In Episode #27, Tom and Stu are discussing the concept of Freedom of Expression and Censorship. Now more than ever, we must be cautious of overreach by governments and technology companies, as they look to combat the rise in misinformation amid worldwide protests, civil uprising and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our freedom of speech and expression is a basic human right, however, it is clear that technology companies aren’t doing enough to protect individuals and society at large. As more and more pressure is placed on these institutions, to take responsibility for moderating the content on their platform, we find ourselves walking the tightrope that is democratic society’s requirement in allowing for open debate while also protecting vulnerable communities & promoting equality for all. 

Key Message: To protect our basic human right to freedom of expression, we must ensure TRANSPARENCY, CONSISTENCY, CLARITY & PRECISION is inherently embraced in censorship policies within both government & technology institutions

Some of the questions and topics we cover throughout the episode:

• What is freedom of expression?

Full show notes can be found at tomstuandyou.com including further reading resources on this topic. 

Like us on Facebook and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support!

Wow! Do we have a treat for you in Episode #26?? We're joined in this episode by the absolutely incredibly Kaley Ames & Sarah Sahagian to discuss being better feminists. These two amazing women are co-hosts of a brilliant podcast on modern dating called You Do You: A Dating Podcast, and both have fascinating education and work experience in the feminist arena. This is a topic that Tom and Stu could never feel able to weigh in on with our own opinions as it's not something we face personally, our privilege is very much recognizable, so we are very grateful for both Kaley & Sarah for having this conversation with us. 

Key Message: Feminism is for us all, as we look to pursue equality and fairness in a better world of tomorrow. 

 We cover some pretty interesting topics in this one conversation:

- What is feminism?

- A feminists approach to dating

- The role of socialism in the feminism movement

- Harm reduction vs revolutionary change

- Virtue signalling

- The impact of the education system on feminist values

- How the patriarchy affects men

- Progressive mentors

- The power of words

- Micro-aggressions faced by women in daily life

If you'd like to take control of your love life and listen to a hilarious and yet very informative podcast on modern dating, please check out the You Do You: A Dating Podcast co-hosted by both Sarah and Kaley!

Full show notes can be found at tomstuandyou.com 

Like us on Facebook and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support! 

We’ve made it to 25 episodes, well on our way to our target of 100! To celebrate, we’re talking about one of the most fundamental issues facing our society, how humans get hacked by technology companies and why that matters. It’s a conversation that follows on from Episode #22 - Always Connected, but this time, we dive deeper into how these technology companies actually grab and maintain our attention, why that impacts the direction society takes, and how do we fight against it. We’re talking about societal-wide manipulation of the human psyche, resulting in unintentional changes within our personal lives that goes against what we think we are actually looking for.

Key Message: We can’t win the fight against a supercomputer every time, but we can become more conscious of our own vulnerabilities to mitigate their influence

A summary of our conversational pathway:

• Definition of The Hackable Animal

Full show notes can be found at tomstuandyou.com 

Like us on Facebook and Instagram @tomstuandyou or send us an email at [email protected] with any questions, comments, thoughts, or queries you have on the topics we’ve discussed or any suggestions of topics you’d like to hear us address. 

Thanks so much for your support!

For Episode #24, Tom and Stu are joined by the wonderful Heather & Katlyn to talk about the joys of modern dating in the 21st Century. We get the girls to share with us the challenges they face using dating apps, what they look for from a guy, and how ghosting isn't as carefree as it seems. 

Key Message: Dating is hard, and apps don't make that easier

Some of the topics we touch on:

- Meeting on dating apps

- Being a different person online

- How well do you know yourself?

- How good is an algorithm?

- The Paradox of Choice

- Finding "the One" versus finding "a One" and making it work

- Why are we on dating apps?

- Being ghosted

- What makes a good profile?

- Being a strong, independent woman

Further Reading:

A funny read on the current state of modern dating can be had here: 

Preview — Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

11 Things We Learned From Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance 

1. People used to just marry the nearest decent person.

We have another incredible guest to share with you in Episode #23 - the amazing Jessie MacAlpine! Jessie gives us a dive into the world of being a science researcher and science communicator, what that means on a day-to-day basis, as well as what she thinks some of the major challenges facing science might be. 

Key Message: Science waits for no-one, stay curious and stay skeptical

Just some of the topics we touch on in this fascinating episode:

- A graduate student's work-life balance

- What a microbiologist actually does

- Why we lose interest in science as we get older

- Importance of support & encouragement

- Engaging students in science

- The challenge of finding funding

- Difference between academic research & industry

- Importance of fungal research

- How fungi affect us all

- Finding motivation

- Dealing with failure

- Seeing the bigger picture

- The biggest issues facing science

Jessie guest stars on a children's TV show:

Blynk & Aazoo

See all the Canadian student science fair projects here:

Youth Science Canada - Online STEM Fair

It’s time for Episode #22, and today we’re discussing the issue of always being connected to technology. We introduce the idea of biohacking by technology companies as they compete to obtain our attention, as well as discuss the inability of many of us to leave work at the office. Technology isn’t bad in and of itself, but it takes conscious effort to be sure you’re using it as a tool to promote positive behaviour, rather than letting it take control of your life. 

Key Message: Use technology consciously

A quick summary of what we talk about today:

• Life before the Internet

It's our 21st episode and we're joined by the incredible Austin Sawyer! He's been a mate of Stu's for the past couple of years, and never fails to impress with the work he does and the quality of his character. We talk on this episode about the benefits of mentorship & reflection, and enjoy plenty of laughs along the way. Enjoy!

Key Message: the right mentor can literally change your life; there is always something to learn from every experience

Here are some of the topics we cover in our conversation with Austin:

- Discovering a love of science

- The importance of teachers & mentors

- How to find a mentor

- The value of reflection

- Turning plans into action

- Why the education system doesn't prepare you for life

- Risking it all for the start-up dream

- Finding inspiration

- Becoming a mentor

As always, feel free to check out our other episodes and guests on our website at tomstuandyou.com 

Subscribe to our podcast for more fun conversations with super interesting people, and leave us a review if you're finding something valuable in the things we're talking about!

Have a great day!

EPISODE #20!! WOW that came around quickly! We wanted to do something a bit more personal to celebrate reaching this milestone in only 4 short months of recording a podcast, so today we're attempting to answer profound Internet questions. Some are funny, some are boring, some are very personal but all were interesting for us at least. Enjoy!

Key Message: Embrace being you!

Full list of questions answered can be found on https://tomstuandyou.com

After some technical difficulties, it's time to publish Episode #19! Today we're joined by Clare to talk about seeking opportunity and the wonderful adventures that has brought to our lives. This was such a fun conversation, and Clare is seriously such an amazing person. We hope you smile as much as we did while recording it!

Key Message: change is hard, but that's what makes it an adventure!

Here are a few of the topics we cover in today's episode:

- Trekking in Outback Australia

- Just getting a university degree to prove you can

- Moving to Canada

- Finding "the One" - the love of her life

- Reinventing yourself

- Love of nature

- Finding that dream job

- Living intentionally

- Seeing opportunity wherever you can

As always, you can find more details about our podcast at www.tomstuandyou.com 

Have a great day!

EPISODE #18!! It's been a controversial week in the environmentalism sphere, with the release of the Planet of the Humans documentary. The response has been swift and polarizing, with both "sides" attacking the other, and accusations replacing civil debate. We're putting our two cents in on various topics relating to the documentary and it's response. 

Key Message: The solution is sufficiency. It’s having your basic needs met, and being at peace and harmony with both yourself and the world we live in.

Some of the points we cover:

- What is the documentary about?

- Our thoughts on the messages presented

- Rebuttal to some of the key points

- What triggered me?

- Media literacy, critique and debate

- When does the promotion of false information become more important than its consequences

- Emotional intelligence & the requirement for media-literacy 

- Has the polarization triggered by the film negatively affected the progress and collaboration that we so desperately need? (and that the Directors themselves have called for?)

- Hopium

- Where do we go from here? (It’s not back to the hunter/gatherer days)

Full show notes and further reading links at Episode #18