In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, I have a conversation with Amanda Huffman. Amanda is a military spouse and veteran who served in the Air Force for six years as a Civil Engineer including a deployment to Afghanistan. She traded in her combat boots for a diaper bag to stay home with her two boys and follow her husband’s military career. She has been recognized as Hill Vets100 (class 2019), Women Veteran Trailblazer (2021), and was a finalist for the Melissa A Washington Small Business Award. She published her first book in 2019 titled Women of the Military, sharing the stories of 28 military women. In 2019 she also launched her podcast also titled Women of the Military.   In our conversation, we discuss the end of the Afghanistan/Iraq wars, the difficulties of transitioning from active to inactive duty, finding your purpose in a post-military-service world, how the military prepares you for motherhood. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Amanda Huffman.   

Amanda's book: Women of the Military

https://www.facebook.com/airmantomom

https://www.instagram.com/airmantomom

https://www.twitter.com/airmantomom

https://www.linkedin.com/in/airmantomom/

https://www.patreon.com/womenofthemilitary

https://women-of-the-military.simplecast.com

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information: 

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links: 

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/ 

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html 

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/ 

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.   

In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, we begin our month-long conversation on how we can best support veterans in need of support. With the end of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, one of the most important things that we can do is make sure that we give ears to veterans so that they can begin to build narratives of their experiences. This is vital because having a strong narrative in place not only helps to build closure to one incredibly important part of their lives, but it also builds clarity of thought and a sense of peace. In this first episode of our four-part series, I'm going to lay the foundation for how history and literature have given us the tools to help. We just need to accept that the experiences are there. I go back to Homer and the Iliad and Odyssey to show how the site of glory needs to move at the end of conflicts from the field of battle to the domestic realm. We need to raise the level of communal engagement to the level of heroism. I also talk about James Joyce's Modernist take on the epic hero, and how listening and being there for others becomes a type of heroism. We also dive into arguably the most well-known author-veterans of World War I: Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway gives us a truthful but bleak vision of how difficult it can be for the soldier and the family to try and navigate great trauma in the home. However, I do think there is some hope there at the end. Finally, we take a look at a beautiful letter from a wife to her husband from the World War I era. 

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information: 

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links: 

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/ 

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html 

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/ 

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

This month, The Neutral Ground Podcast is going to take on a very serious topic of discussion--a pressing one: veterans and mental health. Often times, this subject can seem overwhelmingly large, especially when we take a look at the current rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicides. However, what I hope to show in my series is that there is hope. There are practical ways that we can help veterans start down a pathway of healing--and it doesn't involve politics, and it doesn't involve budgets. It just involves your time and an open ear. In the conversations to come on the podcast, we're going to speak with people like Amanda Huffman of the Women of the Military podcast and Ben Killoy of the Military Veteran Dad podcast. They will bring their own unique views on how we can help veterans make a smoother transition back to civilian life.  You need not have served to find value in these coming episodes. What we're going to discuss applies to all, because, at the end of the day, these are human problems. Join us on this journey. 

Statistics taken from The National Council: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/veterans/   

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information: 

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links: 

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/ 

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html 

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/ 

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally

In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast,  my guest, Nick Gibson, and I  discuss a myriad of topics. We hit upon what comic books bring to the cultural landscape; we talk about his current writing projects: "Project Axis" and "2100 Samurai." We also dive into the feeling that you have something creative within you that you need to get out into the world, and how you might have to overcome obstacles to get that creative product out. Nick definitely had his moments where giving up would have been easy, but he fought through it. Things get a bit more serious, however, when we start to talk about purpose. The loss of purpose can often lead to people looking for it in desperate places. One of those desperate places are cults. We dive into that topic a little bit because that's where the conversation took us. I ask Nick about creating trusting characters in his work because we don't see a lot of trusting figures today, and I found his answer to be really interesting. Additionally, we talk a bit about the importance of freedom of speech as well and why we consistently write stories with a dystopian eye for the future.

Here are some places you can go to learn more about Nick's work:

Content Warning: Nick's work is generally made for adults. Keep this in mind.

https://lnkd.in/g4k-Fz4s

https://lnkd.in/gRwNsSxd

https://lnkd.in/gJSRTWtn

https://lnkd.in/g94i4sKv

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Scott Hiam. We're going to take a look at the impact of the life of comedian Norm Macdonald. I will tell my story of the time that I met the comedian in Arizona, and the impact that it had on me--even to this day. We're going to discuss how Norm Macdonald's comedy differed from others, and we talk about what it means to be a "comedian's comedian," and whether or not that tagline actually fit the enigmatic Norm Macdonald. We also spend some time thinking about Macdonald's decision to keep his 9-year struggle with cancer a secret from even many of the people he loved. Although we respect his personal right to do so, we consider how such a decision might impact those who are left to grieve. More than anything, you're going to hear about how two stupid teenage boys went to the movies in 1998 to watch a movie that apparently no one loved at the time, but that is now a "cult classic." I hope our respect for the comedian and the work that he has done comes through in our discussion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those who loved him dearly. 

