An author lands in the back seat of Anthony's car. A very academic discussion ensues...

To learn more about this week's passenger, visit www.chinamirror.net

To donate to "Amira," please visit https://www.gofundme.com/amira039s-next-chapter

Parents: for 25 percent off your first order at primary.com (plus free shipping!) use discount code BACKSEATRIDER at checkout.

Two months after surviving a brutal attack at the hands of her ex-fiancee, "Amira" returns to Backseat Rider with an update on her life, her struggles, and her message to others who may be in abusive relationships. To donate to Amira, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/amira039s-next-chapter

A passionate special education teacher gets blindsided by a mysterious health condition.

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Promo code ($50 ride credit) for new Lyft users: BACKSEATRIDER

A handsome stranger walks into an upscale cafe and says to the woman behind the counter, "You have two doors. The first door is you get a $100 cash tip. The second door is, you get the [one] THING that you need." In this episode, the woman behind the counter tells us the true story of what happened after she chose Door No. 2.

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Promo code ($50 ride credit) for new Lyft users: BACKSEATRIDER

A passenger reveals the shocking reason he ran away from boarding school at age 12, hitchhiking hundreds of miles back to his home. Another man tells Anthony how he escaped a South Side shoot-out as a teenager.

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Promo code ($50 ride credit) for new Lyft users: BACKSEATRIDER

Minutes into this car ride, Anthony's passenger reveals she had, hours earlier, been the victim of a vicious physical attack by her fiancee. This is the recording of their car ride to the police station.

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or www.thehotline.org

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Promo code ($50 ride credit) for new Lyft users: BACKSEATRIDER

"When you get to the 5th grade, that's when the cliques start to form."

On today's episode, the father of an 11-year-old who is currently being bullied after school tells Anthony how the bullying started, what measures he and his son have taken to stop it, and how it's stirring up a tragic incident from the father's own past.

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Promo code ($50 ride credit) for new Lyft users: BACKSEATRIDER

Time to put Backseat Rider back in your regular podcast rotation. To kick off the new season, Anthony dusts off the Lyft app and gets reacquainted with passengers via the following question: of the recent news stories, which one has had the biggest impact on you?

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Promo code ($50 ride credit) for new Lyft users: BACKSEATRIDER

"Alex Honnold's free solo climb of El Capitan should be celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, ever," said the New York Times. In this 30-minute conversation, Honnold and filmmaker/climber Jimmy Chin answer all of Anthony's questions about their new film 'Free Solo,' which depict's Honnold's historic, ropeless climb of "the most impressive wall on Earth," including: what was going through Alex's mind during his aborted attempt at El Cap? What did his mom think of the film? Is he still together with his girlfriend? What did he say to the guy in the unicorn costume he encountered halfway up? And also...is there anything left for this pair to conquer?

-'Free Solo' trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WU

-Jimmy Chin instagram: @Jimmy_Chin

-Alex Honnold instagram: @alexhonnold

-BACKSEAT RIDER FACEBOOK COMMUNITY: https://t.co/qaFOi6W0Zl

-NEW LYFT USERS: use promo code BACKSEATRIDER for up to $50 in free ride credit

-Episode sponsored by Geico (www.geico.com), and Pluto TV (www.pluto.tv)

"Alex Honnold's free solo climb of El Capitan should be celebrated as one of the greatest athletic feats of any kind, ever," said the New York Times. In this 30-minute conversation, Honnold and filmmaker/climber Jimmy Chin answer all of Anthony's questions about their new film 'Free Solo,' which depict's Honnold's historic, ropeless climb of "the most impressive wall on Earth," including: what was going through Alex's mind during his aborted attempt at El Cap? What did his mom think of the film? Is he still together with his girlfriend? What did he say to the guy in the unicorn costume he encountered halfway up? And also...is there anything left for this pair to conquer?

-'Free Solo' trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRVZ4SW7WU

-Jimmy Chin instagram: @Jimmy_Chin

-Alex Honnold instagram: @alexhonnold

-BACKSEAT RIDER FACEBOOK COMMUNITY: https://t.co/qaFOi6W0Zl

-NEW LYFT USERS: use promo code BACKSEATRIDER for up to $50 in free ride credit

-Episode sponsored by Geico (www.geico.com), and Pluto TV (www.pluto.tv)