Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan

By Chris Ryan

Society & Culture Arts

What's Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan about?

Tangentially Speaking is dedicated to the idea that good conversation is organic, uncensored, revelatory, and free to go down unexpected paths with unconventional people.

chrisryan.substack.com

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555 - Marc Elliot (NXIVM - ...

01.24.2023

At age nine, Marc was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome due to incessant vocal and motor tics that interfered with every aspect of his life. Every medical professional concluded that his condition was uncontrollable and incurable, but Marc overcame Tourette’s in ...

Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan episodes:

01.24.2023 555 - Marc Elliot (NXIVM - Overcame Tourette's Syndrome) At age nine, Marc was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome due to incessant vocal and motor tics that interfered with every aspect of his life. Every medical professional concluded that his condition was uncontrollable and incurable, but Marc overcame Tourette’s in ...
01.21.2023 554 - ROMA 61 Are you a proud optimist? A glass half-full sorta person? How much is too much to spend on feline medical care? Should I stay or should I go? Do we actually love our pets or just convince ourselves we do? ...
01.12.2023 553 - Tony Brasunas, Author: Red, White & Blind Tony grew up in an intentional spiritual community in West Virginia that many called a hippie commune. His new book, Red, White & Blind looks at how censorship, propaganda, and disinformation are woven into American history and are becoming increasingly ...
01.05.2023 552 - Randall Nickerson (Ariel Phenomenon) On September 16, 1994, sixty-two students at Ariel School in Zimbabwe witnessed something incredible. In his fantastic documentary, Ariel Phenomenon, Randall Nickerson explores the close encounter these schoolchildren experienced. Over twenty-five years later, this incident is still fresh in their ...
12.21.2022 551 - ROMA 60 In which I respond to a lobster fisherman’s question about why he gets restless in relationships. I yammer on about the difference between a “romantic” approach to loving women vs. an “epic” approach, and how each can play out in ...
11.30.2022 550 - ROMA 59 This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In which I talk about the difference between scarcity and value, and how conflating scarcity with value gets us into trouble. Diamonds aren’t your best friends. ...
11.17.2022 549 - Charlie Zender (Climate Scientist) I “met” Charlie when he wrote to gently correct me on some nonsense I’d said on the podcast about climate change. I could tell from the content of his email that he knew what he was talking about, and I ...
11.02.2022 548 - Allison Pelot (Author of Finally Thriving) My friend Allison Pelot was a gymnast from about the age of 5 to 22. Then, she studied pre-physical therapy before switching over to exercise science and personal training. She went on to study holistic health, energy work metaphysics, spirituality ...
10.19.2022 547 - Murphy Pelot (Older and Wiser) Murphy first appeared on this podcast seven years ago, in episode 121. He was 13 1/2 years old at that time, getting ready to swim across the river of adolescence. Seven years later, he’s experienced many of the things he ...
10.05.2022 546 - Stanley Krippner at 90 I’ve known Stanley Krippner since the mid-1990s, when he invited me to join him on a three week trip to Brazil. He’s a world-famous researcher and author who has has hung out with everyone from Timothy Leary to Alan Watts ...
10.03.2022 545 - Rick Beato in Person I love this guy. He exudes kindness, generosity, and intelligence. This is the fourth time Rick’s been on Tangentially Speaking, but the first time we’ve met in person, so it’s a special conversation. We don’t talk about music as much ...
09.30.2022 544 - ROMA 58 (Covid, Camping, Bosom) This mini-ROMA was recorded streamside at a Lund Park campground in Oregon. It includes an update on my dance with covid and some thoughts on a very strange word: bosom. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss ...
09.06.2022 543 - Deborah Eden Tull (Zen Teacher, Author: Luminous Darkness) DEBORAH EDEN TULL, founder of Mindful Living Revolution, is a Zen meditation and engaged dharma teacher, public speaker, author, and sustainability educator who trained for seven and a half years as a Buddhist monk at a silent Zen monastery and ...
08.24.2022 542 - Alex Cody Foster (Ghostwriter) Alex Cody Foster’s next book, The Man Who Hacked the World: A Ghostwriter’s Descent into Madness with John McAfee, will be published November 15th (2022). In the meantime, the crazy story is told in the Netflix documentary called “Running with ...
08.19.2022 541 - Katie Halper (Co-host: The Useful Idiots Podcast) Katherine Halper is an American comedian, writer, filmmaker, podcaster, and political commentator. She is the host of the podcast The Katie Halper Show and co-host of the Useful Idiots with Aaron Maté. This is a public episode. If you’d like ...
