Sex education is usually treated like one awkward class in school, but it is really about a lot more than biology.

In this episode of Maxwell’s Kitchen, I talk with sexuality educators Kris Gowen and Leah Haas about comprehensive sex education, adult sex ed, consent, communication, body language, gender identity, technology, shame, relationships, media literacy, and why so many adults are still trying to untangle the messages they grew up with.

Kris and Leah created Beyond the Talk to help adults with the sex education many people never really received.

We talk about Oregon sex education, abstinence-only education, teaching consent, how technology has changed communication and dating, why body language matters, how people develop language around gender and identity, and why shame can follow people into adulthood if nobody helps them understand where it came from.

This conversation covers sex, technology, identity, marriage, media, therapy, and the basic human problem of trying to understand yourself while also trying to understand everybody else.

Pretty easy assignment.

Maxwell’s Kitchen is hosted and produced by Cody Maxwell.

A recap video of all the guests over the first 100 episodes.

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Graphic assets by OpenFX.

Music by Paul_Velchev.

sharkfyn.com

maxwellskitchenpodcast.com

Music used to be harder to find, which somehow made finding it feel better.

In this episode of Maxwell’s Kitchen, I talk with Terry Currier, owner of Music Millennium in Portland, Oregon, about record stores, vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, Napster, iPods, Spotify, Record Store Day, Keep Portland Weird, and how people have bought, collected, shared, and discovered music over the last 50 years.

Terry started working in record stores as a teenager in the 1970s and has lived through almost every major format change in modern music.

We talk about the rise and fall of 8-tracks, cassettes, the CD boom, MTV, vinyl disappearing from major-label releases, the return of vinyl, the launch of Record Store Day, and what happened when Napster and digital music changed the record store business almost overnight.

We also get into Portland music history, including live performances at Music Millennium, Joe Strummer, Soundgarden, Elliott Smith, Everclear, the Dandy Warhols, La Luna, Pine Street Theater, Satyricon, X-Ray Cafe, and the local scene that made record stores feel like part of the city’s nervous system.

This is a conversation about music formats, but it is really about why physical music still matters.

The album cover.

The liner notes.

The side breaks.

The record store clerk who knows too much.

The feeling that a record can become a tiny time machine if you own it long enough.

Maxwell’s Kitchen is hosted and produced by Cody Maxwell.

Maxwell’s Kitchen BOOM TIME.

A trivia game featuring Philly Boy & Jabroni.

Categories played in this episode include Tarantino Films, Lines from Movies, Random, Steven Spielberg, Taco Bell, Kardashians, TGIF, McDonalds Celebrity Meals, Profanity, Canada, Colorado, and Mr. Sketch.

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Opening graphic assets by sonorafilms.

Opening music by Antracto.

sharkfyn.com

maxwellskitchenpodcast.com

The new studio at 30th & Division in SE Portland.

Watch this one on YouTube.

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Opening graphic assets by UlyanaStudio and Grandphic.

Opening music by Audiophile Trax.

Aerial drone footage by Greg Muhr.

sharkfyn.com

maxwellskitchenpodcast.com

Graham Talley is one of the founders of Float On, a Portland float center that opened in 2010 and became one of the major names in the modern float tank industry.

In this episode, Graham explains what float tanks are, how sensory deprivation works, why modern tanks use Epsom salt, and how floating evolved from early research experiments into a modern wellness practice. We talk about John C. Lilly, soundproof rooms, float tank construction, meditation, psychedelics, stress relief, physical recovery, and what it feels like to float for the first time.

Before the interview, I went to Float On and tried floating myself, so the conversation starts with the real experience of getting into a tank, shutting off the lights, and realizing how hard it can be to stop thinking about everything you are supposed to be doing.

The episode also moves beyond floating into comfort zones, productivity, curiosity, dice rolling, Graham’s old treasure-hunting business, and why unfamiliar experiences can be useful even when they make you nervous.

Maxwell’s Kitchen is hosted and produced by Cody Maxwell.

