Amanda and Chris debate the true meaning of Christmas through stories about Charlie Brown, gift giving, religion, pagan traditions, and very strong opinions about gift cards. They explore why Christmas has always been less about belief and more about gathering, why remembering people matters more than buying things, and why sharing your blueberries might actually be the whole point.

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Nicholas Kristof is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and longtime New York Times columnist whose reporting has taken him from the Tiananmen Square massacre to the brothels of Cambodia and the opioid-ravaged communities of his own hometown in Oregon. In this conversation, Amanda and Nick explore how witnessing atrocities shaped his belief that individual acts of courage can stand against overwhelming darkness. They also discuss why understanding people we fear or condemn is essential for solving real problems, how hope collapses and regenerates in communities from Darfur to Yamhill, and why personal resilience often begins with the simple fact of being loved.

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In this Ask Amanda Anything episode, Amanda answers listener questions that range from deeply personal to playfully unexpected, touching on disability, identity, creativity, politics, joy, and very bad dates. She reflects on how to find agency when life feels unfair, how to stay grounded when others project stories onto you, and why humor and curiosity are often better guides than certainty.

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Liv Boeree is a former professional poker champion turned science communicator whose work explores game theory, technology, and the incentive systems shaping our world. In this wide-ranging conversation, Amanda and Liv examine how our competitive instincts can either sabotage us or help us grow, how to design lives that create more win-win dynamics, and why learning to “zoom out” may be the most powerful resilience skill we have. They also dig into why we misjudge luck, tilt, and loss, and how gamifying our choices can reveal what truly makes our tails wag.

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By the time he was sixteen, Jason Baldwin had already felt the sting of prejudice from his community in West Memphis, Arkansas. Kids at the trailer park where he lived had long been shunned by more well off residents of the town. Still, nothing could have prepared him for how vicious these prejudices would turn once the bodies of three eight year old boys were found murdered. Jason and two of his friends were convicted of the murder despite a complete lack of physical evidence. If not for the case coming to the attention of two documentary filmmakers, the West Memphis Three would likely still be in prison today.

Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Amanda and Chris return for another round of Who’s Right? Up for debate today: excuses and disrespect. Does offering an excuse ever make things better? Why do we care about motive? Do we want apologies with "no excuses," or is it helpful to understand why someone screwed up? Does being disrespectful require intent? This one gets heated! We need your input. Let us know who's right, and how you think about this thorny topic.

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Youngmi Mayer is a comedian, writer, and podcaster whose work blends dark humor with deeply personal stories about trauma, identity, and immigrant family dynamics. In this conversation, Amanda and Youngmi explore how humor can become a survival tactic passed down through generations, how telling the “inappropriate” truths can create unexpected community, and how comedy helps us confront the parts of ourselves we’re taught to suppress.

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Isabelle Boemeke is a former fashion model turned climate activist, author and the world’s first “nuclear energy influencer,” known for making one of the most complex and controversial climate solutions both accessible and inspiring.

In this conversation, Amanda asks how Isabel transformed despair about climate change into agency and why optimism about human creativity may be our most important renewable resource. They explore how individuals can actually move the needle on massive problems, why embracing imperfect solutions beats paralyzing cynicism, and how joy, creativity, and personal responsibility can turn even the scariest global challenges into solvable puzzles.

Isabelle's book, Rad Future: The Untold Story of Nuclear Electricity and How It Will Save the World

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739852/rad-future-by-isabelle-boemeke/

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Anna Vasquez was just nineteen when she and three of her friends were accused of a horrific crime that they were completely innocent of. Their case was swept up in the mass hysteria about satanic cults that had seized the country in the 80s and 90s. It would take twenty four years for Anna and her friends to be fully exonerated, including over a decade in prison. But Anna's story didn't end with her release from prison or even with her exoneration. After prison, Anna found love.

Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Amanda and Chris return for another round of Who’s Right? This time debating the meaning and future of Thanksgiving. Together they ask how the holiday’s mythology became so cringe, and why rethinking its stories, rituals, and food traditions might help us build a culture of gratitude that actually feels authentic. Along the way, they explore how gratitude works in real life, not just in holiday lore, and why reframing our struggles as opportunities can transform even the most frustrating moments.

Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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