08.12.2022 540 - Zappy Zapolin (Futurist/Psychedelic Advocate) Zappy Zapolin is driven by his belief that psychedelic medicine is the most powerful tool available to quickly raise consciousness and alter humanity’s direction from a destructive path. He has made it his life's mission to increase accessibility to psychedelic ...
08.05.2022 539 - Cory Allen (The Astral Hustle Podcast) I was recently on Cory’s podcast, and I enjoyed our conversation so much that I proposed we keep it rolling on mine. That’s how it works with us podcasters. Dinner at my place, dinner at your place. In addition to ...
08.01.2022 538 - Frans de Waal (Author & Primatologist) On his second visit to the podcast, Frans discusses his latest book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, as well as one of my favorite books, Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, which he co-authored with photographer Frans Lanting. Frans ...
07.21.2022 537 - Chris and Nani on Lake Eyasi, Tanzania Chris and Nani manage the amazing Kisima Ngeda Camp, on Lake Eyasi, Tanzania. Chris grew up nearby after his German parents moved to Africa on an impulse, and stayed on, while Nani stumbled into this oasis while adventuring through as ...
07.18.2022 536 - ROMA 57 Here’s a ROMA in which I talk about some oddities of backwards greetings in Tanzania, driving in Georgia, the financial realities of world travel in 2022, the conundrum of hydraulic toilets seats (and other luxuries), and what it means (and ...
07.12.2022 535 - Elia Edward Mollel (Tanzanian Guide) The folks at Gladioloa Adventure in Arusha thought Elia would be a good guide to show us around northern Tanzania for 9 days. They were right. Raised by his Maasai grandfather, Elia has a deep understanding of animal behavior, not ...
07.11.2022 Chip Kime (1962 - 2021) Chip Kime was an utterly unique young man who was a huge presence in my life once, then he became an abstraction when our paths diverged in our 20s, and now he’s gone. But not really. This is a public ...
07.08.2022 534 - Craig Sholley (Gorilla Researcher) Craig's Sholley’s experiences with wildlife and conservation began in 1973 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire. As an L.S.B. Leakey grant researcher in the late 1970s, Craig studied mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey and, in 1987, became director of ...
06.25.2022 533 - Dario Pescador Dario is a science journalist based in Madrid who was instrumental in getting Sex at Dawn published in Spain (En el Principio era el Sexo). We’ve been friends since around 2011, when he interviewed me about that book. In this ...
06.20.2022 532 - Kevin Allison (Host of RISK! Podcast) Kevin is an actor, comedian, and host of the RISK! podcast — which Slate.com called “Hilarious, jaw-dropping and just plain touching,” and Rolling Stone named it one of its top podcasts. This is a public episode. If you’d like to ...
06.13.2022 531 - Gym Halama (Artist/Adventurer) I met Gym when I rented her place on Airbnb in Chite, Spain. Just looking at the photos of the funky space she’d created, I had a sense that this woman would be fascinating, and my hunch turned out to ...
06.04.2022 529 - Debra Berger My friend Debra is a magical woman living a magical life. She’s the hub of many wheels, the grain of sand in the oyster, the sun in solar systems, the log that breaks the logjam. She hangs out with movie ...
05.20.2022 527 - May BROMA (Part 1) In the first part of this month’s bonus ROMA (BROMA), available to everyone, I talk about a new feature to help listeners find each other. I also talk about my thoughts concerning whether we’re all in some kind of simulation, ...
05.19.2022 526 - Robert de Vico To boil it waaay down … After suffering a freak road-rage incident in LA, Robert came to Spain to visit an old friend seven years ago, then went back to LA, quit his job, sold his house under the Hollywood ...
04.28.2022 525 - ROMA 56 Intro messages from Mike in Washington, Adam in the UK, and a human from an undisclosed location. I discuss a few topics suggested by listeners, including: “Should I have kids?” “What about yoga?” “What’s the deal with asexuality?” “How has ...
04.26.2022 524 - Why Podcast? If you’ve read my recent post of the same title, you can skip this one, which is mostly for folks who listen to the podcast, but haven’t checked out what’s happening at Substack yet. Tangentially Speaking with Chris Ryan is ...
04.17.2022 522 - Zen Rahmoun (Millennial Refugee) Zen Rahmoun is living what may be the story of our age: that of the refugee. Whether triggered by war, climate change, political upheaval, or economic collapse, one in 95 people around the world have been forced to leave their ...
04.12.2022 521 - Simon Rex is Riding a Red Rocket In the past year or so Simon Rex’s life has changed in ways nobody could have anticipated, but the man himself has changed very little. He’s just as funny, thoughtful, kind, and generous as ever. I love this guy. I’m ...
04.07.2022 520 - Talking About Russia and Ukraine with my buddy Mike Lang Mike Lang taught me to enjoy beer and Rush when we were 16 years old in 1978. We’ve been brothers-by-choice ever since. In addition to being one of the smartest people I know, Mike has direct family ties to Ukraine, ...
03.20.2022 519 - Psychedelics and Stars (with Reluctant Astrologer Anya Kaats) What's the relation between "truth" and meaning? Can we scientifically verify our visions while tripping? Are psychedelics tools or teachers? Is astrology "real?" Why has "myth" come to mean something that isn't true in recent years, when no one ever ...
03.15.2022 518 - ROMA 55 (Lifeguard Lessons, Why Circles Explain More than Lines) Should I welcome you, or thank you for welcoming me? My appreciation for the Blindboy podcast. Lifeguard lessons. Why a dog with a bone isn't your friend. Do circles explain more than lines? (Is an NFL locker room the closest ...
02.28.2022 517 - ROMA 54 (What Would a World without Sexual Shame Be Like?) Try to imagine a culture in which children aren't taught that their bodies and desires are dangerous, shameful, and disgusting. What would that be like? Also, I discuss what I got wrong (and right) about the current invasion of Ukraine, ...
02.22.2022 516 - ROMA 53 (Wealth in Simplicity/Russia Invades Ukraine/How & When to Hurt Others) In this one, I discuss the totally cliche notion that happiness is to be found in simple pleasures (and bodily functions), the strange wisdom of Thai gender identity, the ramifications of the illusion that we can live without causing pain ...
02.13.2022 515 - ROMA 52 (Brief Birthday Message to Listeners) Made it to 60! Too late to die young. This is just a very brief, very personal message to you, if you listen to this podcast. Many thanks. Intro music: "Brightside of the Sun," by Basin and Range; Closing: "Down ...
02.07.2022 514 - ROMA 51 (Rogan, Whoopi Goldberg, Good/Bad Lies) Coming to you from Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand, in this one I discuss my insights into Joe Rogan (and the current controversy), my thoughts on Whoopie Goldberg's race mess, the practical costs of being in Thailand these days (rent, food, ...
01.30.2022 513 - Rachel Krantz (Author of Open) Rachel Krantz is the author of the reported memoir, OPEN: AN UNCENSORED MEMOIR OF LOVE, LIBERATION, AND NON-MONOGAMY (JAN 25, 2022). She’s the recipient of the Peabody Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights International Radio ...
01.17.2022 512 - Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan (My Back-up Parents) Meet my Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan, two of my all-time favorite humans. As a little kid, I felt an extra layer of love and protection from these two, knowing that if anything ever happened to my parents, one or ...
01.14.2022 511- ROMA 50 Is it really "darkest just before the dawn?" And if things need to get worse before they get better, isn't a step in the wrong direction actually a step in the right direction? Wouldn't an optimist hope things get worse ...
01.13.2022 510 - Harley Rustad (Author of Book About Justin Alexander) Harley is the author of Lost in the Valley of Death, about the life and (probable) death of my friend (and former podcast guest), Justin Alexander. Pico Iyer, one of the best living travel writers, described Harley's book as, “One ...
01.07.2022 509 - ROMA 49 (Announcing Some Changes) First episode of 2022. We made it through another weird-ass year. Gonna make some tweaks to the podcast. Thanks for taking this ride with me. Find me on Instagram or Twitter. Please consider supporting this podcast. This Amazon affiliate link ...
12.26.2021 508 - Timo (aka Tim Killian: Brilliant Weirdo) Timo (aka Tim Killian) is one of my favorite people. Former Mormon, long-time political consultant in Washington state (he helped get marijuana legalized), crisis communicator (he represented the first businesses hit by Covid), motorcycle vagabond, deep thinker, Airbnb host, animal ...
12.18.2021 507 - Blake Webb (Actor) Blake Webb is an actor originally from Phoenix, Arizona. He lived in Tamaulipas, Mexico for over two years as a Mormon missionary. He later left the Mormon church, and devoted himself to acting, having appeared in several television shows, including: ...
12.13.2021 506 - Rick Beato (Musician/Producer/YouTube Powerhouse) Rick Beato is the kind of guy who will make you hopeful for humanity. After decades producing and teaching music, he's found a way to spread knowledge and joy to millions of people from his basement studio by showing us ...
11.27.2021 505 - Justin Kaliszewski (Outlaw Yogi) Justin “Jud” Kaliszewski is an author, artist, and adventurer. The renowned creator of OUTLAW Yoga, he is a best-selling yoga teacher and author of “The Outlaw Protocol – how to live as an outlaw without becoming a criminal”, and the ...
11.21.2021 504 - Dallas Hartwig (Author, Physical Therapist, Nutritionist) Dallas is a functional medicine practitioner, Certified Sports Nutritionist, and licensed physical therapist who specializes in treating lifestyle-related hormonal, digestive, and metabolic health issues. In 2009, he co-created the original Whole30 program. In 2012, he co-authored the New York Times ...

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