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

Neuroscience expert and storyteller Ginny Smith chats with Trey Elling about OVERLOADED: HOW EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE IS INFLUENCED BY YOUR BRAIN CHEMICALS. Questions include: How do sea slugs help us better understand human memory? (02:40) Why is dopamine not necessarily the pleasure chemical? (06:30) What causes some people to urinate themselves when scared? (10:29) Why do we sleep? (25:37) How does coffee wake us up, and why does it lose its effect over time? (29:48) Chemically speaking, why do people overeat? (32:52) Does swearing help with pain? (35:17)

Former mayor of Cleveland, US congressman, and Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich chats with Trey Elling about THE DIVISION OF LIGHT AND POWER. The book chronicles Dennis' political rise in Cleveland, fueled by his desire to keep the city from selling its municipal electricity system to a private interest. The fight led to many powerful enemies and more than one attempt on his life, also ultimately costing him two marriages. Dennis and Trey discuss these details and much more.

For the second episode of our NO BOOKS REQUIRED series, Trey Elling chats with Mike Leach, aka 'the Bill Murray of college football'. Questions include: Does Mike like Zoom calls? (01:42) Is he ever asked about his 'fat girlfriends' quote? (02:47) How does Gardner Minshew impress him? (09:07) Why did actor Jim Caviezel visit him in Starkville during the spring? (15:56) What does Mike's plan for expanding the college football playoff to 64 teams look like? (18:06) And just how believable is the internet rumor that Craig James killed five hookers while playing football at SMU? (30:58)

Wildlife biologist, National Geographic journalist, and bestselling author Doug Chadwick chats with Trey Elling about FOUR-FIFTHS A GRIZZLY: A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON NATURE THAT MIGHT JUST SAVE US ALL. What has the human population explosion of the past fifty years done to plant- and animal life? Just how genetically similar are we to other creatures? Why are grizzlys, elephants, and colony insects so impressive? What are the physiological benefits of being out in nature? And how can we take simple steps to positively impact all other lifeforms? Doug and Trey discuss these things and much more.

The Daily Show's CJ Hunt & Roy Wood Jr join Trey Elling for episode #2 of Docs on Pod to discuss their documentary, THE NEUTRAL GROUND. The film, directed by Hunt and executive produced by Wood, chronicles the multi-year fight that led to the removal of several statues in New Orleans that honored Confederate figures. During that time, Hunt explored the strong feelings on both sides of the issue, including taking part in a Civil War reenactment and visiting a plantation museum that shared its history from the slaves' perspective. THE NEUTRAL GROUND premieres on PBS on July 5th, as the first episode of the 34th season of POV. 

New York Times bestselling author and science/psychology/human behavior journalist Claudia Kalb chats with Trey Elling about SPARK: HOW GENIUS IGNITES, FROM CHILD PRODIGIES TO LATE BLOOMERS. Did you know that Picasso and Yo Yo Ma discovered their brilliance in childhood? Or that the bubonic plague factored into Sir Isaac Newton's coming of age in his early 20s? Or how Julia Child's "middle-agedness" contributed to her appeal? And that Peter Mark Roget created the first edition of his famous thesaurus in his 70s, after a successful career in medicine? Claudia and Trey discuss these things plus the circumstances and attributes that assist in an individual's genius.

Lawyer, political commentator, and author Daniel Levin chats with Trey Elling about PROOF OF LIFE: TWENTY DAYS ON THE HUNT FOR A MISSING PERSON IN THE MIDDLE EAST. The book describes Daniel's attempts to locate someone who went missing in war-torn Syria, one of the most dangerous and hopeless places on the planet, as well as those heroes and villains he met along the way. Daniel and Trey talk about some of those details.

For episode #1 of our 'No Books Required' series, we're joined by Dr. Maya Shankar. Maya is a cognitive scientist, former Obama White House senior advisor, and the host of the new podcast, A SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS. Maya chats with Trey Elling about why she decided to enter the podcasting realm, learning about situations that inspired change from people like Kacey Musgraves, Tiffany Haddish, and Tommy Caldwell; significant change she's experienced in her own life, changing how the government influences decisions thru cognitive science, and more.

Personal trainer and Mind Pump podcast co-host Sal Di Stefano chats with Trey Elling about THE RESISTANCE TRAINING REVOLUTION. Why is steady-state cardio an inefficient form of exercise? How does resistance training improve hormone levels, depression, and anxiety? Are doing reps to failure and working out until you're really sore actually bad strategies? What is intuitive eating? Sal and Trey discuss all of this and much more.

University of British Columbia philosophy professor and bestselling author Edward Slingerland chats with Trey Elling about DRUNK: HOW WE SIPPED, DANCED, AND STUMBLED OUR WAY TO CIVILIZATION. Did you know that alcohol production may haven pre-dated and even inspired early agricultural practices? Or that the right amount of alcohol allows us to become more creative, cultural, and communal? Speaking of, what is that 'right' amount before booze becomes destructive? Plus, why do some cultures have significantly lower rates of alcoholism than others? And how much of this book was written while tipsy? Ted and Trey discuss all of this and much more.