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

I do apologize upfront for some of the audio issues. We were having some difficulty maintaining a strong internet connection. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I'm joined by a special guest: Laurie Singer. Laurie has over 20 years of experience as a board-certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. Her new book You're Not Crazy: Living with Anxiety, Obsessions, and Fetishes gives both insight into some of the most pressing mental health issues of today and real-world tools to help deal with these issues. We talk about the elevated levels of anxiety in both young people and adults; I ask Laurie to give some advice for parents who are trying to navigate these precarious times in which we live; we discuss the important role that narrative building plays in mental health; the impact of social media on young people and their perceived visions of their bodies; and we talk what people can do to support loved ones who might be struggling--when is tough love the right call? We get into that in this discussion. 

You can find Laurie's book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Not-Crazy-Obsessions-Fetishes/dp/1735944815/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=you%27re+not+crazy+laurie+singer&qid=1631599654&sr=8-1.   

You can also learn more about Laurie and the tools that have helped so many people find a new lease on life at https://www.yourenotcrazybook.com/

None of the links above are affiliate links. I just believe that this book can actually help some people.

Please join me in welcoming Laurie Singer to the Neutral Ground Podcast. 

Consider becoming a supporter of my endeavor to bring sanity back to civil discourse: https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast

Head over to my website to learn more about exclusive content: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

This episode is sponsored by Ninjabuzz.io. If you're looking for an easy way to match sponsors with podcasters, Ninjabuzz.io is the place to go. Check it out today. 

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

This week, we're going to get sublime. Truly sublime language can move us in ways that we are unprepared for. It's a kind of power that we need more and more of today--we need things that place us in a state of awe and prompts us to reconsider how things are and how they can be. For these reasons, we're going to talk about Longinus's five necessary components for sublime language. We'll take a look at Charlie Chaplain's speech from the The Great Dictator; we'll visit the journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson; I do my best to give the baseball speech from Field of Dreams (although, I certainly can't match the booming tones of the great James Earl Jones); and we sing a song of ourselves with poet Walt Whitman. We'll also dive into some of the research behind the concept of awe in the human condition through a paper from psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt. So, if you're in need of a little bit of inspiration and awe, come on in, and let's get sublime.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

I am excited to introduce the first guest of the Neutral Ground Podcast: Doctor Matthew Jacobson. Dr. Jacobson did his PhD at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on podcast rhetoric and how it can influence our engagement with public policy. We talk about how Matt came to study podcasting rhetoric; we'll dive into the three main analytics of podcasting that connect with the audience; and we'll talk about the infamous Joe Rogan episode with Bill Burr from 2020, where the two got into a somewhat tense, but entertaining, discussion about mask mandates. Come on in, and let's welcome Dr. Matthew Jacobson to the Neutral Ground.   

You can find Dr. Jacobson on Twitter at @makingarguments And you can send him an email at [email protected]  

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

This is the final episode of our three-part series on the defining traits of Neomodernism thus far. We're going to talk about the yearning to define and create sacred space for ourselves. Many of the arguments that we are seeing in culture today stem from a deeper yearning to create a sacred space for ourselves. This comes out of the eschewing of sacred spaces in the latter parts of Postmodernism--remember, just about anything was up for mockery in latter stages of Postmodernism. Therefore, it's not all that unbelievable that, in these early stages of Neomodernism, people want to carve out sacred space for themselves, places where joking is not welcome. Although having a sacred space can help us better connect with who we are as a person--and even help us connect with each other, there are, of course, drawbacks. When something is sacred to us, anything that pushes into that sacred space becomes an attack. And if something that we hold sacred is attacked, we will defend it at all costs. It's my belief that this is why we have such a contentious cultural atmosphere today: why we have "cultural wars"--although I absolutely hate that term and find it to something that too easily dismisses the fact that we need difficult conversations, not debates, and certainly not wars. In this episode, I talk about a mistake that I made as a husband. I highlight a fantastic Neomodern poem by the poet Ocean Vuong entitled, "Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong." We'll talk about the path to self destruction, and I'll give you my best Allan Rickman impression--no, really. I'll be quoting from the movie Die Hard. It will make much more sense if you listen to the episode. As always, consider subscribing or following the podcast--and if you do like the podcast, share it with a friend. We're still trying to build our Neutral Ground community. If you have the energy, consider leaving an audio comment for us to think about or giving me a rating. As always, any help is much appreciated. 

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

This is part two of our important traits of Neomodernism series. We're going to discuss our need to transcend the corporeal (the body). We'll talk a little Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick, some Saint Augustine, and we'll dive into Dr. Roland R. Griffith’s research at Johns Hopkins University on psychedelics. Why does it seem like the research that came out in the 1960s was largely ignored? Whereas, today, the research into expanding the mind through psychedelics seems to be gathering quite a lot of steam? We'll have to think about that and try to answer it in this episode. I talk a bit about Brian Muraresku’s book: The Immortality Key as well and why, even among atheists, it seems like religious language is still the most accurate language from describing psychedelic experiences. And if you start feeling too overwhelmed by the experience, you need not worry. We're also going to talk about meditation and how we try to transcend the body through mindfulness. It all comes together with a section from Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric." Can you ask for a better episode? Probably. But, I can't deliver one as of yet.

Research notes

Gabriel Hess: https://aporia.byu.edu/pdfs/hess-refuting_the_claim_that_augustine_is_opposed_to_corporeality.pdf

David G. Hunter “Augustine on the Body” A Companion to Augustine

Griffiths: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29020861/ 

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe