I was Listening to this Podcast...

Months — maybe years ago at this point, time doesn’t make sense to me anymore — my friends mocked me because I would start far too many conversations with, “I was watching this documentary…” and then I would begin a diatribe about whatever topic I had just learned about.

Throughout the pandemic, I’ve found myself listening to hours of podcasts, and now relating conversations back to stories I’ve heard on podcasts. *Spoiler Alert: It’s all Armchair Expert and in real life I talk about Dax and Monica like we’re friends. I love them. I started to like Armchair Expert because it was interesting hearing celebrities be vulnerable, but I’m now in love with the show because they bring on really compelling authors, doctors and experts in a variety of fields to tell compelling personal narratives related to their subject matter expertise.

Here are bits I’ve found most interesting lately while listening to Armchair Expert

And no pressure, but please enjoy this list extra because it took me decades of transcribing my favorite quotes for accuracy. Then, after linking all the title of the podcasts out to their specific episode, I figured out how to recast and embed just the portion I want to share with you (so please use whichever option tickles your fancy).

George Saunders on Armchair Expert

“Most of our life is a lot of mental phenomenon. You’re you got your monkey mind going, and you’re thinking, and you’re positioning yourself and you’re defending yourself, all of which is kind of delusional. And then you bump into another person who’s doing the same thing, and hilarity ensues.”

— George Saunders

George Saunders (A Swim in a Pond in the Rain) is a #1 New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author. George joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the mental phenomena of life, farting in an elevator, and romanticizing everything as a writer.

George Saunders is an author, which meant I was very into this episode. I loved hearing about his process, the way he views the world and about perceptions. It also tied in very closely to a training I was doing at work. It was about fostering an outward mindset, where you basically spend three days working to reframe your world to be more ‘out-of-the-box.’ It really reminded me that so often, what context I add to a situation might not exist, and often I’m not the center of the universe (no matter how much I want to be).

George’s quote about how life gets kind of weird when our delusions meet with other people’s delusions, it reinforced that training to really think about how much time we spend in our own heads, constructing a narrative that is likely not a reality for anyone else. We spend so much time in our own perceptions and as the central character in our story, that it’s really important to sometimes take a step back from that and break out from your own constructed reality.

Ibram X. Kendi on Armchair Expert

“They were trafficking constantly in those ideas — those racist ideas. So then these states remove those guns safety protocols and and white men began accumulating weapons and then what we begin to see statistically is a rise in white male suicides by handgun. You see the states who kept these gun safety laws in place versus the states that removed them and you see this spike in white male suicide, primarily white male, to the level of black mail homicides That’s how much is happening right now, very quietly.”

— Ibram X. Kendi

Ibram X. Kendi is an American author and historian who teaches at American University. From July 2020, Kendi will join Boston University to launch the BU Center for Antiracist Research. Ibram sits down with the Armchair Expert to discuss the definitions of racism vs.

I have really appreciated that Armchair Expert has made a continued commitment to bring in Black voices, and loved heard from Ibram X. Kendi, who is an author and historian. I was shocked when he began discussing how white men’s fear of minorities, paired with slackening gun laws, created an unintended outcome of a rising suicide rate.

It’s a truly fascinating, sad and terrible fact that I’ve thought a lot about since hearing it. While I think we should all agree racism is bad without needing to demonstrate how it’s bad for everyone and not just those being prejudiced against, I had never considered how racism really is an occurrence where absolutely no one wins, not even the perpetrator.

Michael Eric Dyson on Armchair Expert

“There is nothing better than a white guy who realizes he messed up and he wants to do the right thing and you leave him in office because you forgave him. He’s going to be your friend. I said this dude is going to be your friend, man... And I’m telling you, I was like a prophet... When you don’t cancel people, they don’t cancel your prospects or your future or they learn — they’re appreciative of being forgiven — they are human and we all make mistakes. If you show grace, they can help run the race, then you got space to do your thing.”

— Michael Eric Dyson

Michael Eric Dyson is a professor, ordained minister, political commentator, and the author of seven New York Times bestsellers. Michael joins the Armchair Expert to discuss preaching at the National Cathedral on the King's Sunday, the transition from going to an inner-city segregated school to a school with rich white kids, and how the church became a lifeline for him.

Michael Eric Dyson was a perfect podcast guest. He was so easy to listen to, and meshes together his professor and preacher background into a really compelling episode. When I heard him bring up the example I quoted above, I immediately had to relisten. I won’t talk politics at all, but this example really illuminated to me a powerful example of resisting cancel culture. I can’t imagine how difficult it was to resist cancelling him, but it really demonstrates that by giving people the opportunity to recover from a mistake, they can learn and do better for those who show grace.

Erin Meyer on Armchair Expert

“If you want to be noticed, you have to start contributing in meetings. You know — whatever you say — it doesn’t matter. Just speak, speak up. That’s a very strange message.”

— Erin Meyer

Erin Meyer (The Culture Map, No Rules Rules) is an author and professor at the INSEAD Business School, based in Paris. Erin joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how feedback is interpreted differently in various cultures, who the most direct and confrontational culture is, and how to move beyond stereotypes to understand the more complex issues we are unaware are affecting us.

Erin Meyer is an author and professor who discussed culture in the workplace. With all eyes on how all companies focus on diversity, inclusion and equity, I really enjoyed all of the examples in this episode. If you work in a corporate job that works in global markets, dare I say it this episode is a must listen!

The meeting example resonate with me so much because I often find myself doing that in school. I want the teacher to know I’m listening (slash I want the participation grade). I find myself thinking of something to say, instead of listening or speaking only when I actually have something valuable to say.

Another example in this episode that I thought was really interesting was about eye contact. Something that seems so universal is actually used very differently.

I could endlessly keep going on Armchair episodes I think you should listen to, but if these are not to your taste…

Here are a few other podcasts I like:

• Crime Junkie: It can be a bit scripted at times, but quick, easy episodes to get your murder stories quota in.

• Life is Short: Very similar to Armchair! Justin Long talks to celebrities about life and it is an easy listen.

• Unwanted: This show is very off from my normal listening patterns, but I heard about it on Armchair, so gave it a listen. It’s a fiction podcast featuring Lamorne Morris (Winston from New Girl).

What shows have you been listening to lately? Drop your suggestions in the comments for me!