Shamil Ismail, author of The Age of Decay, explains how aging and shrinking populations threaten to unravel civilization’s economic, social, and political stability.

Guest Bio: Shamil Ismail is a South Africa–based investment analyst and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over 30 years of experience in consumer markets. He is the author of The Age of Decay: How Aging and Shrinking Populations Could Usher in the Decline of Civilization.

Discussed Topics:

• Global fertility decline and demographic collapse
• Why shrinking workforces threaten essential services and infrastructure
• Why AI and raising the retirement age won’t save aging economies
• The false hope of pro-natalist policies
• Why Africa may become the world's demographic and economic center
• Investment strategies for a graying world
• The dangers of ignoring demographic tipping points
• Why peak civilization may already be behind us

📺Watch the full podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ct08de3wJlc

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Five retirees share real-world stories of how they left the U.S. to retire affordably and joyfully in Portugal, Panama, and Arizona—exploring costs, healthcare, safety, and the meaning of home.

👥 Guest Bios:

• Clyde & Terry – Former firefighter/paramedic and writer duo who retired early and spent two years as global house-sitting nomads before settling in Tavira, Portugal.
• Mary Ellen – Painter and pickleball enthusiast who retired to Panama’s Pacific coast after exploring Central America.
• Rob & Jodie – Former Denverites now living in Sun City, Arizona; Jodie runs a popular fashion and lifestyle blog JTouchofStyle, while Rob assists with content creation.

🗣️ Topics Discussed:

• Cost of living and healthcare in Panama, Portugal, and Arizona
• House-sitting as a global travel lifestyle
• Visa requirements, insurance, and elder care abroad
• Building friendships, finding purpose, and new hobbies in retirement
• Cultural integration, safety, and the emotional aspects of leaving the U.S.
• Differences in infrastructure, food, and daily life
• Long-distance family dynamics and coping with being far from kids or grandkids

💬 Top Quote:
"If you have to see your grandbaby every two weeks, don’t move out of the United States—period." – Clyde

📺Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xcltBH-DJ2A

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Joey "The Joyful Rambler" shares her transformative experience hiking the Appalachian Trail at 52, offering insight for older adults considering long-distance backpacking.

Guest bio: Joey, known online as The Joyful Rambler, is a YouTuber, hiker, and vanlifer who began backpacking in her 50s. She completed a nontraditional thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and now documents her travels, hikes, and minimalist lifestyle on her YouTube channel.

Topics discussed:

• Planning and budgeting for the Appalachian Trail
• Gear selection and ultralight backpacking
• Hiking as a retiree or older adult
• Trail life, zero days, and town strategies
• Safety concerns and solo female hiking
• Physical preparation and recovery at older ages
• Comparisons between the Appalachian Trail, Colorado Trail, and other thru-hikes
• Trail culture, community, and common challenges

Top quote:
"I just encourage people to, you know, if you're dreaming about something, figure out how to make it happen."

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Investigative journalist Brody Mullins reveals how corporate lobbying has quietly become more powerful than Congress and the presidency, shaping U.S. policy from the shadows.

Guest Bio:Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where he covers lobbying, business, and campaign finance. He is the co-author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government, which chronicles the rise of corporate influence in Washington.

Discussed Topics:

• How lobbying has evolved from steak dinners to sophisticated public campaigns
• The undercounting of lobbyists and rise of “shadow lobbying”
• Insider stock trading and conflicts of interest among federal officials
• The post-Watergate shift that decentralized congressional power
• How corporations now lobby to harm competitors, not just reduce regulation
• Big Tech’s lobbying dominance and lessons learned from Microsoft’s missteps
• How lobbying distorts antitrust enforcement and policymaking
• The revolving door between Capitol Hill and K Street
• Whether we're witnessing the beginning of corporate lobbying’s decline

Top Quote:
“Corporate America actually has more influence over public policy than the president of the United States or Congress combined.” — Brody Mullins

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Tax policy expert Scott Hodge joins to discuss how America’s complex tax code impacts your daily life, punishes success, and what real reform could look like.

Guest bio: Scott Hodge is President Emeritus and Senior Policy Advisor at the Tax Foundation, where he served as president from 2000 to 2022. A leading voice on tax reform, he played a key role in shaping the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and is the author of Taxocracy: What You Don’t Know About Taxes and How They Rule Your Daily Life.

Topics discussed:

• Why the U.S. tax code grew from 27 pages to over 7,000
• The hidden layers of taxation on income, savings, and estates
• How tax exemptions fuel lobbying, inequality, and corruption
• Problems with tax credits for EVs, education, and housing
• The IRS as a welfare agency and the rise of improper payments
• How nonprofits, universities, and credit unions game the system
• The sustainability of Social Security and U.S. national debt
• Lessons from Estonia’s 88-page flat tax system
• The myth of “tax the rich” and the real income tax burden
• Why U.S. tax policy often punishes success and risk-taking

Top quote:
"The tax code has become a tool for punishing success—success taxes are the new sin taxes."

