Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

How do you let go of control when survival once depended on it? In this candid and searching conversation, world-renowned mountaineer Melissa Arnot talks with Amanda about the tension between self-reliance and vulnerability, what Everest taught her about fear and identity, and why the real challenge begins after the climb. Together they explore the limits of resilience, the myth of mastery, and how to make peace with the parts of yourself you can't outwork.

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

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating.

Twenty years ago, Roz Savage was a management consultant living in London with her husband. From the outside, it looked like a good life, but Roz was miserable. Until she blew up that life and found a new one on the other side of the ocean. She'd just have to row for three and half months to get there. 

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

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda reflects on what it really means to be an adult, how to foster trust without control, and why setting boundaries that keep kids safe doesn't mean clipping their wings. She also shares her “thrift store mindset” for navigating life that explains why letting go of rigid expectations makes room for surprise, gratitude, and a mushroom-shaped lamp you didn’t know you needed.

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

X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are Iranian women leading the fight for freedom—and how have they sustained that fight for over four decades? In this powerful conversation, Zahra Amanpour shares how her life was shaped by the Iranian resistance after her father was executed by the regime, and why she believes women must be at the forefront of revolution. Amanda and Zahra explore how faith can be both weaponized and reclaimed, why choice—not conformity—is the heart of feminism, and how global solidarity can be a tool for real political change.

NCRI Women's Committee : @womenncri : https://wncri.org/

Zahra's LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahraamanpour/

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

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠

⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Ask Amanda Anything, Amanda discusses Rudy Guede's new trial and why she no longer needs to confront her friend’s killer to find peace. She also shares how learning Italian in prison—from a Harry Potter book and a borrowed dictionary—became an unlikely act of agency and self-preservation. Along the way, Amanda explains why police deception undermines justice, how storytelling can turn pain into meaning, and why accepting the apology you’ll never receive is a way to stop living in deficit.

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

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠

⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sex advice legend Dan Savage joins Amanda for a conversation about desire, trauma, and why our culture still freaks out over butt stuff. They dig into why shame is boring, why marriage isn’t sacred, and how telling the truth about your sex life might just be the most liberating thing you can do.

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

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠

⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating.

In 1977, Roman Polanski raped 13-year old Samantha Geimer. But strangely, the rape itself wasn't as bad as what followed. Amanda and Chris join Samantha to sift through the trauma of thirty years of exploitation by the justice system and the media.

Reach out to us at ⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠

⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of Ask Amanda Anything, Amanda opens up about everything from the gendered double standards in her wrongful conviction to that time a comedian blindsided her with a lazy murder joke—while she was in the audience. She shares how trauma shaped her instinct to live in crisis mode, how meditation and stand-up helped her reset, and why she’s finally learning to trust the calm without waiting for the chaos.

Please send us your questions and comments.

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

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠

⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marcia Clark is a former prosecutor best known for leading the O.J. Simpson trial. Today, she’s a bestselling crime novelist and legal commentator with sharp insights into justice, media, and what it means to be a woman in the public eye.

In this episode of Hard Knox, Marcia shares what she’s learned about the human tendency to reduce people to heroes or villains. She breaks down why complexity matters, how to stay grounded in the face of public scrutiny, and what it takes to pursue truth in a system built on sides. It’s a masterclass in ethical resilience and clarity in an age of clickbait and outrage.

Subscribe at amandaknox.substack.com for ad-free episodes, bonus Ask Amanda Anything episodes, subscriber only essays, and live video hangouts.

X: @amandaknox

IG: @amamaknox

Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠

Free: My Search for Meaning

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of telling stories—my own and others—I realized I wanted to spend more time on the ideas underneath the narrative arcs. So I’m launching Hard Knox, a space to think out loud about what hardship teaches us, what justice demands of us, and how we live with what we can’t undo. You don't have to be stuck in a prison cell to feel trapped in your own life, but we can all turn adversity into insight. With a focus on resilience, post-traumatic growth, and time-tested philosophies, my guests and I will be exploring the ideas that help us navigate the hardest parts of being human, so we can emerge from our traumas stronger, happier, and better equipped to live a fulfilling life. Each week, subscribers also have a chance to Ask Amanda Anything. I’m here to answer your questions, about me, about you, about how to lead a more fulfilling life. And nothing is off the table! To submit your questions and comments, subscribe at amandaknox.substack.com, where you’ll also gain access to ad-free and bonus episodes, subscriber-only essays, and more.

https://amandaknox.substack.com/p/introducing-hard-knox?utm_source=youtube

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices