de Martinez, Meg Fitzgerald, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Meg Dalton contributed to this show.

Audacious with Chion Wolf is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tune In, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

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Sometimes it’s like you and your pet are perfectly in sync, reading each other’s minds… and other times, you’re staring at them thinking, “Seriously? Why do you keep licking the couch?”

But what if you could actually read your pet’s mind? Would you treat them differently… or would you just confirm that dogs think every meal is their last, and that cats really are secretly plotting world domination?

Today, meet two people who make a living as animal communicators. They’ll share wild stories from their sessions, explain why they believe your pets keep hanging around even after they’re gone, and give you tips on how to connect more deeply with your own beloved companions.

Suggested episodes:

• We The Dog
• Wings, pouches, and snouts: The world of uncommon emotional support animals
• When wild animals become family: Thumbelina the squirrel and Walnut the crane

GUESTS: 

• Nikki Vasconez: Animal communicator, teacher, and former litigation attorney based in Florida
• Laura Stinchfield: Animal communicator known as “The Pet Psychic” based in New York. Author of Voices of the Animals and Stormy's Words of Wisdom: An enlightened dog’s profound insights on life

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Incest is one of the most challenging topics to discuss, yet our guests are opening up about the truth behind their origin stories.

Meet Steve Edsel, who always knew he was adopted. But when he set out to uncover the identities of his birth parents, he stumbled upon painful truths. Now, he and his wife work with an organization dedicated to supporting others with similar backgrounds.

Then, hear from Jerri Harrell, whose discovery of her biological parents happened almost by accident. She shares how she transformed feelings of shame and rejection into a profound source of love and resilience.

Resources:

• Genetic Genealogist CeCe Moore and The DNA Detectives
• GEDMatch.com 
• IncestAware
• Survivors of Incest Anonymous
• Time To Tell

Suggested episodes:

• Think Before You Spit: The Pandora’s Box of DNA Testing
• Conception deception: The fight for transparency in the fertility industry

GUESTS: 

• Steve Edsel: Found out that his father is his mother’s brother. He is joined by his wife, Michelle, who works with CeCe Moore to help inform people of their family history
• Jerri Harrell: Found out that the woman she thought was her sister was actually her mother, and the man who she thought was her step-grandfather is her father. She is currently working on a poetry chapbook titled Across the Bridge - Out of the Shadows and into the Light: The Journey to Healing

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We’ve all imagined holding a winning lottery ticket, but what happens next?

Hear from a man known as The Lottery Lawyer, who shares the most common mistakes people make when trying to claim their winnings.

Plus, a man who scored a $28 million Powerball jackpot at just 21 years old reveals what life was like after the win—the highs, the surprises, and some challenges you might not expect.

Suggested episodes:

• Aftershocks: Life after getting struck by lightning 
• Welcome to the Punderdome! We're entering NYC's punniest pun competition
• The Guts & Glory Of Getting Into The Guinness Book Of World Records
• What it's like to win a Nobel Prize with Andrea Ghez and Martin Chalfie

GUESTS: 

• Kurt Panouses: ‘The Lottery Lawyer & CPA’, specializing in helping lottery winners claim their prizes and manage their money
• Timothy Schultz: Winner of a $28 million Powerball jackpot in 1999. Filmmaker, and host of the podcast, “Lottery, Dreams and Fortune”

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It’s 2 a.m.; the phone rings. The caller ID says Stockholm, Sweden. The voice on the other end of the line says, “Congratulations! You’ve just been awarded a Nobel Prize!”

What goes through your mind in a moment like that ?

Meet two people who received that life-altering call. Discover not only the incredible doors it opened for them, but the unexpected challenges that came with such a prestigious honor.

Suggested episodes:

• Laugh and then think: What it's like to win the Ig Nobel Prize
• What it’s like winning a little or a lot on The Price Is Right, Wheel Of Fortune, and Jeopardy!

GUESTS: 

• Andrea Ghez: Along with Reinhard Genzel, she was awarded half of   the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy”. She is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine chair in Astrophysics, at the University of California, Los Angeles 
• Martin Chalfie: Along with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Tsien, he was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein (GFP). He is a University Professor and former chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. Prof. Chalfie is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a foreign member of the Royal Society

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Oh my gourd, do we want you to meet a man who set a world record for riding his giant pumpkin down the Missouri River!

