Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Latest Episodes:

E212. Matt Taibbi Discusses The Failure of Traditional News Media Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Matt Taibbi, author and journalist, drops in to discuss the state of modern journalism, why it's increasingly difficult to source news you trust, "soft" censorship, link rot and stories that disappear, the instinct to conformity that is an epidemic in newsrooms right now, and why eventually the mob will always come for you. They cover Matt's background, how he comes from a family of reporters, what he learned from his dad about how to treat sources, his 10 years in Russia running his own newspaper, how Americans don't have any sense of what it means to lose their ability to speak openly, the evolution of Substack, when the "subscriber bubble" will burst, the disincentives to doing in-depth, long form reporting these days, an audience's ability to parse nuance, their willingness to question their own motives, and why the problem with the rhino is the problem with everything. Check out Matt's Substack here.

[Note: This is a previously broadcast episode that we decided to rebroadcast in honor of the Twitter files.]

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E211. Zak Williams Believes Finding Your Mission Makes You Unstoppable Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

Zak Williams is CEO and founder of neurotransmitter health company PYM , and is passionate about developing products for supporting optimal mental wellness and alleviating anxiety. He and Bridget sit down to talk about the concept of mental hygiene vs. mental health, dealing with the suicide of a loved one, not knowing how to manage depression and anxiety, discovering mental health advocacy, realizing that if you’re seeking to truly heal through service you have to take care of yourself, exploring nutrition for mental well being, and his goal to expand the toolkit to help people manage their mental health. They discuss his company PYM, the quick jump to medicate when there should be a gradient and spectrum of care, why we need research around diet, exercise, sunlight, sleep, and connection - supporting them as factors in our mental well being and care, how men are more resistant to talking about depression and mental health, why we need to develop resilience in our communities so that we can better manage stress, and why knowing his life's mission is his path to happiness.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E210. Noam Blum Thinks Twitter Is Too Important Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Noam Blum, Chief Technology Officer at Tablet magazine, sits down with Bridget for a conversation about Twitter and the online space. Known on Twitter as @neontaster, Noam talks about having his identity revealed, the different versions of online anonymity, and the consequences of not revealing himself on his own terms. They discuss online activism, how Twitter is a concentrated version of the diluted opinions that live in regular society, news cycles about Twitter posts and Twitter reactions to news stories, how partisanship is a bigger corollary to whether or not you're gonna share something online rather than whether or not you think it's accurate, dealing with negative comments, and people who they used to like but have become terrible because of what society incentivized them to lean into. They also cover Elon, Trump, dating apps, Sam Harris, therapy, blue checks, and the awkwardness of seeing someone in real life who’s blocked you on Twitter. Check out Noam's podcast The Ambitious Crossover Attempt.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E209. Heather Pasternak Is Pursuing More Joy Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

Heather Pasternak, stand-up comic and old friend of Bridget's, stops in to talk about her new comedy special Slay At Home Mom. She and Bridget discuss being new moms, being neurotic and having a child, feeling both terrible and magical when you're pregnant, how being a parent is a double edged sword, the pressure in the Mommy World - particularly on Instagram, and why getting back to work after having the baby made her feel like her again. They cover how Heather wants her comedy to help people to feel less alone, the focus on quality over quantity in your work, how finding a way to make it joyful is the only way it’s sustainable, how she uses the stage to process where she is at the moment, and they commiserate over the feeling of failing at being a mom and working and having to be okay with not doing both of those things perfectly.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E207. Rina Raphael Wants You To Know Goop Isn't The Answer Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

