Aella: escort work, home school, rationalism, circling, working in a factory, losing faith, polls and endless questions | Podcast

Aella is perhaps most famous on twitter for shining a light on the life and economics of Camgirls and escorts; and asking challenging questions. But her independent research is larger than that and has encompassed reporting on LSD and psychedelics use, circling, the nature of faith, and enlightenment. She grew up homeschooled in a fundamental Christian household before leaving home at 17.

The transcript and conversation includes adult themes and mild profanity from Aella and is recommended 18+.

We discuss what is most misunderstood about escort work and the additional needs of men such as emotional intimacy. How Aella thinks of her own compartmentalisation.

What you should say about male anatomy size. How insecurity can go both ways on male thinking on size.

What Aella thinks about Twitter and making questions and polls.

What it was like to have ideas you took for granted completely turned on their head. For instance, what she was taught to think of gays.

We chatted about her interest in psychedelics, speaking to people who think they are enlightened and spirituality. And what that intersection with rationality is for her.

She discusses several viewpoints of the Rationalist community and her views on Effective Altruism. Her thoughts on archaeology and  thinking about moral arguments in their place in time.

Why she feels to strongly about home school.

Her thoughts on losing faith.

What it was like working in a factory, and what the point of secret messages she scratched at her work were.

How she has struggled with cultural norms.

How she answers some of her own questions:

You're in a room with 10,000 people. You get to ask three binary questions. Yes or no.  For each question, the people who answer the question according to the way you want, they stay and the people who don't leave the room.  What do you ask?

We play underrated / overrated on these topics:

• Accordion
• Ballroom Dancing
• Pronouns
• Abalone
• Sweating on command

She talks about emotional pain and tells me what the practice of circling is all about.

We end on what her research interests are and what her life advice is.

Transcript and video here.

Ben's Twitter here.