This is the first of a series of episodes that feature opposing sides of a hot topic. Today it’s the a tech entrepreneur who founded a grief bot service vs a cyberpsychologist specializing in the ethics of death & the digital.

We ask, is this healing or avoidance? Can the dead consent to this? What is the potential for harm?

John Kammer is the founder of Guardian A[I]ngels, a subscription service that sends you journal prompts in the voice of your deceased loved one.

Elaine Kasket, PhD, is cyberpsychologist & Visiting Professor at the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath in the UK & the author of Reset: Rethinking Your Digital World for a Happier Life& All the Ghosts in the Machine: The Digital Afterlife of Your Personal Data.

You’ll hear why John created the service while Elaine lays out potential for harm & how they ultimately find common ground.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 300: BIOFIELD THERAPY FOR ANXIETY & GRIEF: RECIPE FOR WELLNESS OR PURCHASED PLACEBO?

Elaine Kasket, PhD:

Reset book: https://a.co/d/081uhN8r

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-your-life-on-tech/id1666800931

https://www.elainekasket.com/

https://www.instagram.com/elainekasket/

https://www.facebook.com/elainekasketauthor

John Kammer:

https://guardianaingels.ai/

https://www.instagram.com/guardian_aingels/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575970961536

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

01:35 — “This feels like Black Mirror”

02:21 — The biggest risks of AI grief tools

04:23 — Pain to purpose: the origin story

06:15 — Why “time heals all wounds” is a myth

09:10 — The moment AI made him finally cry

13:41 — The danger of “never letting go”

18:45 — Why it shouldn’t feel too real

20:05 — The 4 tasks of mourning explained

25:49 — What is “AI-associated psychosis”?

31:00 — Why reminders of death are essential

38:24 — Why this runs on ChatGPT (and why that matters)

41:00 — Guarding against manipulation loops

44:19 — What grieving people should actually know

52:08 — The ethics of reviving the dead

53:12 — Memory vs. identity: what’s being recreated?

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

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What exactly is considered "sexless"? What are we counting as sex? What would cause someone to not want to have sex all of a sudden?

These are all questions I unpacked with Xanet Pailet. She was a successful healthcare lawyer married to an attorney with two children. She lived in a beautiful home in NYC as well as a sexless marriage. At age 45 and no sex for over 15 years, she considered sex as something she was just done with.

Now she is a full time intimacy educator with a fulfilling sex life. You’ll hear about resentment caused pain, the stuck place of indifference, what men are afraid of, medical procedures that can cause painful sex & listener Q & A from my Facebook group.

This episode originally aired March 11, 2024.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 214: WHAT ARE THE RULES OF MONOGAMY? THE PSYCHOLOGIST SWINGER

Guest:

https://www.passionateintimacyretreats.com/

https://www.powerofpleasure.com/

https://www.instagram.com/xanetpop/

https://twitter.com/powerofpleasure

https://www.facebook.com/xanetpop

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

01:00 — What actually counts as “sexless”

03:00 — The “charcuterie board” of intimacy

06:00 — Separate bedrooms, separate lives

07:00 — Never masturbated… until 48

09:00 — When pleasure and anxiety get wired together

10:00 — Medical trauma no one talks about

13:00 — Circumcision, sensation, and what we lose

14:00 — Are some sexual issues permanent?

16:00 — The emotional root of physical pain

17:00 — Why resentment can make sex hurt

18:00 — When your partner feels like your child

20:00 — Masculine vs feminine energy in relationships

22:00 — Why men stop initiating (and don’t say why)

24:00 — Consent confusion and modern dating fears

26:00 — When no sex is… totally fine

27:00 — The menopause “I don’t care anymore” myth

28:00 — When bad sex kills desire completely

31:00 — The surprise return of desire after divorce

33:00 — The real answer: can it survive?

36:00 — Rebuilding intimacy from zero

40:00 — The hidden reality of sex in Japan

41:00 — Should you open the relationship?

43:00 — Sexless dynamics in same-sex couples

45:00 — Porn, gaming, and disconnection

48:00 — Rethinking sex after physical limitations

53:00 — Outercourse, body mapping, and new pathways

55:00 — Menopause, pain, and what actually helps

57:00 — Why “working on it” feels overwhelming

59:00 — The missing piece: non-sexual intimacy

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

Follow me in all the places:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

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meredith@meredithforreal.com

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Can napping replace medication? How do you get your brain to slow down enough to take a nap?

