CommonX Podcast

Most of us are drowning in content but starving for actual facts. This week, Jared and Ian sit down with Kira Shishkin — 4-time entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of informed.now — to talk about why the news media stopped serving readers and started serving advertisers, how misinformation is manufactured at scale, and what a genuine "information diet" actually looks like.

Kira built TurboTax Full Service at Intuit, evaluated 600+ venture deals, and grew up across Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. — giving him a front-row seat to information warfare in three different cultures. He's not just complaining about the problem; he built a solution: news by SMS, no accounts, no ads, no data collection, just facts from primary sources.

Whether you still watch cable news or you've checked out entirely, this one will make you rethink how you consume information.

Check out Kira's company: https://informed.now

📌 CHAPTERS

0:00 — Ian's overcooked intro

0:43 — Meet Kira Shishkin

1:46 — Why he left Intuit and TurboTax Full Service

2:51 — How informed.now works: news by SMS

4:15 — Sourcing only from primary sources

6:46 — How news became an advertising business

9:44 — Are people waking up to media manipulation?

12:09 — AI in journalism: useful tool or dangerous shortcut?

21:46 — The coming era of information overload

25:54 — What a healthy information diet actually looks like

28:51 — Growing up in Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S.

33:42 — SMS, anonymity, and radical privacy

36:16 — Will the world be more or less informed in 10 years?

38:19 — Evaluating 600+ venture deals — does informed.now pass its own test?

41:42 — Are we living in truly unique times?

43:21 — Is America's division real, or manufactured by media?

45:26 — Jared's 5 rapid-fire questions

51:02 — Outro

🎙️ CONNECT WITH US

CommonX Podcast | Two Gen X dads talking to people actually doing things in the real world.

#CommonXPodcast #MediaLiteracy #Misinformation #InformationOverload #GenX #NewsMedia #informed #KiraShishkin #FactsNotOpinions #MediaBias

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if America isn't as divided as the news makes it look? Adam Mizel left a successful finance career to find out — hitting the road in a purple and white pickup truck, talking to thousands of everyday Americans from parking lots to state fairs, and filming a documentary along the way.

Adam is the founder of Us United, a national unity movement built around one core idea: you can't sympathize with a label, only a person. In this conversation, he shares what he actually found on the road (spoiler: people are more united than you think), why Generation X needs to stop sitting on the fence, and the surprisingly simple things each of us can do to change the culture starting today.

We also dig into his unlikely friendship with Sheriff Chris Swanson — the Flint, Michigan sheriff who famously took off his body armor and walked arm-in-arm with protesters in 2020 — and how that moment sparked the creation of Us United.

--

Chapters:

00:00 — Intro & welcome

01:00 — Why Adam walked away from finance

03:00 — Meeting Sheriff Chris Swanson & the Flint march

06:00 — How Us United was born

08:00 — Sheriffs as community unifiers

13:00 — The cross-country road trip

16:00 — What Adam found: America isn't that divided

20:00 — Gen X needs to get off the fence

22:00 — What's fueling the divide (it's not just politics)

28:00 — The power of storytelling: the redlining conversation

32:00 — Shaq's one-word definition of unity

33:00 — National Unity Day, December 13

38:00 — Simple things every American can do right now

41:00 — If you were president for a day...

45:00 — Jared's Five

50:00 — Adam's personal story: success built from collapse

--

Learn more about Us United: https://www.usunited.org

Find all CommonX episodes at CommonXPodcast.com

If this episode resonated, please like, subscribe, and share — it helps more people find conversations like this one.

#CommonX #Unity #AdamMizel #UsUnited #GenerationX #America #Podcast

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most organizations are throwing millions at firewalls and security software — but the real vulnerability isn't the tech. It's the people using it.

In this episode of CommonX, we sit down with Robert Siciliano — bestselling author, cybersecurity expert, and the architect of the Strategic Human Firewall framework. He's appeared on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, and Anderson Cooper 360, and been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The New York Times.

We break down:

→ The "human blind spot" — why we're biologically wired to trust, and how criminals exploit it

→ Why denial is the #1 driver of data breaches (not hackers)

→ AI deepfakes, voice cloning, and how a fake Zoom call cost one company $25 million

→ The Strategic Human Firewall — how to build a security culture that actually works

→ Why 15 billion compromised passwords are sitting on the dark web right now

→ The real reason your IT team still uses default passwords

This conversation could literally save your business — or your bank account.

🔗 Find Robert: ProtectNowLLC.com

📰 Full X-Files article: CommonXPodcast.com

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Why humans are the real security risk

06:30 – The Human Blind Spot explained

10:00 – Denial, trust, and the 3–6% predator problem

17:00 – Making security personal (the key that's being missed)

22:00 – Pig butchering & wrong-number crypto scams

28:00 – How to build a Strategic Human Firewall

31:30 – The $25M AI deepfake Zoom call

40:00 – Dark web, passwords, and 2FA

47:00 – Jared's 5 rapid fire

#CyberSecurity #HumanFirewall #RobertSiciliano #CommonXPodcast #ScamPrevention

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barbara Banner didn't set out to become a medium. She spent over 35 years volunteering on crisis hotlines, in emergency rooms, and at police response scenes — showing up for people on the worst days of their lives. Then, at an age when most people are winding down, her house started going haywire: lights flashing, objects falling off shelves, orbs appearing. It was hard to ignore.

In this conversation, Barbara shares how a career in trauma response turned out to be the perfect preparation for communicating with the dead, why skepticism can actually block a reading, and what the "other side" is like according to the spirits she speaks with (spoiler: no anger, no judgment — only love and joy).

She also walks Jared and Ian through a simple exercise that helps grieving people receive signs from their loved ones on their own — no medium required. The stories she shares, including a disabled daughter whose gold nugget was simply being "normal" on the other side, are hard to forget.

Whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or just curious — this one will make you think differently about grief, loss, and what it means to be here.

🔗 Learn more about Barbara at BannerMedium.com

📖 Read her full X-File at CommonXPodcast.com

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Army veteran and public affairs expert Dr. Chase Spears joins Ian and Jared on the CommonX Podcast for a raw, no-filter conversation about the inner workings of the U.S. military — from how social media is reshaping wartime communication to why he turned down a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years of service.

Dr. Spears breaks down the myth of the "apolitical" military, explains how that word was weaponized against conservative service members under the Biden administration, and makes a compelling case for why the recent strikes on Iran are justified under just-war tradition — even as someone who considers himself nearly an isolationist.

Plus, Jared dives deep on the Anthropic vs. Department of War showdown over AI guardrails and autonomous weapons, and Chase responds to the "Seditious Six" controversy around Senator Mark Kelly.

In this episode:

• What military public affairs actually does — and where it goes wrong
• How the Army went from banning social media to running viral Rapid Response accounts
• Why Anthropic (makers of Claude AI) refused to remove safety guardrails for autonomous military weapons
• The word "apolitical" and how it was used to silence constitutional-minded service members
• Why Chase got written up just for asking about conscience protections on the transgender policy
• Were the Iran strikes justified? A combat vet's honest take
• The "Seditious Six" — treason or protected speech?
• Why public trust in the military collapsed in 2022 — and whether it can recover
• Over 8,000 troops still unaccounted for after the COVID mandate purge
• 
  

Connect with Dr. Chase Spears: 🎙️ Finding Your Spine Podcast — [search your podcast app] 🐦 Follow on X: @[ChaseSpears handle]

CommonX Podcast: 🌐 CommonXPodcast.com 📺 Subscribe for weekly episodes on politics, military, culture & America's future

"War is a human endeavor. We should never lose sight of that." — Dr. Chase Spears

#CommonXPodcast #MilitaryVet #ArmyVeteran #Iran #ArtificialIntelligence #Anthropic #CovidMandate #MilitaryTruth #FindingYourSpine

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does it take 4 months to get an 85-year-old grandmother on Medicaid when she has zero assets? In this episode of CommonX, Peter Justen, founder of Ameritrust Solutions, breaks down why government benefit systems are stuck in the past — and what his team is doing to fix it.

Peter shares how a personal experience with his mother's Medicaid application led him to build a platform that reduces a 209-question process down to about 20 questions and completes applications in 12 minutes. He explains how his company feeds better data into existing state systems without costly rip-and-replace upgrades, flags fraud before it enters the system, and helps rural hospitals recover billions in uncompensated care.

