What if our brains are wired to jump to the wrong conclusion and the internet is making it worse? In this episode, Carrie and Doug sit down with executive coach and former psychiatrist Josh Gibson to unpack the decay of critical thinking, tribal media, AI shortcuts, and how to look where the light isn't. We get into System 1 vs. System 2 thinking (and why lazy brains love certainty), algorithms as our new editors, and if Ai is making us... dumber?! It’s thoughtful, funny, a little nerdy as usual, and Josh's big takeaway is a great one. Listen in!

Carrie and Doug bring on Paul Pape - TEDx speaker, creative problem-solver, and self-described “Santa for Nerds” - to fuss about why creatives struggle with business, why that’s not their fault, and how gamifying money, leadership, and work can change everything.

Topics discussed:

-Creatives aren’t “bad at business” — it’s a translation problem
-Neuro-spicy brains, character sheets, and workplace strengths
-How to price your work without apologizing for it
-Why business needs creativity (and vice versa)
-Wizards, warriors, and not being a non-playable character in your own life

We invite you to grab your sword and join the conversation adventure to see what happens!

Carrie and Doug sit down with cancer scientist, nonprofit founder, and health equity advocate Dr. Eugene Manley Jr. to talk about medical AI, bias, dignity, and trust, without the jargon and without the tech hype. Want to know how bias sneaks into medical AI (even with “good intentions”), or what equity in healthcare even means, or why diversity in STEM actually changes outcomes? How about learning how MAHA, anti-vax culture, and medical skepticism hits Black communities differently? Enjoy an actual expert speaking to issues he knows and cares a lot about, while getting some chuckles in for good measure. Listen in!

Ozempic is everywhere. But what happens when appetite — for food, pleasure, joy, even desire — starts to disappear? In this episode of People Fuss, Carrie and Doug are joined by author and executive coach Stephanie Peirolo to unpack the cultural obsession with GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, weight loss masquerading as wellness, and what it means to be “healthy” in a world that’s deeply uncomfortable with women’s bodies.

They talk about:
✨ The difference between appetite and excess
✨ Why desire is actually a form of intelligence
✨ Feminism, thinness, aging, and conspicuous compliance
✨ Body policing, joy, food, sex, and why “less” isn’t always better

It’s thoughtful, funny, a little unhinged (in a good way), and ultimately about reclaiming the wisdom of the body in a culture that keeps telling us to shrink.

What’s really happening in Iran right now — and why are these protests being compared to (and surpassing) the 2009 Green Movement? In this episode of People Fuss, we speak with Zolal Habibi, an Iranian-American activist and advocate, to break down the ongoing protests in Iran in clear, human terms. Zolal explains how nationwide strikes, student movements, and cross-generational resistance have converged into the largest uprising Iran has seen in decades — amid mass internet shutdowns, widespread arrests, and severe state violence.

We discuss:

-Why these protests are larger and more unified than the 2009 Green Movement

-How internet blackouts and surveillance are being used to suppress information

-The role of Gen Z, women, and underground resistance networks

-What the international community can (and hasn’t) done

-How disinformation spreads — and how activists verify what’s real

What Americans can learn about protecting democratic rights before they’re lost

-This conversation centers Iranian voices, lived experience, and the human cost of authoritarian rule — beyond headlines and soundbites.

-Listener note: This episode includes discussion of state violence and human rights abuses.

In this episode of People Fuss, Carrie and Doug get honest (and funny) about divorce, marriage, domestic partnerships, and all the creative ways people build long-term love without a wedding license. From growing up in 90s Christian divorce panic to navigating student loans, taxes, health insurance, and “love parties,” they unpack what marriage actually does—and what it absolutely does not guarantee.

In this episode of People Fuss, Carrie and Doug gently spiral into one of life’s weirdest questions: why do we rationalize some forms of animal deaths but not others? From rooting for cheetahs in nature documentaries to ugly-crying over dead pets, they unpack empathy, hypocrisy, hunting, vegan detours, steakhouse guilt, and the emotional math we all do to get through dinner. They talk pet culture, predators, hunters, former vegans turned ethical hunters, trophy hunting mind-f*cks, factory farming horrors, Reddit debates, and why mammals get all the tears while fish… do not. Plus: snake-feeding childhoods, murderous cats, heroic penguin photographers, and the comforting realization that yes — David Attenborough cries too (just not on camera).

There are no perfect answers here — just curiosity, tenderness, contradictions, and a reminder that feeling deeply about life and death might actually be a sign you’re doing something right.

Carrie Prince (ex-matchmaker) and Doug Daniels dig into the sometimes sensitive topic of politics in dating. Does the left care more about political alignment? Should the head of the household vote for everyone? Is Andrew Tate good at getting young men laid? (Hard no, obviously.)

In this episode we unpack why political alignment is more of a dating dealbreaker than ever (especially for Gen Z women), we share the results from our partnered “elders” survey and how successful couples feel about politics in their partnerships, and look at the historical shift of how couples look for each other and what "values" even means.

Nurses are at the center of a quiet but far-reaching policy shift. A new federal proposal would sharply limit how much nurses can borrow for their education by removing their degrees from the “professional” loan category. While some frame this as a fix for runaway tuition, Doug and Carrie argue it does something else entirely: it deepens inequality, threatens rural healthcare access, and exploits what’s known as vocational awe—the cultural belief that some professions should accept sacrifice instead of fair pay and support.

From student loan mechanics and nursing shortages to gendered labor and political motivations, this episode digs into what this change really means for nurses, patients, and the future of essential work in America.

Share this one with a nurse.

Why are we suddenly treating influencers like philosophers? In this episode, Carrie and Doug get real about the rise of “public intellectuals” with ring lights, the collapse of institutional trust, and why confidence now passes for expertise. From Socrates to TikTok contrarians, we unpack how online gurus grab our attention, twist “facts,” and sell us everything except actual wisdom.

It’s funny, snarky, and a little uncomfortable — because yes, we’re talking about influencers… while being influencers. Come laugh, cringe, and rethink who you trust (and why).