Lisa Sardinia grew up in California, Nevada and Washington, moving nine times before graduating from high school. She attended Whitworth University in Spokane and received a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Then she moved to Bozeman, Montana, where she skied cross-country, climbed mountains, and rafted many rivers. And she also earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology, with a minor in Biochemistry, from Montana State University, studying the replication of coronaviruses. Following graduate school, she was awarded a National Cancer Institute research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco studying molecular genetics. Then she began a teaching career, first at San Francisco State University, then at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. The west coast called, though, and she moved back to the Bay Area and enrolled at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she earned a J.D.  She clerked for a federal district court judge in San Francisco and worked in a patent law office in Palo Alto before coming to Pacific University. At Pacific, she taught a variety of classes in three colleges, from Microbiology to Companion Animal Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, Biochemistry and Genetics in the College of Optometry, and Human Genetics in the Physician Assistant Studies program. Her research with students has spanned a number fields, including the effect of essential oils and plant extracts on the growth of pathogenic bacteria, gene expression in paddlefish, microbiological analysis of freshwater streams in Chehalem Ridge Natural Area and wetlands at Fernhill Wetlands, and identification of native yeasts in samples collected throughout the fermentation process from a local winery. She was co-primary investigator for a $257,000 NIH grant—Faith Forum on Genetics: An ELSI Educational Intervention for Religious Communities. Her public scholarship activities include numerous Science Pub and Science on Tap presentations, as well as presentations to various professional and community groups on stem cell research and ethics, genetic testing, epigenetics, gut microbiota, and the biology of sex and gender. She served as Pacific’s Faculty Athletics Representative for 20 years, including several years as a member of two national NCAA committees. She has been the Pre-Optometry Club advisor, the College of Arts & Sciences faculty chair, and the University Faculty Secretary. She enrolled in two Computer Science classes to prepare for a sabbatical leave spent developing a Bioinformatics major (and taking three Bioinformatics courses at OHSU). She has been the recipient of the Thomas J. and Joyce Holce Endowed Professorship in Science and the S.S. Johnson Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching. She lives on a small farm with her partner, John, her overly exuberant German Shepherd-Husky dog, Shasta, and her absurdly fluffy cat, Arlo. She spends her time on the farm trying to put into practice the principles she learned while earning a certificate in Permaculture Design through Pacific.

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Opening graphic assets by UlyanaStudio and Grandphic.

sharkfyn.com

maxwellskitchenpodcast.com

Dr. Christopher Carey, PhD, JD, is a former Deputy District Attorney and currently an Associate Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at Portland State U. His expertise is human rights with an emphasis on human trafficking, civil rights, and environmental justice. He has worked for more than 20 years on research projects and community engagement programs in the United States, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Mexico including projects supported by the U.S. State Department, USAID, and private grants. His background includes serving as Executive Director of a US based international human rights organization that focused on combatting human trafficking. He is the author of several articles on the subject of human trafficking in the United States and around the globe. His collaborations include; the Oregon US Attorney's office, the Multnomah county sheriff’s office, the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Oregon Department of Justice, and local nonprofits.   He has co-authored several studies examining human trafficking in Portland, Oregon.

Contact Info

Christopher Carey, PhD, JD
Associate Professor

Criminology and Criminal Justice
Portland State University
[email protected]

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Opening graphic assets by UlyanaStudio and Grandphic.

sharkfyn.com

Zara Roth is a therapist specializing in borderline personality disorder, trauma, multicultural issues, and depression/anxiety. She currently works at a rehab clinic supporting mental health needs of patients in recovery and at a private practice. Besides practical experience in the cognitive/behavioral field, Zara’s educational background is in psychodynamic psychotherapy, specifically the Bowenian, Gestalt, Jungian, Adlerian, Rogerian and existential modalities. Zara believes it's important to understand how capitalism, systemic oppression, climate change, history, media, and anthropology affects mental health as, as some problems are not caused by the individual, but rather the environment. Zara has earned a M.A. in mental health counseling at Northwestern University. She holds a certificate in child and adolescent psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and a B.S. and B.A. in Electrical Engineering and physics from Northeastern University and the University of St. Thomas. Her main focuses have been on the psychology of capitalism, complex trauma, ecoanxiety, and psychedelic therapy. Zara has written about Ecotherapy in Conjunction with Psilocybin for Treatment Resistant Depression and Anxiety. She plans to incorporate hallucinogenic drugs into therapy once it is legalized.

She can be reached for counseling inquiries at: [email protected]

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Opening graphic assets by UlyanaStudio and Grandphic.

sharkfyn.com

Adam J. Rodríguez, PsyD, is a psychologist and proud first-generation college graduate.  He currently is in private practice where he offers individual, couple, and group psychotherapy, as well as consultation and supervision to other clinicians.  He is adjunct faculty at Lewis & Clark College and was formerly an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology Department at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA.  Dr. Rodriguez's past clinical experiences include work in community mental health, hospitals, college counseling services, and forensic psychotherapy for the California State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Federal Prison system.  In his practice and scholarly work, Dr. Rodríguez is most interested in the study of first-generation college students, multiracial identities, the intersection of race/ethnicity and class, and the connections between music and clinical work.  He has published numerous academic articles and reviews, and has edited and written a book on first-generation college students, titled "Know That You Are Worthy: Experiences From First-Generation College Graduates" to be released with Rowman & Littlefield in February 2023.  He is a board member of Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), an organization which advocates for therapies of depth, insight, and relationship.  Dr Rodríguez also is a bassist and SCUBA diver who spends as much time with his son as his son will allow.  

http://www.dradamrodriguez.com/

http://www.dradamrodriguez.com/know-that-you-are-worthy/

All production by Cody Maxwell.

Artwork by Cody Maxwell.

Opening graphic assets by UlyanaStudio and Grandphic.

sharkfyn.com