Back to the People with Nicole Shanahan

Richard Ryan, a software developer and co-founder of Black Rifle Coffee Company, reveals how social media algorithms manipulate our attention like casinos do with gamblers. He discusses his book, The Warrior's Garden, highlighting how bright visuals and unpredictable rewards keep us hooked. Ryan shares his personal screen-time reckoning and offers practical strategies, including setting boundaries and using hacks like grayscale screens to reduce consumption. He emphasizes the importance of community, purpose, and offline activities to reclaim our focus and well-being.

Max McLean, a celebrated stage actor and founder of the Fellowship for Performing Arts, dives into the profound themes of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. He shares his personal journey to Christianity and how it shaped his theatrical adaptation. McLean discusses transforming Lewis's complex prose into relatable theater, exploring the nuances of temptation and moral choices. He reflects on the timely relevance of Lewis's insights, the psychological depth of the work, and the exciting potential for a film adaptation, alongside discussions on spiritual growth and cultural authority.

Virginia Robinson and her family moved to Camp Lejeune in 1959, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. She raised her children there and dedicated 25 years of her life working on base, never knowing that the very place where she lived, worked, and built her family was slowly poisoning them. For decades, toxic chemicals such as PCE and TCE contaminated the water and air at Camp Lejeune. No one warned the families. And for Virginia, the consequences have been devastating. Virginia has endured a battle for her life that has spanned more than 40 years. She survived leukemia, colon cancer while pregnant, and two separate diagnoses of breast cancer. In 2023, she faced liver cancer, kidney cancer, and yet another fight with breast cancer, all at the same time. The tragedy has stretched across her family. Her husband passed away in 2014, her daughter followed just five months later, and her father developed Parkinson’s. Her daughter was born with a spinal tumor and died young from bladder cancer. All of them were exposed to Camp Lejeune’s poisoned water. Virginia’s suffering has been relentless, but so has her courage. Out of five siblings, she was the only one plagued by repeated cancers. Despite loss, grief, and years of illness, she refuses to give up. “Camp Lejeune never told us the truth,” she has said, but she still believes she can win this fight for herself, for her family, and for every victim who was left in the dark. For decades, families like hers have been ignored, their pain dismissed, and their sacrifices forgotten. Ashley Keller is a founding partner of Keller Postman LLC and one of the nation’s leading trial and appellate lawyers. At Keller Postman, he helps guide strategic direction across the firm’s wide-ranging docket, which includes product liability, antitrust, class action, and arbitration matters. He is a recognized leader in product-liability litigation and currently serves as court-appointed co-lead counsel in the Acetaminophen multidistrict litigation in the Southern District of New York. Ashley also represents numerous states in antitrust litigation against Google, challenging its dominance in online display advertising. He has played a key role in the development of Keller Postman’s arbitration practice, which has secured millions of dollars in settlements for employees and consumers nationwide. Before founding Keller Postman, Ashley co-founded Gerchen Keller Capital, which became the largest private investment manager focused on legal and regulatory risk. He was previously a partner at Bartlit Beck, where he litigated high-stakes securities, patent, and mass tort cases. Ashley clerked for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court and Judge Richard Posner on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, earned his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and graduated first in his class from the University of Chicago Law School. Keller has been recognized as a Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazer by the National Law Journal and has been listed among Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America. He will be representing Virginia Robinson in her fight for justice in the Camp Lejeune case. With gratitude to our sponsors: RA Opticshttps://raoptics.com/bttpUse Code: BTTP-----Sky Horse Publishinghttps://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/-----Sign Uphttps://www.backtothepeople.net

John Rich is an American country singer-songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur known for his outspoken conservative views and community advocacy. After rising to fame with the band Lonestar and as half of the duo Big & Rich, Rich earned acclaim both as a performer and the songwriter behind numerous country hits for major artists. He is a three-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year and has built successful ventures in music, television, and business.Within the country music industry, Rich routinely calls out the perceived silencing of conservative voices, opposing trends he believes marginalize patriotism and traditional values. He defends political independence for Nashville’s artists and frequently weaves right-leaning themes into protest songs such as “Shut Up About Politics” and “The Devil & the TVA.” Rich is also known for his willingness to challenge both Democrats and members of his own party—publicly supporting candidates who buck the Republican establishment and calling for accountability regardless of party alignment.Rich has become a prominent advocate for grassroots causes, especially in Tennessee, where he often champions property rights and individual liberties. He is recognized for supporting Republican leaders, most notably Donald Trump, and frequently uses his platform to encourage civic engagement, defend free speech in entertainment, and call for ordinary citizens to have a stronger voice in government decisions. With gratitude to our sponsors: RA Opticshttps://raoptics.com/bttpUse Code: BTTP-----Sky Horse Publishinghttps://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/-----Sign Uphttps://www.backtothepeople.net

