On the heels of the recent psychedelics conference in Denver organized by the MAPS organization – the largest such conference ever held – Matt shares how he thinks psychedelics should actually be treated as they gain wider acceptance as a therapeutic treatment. Maybe it doesn't have to be all microdosing, mental health, and big business. Maybe there should also be  room for a little bit of “wild.”

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A recent story about how a Colombian girl managed to help keep her younger siblings alive while lost in the jungle for months because of “ancestral knowledge” begs the question of how most American kids – or adults, for that matter – might fare under similar circumstances. Matt ponders the ways in which  our increasing isolation from each other, driven by technology that further encloses our personal bubbles, may be closing us off to truths we’d have available to us if we’d only remember how to look.

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Viva compartmentalization! Matt makes the argument that you can blame the messenger while still enjoying the message. Or in other words, maybe you can watch ‘Annie Hall’ or dance to “Ignition (Remix)” without condoning anything that the people who made them may have done in their personal lives.

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With the series finale of 'Succession' recently aired, Matt is breaking format to share some of thoughts on the show, in conversation with producer J. McVay. Together they review the under-appreciated players of the show, the depiction of the rich and supposedly business-savvy, references to classic cinema, and plenty more.

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Despite what the prevailing so-called captains of industry, it’s perfectly fine if your job isn’t your passion. We all have to pay rent and bills, so sometimes it’s just about punching a clock and getting through the day. And as Matt discusses, we also don’t need to build up our day jobs into inspirational journeys that save the world – they’re just jobs, and that’s fine.

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One odd thing about having parents who passed away at a relatively young age is how much you become a downer for the rest of your life when other people bring up parents as a topic. Matt shares his experience as someone who often has to defuse the guilt others seem to have about still having their parents when they’re around him, as well as what it’s like for him on Mother’s Day.

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Fox News recently settled their lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for nearly $800 million, then fired Tucker Carlson. But let’s face it: Fox is unlikely to change its ways and will probably just install another Tucker-like cog in their machine. And will that new cog actually be that different? Why would you take a nuanced, middle-of-the-road stance when you see all your edgy, hot-taking peers gaming the algorithm with a bunch of bullsh*t? 

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“Time on screen” has become the metric that tech companies use to measure success. But “time on screen” seems to really be doing something to our brains – and our society for that matter. Matt suggests there’s a different metric of success for your soul: How long has it been since you last looked at a screen?

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Matt evangelizes on behalf of the power of ferries, sculpture gardens, shoulder season, and why agendas are for suckers as he offers up 10 travel secrets he’s learned from years of backpacking around the world, all while avoiding the most well-worn roads.

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Wabi Sabi is a philosophy that encourages the acceptance of imperfection and impermanence. As Matt points out, imperfections and impermanence are very often the qualities that make something interesting. And conversely, it’s often our attempts to strive for complete, implacable perfection that causes the things we make and care about to come off as inauthentic.

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