Rina Raphael is a journalist and author who covers health, wellness, and women's issues. She sits down with Bridget to discuss her new book The Gospel of Wellness , where she looks at the recent explosion of the wellness industry, the fads, the gimmicks, the marketing strategies, and what lies underneath it all. Rina is a reformed wellness addict herself, and became aware of the dark side of an industry that's constantly telling you what to buy next in order to feel better. They cover how liberal, affluent women in coastal cities and big cities have really adopted the aspirational reinterpretation of wellness, why they might turn to alternatives out of desperation because the healthcare industry is not working for them, how control is a huge part of the wellness industry, how wellness culture is driving people to extremes and making them more stressed, what overidentifying with your choices means about you as a person or a parent, and how aware Gwyneth Paltrow is of the Goop grift.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E206. Tara Henley Thinks Nobody Works Harder Than Rappers Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Tara Henley, journalist and author of Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life , joins Bridget for a free ranging conversation about starting her career as a hip-hop critic, the transcendence of music and live music in particular, how quickly humans can adapt to anything, and how having colon cancer in her 20s taught her at a fundamental level that life is out of our control. They discuss how the pandemic made us reevaluate our priorities in the age of hyper capitalism, their experiences working in restaurants, how journalism used to be a working class profession, and why she left mainstream media when she saw things becoming more extreme and the woke point of view became the only voice in the room which meant only telling one small part of every story all the time. They also cover how her letter of resignation went viral, why being critical of our institutions is the job of journalists and this has gotten lost, how Twitter plays an outsized role in group think, and why ultimately, journalism is about being willing to change your mind. Check out Tara's substack at tarahenley.substack.com.

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Lomi: https://bit.ly/lomiWiW

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E205. Jennifer Briney Believes We Don't Have A Party For The Working Class Anymore Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Jennifer Briney, host of the Congressional Dish podcast, sits down with Bridget to talk about her mission to read the bills and laws passed by Congress, to find out what is being done with our taxes, explain what is hidden in bills over 1000 pages long, and to create a community of people who were interested in Congress’s effect on our lives. They cover how living abroad during the US invasion of Iraq got Jen interested in how the media was covering the war, how she started looking for media that would tell her the truth but couldn't find it so she started watching CSPAN, and her shock at hearing things discussed on the House floor that she thought would be massive scandals but weren’t even being discussed in blogs, all of which led her to starting the podcast. They discuss how the "bosses" for both parties are really multi-national corporations, how in lockstep both parties are when it comes to war, the impossibility of leaving your bias at the door and how she deals with it, and why she's enthusiastic because independents like herself are making a living in media and not toeing the corporate line.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E204. Chris Williamson Wants To Know Why You're Doing This Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Chris Williamson, host of the Modern Wisdom podcast, sits down with Bridget to talk about how he got where he is. They cover his start as a nightclub owner, model, and reality TV star, why he always tried to get himself into a position where people needed him for something, how he didn't think he was worth that much unless he was offering people something else in return, and the existential crisis that led him to realize he wasn't the person he was pretending to be. They also discuss doing something that you genuinely believe in, why it's very difficult to not feel like your self worth is gauged by the way that people respond to your work, the danger of audience capture, the state of today's man, why we should be pedestalizing motherhood, the UK's particular culture around success and people that do different things, and why you should always ask the question, "Why am I doing this?"

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E203. Sarah Haider Says Don't Label Yourself Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Bridget sits down with Sarah Haider, writer, activist and podcaster, for a wide ranging conversation covering Sarah's thoughts as an ex-Muslim on the reaction of the Progressive left when you criticize Islam, how little the lived experiences of those who disagree with the woke orthodoxy matters, why she thinks Western feminism died a while back, her experience immigrating from Pakistan as a child, what she observed growing up in a lower class neighborhood, and how her activism and speaking out against Islam was a form of social death for her parents. They also discuss Sarah's ambivalence about the value of putting yourself in a group, why it affects your intellectual honesty, whether we can claim any kind of community outside of religion and faith, the unraveling of community in America, and why supporting young, working mothers should be a priority in our society. Check out Sarah's writing on her substack Hold That Thought . And don't miss her podcast with Meghan Daum, A Special Place in Hell.

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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

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E202. Ariel Pink Didn't Know It Was Illegal To Vote For Trump Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

Ariel Pink is an American musician, singer, songwriter and indie rock icon. However, his attendance at the January 6th Trump rally at the White House - an event he would like made very clear in its distinction from the violence at the Capitol hours later - led to his subsequent cancellation among fellow musicians and fans alike, being dropped from his music label, and left him looking around bewildered, wondering what happened. He and Bridget talk about how the rules have changed on everyone, why you should have to be pro United States to be eligible for President, why he believes he's more liberal than anyone that cancelled him, his theory about the last election, what keeps him grounded, what his plans for the furture are, and why he'd rather be put in jail and serve some time than be cancelled, because there's no expiration date to it.

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Progressive - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribe

Support the show