Topics covered: Medicaid application reform, government fraud detection, rural hospital funding, VA disability benefits, the uncompensated patient problem, ACA subsidy expiration, and why trust in institutions gets rebuilt one brick at a time.

Learn more: AmeritrustSolutions.com

Visit our site and X-Files Blog: https://www.commonxpodcast.com/thex-files

Watch the Video on our YouTube Channel (and subscribe)

Keywords: Medicaid reform, government automation, Ameritrust Solutions, Peter Justen, CommonX Podcast, government fraud, rural hospitals, healthcare technology, Medicaid application, government efficiency, VA disability benefits, uncompensated care, healthcare innovation, government benefits, public sector technology, application fatigue, Medicaid fraud, rural healthcare, government modernization, health and human services

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Traditional safes haven’t really evolved in decades — and Oscar Hedaya decided that was insane.

In Episode 74 of the CommonX Podcast, we sit down with Oscar Hedaya (founder of SpaceSafe) to talk about why physical security still feels stuck in the 90s, what it takes to build hardware + software the hard way, and why “visibility + accountability” is the real upgrade: tamper notifications, movement alerts, and a safer that can work connected or offline.

We also get into the realities of manufacturing (margins, development costs, PCB mistakes you only make once), what it would take to expand into bigger safe formats (yes… gun safe conversations), and Oscar’s long-term goal of selling the company and using his time to help other founders.

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 73, we’re joined by the crazy minds behind Geezer Magazine Laura LeBleu and Paul Von Zielbauer — a publication built by and for Gen X — and let’s just say… we’ve got thoughts.

The economy feels weird.

Politics feels weird.

Culture feels weird.

And apparently Gen X is now officially old enough to have a magazine.

So we ask the question:

Is everything falling apart…

Or are we just seasoned enough to see the cracks?

We talk about:

• Why institutions feel unstable

• The “middle child” generation perspective

• Scarcity mindset vs abundance thinking

• Whether Gen X is uniquely positioned to lead

• Why chaos might actually be transition

Plus — what happens when the generation raised on latchkeys, MTV, and “figure it out yourself” becomes the adults in the room.

No doom spirals. No yelling. Just perspective — with a little humor.

If you’ve ever thought, “Is it just me…?”

It’s not just you.

Check out Geezer Magazine - www.geezermagazine.com

Check out CommonX - www.commonxpodcast.com

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 72 of the Common-X Podcast, we sit down with Dame Claire Bertschinger — humanitarian nurse, global advocate, and a woman whose life has been defined by moral courage.

From war zones and famine crises to the failures of global systems, Claire shares what it means to witness suffering firsthand — and still choose compassion.

We explore:

• What real humanitarian work looks like behind the scenes
• Why bureaucracy often slows lifesaving action
• The emotional cost of caring
• Moral courage in a world increasingly driven by self-interest
• How ordinary people can still make extraordinary impact

This episode is not about politics.

It’s about humanity.

And the question:

Have we lost our sense of responsibility to each other?

🎧 Listen. Reflect. Share.

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 71 of the Common-X Podcast, Jared and Ian sit down with researcher Jenny Chan to explore the overlooked history of World War II in the Pacific.

We discuss:

• The incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans under Executive Order 9066

• The Supreme Court decision in Korematsu v. United States

• The biological warfare atrocities of Unit 731

• The Cold War immunity granted to figures like Shiro Ishii

• The Soviet Khabarovsk trials

• Why parts of WWII history are widely known — and others are barely discussed

This episode examines fear, civil liberties, wartime propaganda, and the difficult moral tradeoffs governments make during global conflict.

History is rarely simple. And sometimes what we don’t learn says as much as what we do.

🎧 Listen now.

🔥 Subscribe for more conversations that challenge the narrative.

The CommonX Podcast features long-form conversations with musicians, cultural voices, veterans, entrepreneurs, and independent thinkers who bring lived experience to the table. Hosted by Jared Mayzak and Ian Primmer, CommonX explores music, culture, work, identity, resilience, and the systems that shape everyday life—without talking points or manufactured outrage.

From iconic artists and creative pioneers to everyday people with extraordinary stories, each episode prioritizes honesty, curiosity, and meaningful dialogue. This is a Gen-X–driven show for listeners who value depth over noise and conversation over clicks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.