The Ethan C. Lewin Podcast

Jeanne Alix Smith grew up shaped by a chapter of World War II few people know. Born in Mauritius, off the coast of Madagascar, she was raised by unsung heroes of the war—her parents, Percy and Berthe Mayer—who served as covert intelligence agents in Madagascar, a region critical to Allied shipping routes and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean. Had they not done what they did, World War II—and the world as we know it today—may have turned out very differently.

This episode explores their story through the eyes of their daughter. We talk about childhood, escape, the joy of simplicity, leaving home, building a life across continents, and why preserving stories like these matters.

Welcome to episode thirty-two.

To read more, see the scanned newspaper article and the book Secret War Heroes linked below.

Check Out:

Durban’s Unsung Heroes Percy and Bearte Mayer

Secret War Heroes: The Men of Special Operations Executive

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewinContact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

If you grew up in Bryn Athyn and love cars, you probably remember Ric’s blue-and-white striped Shelby Cobra rolling through the Fourth of July parade or, years later, seeing him fly his original PA-18 Pitcairn autogiro over town.

But if you don’t really know Ric, this episode is the perfect introduction.

Ric’s fascination with speed and risk started young. A lifelong love of flying—sparked by RC aircraft—eventually led Ric to fly for the family business, Asplundh Tree Company, where his grandfather Lester instilled a deep work ethic. That path later culminated in a career at American Airlines, from which Ric retired three years ago. Along the way, Ric spent time restoring antique aircraft at Trenton Robbinsville, helping preserve aviation history.

We talk advice for aspiring pilots, the future of aviation (including autonomous aircraft), the story behind the Pitcairn autogiro, aerobatics, ultralight flying, and—of course—our shared love for pugs.

Welcome to episode thirsty-one.

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewinContact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

Gregg had to grow up quickly in the concrete jungle of Philadelphia. His home life was shaped by the weight his father carried home from Vietnam, and by age 13 he was already working. Struggling to find acceptance and belonging, he turned to drugs and alcohol to disconnect. Things began to shift when his wife Kerry introduced him to community, leading him to join SWET, a men’s group that helped him confront his past. More recently, breaking his back forced him to keep facing the pain he’d long carried—guiding him toward becoming a better husband and father.

His journey is a call to men to laugh more, be honest, truly know their friends, and have the real conversations that free us from our past so we can help strengthen the next generation. Every mistake taught him something, and while he wishes he didn’t have to walk through hell to find a bit of heaven, he’s grateful for where it led.

Welcome to episode thirty.

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay ConnectedInstagram: @ethan.c.lewinContact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

Kathy has been my health guide and guru for the past five years, walking a unique path: chiropractor → physical therapist → Chinese medicine → anatomy educator → lifelong student. She’s suffered 7 concussions, dissected over 2,700 cadavers, faced the valley of the shadow of death in her 20s, and relearned how to be in her body — turning her journey into a calling to help others heal.

In this episode, Kathy shares her story, and interwoven throughout, we explore how medical schools need to emphasize critical thinking more, the implications of overreliance on AI in healthcare, what babies can teach us about posture, what dissecting real bodies reveals about living ones, the future of concussion recovery (including NeuroLabs), why breathing matters more than eating, and much much more…

Welcome to episode twenty-nine!

Check Out:

Immaculate Dissection: ⁠www.immaculatedissection.com⁠

Dooley’s Healthy Life Tips: “Eat less, breathe more, think less, move more, hurt less, laugh more, frown less, smile more, jog less, sprint more, sit less, walk more, stress less, love more.”

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life:⁠ Venmo⁠I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the⁠ All Secure Foundation⁠ (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the⁠ Academy of the New Church High School⁠.

Stay Connected

Instagram:⁠ @ethan.c.lewin⁠Contact:⁠ ethanchaselewin.com/contact⁠

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk:⁠ LinkedIn⁠.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram:⁠ @julien_buss⁠

David Norman has worn three uniforms—Navy, Air Force, and Marine—serving as an anesthesiologist and senior medical officer. From landing in the Philippines during an active coup to witnessing the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, and later serving in one of the hottest zones of the Iraq War in Fallujah, Dave has seen the realities of war up close.

Dave carries one of the strongest faiths I’ve ever encountered, helping him endure and overcome everything he’s lived through.

In this episode, hear from someone who was actually there—why the U.S. actually went to Iraq in 2003, the hard lessons only firsthand experience can teach, and much, much more....

Welcome to episode twenty-eight.

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewinContact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

Five days after birth, Conrad Burnett was taken by DCFS with heroin in his system and adopted into the Burnett foster home. By 12, life started going downhill, and by 18, he was homeless, struggling with depression, and eventually incarcerated.

Through serving the homeless, someone gave him a second chance, and Conrad began the journey of turning his life around—ultimately working his way up to CEO at Just-Ice. His story is a testament that we don’t have to let life consume us and that—even in our imperfections—the Lord guides us toward redemption and serving others.

Welcome to episode twenty-seven.

Check Out:

Conrad Burnett Photos

Conrad's Story Graduating from Growing Home

Ice Demo Videos

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewinContact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

Do you want to love authentically — and live fearlessly, with joy and confidence in your salvation? Today, Clark Echols and I dive into how that life is promised through following the Lord, and how Jesus shows us what secure attachment with God really looks like.

Clark is a minister-turned-licensed mental health counselor, passionately leading spiritual growth small groups — which he believes may be the future of the church! He shares the transformational milestones of his life, including how he developed a relationship with suffering after profound loss, and reminds us that it’s possible to find joy and satisfaction in the present moment, regardless of what’s going on — though it takes work.

This episode is a spiritual digest: an invitation to do the inner work we’re all called to, and a roadmap for letting love ripple through every part of your life.

Welcome to episode twenty-six.

Check Out:

Fear Hurting, Not Being Hurt

Clark’s Abide In Me Podcast

Christmas Readings Young Adults

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: Venmo. I tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewin

Contact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

Today, we explore the story behind the therapist — how Bri Kern’s own experiences, including a devastating series of losses and lessons no one ever wants to face, led her to the work she does today as a licensed mental health professional and founder of Mind Body Heart Counseling.

We explore how childhood shapes the way we love and parent, how grief often hides as anger, and the importance of fully allowing ourselves to feel it.

Bri has been one of the steady voices on my team of healers, and I’m grateful to bring her and her story to you.

Welcome to [REMOTE] episode twenty-five.

Check Out:

https://www.mindbodyheartcounseling.com/

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewin

Contact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss

Reflections

"Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” — Matthew 22:37

Why would your own mind try to tear you down? 

Curtis Childs and I explore that question through the lens of spirituality, mental health, and the unseen influences that shape our inner world. Curtis—host of Off The Left Eye and a lifelong student of Emanuel Swedenborg’s teachings—shares how faith, awareness, and understanding the thoughts that harm us can help us separate from destructive thoughts and find peace.

We also unpack why healing requires more than religion alone—and how the many paths to God form a richer, more connected humanity.

Welcome to [REMOTE] episode twenty-four.

Check Out, Off The Left Eye’s:

Website

YouTube

Podcast

Instagram

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewinContact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Oh, Esther—where do I even begin?!

Following our recording, Esther shared two guiding teaching philosophies that have guided her life and work:

1) “Don’t be a lemming!” — her daily mantra urging students to think independently and resist the pull to conformity.

2) “Climb the lexicographical ladder of learning.” — her call to grow intellectually by expanding one’s vocabulary and deepening understanding through language.

Whether you’re a former student or meeting her for the first time, you won’t want to miss this conversation with one of the Academy’s most iconic English teachers and housemothers. Her love for her students and her desire to prepare them for life left a mark on a generation—defining what became known as the Esther Era.

Welcome to episode twenty-three.

Elevate the Experience

Help bring better audio, video, and filmed episodes to life: VenmoI tithe 10% of all contributions—half to the All Secure Foundation (supporting soldiers’ transition home) and half to the Academy of the New Church High School.

Stay Connected

Instagram: @ethan.c.lewin

Contact: ethanchaselewin.com/contact

A Note from Me

I’m inspired by the stories people carry, the power of honest feedback, and the magic that happens when creative minds connect. If you’re a brand interested in partnering, let’s talk: LinkedIn.

Thanks for being part of this journey—PEACE!

Intro/Outro Music

Instagram: @julien_buss