Guest // Matt HernHost // Carla AthertonCarla Atherton interviews Matt Hern, lecturer, writer, historian, about lifelong learning, self-directed learning, deschooling, and compulsory education – tune in for an inspiring discussion about how we can better unleash our children’s minds and inspire them in their learning.Matt Hern lives and works in East Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories, with his partner and daughters. He has founded and directed the Purple Thistle Centre, Car-Free Vancouver Day and Groundswell: Grassroots Economic Alternatives among many other community projects. His books and articles have been published on all six continents and translated into ten languages. He currently teaches in CBU’s MBA program is an Adjunct Professor in UBC’s SCARP program. He has taught at many other universities, and continues to lecture globally. To learn more about Matt, visit his website.

Compulsory Education: Is This the Only Option for Our Youth? - 07.08.15

Fearless Parent Radio delivers fresh social media perspective on parenting and wellness.

Kids & Family

There’s a new feature documentary in town called The Pathological Optimist. It’s about Dr. Andrew Wakefield.
You know, the British gastroenterologist who’s credited/blamed with linking vaccines and autism to millions of parents and thereby single-handedly birthing the modern anti-vaccine movement.
Yes, that Andrew Wakefield.
Andy inspires… hyperbole. Mention his name and it’s likely to provoke a fight. In a 2015 New York Times article: he was alternately described as “one of the most reviled doctors of his generation” and “Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ rolled into one.” 
I mean, Mengele or Mandela… seriously?
There’s gotta be more than meets the eye here, right?
We live in Tabloid Nation, after all, where paparazzi roam free and no one is immune. Why hasn’t someone been curious enough to take a closer look?
Who is Andrew Wakefield really? And he’s a family man? How could any family survive this kind of circus? What do his wife and kids make of all this?   
Miranda Bailey is a mom and a smart cookie. She’s a Hollywood actress who’s drawn to great, revelatory stories. Stories that teach us a little bit more about who we are. She also happens to be a very good filmmaker.
Miranda wanted to know. She contacted me when she started doing research on the MMR vaccine scandal and we became friends.
“Louise, can you introduce me to Andrew?”
This was almost 10 years ago. Miranda has been making her “Wakefield doc” for a while now. I don’t want to think about the number of times she rued the day she met me (and Andy). 
Like most good things, this movie took time. Miranda spent weeks following Andy all over the country and in Austin, TX with the Wakefield family. The storyline evolved real time multiple times as she filmed and filmed. And edited and edited. It was almost done when Tribeca happened. It’s a testament to her stubbornness. 
I saw an early version last year and the final version in April, so I can tell you what you need to know. 
No matter how you feel about vaccines or autism or Andrew Wakefield, this film is for you. It’s a character portrait so intimate that you can’t look away.
It raises all sorts of questions that you get to ask and answer in the privacy of your own mind because attending this movie is not a statement of anything. Except the virtues of curiosity. And an appreciation for the genre of documentary filmmaking.
The Pathological Optimist is not a pro-vaccine take-down or an anti-vaccine anthem.
It stands squarely in that narrow sliver of real estate that dares to present an exceptionally controversial person without taking a position. It asks the question — who is this man? — and respects you enough to leave you alone to wrestle with it. 
ps. Buy tickets now. It’s going to sell out and you’re going to want to watch.
#pathologicaloptimist #liarhealer #monstersavior #TPO #dontmissit 

Miranda Bailey is a passionate producer, actor, and director known for bringing a diversity of strong, well-crafted stories to the screen. Miranda has delivered 20 films over 15 years, including the Oscar-nominated THE SQUID AND THE WHALE; the Spirit Award-winning THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL; James Gunn’s SUPER; the Sundance hit SWISS ARMY MAN; and the critically acclaimed NORMAN. She has directed two documentaries: GREENLIT, which premiered at SXSW and is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Hulu; and now THE PATHOLOGICAL OPTIMIST opens September 29 at the Angelika Film Center in NYC and can be seen on VOD November 14. Read more about Miranda here.

Andrew Wakefield MB.BS. is a co-founder of the Autism Media Channel and director of the film VAXXED. An academic gastroenterologist, Andy received his medical degree from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, London in 1981. He qualified as Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1985 and trained as a gastrointestinal surgeon with a particular interest in inflammatory bowel disease. He was awarded a Wellcome Trust Traveling Fellowship to study small-intestinal transplantation i

Fearless Parent -   Miranda Bailey and Andrew Wakefield, The Pathological Optimist  - 09.27.17

#105 — What is Transhumanism? ** August 23, 2017Guest // Zoltan Istvan ** Host // Pratik Chougule, JD 
Look around and you’ll see humanity not just engaged with technology but integrated in ways that are unexpected, sophisticated, fascinating, and for many of us, fundamentally alarming. There’s a nostalgia for the simplicity of the pre-internet past… for the time that my teenage kids call “ye olden days.”
It’s pretty clear, however, that we aren’t stuffing tech back into the box anytime soon. And humanity is beset with all sorts of problems. Development of these technologies is accelerating and impacting human intelligence and physiology in ways that might transform what it means to be… human. 
How do we wrap our heads around these ideas? How can we explore, plan, and lead responsibly? Join co-host Pratik Chougule and guest Zoltan Istvan as they discuss:
What is the transhumanism movement (often abbreviated as H+)?
Is transhumanism just an extension of human progress or something more radical?
Why pursue a transhumanist future through the political system? 
Zoltan Istvan is a Libertarian candidate for California Governor in 2018. He is often considered one the world’s leading transhumanists after his popular run in the 2016 US Presidential race as a science and technology candidate. Zoltan began his futurist career by publishing The Transhumanist Wager, an award-winning, #1 bestseller in Philosophy that has been compared to Ayn Rand’s work. Zoltan is also a leading technology journalist, a successful entrepreneur, and a former filmmaker and on-camera reporter for the National Geographic Channel. His futurist work and promotion of radical science has reached over 100 million people. He is a graduate of Columbia University, and lives in San Francisco with his physician wife and two young daughters. Learn more at ZoltanIstvan.com.
Pratik Chougule, JD is an executive editor at The American Conservativemagazine. He served as the policy coordinator on the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Huckabee. From 2008-2009, Chougule was a Bush administration appointee at the State Department in the Office of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Chougule graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and holds a JD from Yale Law School.

Fearless Parent - 08.23.17

Free speech is the right to articulate one’s opinion without fear of retaliation or censorship or societal sanction. The First Amendment of the US Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law… abridging freedom of speech.”
Universities have traditionally been a place where burgeoning, radical, heated ideas are first expressed and take hold. Student activism has given rise to important political, economic, and social change. Think civil rights and the Vietnam era protests, for example.
It’s not news for self-righteous students to express such vehement certainty that they are not interested in hearing other perspectives. But how do we feel when college administrators cave to their demands to shut down dialogue and the open exchange of ideas… you know, free speech? It’s a trend that has USA Today and others asking, What happened to American universities? 
There’s a provocative new documentary that’s probing a profoundly unsettling question: Is the University Killing Free Speech and Open Debate? Flmmaker Rob Montz wants to understand how and why his alma mater, Brown University, and other prestigious universities have been run down by this kind of “nasty censoring species of student activism.” Why can’t we just have a conversation? What does this say about our country today and where we’re headed? 
Rob Montz is a fellow at the Moving Picture Institute and a director at We the Internet TV. His work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC World News, the Economist, USA Today, and the Washington Post.  He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, daughter, and genius corgi, Bronson. Find more of his work at RobMontz.com.
 
Pratik Chougule, JD is an executive editor at The American Conservative magazine. He served as the policy coordinator on the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Huckabee. From 2008-2009, Chougule was a Bush administration appointee at the State Department in the Office of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Chougule graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and holds a JD from Yale Law School.

