Loneliness and You

Axel is joined by bioethicists Evie Kendal and Tiia Sudenkaarne. Evie, Tiia, and Axel discuss incels, misogyny, and why nobody is “owed” sexual relations.

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Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod

Axel is joined by Dave Raymond, speaker, author, brand consultant, and the original performer of the world-famous Phillie Phanatic! Dave and Axel discuss the importance of taking charge of your own happiness, using the power of silliness and joy for community good, and the unexpected blessing that the Phanatic offered during some of the darkest moments in Dave’s life. To learn more about Dave and his work, visit https://daveraymondspeaks.com/

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod

Axel is joined by Rosemarie Merino, child survivor of World War II. Rosemarie was five years old when she witnessed her Jewish grandmother’s forcible removal from her family’s safe house by the Nazis. Axel and Rosemarie discuss living with family trauma, antisemitism, and the different ways we reckon with Nazi Germany’s disturbing and violent past. To learn more about the Stolpersteine (Stumbling Stones) of Berlin, visit https://www.stolpersteine-berlin.de/en

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Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod

Axel is joined by Prasanta Verma, author of Beyond Ethnic Loneliness. Axel and Prasanta discuss loneliness as it relates to ethnic identity, how immigrants and ethnic minorities are frequently misunderstood, and how to mitigate loneliness among these groups. For more information about Beyond Ethnic Loneliness and Prasanta’s work, visit https://prasantaverma.com/

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Email: [email protected]

Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod

Axel is joined by Ultrarunner John Kelly, who has completed both the Barkley Marathons and the Pennine Way, two of the world’s most challenging races, multiple times. Axel and John discuss loneliness as it relates to endurance athletics in extreme environments, how we experience reality while pushing the body to its limits, and the value of spending time in isolation. To read more about John’s racing, follow his blog at https://randomforestrunner.com/

Get in touch!

Email: [email protected]

Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod

Axel is joined by mortician Victor M. Sweeney, who you may recognize as the death and mortuary expert from WIRED’s Tech Support and Technique Critique YouTube videos. Axel and Victor discuss loneliness as it relates to death, remembrance, and Victor’s mortuary work in a small community. In addition to his regular work as a funeral director, Victor is currently developing a podcast called "Death And"

NOTE: This conversation includes a discussion of death by suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 in the U.S. or visit iasp.info to find a help line in your home country.

Get in touch!

Email: [email protected]

Instagram/TikTok: @loneliness.pod

This is the final episode of the first series of the podcast. I have a look at the conversations of the past year, try to identify some guiding threads, and create some connections. I also ramble on a fair bit about various philosophical questions. Please stay tuned - we'll be back in the autumn with the second series, in which we'll focus on the lived experience of loneliness.

My guest in this episode is Melba Jensen. Melba is a guide at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. She previously taught 19th Century American Literature at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

My guest in this episode is Richard Deming. Richard is the Director of Creative Writing at Yale University. He is a writer, critic, and scholar whose work explores the intersections of philosophy, literature, and visual culture. His recent book, This Exquisite Loneliness: What Loners, Outcasts, and the Misunderstood Can Teach Us About Creativity, is published with Viking.

My guest in this episode is Tamara Kayali Browne. Tamara is  Senior Lecturer in Health Ethics and Professionalism at Deakin University, Australia. She works in bioethics and the philosophy of medicine with a focus on reproductive technology (particularly ethical issues related to non-medical sex selection) and neuroethics (particularly ethical and philosophical issues related to diagnoses of mental illness). Her book, Depression and the Self: Meaning, Control, and Authenticity, is published with Cambridge University Press.