Dr. Hector Rodriguez is a psychiatrist, who views naps as medicine for your brain. He is the owner of the White Butterfly Clinic in Miami, FL. With both an MD and a Masters in theology, he is a psychiatrist who treats the soul, integrating neuroimaging, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based psychotherapies.

In this episode, we discuss why some naps make you feel hung over, the ideal napping window, which kind of nap = which outcome, signs your “8 hours” isn’t’ working, what would happen if high performers gave in to naps & the waking nap strategy.

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 247: IS YOUR FOOD CAUSING YOUR DEPRESSION? NUTRITIONAL PSYCHIATRY

Guest:

https://www.whitebutterflyclinic.com/mag

https://www.instagram.com/doctor_hector

https://www.doctorhector.com/

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

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006047643168

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

01:00 — Do naps actually change your brain?

01:13 — The hidden cost of bad sleep

01:29 — What your hippocampus does while you nap

02:03 — Why naps sometimes feel like a hangover

02:30 — The “right nap” depends on your goal

03:00 — 10 vs 60 vs 90 minutes: what changes

04:43 — Do nap conditions actually matter?

07:02 — Should naps have a “curfew”?

08:34 — The ideal nap window (and why it matters)

08:58 — Would more naps improve mental health?

10:10 — Why fragmented sleep quietly wrecks you

10:51 — Two buckets: fixing sleep vs optimizing it

11:57 — Signs your “8 hours” isn’t working

16:12 — When it’s time to see a professional

17:30 — Which doctor should you actually see?

19:26 — Symptom vs root cause: the real question

20:17 — What if you have sleep apnea already?

22:03 — The truth about finding a doctor who cares

25:34 — How to vet a doctor (for real)

27:30 — Build your own sleep system (not someone else’s)

28:35 — One habit at a time actually works

29:16 — Do the benefits of napping compound?

30:00 — Can naps reduce dementia risk?

30:28 — Can napping replace medication?

32:00 — Why high performers resist naps

32:39 — Napping as a “biohack” trend

38:06 — How to train your brain to nap

41:11 — How to rest in a corporate environment

42:25 — A “waking nap” might be your entry point

42:58 — Should you drink coffee before a nap?

45:12 — Why rest is more than sleep

48:33 — How to work with Dr. Rodriguez

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

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meredith@meredithforreal.com

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Meredith for Real: the curious introvert is now The Curious Introvert!

When I started this show in 2019, there were a few other shows with the words curious & introvert in them, but fewer with the name Meredith.

Now that time has passed, there’s more room in the podcast landscape for a more concise name. So, I introduce you: The curious introvert podcast. It’s still the great content you’ve come to love: curious, nuanced episodes largely featuring experts, philosophers, researchers & journalists to inspect societal taboos & cultural blind spots.

But I also hope to bring you fresh & creative experiments within that framework. Could be new segments, contrasting guest perspectives with somewhat of a debate style episode, man on the street style interviews or ones done at conferences or while traveling.

I’m not sure what the future holds, but I can promise that it will be curious!

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

Follow me in all the places:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/

meredith@meredithforreal.com

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https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

What’s the difference between social anxiety & social anxiety disorder? What should you do if you’re spiraling?

Dr. Ali Mattu was so socially anxious as a child, that he had selective mutism. Since then, he’s become a clinical psychologist specializing in treating anxiety disorders. Wanting to create more accessible mental health education, he created a YouTube channel with over 8.5 million views that helps viewers live a more compassionate, courageous, and connected life. He was the co-host of PBS’s Emmy Nominated Self-Evident, an expert on Netflix + Vox’s The Mind Explained: Anxiety, HBO’s Doctor Commentaries, & A&E’s The Employables.

In this episode, we discuss the difference between social anxiety & social anxiety disorder, where it comes from, how RSD, Autism, Introversion & Reddit come into play & give practical tips to feel grounded.

This episode originally aired May 15, 2023.

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 300: BIOFIELD THERAPY FOR ANXIETY & GRIEF: RECIPE FOR WELLNESS OR PURCHASED PLACEBO?

Guest:

https://www.instagram.com/alimattu/

https://www.facebook.com/dralimattu

http://alimattu.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePsychShow/featured

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

01:12 — Selective mutism (sadly not an X-Men power)

04:05 — Anxiety as evolution’s survival feature

04:48 — Why anxious people thrive in emergencies

05:02 — Social anxiety vs. social anxiety disorder

07:05 — Humans’ real superpower: collaboration

08:05 — The hidden usefulness of everyday social anxiety

09:00 — When social anxiety becomes a disorder

11:00 — Generalized anxiety vs. social anxiety

14:40 — Introversion vs. social anxiety (they’re not the same)

16:35 — Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria explained

20:05 — ADHD, rejection sensitivity, and social anxiety overlap

23:00 — Where social anxiety actually comes from

29:05 — Why social anxiety looks different in everyone

31:10 — Finding your core fear with the “downward arrow”

32:15 — Why identifying the core fear is empowering

33:05 — The terror of large gatherings explained

34:00 — What coping really means (and what it doesn’t)

35:00 — The difference between helpful coping and avoidance

36:00 — The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique for anxiety

38:10 — Supporting a loved one who shuts down socially

41:00 — Helping someone through social anxiety in real time

43:10 — True alarms vs. false alarms in social anxiety

44:05 — Social anxiety within marginalized communities

46:10 — Scaling social support for the mental health crisis

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

Follow me in all the places:

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meredith@meredithforreal.com

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Did the NFL cover up what they knew? Is football causing early dementia?

Mark Fainaru-Wada is an award-winning investigative reporter & journalist with ESPN. He’s also the co- author of League of Denial, the book co-written with his brother, that inspired the Frontline documentary by the same name.

In this episode, you’ll hear how the discovery of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy – CTE – sparked investigations & research & denial. Mark unpacks our culture comfort with violence, the danger of blaming everything on CTE & what it took get the NFL to address concussion injury concerns.

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 204: ARE LOW FAT DIETS HEALTHY? HEART HEALTH & HECKLERS [REMASTERED]

Guest:

https://a.co/d/0iybv8zh

https://youtu.be/SedClkAnclk?si=uAp4KvLWOCSKqGe3

Host:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/

meredith@meredithforreal.com

https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal

https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

01:22 — Has interest in CTE faded since the documentary?

01:38 — The story that launched the investigation

02:37 — Minimization or an actual cover-up?

04:32 — What CTE actually looks like in real life

05:00 — The hidden danger: repetitive hits

07:50 — Why football is harder to confront than smoking

08:43 — Our cultural comfort with violence

11:23 — The difference between TV and the sideline

12:30 — Frequency vs intensity of brain trauma

13:28 — The high percentage of CTE in former players

14:05 — Could anything else cause CTE?

15:02 — When the NFL finally acknowledged the link

16:05 — The lawsuits and congressional pressure

16:33 — Why ESPN supported the investigation

19:12 — “There is no Santa”: confronting fan identity

19:49 — How fans rationalize uncomfortable facts

21:12 — Why some people still call CTE bad science

22:21 — Financial incentives behind the doubt

22:53 — The religious undertones of football culture

23:23 — The gladiator appeal of football players

24:34 — Why football feels mythic in America

25:41 — Why youth football is a separate debate

26:11 — The question every parent asks

27:05 — Why more kids are switching to flag football

27:38 — The NFL’s marketing push toward moms

29:52 — When is tackle football “safe”?

31:26 — New rules to limit head impacts

33:11 — When marketing meets safety messaging

33:44 — Why football can’t admit its core problem

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

Follow me in all the places:

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meredith@meredithforreal.com

https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal

https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert

Is it possible to age without aches & pains? Are some people just cursed with bad genes?

Eileen Kopsaftis is a physical therapist with a Fellowship in Applied Functional Science & a nutrition educator diploma with decades of hands-on work in acute hospital care, outpatient rehab & nursing homes. She is currently serving as a chronic pain & health conditions consultant with Have life-Long Well Being.

In this episode, you’ll hear how to identify real & realistic goals while aging, how mindset & community matter more than you realize, how to navigate your next doctor’s appointment & why your insurance could be limiting your outcomes.