And hold your breath as you hear from two women who won an underwater pumpkin carving contest!

And since it’s officially decorative gourd season, meet the author of that McSweeney's essay whose enthusiastic profanity somehow brings us all together every single autumn.

This episode originally aired on October 21, 2023.

GUESTS: 

• Duane Hansen: Set a world record for traveling the longest distance in a pumpkin boat in August 2022. His pumpkin, Berta, was 846 pounds and together they sailed for 37.5 miles down the Missouri River. It took 12 hours
• Josephine Walker & Stephanie McClary: Mother/daughter duo who won the Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in October of 2019. Their design was of moray eels embracing a heart
• Colin Nissan: Author of It's Decorative Gourd Season, Mother*@&!s, originally published in McSweeney’s in 2009

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The moment we meet someone – especially for the first time – we're sizing them up. We notice perceived gender, race, and one of the big ones: age.

But what happens when you look much older than you actually are?

Cécile Gueye is one of only 500 people in the world known to have Cutis Laxa. That's a condition where her skin lacks elasticity. Although she's in her early 30s, she looks like she's in her 50s or 60s. She talks about how this has challenged her personal growth, and how she sometimes uses it to her advantage.

And Michiel Vadeweert has Progeria, which is also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome. It's a rare, fatal genetic condition of “rapid-aging” in children. According to the progeria research foundation, only 210 people in the world have been identified with the condition.

Resources:

• The Progeria Research Foundation
• Cutis Laxa International

Suggested episodes:

• (Almost) Everybody Hurts: An Exploration of Pain
• Total Recall: What It's Like To Remember Every Day Like It Was Yesterday
• Body Integrity Dysphoria: When being disabled is a desire

GUESTS: 

• Michiel Vandeweert: A 26-year-old man from Belgium. He has progeria, a rare condition that causes accelerated aging
• Cécile Gueye: A 32-year-old woman who lives near Geneva, Switzerland. She has cutis laxa, a rare connective tissue disorder

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Tired of seeing the same ol’ politicians in headlines week after week? Maybe you’re exhausted by the same ol’ talking points and posturing.

In this episode, we introduce you to two candidates running for president in truly unconventional ways.

First, there's Literally Anybody Else (or Mr. Else, if you prefer), formerly known as Dustin Ebey. He legally changed his name to make a statement with his campaign.

Then, there's Paperboy Love Prince - a candidate on a mission to become the first openly queer, non-binary president of the United States. Their platform is built entirely around the power of love.

Resources:

• https://www.isidewith.com/ - a website offering a 2024 Presidential Quiz as mentioned by Literally Anybody Else during the interview

Suggested episodes:

• A coffee-fueled celebration of passion, purpose, and pursuing an impossible goal
• The One Where All The Guests Are Named Pat Smith
• A conversation with Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton

GUESTS: 

• Literally Anybody Else: Formerly known as Dustin Ebey, he legally changed his name to run for President of the United States
• Paperboy Love Prince: Previously ran for Congress and Mayor in New York, decided to run for President of the United States as the first openly queer, non-binary candidate whose policies are centered around love

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The entertainment industry includes all kinds of people, but let’s be honest: There is a Hollywood type. So where does that leave actors who don’t fit the mold?

Actor Adam Pearson has neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow on his face and upper body. His latest movie is called A Different Man and it’s centered around the power of his condition.

Crystal Marshall has loved acting since she was a little kid. But when she developed cancer in her face at 18 years old, requiring multiple surgeries to rebuild her face, teeth, and upper jaw, that didn't stop her from applying to and graduating from the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art with a degree in Professional Acting.

Hear how both of them have become powerful advocates for expanding representation of all kinds of faces in the entertainment industry.

Resources:

• myFace - US-based non-profit support organization for people with craniofacial differences
• Changing Faces - UK-based charity advocating for individuals with a visible difference to the face, hands, or body

Suggested episodes:

• Facing the world with visible facial differences
• Actors with facial differences discuss what it means to be seen
• The Story Of The First African American Face Transplant

GUESTS: 

• Adam Pearson: actor, speaker, and disability rights campaigner. His latest film, A Different Man, was released on September 20, 2024. Besides his roles in movies, he made many documentaries, among them The Ugly Face of Disability Hate Crimes and Freak Show. His TEDx talks have covered topics like fear and the stigma of disability
• Crystal Marshall: an actress and facial equality advocate who graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2024

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