Conversation ex Nihilo

Dr. Bahman Baktiari is the executive director of the Baskerville Institute an organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening the bonds of friendship between the people of Iran and the United States.  He joins Billy via Zoom to talk about the institute's origins, the assassination of Quasem Solemani and its impact on U.S. / Iran relations, the need to mutually "deSatanize" one another in the eyes of each country's populations and much more.
Learn more about Dr. Baktiari and his work here

Since 1994 Wendi was worked as a hypnotherapist. Her work has been featured in GQ, on HBO, The Man Show, Men's Health and several other outlets. She joins Billy via Zoom to talk of her humble beginnings as an unemployed single mother of two and how she became a success in the early days of the internet. She offers some insight into how to treat addiction and trauma as well as dealing with the underlying conditions of feeling unworthy. They also touch on the subject of the poor outcomes of commercial rehab centers.
Learn more about Wendi's work here

Christopher Boorman is a public speaker and host of Christopher Boorman Speaks.  He joins Billy via Zoom to talk about his views on Christianity as a marginalized group, our over reliance on technology, his experiences with bullying and his discovering confidence through public speaking. 

Tim Tortora has worked in Hollywood for over 30 years. He started as a tape operator who worked his way up into the executive world, primarily as a CFO. He has worked for Harpo Films, Mandalay Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Disney, TriStar Pictures and Columbia Pictures. Some of his movie credits include Terminator 2, Total Recall, Bugsy, The Doors and Tuesdays with Morrie among others.

Tim joins Billy via Zoom to talk about his experiences working in the industry. He makes a great case for the creativity inherent in film financing and he gives some practical business advice applicable in any field. He also shares some wisdom he learned first hand from Oprah.

Check out Tim's blog and pick up his book A Hollywood Accounting here

Jeff Roth is the author of the book Fires, Floods and Taxi Cabs part memoire and part how-to manual on navigating leadership roles (especially in government.) Jeff has served for 20 years in the U.S. National Guard, he holds a master's degree in public policy and urban planning from Harvard University in addition to the 12 years he has spent in city government. 
Jeff joins Billy via Zoom to talk about his role in the New York City mayor's office where he worked on fire and flood mitigation as well as taxi regulation. Jeff was there at the height of Uber's ascendency and speaks about the work that he did on that, as well as the Deutsche Bank fire in 2007 which killed 2 firefighters and injured 115 more. Jeff's insight into emergency management and planning as well as his pragmatic yet positive attitude toward public service makes for a thought provoking conversation. 
  

Danielle Agami is the founder of Ate9 Dance Company based in Los Angeles, CA. She started dancing at the age of 3 and has traveled the world as a professional dancer. Originally from Israel she danced for the prestigious Batsheva Dance Studio before moving to America.  She is a highly sought after choreographer and her work has been featured in many commercial projects, operas and other venues.

In addition to sharing some of her personal story, Danielle joins Billy via Zoom to talk about the blending of art and commerce, meeting the many needs of performers and audiences, defying expectations of beauty in dance, running a successful company while staying true to one's artistic vision, the virtue of laziness, how art is consumed throughout the world, and why we need to continue to support the arts.

Check out Danielle's work here  

Kim is an author and speaker who had spent 33 years in the radio broadcasting industry before being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 50 effectively ending his career. Kim decided to turn his attention to writing. He published the memoir, "Come Get Me Mother, I'm Through," in 2019 and a book about the consequences of the rescinding of the Fairness Doctrine, The Death of Fairness in 2020.

Kim joins Billy via Zoom to talk about his M.S. diagnosis, the rescinding of the fairness doctrine, the power of youth voting, radio groupies and Peter Frampton's zipper...

Learn more about Kim "Kid" Curry here

Dr. Adam Key is an author, a speaker, a scholar and an educator. He spent nearly a decade teaching in some of Texas's toughest prisons. He currently teaches at The University of Arkansas at Monticello where he continues his research on academic deviance.

Adam joins Billy via Zoom to talk about his background in education, teaching in prison, the current state of affairs in prison reform, the concept of "survive to subvert," and he offers up a few ideas on how to make some changes such as buying a prisoner a fan. You can do so right here 

Karl Smith has worked in journalism since high school. He has been on the bleeding edge of the design revolution and also at the forefront of online journalism and  user-generated content. He designed the front page in Lexington, KY the day Secretariat died, was running a newsroom the night of the Bush-Gore election, and led a newsroom in an area that strongly felt the impacts of the 9/11 attacks. He is the author of the book Anchored in Tradition: An Unofficial Collection of Fun, Facts and Figures About Life at the United States Naval Academy  
He also writes the blogs My Kid the Mid and My Kid The Cadet. Karl joins Billy via Zoom to talk about it all. 

We talk conspiracy on Conversation ex Nihilo, when Anthony Hoyes joins Billy via Zoom to talk about the flatness of the earth and other alternatives to our common societal narratives. 
Anthony is a musician, business man and flat earth enthusiast. He is passionate in his desire to have people think for themselves rather than accepting conventional wisdom and orthodoxy.