Fearless Parent - Free Speech Controversy at US Elite Universities - 04.12.17

The Politics of a Vaccine Safety Commission ** February 21, 2017Guest // Pratik Chougule, JD ** Hosts // Robert J. Krakow, Esq and Louise Kuo Habakus
Is it a good idea to convene a presidential vaccine safety commission? We just finished reading a cogent, probing, and well-researched article: “Why the Kennedy-DeNiro Vaccine Challenge Matters” whose author says, “Yes.”
Pratik Chougule, JD, executive editor of The American Conservative, eschews the usual trashing of advocates who challenge the government’s vaccine safety program. Curious about this compelling voice emerging from the fray of naysayers, we were eager to hear more from Pratik. Some the questions we’ll address include:
What are the historical origins of the American vaccine safety movement?
Why are vaccine safety advocates dismissed in the mainstream press?
How did Trump become interested in the vaccine/autism issue?
What factors will influence Trump’s decision to tackle the vaccine issue?
What political impact will a vaccine safety commission make?
Pratik Chougule, JD is an executive editor at The American Conservative magazine. He served as the policy coordinator on the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Huckabee. From 2008-2009, Chougule was a Bush administration appointee at the State Department in the Office of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Chougule graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University and holds a JD from Yale Law School. His relevant writings include: My political journey; My piece on the decline of small-government conservatism in the Republican Party, which, I think, will influence the vaccine debate; and An op-ed on the alt-right, which may be an ally in the vaccine safety movement.
Robert J. Krakow, Esq is an attorney in private practice in New York City focusing on the trial of civil and criminal cases, and specializes in the representation of persons injured by exposure to environmental toxins and vaccines. Bob started his legal career with NYPIRG. He was a prosecutor with the New York County District Attorney’s office and served as Bureau Chief of the special narcotics prosecution division. Bob is committed to working for individuals with disabilities. He is on the board of Focus for Health Foundation and Lifespire, Inc. where he was Board Chair for 7 years. He founded and/or serves/served on the boards of prominent autism and vaccine safety advocacy organizations including EBCALA, Center for Personal Rights, A-CHAMP, National Autism Association, and SafeMinds. He lives in NYC with his wife and their two children.
Louise Kuo Habakus is the founding director of Fearless Parent™ and lead host and producer of Fearless Parent Radio™. She is a bestelling author; runs two non-profits, Center for Personal Rights and Health Freedom Action; lectures widely; and has appeared in numerous media outlets, including ABC World News Tonight, Fox & Friends, and The New York Times. Louise was a Bain consultant and a C-level executive in the financial services industry. She holds two degrees from Stanford University. Louise is on the board of Focus for Health Foundation, and the advisory boards of GreenMedInfo, The Documenting Hope Project, and SHE Living TV. She is a certified KRI Kundalini Yoga teacher and the mother of two.

Fearless Parent - The Politics of a Vaccine Safety Commission - 02.22.17

Healing Your Love Relationship with Stacey Martino – Episode 102
Healing Your Love Relationship with Stacey Martino – Episode 102
February 8th, 2017
Guest // Stacey Martino, Relationship Expert
Host // Lea @ Maverick Kitchen
As a Fearless Parent, you’ve turned over every rock to achieve maximum physical health for you and your family. But when is the last time you’ve “taken the temperature” of your relationship?
There is growing evidence that relationship stress can directly impact your health [source]. As someone recovering from a number of immune illnesses as well as recently separating, I know first-hand the toll relationship stress can take on your overall well-being.
And it all changed when I met this episode’s special guest and took big steps to heal my relationship along with my body.
Join me for my first episode of the Heart Beat segment of Fearless Parent Radio, where she will explore love from all angles. This episode welcomes Stacey Martino, a Tony Robbins-certified relationship expert who has helped thousands of couples and singles built everlasting love with their partners and themselves. I am one of those people and now a devoted member of Stacey’s tribe of “lovies”.
In this inaugural episode, we’ll be exploring thoughts around:
How one person truly can transform their relationship WITHOUT their partner’s involvement
How Stacey went from being the “ice princess” to her mission to enable lasting love for others
How taking responsibility for your contribution to the relationship’s state is key to thriving
How to trigger the best in your partner by being your best authentic self
One simple, 10-minute strategy you can use starting today that will transform your relationship
Stacey Martino is a sought-after relationship expert who knows that Better Relationships equal a Better LifeTM! Stepping out of the old relationship paradigm of couple’s coaching, our guest and her amazing husband empower individuals with the tools & strategies to transform, not only, their love relationship but ANY relationship…and the craziest part? You don’t need your partner to participate for this to work for you!

Compulsory Education: Is This the Only Option for Our Youth? - 07.08.15

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