Josh Szeps is a seasoned broadcaster who left traditional media to start Uncomfortable Conversations, a project which aims to create a space for people who disagree on sensitive issues to engage in good-faith dialogue where participants and listeners can understand different perspectives, potentially change their minds, and discover common ground.

In this episode, we explore how Josh's views have evolved on how to create an information ecosystem that promotes understanding and mutual respect, rather than confusion and division. We'll discuss the different roles that traditional and new media play, and the roles they ought to play given their comparative advantages. We’ll discuss the value of public disagreement, the craft of doing it constructively, and its limits for actually changing our minds. We'll also discuss the boundaries of free speech and how to navigate a world where attention, not truth, is often the currency that matters most.

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠⁠⁠⁠FarmKind⁠⁠⁠⁠, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at hello@changedmymindpod.com

Psychologist and author Melanie Joy joins us to explore how unconscious belief systems shape our behavior. While known for developing the concept of 'Carnism' - the invisible belief system conditioning people to eat certain animals - her work extends to examining psychological dynamics behind various forms of oppression and dysfunction. After decades in academia and activism, Joy is now turning to fiction writing, believing storytelling may be more effective at helping people recognize and transform harmful belief systems.

Want more Melanie Joy?

• Check out her new novel, A Half-Hearted Death Wish

• Check out her TED talk
• Check out her website

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠⁠⁠FarmKind⁠⁠⁠, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at hello@changedmymindpod.com

Clinical psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Rick Hanson joins us to discuss how remarkably plastic our brains are, despite how fixed they often feel. We discuss what's doing on mechanistically when people change their minds, and what we can learn from this about how to be more open to change as individuals.

Want more Rick?

• Listen to Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson on Apple and Spotify
• Check out his books like Hardwiring Happiness and Neurodharma

About the hosts:

Thom and Aidan left boring, stable careers in law and tech to found ⁠⁠FarmKind⁠⁠, a donation platform that helps people be a part of the solution to factory farming — regardless of their diet. While the podcast isn’t about animal welfare, it’s inspired by their daily experience grappling with a fundamental question: Why do people so rarely change their minds, even when confronted with compelling evidence? This curiosity drives their exploration of intellectual humility and the complex factors that enable (or prevent) meaningful belief change.

Thoughts? Feedback? Guest recommendations? Email us at hello@changedmymindpod.com