We started The Green Pill Podcast in September 2020 to create a space to talk about change. Now we’re going through a major change ourselves: in about one month, I head to trial to face criminal charges that could transform the rest of my life.

And it’s for that reason we’re transforming the podcast, too. There’s the obvious reason: I may not be here much longer to serve as host. Priya, Ronnie, Dean, and Chloe will step up in various ways to ensure the show continues. But there’s a more fundamental reason, too.

To truly create change, we need you to be a part of this. So while we’re changing the name to Everybody *Wayne Hsiung* Tonight!, the two characters that are most important in the new titles are the two asterisks. You see, in code, the asterisk stands for a wildcard. And while the show will go on, following me via letters from prison if necessary, what will really sustain it is if *you* get involved.

I can think of no better people to discuss this idea than the team who joined me for this first episode of the rebranded podcast.

Ronnie Rose is co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere – and the first animal rights activist I met when I moved to the Bay Area in 2012. He helped us establish not just the intellectual foundation, but the values, which supercharged the grassroots animal rights movement in California and beyond.

Priya Sawheny is co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere. She’s been one of my most important partners in crime (figuratively, of course) over the last 10 years, and is helping launch a new org, The Sanctuary Initiative.

Dean Wyrzykowski is the former President of the Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy and grassroots director in my 2020 campaign for Mayor of Berkeley. He’s leading the operations for The Sanctuary Initiative.

Finally, Chloe Leffakis, who joined us by Zoom, has been my social media lead (and sometime avatar) for the last 5 or so years. She’s joining us as a founding staff member of The Sanctuary Initiative – and will continue to play a crucial mostly-behind-the-scenes role in everything we do.

We talk in this podcast about what we’ve learned from the past 10 years, and our plans for the future. But, most importantly, we talk about how to get you more involved.

No matter what happens next month, as long as we find ways to stay connected, and stay kind, we’ll make progress. Thanks for joining the journey so far – and believe me when I say, the best is yet to come.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (novel)

Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation by Sunaura Taylor (book)

Axolotl by Julio Cortázar (short story)

Mad World by Gary Jules (song)

Donnie Darko by Richard Kelley (film)

Music by Dayzee Deva (cover of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight”)