Cara Jewell worked as a House Parent for girls group homes in Alabama. In this episode of ConverSapiens, she joins us to talk about the foster system and her experience in it. The foster system is in constant need of new foster parents and volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, you can find more information at adoptuskids.org. You can also contact local group homes to volunteer and learn how you can help. 

If you enjoy the show, visit our website at conversapienspodcast.com. You can support the show by becoming a patron through our Patreon page and by liking ConverSapiens on Facebook and other social media platforms. 

Dungeons & Dragons is a cultural phenomenon that has grown like wildfire since its inception in the 70s. The world's definitive table-top role playing game has influenced the video game industry in countless ways and continues to grow, despite its association with the 1980s. This week Turner from the Gimme Da Loot podcast joins ConverSapiens to enlighten us on the history of DnD and give us an in depth look at a game that has massively impacted our culture. 

Check out Turner's podcast here!

Ben Kitchings is the host of The History Voyager, a 2020 podcast that is aimed (in the current season) at documenting the historic context and background of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. On his show, Ben explores the true stories of the Spanish Flu to compare and contrast it with the current COVID19 pandemic. He interviews different experts in Spanish Flu era history as well as modern people to learn how the coronavirus has impacted their lives. In this episode of ConverSapiens, we jump down a few historic rabbit holes that include discussion of the Spanish Flu and COVID pandemics, the collapse of the Roman Empire, the rise of cryptocurrency and what it all could mean for the future of the United States. 

Check out The History Voyager on apple podcasts or anywhere else podcasts are played!

Jordan Crestwood is the author of the apocalyptic tale Within the Flame: After the Fall, a new fiction series that explores the dark depths of the human psyche when confronted with the collapse of society and the nature of true heroism in the face of utter chaos. Crestwood (pen name of Josh Geckles) has been a lifelong writer who only recently entered the public sphere with the publication of After the Fall, Book 1. In this episode of ConverSapiens, he discusses his process as a writer and some of the influences on his life that led to the creation of the Within the Flame series. 

Check out Within the Flame: After the Fall Book 1 on Kindle/ Amazon today!

Where you can find Jordan:

Krista Thom is a woman who has not sat down in nearly 3 years! Due to a sitting disability caused by sciatica, shew must either stand or lie down at all times. Sitting causes her a whole host of issues including extremely painful cramping and eventual sleep deprivation as a result of nights full of pain. Even sitting for a short period of time causes these symptoms for her. In this episode of ConverSapiens, she shares with us about her life full of lots of walking, tons of standing, and some lying down, but no sitting. 

Michael Tucker is a martial artist who owns A.C.T. Defense, a dojo in Birmingham, where he teaches Bujinkan budo taijutsu. He has been practicing taijutsu since 1992 and holds a 13th degree black belt in the art. Michael also teaches Defensive Pistol courses, Women's Protective Measures, and Personal Protective Measures open to the general public. In today's episode we discuss the many philosophical implications of budo- traditional Japanese martial arts like that one we practice.  

Anna Coburn is the creator of a new 6-part serial podcast called Wildish that chronicles the wild horse population problem in the Western United States. The show is done in partnership with High Country News and Alan Wartes Media. In our conversations, we talk about the Bureau of Land Management and its strategy for managing wild horse populations after the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 protected the animals to virtually the same degree as wild bald eagles. Anna interviewed many people on all different sides of the wild horse issue, including BLM employees and volunteers, wild horse activists, authors, ranchers and more to illustrate the complexity and controversy surrounding an issue that people living outside of the West may be completely unaware of.  Here's a description of Wildish taken from its website on High Country News magazine:

From High Country News in collaboration with Alan Wartes Media, Wildish is a six-part podcast series that chronicles the complicated world of wild horse management in the Western United States. Wildish is meant to confound you. It does not offer a simple solution to one of the region’s most intractable natural resource conundrums. It is a serial on humans. You’ll hear from the activists who ache for freedom — for the wild horse to be wild — and from those who flinch at the mythology attached to the species. You’ll also get to know some of the well-meaning people inside the Bureau of Land Management, the agency stuck in the middle, faced with balancing the horse as a relic of the Wild West with its undeniable impacts on the modern Western landscape.

Be sure to listen to Wildish wherever you listen to ConverSapiens to support Anna and her amazing show! Tell a friend about ConverSapiens and if you enjoy the show and want more, visit our website conversapienspodcast.com . You can read articles about the episodes and find links to all platforms where ConverSapiens exists. 

Soul Sisters Paranormal is an all female team of paranormal investigators that visit haunted sites with a goal of gathering evidence of paranormal activity and telling then stories of places thought to be haunted by spirits. Kristy Sumner is a leading member of the team who joined ConverSapiens this week to discuss their work and talk about some of her experiences with ghosts! 

Taken from soulsistersparanormal.com:

"In 2014, investigators Kristy, Michelle, Jenny, and Cara decided to officially form the Soul Sisters Paranormal team. Investigator Kim, joined the team in 2017, and guest investigators have also been invited on some of our adventures. While we are based mostly in central Florida, we have traveled (and are willing to travel) across the country in order to investigate interesting locations. Each member of the team has always had a fascination with the paranormal, and small impromptu investigations occurred before the formal organization of the team. Individually, each member of the team is an accomplished professional in her respective field, and each holds an advanced PhD or JD. Paranormal investigations and education are just parts of the services that we provide, and each member of the team takes their role as an investigator seriously."

To hear more conversations with interesting Homo sapiens, check out our website at conversapienspodcast.com and be sure to subscribe for new episodes every Monday! You can also support the show through our patreon (linked to our homepage) and by sharing your favorite episode with a friend or on your social media. 

Kaci Parvin and Mandy Barnett are two women who live with mental illnesses. In this episode of ConverSapiens, they describe their diagnoses and offer insights into how depression, anxiety, ptsd, and borderline personality disorder have impacted their lives. We discuss stereotypes and stigmas about mental illness and treatment options they have explored in their mental health journeys. 

This episode heavily features discussion about intrusive thoughts, self-harm, and suicide. Those may be sensitive subjects for some listeners. If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call 1-800-273-8255 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/