Love Your Brain with The Brain Trust

In this episode Eric and Shannon explore death, grief, and the deeper meaning of being human. Shannon shares how processing childhood medical trauma led her to confront death, and how a psilocybin experience gave her a sense of "home" that reshaped her view of what happens when we pass.

They discuss near death experiences, the role of the ego in fearing death, and the cultural discomfort around it. The conversation touches on the beauty of death, the power of witnessing it, and how fear of the inevitable can pull us away from truly living.

On tonight's episode, Eric and Jeremy discuss the absurdities of life, breaking down complicated social connections while uncovering the futility of living. Eric does a PA on bad drivers, while Jeremy advocates an anarchistic approach to a political solution. Dogs are talking, birds are dying, people are throwing spheres through hoops—over & over again—while others cheer them on.

Ignorance can be bliss, but the alternative is absurd.

In the first episode of Season 2, Eric and Dave welcome two new voices into the fold. Those two voices are of two previous Love Your Brain guests, Shannon and Jeremy. Welcome to the new and improved Love Your Brain with The Brain trust!

This episode is built around a simple but powerful premise. Each member of the Brain Trust brought thoughtful questions for the others to answer, all with the intention of helping our audience get to know who we are and what truly shapes us. The goal of the questions is to foster a deeper understanding of not just our two new co-hosts, but the entire Brain Trust as a whole.

In this episode, we dive into topics like faith versus imagination, aging, legacy, psychedelic experiences, fear of death, anger, and passion.

This conversation marks the beginning of a new chapter for Love Your Brain, one that is more communal, more curious, and opens our circle up to ever widening perspectives and possibilities.

Welcome to The Brain Trust!

Final episode of Season One and our first visual episode. Catch us on Youtube!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSDvcB3sCUyxxYQ8bUkyceg

During this Phish Comes To Town Reprise, we dive into the unique world of Phish fandom. Our guest is Chris Badoian, a longtime friend of Dave's brother Dan and a devoted Phish fan himself. Chris talks about his journey from punk rock and skate culture into touring with Phish, along with the psychedelic experiences that often accompany that scene.

He and Dave discuss Phish's early influences like Zappa and Santana, and compare their culture to that of the Grateful Dead. They share memorable and infamous stories, like the night Fishman disrobed, and dive into what it truly means to "follow" a band and why people do it to feel alive.

Chris is witty, full of energy, and passionate. For him, the biggest draw to Phish was—and still is—how it opens his mind.

When Phish rolled into Manchester, NH, it sparked a full episode of reflection and debate for Eric and Dave. They explore their differing takes on Phish, whether they're truly a jam band, their ties to the Grateful Dead, and Dave's view that they align more closely with Frank Zappa. Eric shares his first unexpected Phish show in the '80s, and they dig into the scene and culture around the band, including recovery support groups, taping and trading shows, lifelong friendships, Shakedown Street, and what really happens in the parking lot. They break down how Phish has stayed outside the mainstream while evolving musically, with standout jams still hitting hard in 2025. And since they just scratched the surface of fandom, look for part two of this topic!

In this episode we sit down with Mike Welch, a case manager and special education teacher who works with at risk youth, helping them find purpose, self worth, and direction after high school. Married to his high school sweetheart and a father of three, Mike shares how his own troubled past shaped his mission to be the man he needed when he was young. We dive deep into his work guiding young men to raise the bar, face hard truths, and embrace authenticity. Mike opens up about building respect through vulnerability, the challenges of supporting students who have made serious mistakes, and the power of believing in someone who has lost faith in themselves. His stories of transformation remind us what it truly means to become a man, not by hiding from your truth, but by owning it.

In this episode, we sit down with author and punk rock poet Jeremy Void. Known for his raw, introspective poetry, Jeremy writes to confront the darker side of his mind, exploring chaos, death, and the divinity that can be found within. We talk about making friends with darkness, finding meaning in the meaningless, and how we all live inside our own "reality bubbles."

Jeremy reads from his books, and together we dive into social media, algorithms, and the power of persuasion; how they shape our egos and perceptions. We explore why we're drawn to the macabre, the importance of letting others challenge us, and what it truly means to play in both the light and the dark.

In this raw and heartfelt conversation, Dave and Eric sit down with songwriter, musician, reiki practitioner, and student of life Tyler Allgood to explore how music has become his way of telling stories and processing grief. Together they dive into the concept of "channeling" in the songwriting process; "not thinking, just doing". Tyler performs his moving song Love in Vermont, written in memory of a close friend who died by suicide, while reflecting on the loss of his sister, the tension between spirituality and atheism, and the idea that reality itself is a choice. Tyler shares how heartbreak inspires his songs, why he writes first for himself, and how becoming a solo artist gave him the freedom to express his truth. The episode closes with another live performance that left the whole room deeply moved.