Lean Out with Tara Henley

This summer on her podcast, Bari Weiss described my guest today as one of the best writers in America. I think she’s right.

During the month of December, here at Lean Out, I’m speaking with independent journalists that I admire. And I’m particularly pleased to bring you today’s conversation, with a Substack writer who’s had a big impact on my thinking.

Freddie deBoer is an independent journalist in Brooklyn, New York. He’s the author of The Cult of Smart: How Our Broken Education System Perpetuates Social Injustice, and he writes an eponymous newsletter at Substack.

Freddie deBoer is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers. (This was recorded on December 6, before the latest revelations on the Twitter Files from Bari Weiss.)

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

On the Lean Out podcast this year, we’ve talked a lot about the failings of the mainstream media, and the reasons why the press has lost the public’s trust.

But for the month of December, we’ll be focusing on one of the bright spots of the media landscape — and that is the independent press. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be speaking with some of the journalists that I most admire, who are doing fantastic work, at Substack and elsewhere.

We kick off this series today with Leighton Woodhouse. He’s an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker in Oakland, California. His Substack is called Social Studies. (This episode was recorded last week, before the Twitter Files revelations.)

Leighton Woodhouse is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

On the Lean Out podcast, we spend a lot of time delving into the big problems of our age. But one thing we haven’t paid enough attention to is the forces that distract us all from solving these problems.

What are the bread and circuses of our time?

My guest on the podcast today argues that we are in thrall to shopping — and that this shapes our culture in profound ways.

Paul Berton is an award-winning Canadian journalist and the editor-in-chief of The Hamilton Spectator. His new book is Shopomania: Our Obsession With Possession.

Paul Berton is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

On the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been talking about the state of the modern male.

And today, my guest on the podcast is going to walk us through his landmark study on an invisible crisis afflicting prime working-aged men in America — and that is the collapse of work.

Nicholas Eberstadt holds the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. His latest book is Men Without Work. It’s recently out in a post-pandemic edition.

Nicholas Eberstadt is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

There’s a group of people in our society who are in deep trouble. They lag behind in education and employment — and disproportionately die of suicides and overdoses.

Who am I talking about? I’m talking about boys and men.

My guest on the podcast today says that while this issue has long been taboo, it’s time for a conversation about it, as its impacts are felt all around us.

Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he directs the Boys and Men Project. His new book is called Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It.

Richard V. Reeves is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

“I hate it when I find myself agreeing with people with whom I usually disagree.”

These are the opening lines of a book written by my guest on the podcast today. She’s a progressive professor, but she now finds herself breaking ranks with the left over which works of literature are acceptable to be read and discussed in America’s classrooms.

Deborah Appleman is the Hollis L. Caswell Professor of Educational Studies at Carleton College, and an instructor at the Minnesota Correctional Facility - Stillwater.

Her latest book is Literature and the New Culture Wars: Triggers, Cancel Culture, and the Teacher’s Dilemma.

Deborah Appleman is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

On the Lean Out podcast, we’ve been diving into pandemic school closures — and trying to get to the bottom of why there was so little debate over this.

My guest on the podcast today has some insights to share. She’s a mother of four and an open schools advocate, and she’s been outspoken on the issue from the very start.

Jennifer Sey is an American author, former gymnast, filmmaker, and business executive. Her new book is called Levi’s Unbuttoned — The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice.

Jennifer Sey is my guest, today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

When schools were closed at the beginning of the pandemic, we did not have a robust public debate.

The issue, unfortunately, was politicized — and it has only been recently, with the data now emerging, that a mainstream conversation has been possible.

Back in 2020, my guest on the podcast today warned what school closures could mean for children, and particularly for the most vulnerable kids.

Anya Kamenetz is a former education reporter for NPR. Her new book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. 

Anya Kamenetz is my guest, today on Lean Out.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

The Lean Out podcast has just celebrated its 50th episode. So, today, for episode 51, we have a special Canada-themed show for you.

We’re going to be hearing from a much-respected Canadian broadcaster who’s written a riveting biography about a much-discussed Canadian politician, former Prime Minister John Turner, Canada’s version of JFK.

As we take a trip back in time — hearing about John Turner’s role in the invocation of the War Measures Act, and his liaisons with Princess Margaret and Marilyn Monroe — my guest on the podcast today will reflect on how things have changed between Turner’s time and our own, in both media and in politics.

We’ll hear why we need a civil culture of debate in this country, now more than ever — and where Canadian politics goes from here, with the faceoff between Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau.

Steve Paikin is a Canadian journalist and the host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin. He’s also the author of John Turner: An Intimate Biography of Canada’s 17th Prime Minister. That book is out later this month.

Steve Paikin is my guest — today on Lean Out. Transcript to come tomorrow for paid subscribers.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com

It’s hard to believe that it has been five years since #MeToo.

The culture has moved on many times since then. But it’s worth returning to the movement, to take stock of what it did, and did not, accomplish — and how it’s influenced the moment we now find ourselves in.

My guest on the podcast today does just this in a new piece for The Spectator, “So much for #MeToo.”

Phoebe Maltz Bovy is a Toronto writer, editor, and contributing columnist at The Globe and Mail. She’s also co-host of the Feminine Chaos podcast (which I have appeared on), and the author of The Perils of “Privilege”: Why Injustice Can’t Be Solved by Accusing Others of Advantage.

Phoebe Maltz Bovy is my guest — today on Lean Out. Transcript to come for paid subscribers tomorrow.

Lean Out with Tara Henley is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tarahenley.substack.com