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Timothy Carney joins the podcast to discuss his new book Family Unfriendly, exploring how cultural norms, workism, and modern safetyism have made raising kids in America harder than it needs to be.

Guest bio:
Timothy P. Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist at the Washington Examiner. He is the author of several books, including Alienated America and the newly released Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be.

Topics discussed:

• Fertility decline and demographic trends in the U.S. and abroad
• Cultural barriers to parenthood, including workism and safetyism
• The limits of pro-natalist government policies
• Role of religion and subcultures in sustaining birth rates
• Helicopter parenting, loss of community, and childhood independence
• Housing, education, and economic myths around family affordability
• How cultural expectations delay family formation
• Policy ideas for building a more family-friendly society

Top quote:

“Pregnancy is contagious... It’s not primarily through sermons or rational discourse that people decide to have kids—it’s through culture, community, and what they see around them.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
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Real estate reporter Brooklee Han explains how the recent NAR settlement and commission lawsuits will reshape home buying, especially for first-time buyers, veterans, and the future of buyer’s agents.

Guest Bio:
Brooklee Han is a real estate reporter at HousingWire who covers residential real estate, mortgage trends, title insurance, and proptech. A former Olympic-level figure skater, she brings the same discipline and insight to her journalism.

Topics Discussed:

• Origins and outcomes of the NAR commission lawsuits
• Impacts of the Sitzer-Burnett jury verdict and settlements by major brokerages
• Upcoming rule changes taking effect August 2025
• The potential consequences for buyers, sellers, veterans, and low-income homebuyers
• The future of buyer representation agreements
• Industry shakeout and rise in professionalism among agents
• Brooklee’s transition from Olympic-level figure skating to real estate journalism

Top Quote:
“Veterans are a major loser in this as it currently stands… they either have to go into the transaction unrepresented or they cannot use their VA loan benefit.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Retired cosmetic dentist Jodie Filogomo shares how she found community, style, and a renewed sense of purpose in Sun City, Arizona—America's original active retirement community.

Guest info:
Jodie Filogomo is a retired cosmetic dentist and founder of the fashion and lifestyle blog Jodie’s Touch of Style. She moved from Denver to Sun City, Arizona in 2019, where she now explores aging with vibrance, creativity, and community.

Topics discussed:

• Why she and her husband chose Sun City for retirement
• Differences between Sun City and other retirement communities
• Year-round living in Arizona’s desert climate
• Cost of living, healthcare access, and community amenities
• Social life, clubs, and activities for retirees
• Blogging, fashion, and finding purpose after retirement
• Misconceptions about aging and retirement communities
• Local travel and favorite Arizona day trips

Top quotes:

• "If you're bored here, it's your own fault."
• "Retirement isn’t about sitting around—it’s about finding new purpose." 

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
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Filmmaker and author Stuart Connelly joins for a moving Mother’s Day conversation about his memoir Offered in Secret, chronicling his 1,800-mile journey to understand and honor his late mother.

Guest Bio:
Stuart Connelly is a director, screenwriter, journalist, and author. His latest book, Offered in Secret, blends memoir and investigative narrative as he retraces his relationship with his late mother through a cross-country pilgrimage to choose her final resting place. He has written and directed feature films and is known for deeply personal storytelling.

Topics Discussed:

• Connelly’s 1,800-mile road trip to bury his mother’s ashes
• Grieving a complicated parent
• Intergenerational trauma and Depression-era parenting
• Family dynamics, estrangement, and reconciliation
• The emotional contrast between practicality and tradition
• How children come to understand their parents as flawed humans
• Reflections on fatherhood and changing parenting norms
• The role of creativity, memory, and physical places in grief
• Syracuse, NY as a character in the story
• Why contemplation may be a better tribute than ceremony

Top Quotes

“I got to know my mother better after she died than when she was alive.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
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Former NFL lineman Mike Wahle joins the podcast to break down the realities of life in the league—from contracts and coaching to culture, taxes, and life after football.

Guest Bio:
Mike Wahle is a former All-Pro offensive lineman who played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, and Seattle Seahawks. He is the founder of Process to Perform, a platform dedicated to helping athletes become elite performers through mindset, technique, and preparation.

Topics Discussed:

• How the NFL draft process works from an insider’s perspective
• Agent selection, contract structure, and "guaranteed money" myths
• Taxes, signing bonuses, and living costs as a pro athlete
• The economics of player development vs. branding in today’s NFL
• Franchise culture: differences between Packers, Seahawks, and Panthers
• Decline in coaching quality and the rise of "scheme over skill"
• Endorsements, lifestyle pitfalls, and personal finance
• Life after football: identity, injury recovery, and career transitions
• Athletic freaks: Larry Allen, Trent Williams, and the genetic lottery

Top Quotes:

• “Your only real value to a team is your ability to win your 1v1 matchup.”
• “If you’re a top-level player, you want a new contract every three years to ride the salary cap wave.”
• “You don’t need a great agent to be a star. You need the right system, the right coaching, and a little bit of ‘crazy’ to survive.”

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/
📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us.
 

Thanks for listening!