The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Grammy winning musician Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and music industry savant George Howard chat with Trey Elling about revolutionizing the way music is made with blockchain, through Song That Owns Itself, or STOI. Topics include: An explanation of STOI (1:37) The meaning behind Darryl’s new song, “Million Scars” (4:36) The root of Darryl’s willingness to share his struggles with his fans (7:12) What people can do at STOI.org (12:09) A favorite memory Darryl has from his time in Austin (12:54)

Olympic gold medalist Brittney Reese chats with Trey Elling, prior to her appearance at SXSW 2022. Reese won a gold and two silver medals in long jump during her four Olympic performances for the US. The conversation includes: Speaking at South By as part of a panel on serving as a brand ambassador while staying true to yourself (1:15) Growing up in Mississippi (2:21) The importance of her grandfather, beginning in childhood (3:41) When she realized she was good enough at track to pursue it in college and as a professional (4:56) Getting back into track after initially choosing to play basketball in college (6:12) Why she eventually decided to focus strictly on long jump (8:21) Lessons learned from falling short of the goal during her first Olympics in 2008 (10:25) Winning gold at the 2012 Olympics (12:00) Her happiest moment away from the track (13:52) Setting the American indoor long jump record (14:54) Settling for silver at the 2016 Olympics (15:50) The weirdness surrounding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (17:39) Whether she's dealing with the void that arises for a lot of athletes, after they retire (19:10) What fuels her numerous humanitarian efforts (20:09)

Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher Andrew Zimmern chats with Trey Elling, ahead of several appearances at SXSW 2022. The guys discuss: Andrew returning to Austin for the first time since before the pandemic (1:15) Ways in which food and culture may come together in the future that isn't being talked about enough now (2:19) "Big Food" (13:30) The roots of Andrew's efforts as a humanitarian (22:27) Why restaurants will never adhere to the 'extra crispy" request for Trey's bacon (31:58)

Former RAF fighter pilot and founder/CEO of Red 6 Daniel Robinson chats with Trey Elling about his love of flying, building a "military metaverse", and the issues surrounding Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. Daniel is taking part in a SXSW session on Saturday afternoon, March 12th, titled "Building the Military Metaverse" at Capital Factory. And you don't need a credential to attend! To RSVP, click HERE.

Gamers First co-founder/CEO and former NFL pro Kenny Vaccaro chats with Trey Elling about his panel discussion at SXSW 2022, titled "Gamers: The New Icons of Pop Culture & Fashion". Gamers First, or G1, is Austin's first professional eSports team. Kenny talks about his entry into professional gaming, the unique challenges and joys of providing leadership in the industry, and some Texas Longhorns and NFL football talk. 

Financial journalist and bestselling author Christopher Leonard chats with Trey Elling about THE LORDS OF EASY MONEY: HOW THE FEDERAL RESERVE BROKE THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. The conversation examines how the Federal Reserve's actions over the past 12 years have set the US and world up for an unthinkable financial catastrophe.

Neuroscientists and sleep/dream experts Antonio Zadra (University of Montreal) and Robert Stickgold (Harvard University) join Trey Elling for a second time to discuss WHEN BRAINS DREAM: UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE AND MYSTERY OF OUR DREAMING MINDS. The book is now available in paperback. To hear Tony and Bob's first conversation with Books on Pod, click HERE.

Independent investigative journalist Alexander Zaitchik chats with Trey Elling about OWNING THE SUN: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF MONOPOLY MEDICINE FROM ASPRIN TO COVID-19 VACCINES.

Parenting and childhood education expert Julie Bogart chats with Trey Elling about RAISING CRITICAL THINKERS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING WISE KIDS IN THE DIGITAL AGE.

US intelligence expert Amy B. Zegart chats with Trey Elling about SPIES, LIES, AND ALGORITHMS: THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE. Topics include: The US intel perspective on Russia's war on Ukraine (1:37) The use of cyber warfare in this conflict (3:29) An element of cyber warfare that US intel was slow to understand (4:42) DC and Silicon Valley improving their relationships for the good of cyber warfare (5:43) George Washington actually proving to be an adept liar, especially on the battlefield (7:33) Improvements to intel gathering by the American Civil War (9:02) How the attack on Pearl Harbor shaped intelligence (10:28) The CIA's original intent upon its founding in 1947 and how quickly it became something else (11:34) How George Church and his 1970s Church Commission further shaped US intel agencies (12:41) What it looks like when an Congressional oversight committee does well with the intelligence agencies (14:28) Why the long-running disfunction between agencies got worse between the end of the Cold War and 9/11 (16:22) How 'unknown unknowns' shape decision-making (17:33) Whether intelligence is inherently secretive (19:17) The most common characteristic among intelligence officers (20:42) Finding Bin Laden as an example of forgetting everything you known to learn the truth (22:56) Asymmetrical information as a tool in making accurate predictions (24:35) The point where the amount of information goes from helpful to overwhelming when making predictions (26:12) Groupthink (one of Amy's 'seven deadly biases') negatively affecting the US intel community's read on Iraq and WMDs earlier this century (27:30) How to frame a problem in a manner that helps to avoid those biases (28:44) The secret of 'superforecasters' (30:06) Whether artificial intelligence is better at analyzing data than humans (31:18) The definition of 'counterintelligence' (32:46) The benefits of counterintelligence done well (33:04) Why intelligence agencies still use polygraphs when the technology has been proven as unreliable (33:47) How technology caused a counterintelligence crisis for the US in China a decade ago (36:43) Why 'covert action' is such a hotly debated topic within the intel community (38:02) How it's both good and bad that intelligence and war fighting are much more connected (41:34) What the public gets wrong about US intel agencies and officers dues to the liberties Hollywood takes with their depictions in movies and tv shows (43:22) ZERO DARK THIRTY as an example of Hollywood taking major liberties with 'truth' (46:04) How it's decided which information gets classified and who makes those decisions (47:25) Why chapter nine, titled "Intelligence Isn't Just For Governments Anymore", focused on nuclear threats (48:40) What Amy thinks will happen with our response to Russia in the coming days, weeks, and months (51:06) Whether China will take this opportunity to gain more of a stranglehold on Taiwan (52:31)