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 251: FOOD ADDICTION: CHARACTER FLAW OR REAL DEPENDENCE? [REMASTERED]

Guest:

https://havelifelongwellbeing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EileenKopsaftisOfficial

Host:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/

meredith@meredithforreal.com

https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal

https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

02:05 — Common vs. Normal Aging

04:18 — Why Modern Life Accelerates Decline

05:05 — “I Might As Well Enjoy Life” Thinking

05:55 — Lessons From Home Health Visits

07:28 — Habits That Predict Independence

08:10 — Compassion vs. Personal Responsibility

08:55 — What Healthy 90-Year-Olds Actually Do

09:40 — “At My Age I Should Rest”

10:45 — The Reality of Nursing Home Dependency

11:30 — Independence Is Not Luck

12:05 — The Social Side of Healthy Aging

13:05 — Finding Friends Who Move

13:55 — Pickleball and the Comeback of Activity

14:50 — Why Mindset Comes First

15:45 — Speaking Aging Into Existence

17:05 — When Pain Disappears Instantly

18:30 — How to Navigate Doctor Visits

23:00 — Lie #1: Tests Equal Answers

25:45 — When Shoulder Pain Starts at the Ankle

26:30 — Whole-Body Problem Solving

27:05 — Why Pain Treatment Often Fails

27:45 — Finding the Right Clinician

30:20 — Insurance vs. Cash Pay Care

32:40 — Why People Think PT “Doesn’t Work”

33:20 — Lie #2: Stop Moving to Stop Pain

34:45 — Shrinking Movement Shrinks Life

35:30 — Bone-on-Bone Pain Explained

37:50 — The Three Biggest Pain Culprits

39:10 — Sitting, Weak Glutes, and Back Pain

39:55 — Why Ankles Cause Knee Problems

41:25 — Lie #3: You Need a Stair-Free Home

42:50 — The Hidden Danger of “Aging in Place” Homes

43:30 —

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

Follow me in all the places:

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How are these abusive teen rehab centers still open? Why are parents still sending their kids there? Can’t they be shut down?

Maia Szalavitz is an award-winning author and journalist who covers addiction and neuroscience. Her book, Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids, is the first comprehensive look at systemic abuse in “tough love” programs and helped spur Congressional hearings & GAO investigations.

In this episode, you’ll hear how the abusive teen rehab centers featured in Netflix’s The Program & Wayward (think Straight Inc., The Seed, Synanon & wilderness camps) began with tough love doctrine, why you can legally treat kids worse than prisoners, why parents aren’t suing & why regulations just don’t stick. We also weave in the perspective of struggling parents who feel that the anti-troubled teen industry is hurting their healing efforts.

If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 248: SURVIVING THE TROUBLED TEEN INDUSTRY: SEPARATING IDENTITY FROM EXPERIENCE [REMASTERED]

Guest:

https://x.com/maiasz

https://maiasz.com/

Resources:

Boy who was raised as a dog https://a.co/d/0bA3dxmi

Pace Center for Girls Pensacola https://www.pacecenter.org/locations/florida/escambia-santa-rosa/

Gulf Coast Kids House https://www.gulfcoastkidshouse.org/

Greenhouse Counseling https://www.ghcpensacola.com/

Host:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/

meredith@meredithforreal.com

https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal

https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert

Sponsors:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/

https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/

02:00 — The cult origins: Synanon begins

04:00 — “I must have needed that” psychology

05:00 — The rattlesnake assassination attempt

07:00 — The Seed and brainwashing teens

08:00 — Straight Incorporated goes national

10:00 — Why parents don’t believe abuse reports

12:00 — Utah wilderness programs rise

13:00 — The death of Aaron Bacon

14:00 — Moral panic & religious fear

15:00 — Good parents, fatal decisions

16:00 — Why regulation keeps failing

17:00 — Regulatory capture in Utah

20:00 — Unannounced inspections change everything

22:00 — Why traumatized kids need gentleness

27:00 — Warehouses of neglect

28:00 — Should therapy have an FDA?

29:00 — Renaming p

Request to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/

Follow me in all the places:

https://www.meredithforreal.com/

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meredith@meredithforreal.com

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