Annelise E. Barron is the W.M. Keck Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Her lab focuses on human host defense peptides (antimicrobial peptides), particularly LL-37, studying their biophysics, mechanisms of infection defense, and roles in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The group also develops biostable peptoid mimics of LL-37 as potential therapeutics for antibiotic-resistant infections, including neurological, respiratory, and ocular diseases. Past work includes creating mimics of lung surfactant proteins for pneumonia treatment and ventilator-associated lung injury prevention.Dr. Barron’s research extends to the pathogenic mechanisms of COVID-19 and the links between innate immunity, metabolic health, and susceptibility to viral and polymicrobial infections. She is broadly interested in systems-level analyses of complex human diseases.She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington, Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, and completed postdoctoral work at UCSF and Chiron Corp. She joined Stanford in 2007 after a decade on Northwestern University’s faculty. Her awards include the NIH Pioneer Award (2020), Oskar Fischer Award (2022), PECASE (1999), Beckman Young Investigator Award (1999), and Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (1998). She has published over 177 papers (H-index: 58) and co-founded five biotechnology companies. With gratitude to our sponsors: RA Opticshttps://raoptics.com/bttpUse Code: BTTP-----Sky Horse Publishinghttps://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/-----Sign Uphttps://www.backtothepeople.net

Chandler Crump is a 20-year-old Gen Z commentator, artist, and activist whose political journey began at age 14 when he attended Turning Point USA’s Young Black Leadership Summit. At that event, TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk told him that he was his “No. 1 fan,” and that it didn’t matter how young he was, that he could still stand and fight for his beliefs. That moment of encouragement inspired Chandler to immerse himself in the conservative movement, and he has since many more TPUSA events. Today, he credits TPUSA with shaping both his worldview and his commitment to advancing the conservative principles of individual liberty, free markets, and open dialogue.

Alex Lee Moyer is a filmmaker, director, and editor best known for probing contemporary subcultures and difficult cultural topics. She started her creative career editing music videos and documentaries, including The New Radical (2017), and gained acclaim for her directorial debut TFW NO GF (2020), a documentary examining the lives of young men immersed in online subcultures. Her second feature, Alex's War (2022), explores the controversial figure Alex Jones, offering a candid look at the polarizing media personality and larger themes of information, trust, and cultural division. Moyer is the founder of Onset Creative, her own production company, intended as an incubator for ambitious and culturally relevant film projects. With gratitude to our sponsors: RA Opticshttps://raoptics.com/bttpUse Code: BTTP-----Sky Horse Publishinghttps://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/-----Sign Uphttps://www.backtothepeople.net

Kaizen Asiedu, a Harvard Philosophy graduate and Emmy Award winner, shares insights on civil discourse in today’s polarized climate. He discusses the call for authenticity in politics and the importance of accountability, especially for younger generations facing economic challenges. Drawing from his journey in esports to life coaching, he emphasizes the need for nuanced conversations about race and compassion. Kaizen advocates for personal responsibility, urging individuals to recognize their role in societal issues while fostering critical thinking skills to combat media bias.

Deborah A. Conrad is a physician assistant from Rochester, NY, who was dismissed from United Memorial Medical Center (Rochester Regional Health) in October 2021 after fulfilling her legal duty to report COVID-19 vaccine adverse events to VAERS. She has filed a landmark False Claims Act lawsuit against her former employer, challenging institutional suppression of reporting. As of March 2025, her case has survived a motion to dismiss and has advanced into discovery. With gratitude to our sponsors: RA Opticshttps://raoptics.com/bttpUse Code: BTTP ---- Sky Horse Publishinghttps://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/ ----- Sign Uphttps://www.backtothepeople.net

Miles Wallace is a first-generation fisherman who has dedicated his life to sustainably diving and fishing off the California coast. The ocean is more than his livelihood — it is where he now raises his family and where he finds his deepest sense of purpose. From the kelp forests of the Channel Islands to the rugged drop-offs of the Pacific, Miles works with care and respect, knowing the future of our oceans depends on the choices we make today. Unlike large-scale industrial operations, Miles relies on low-impact, hands-on practices. As a vocal advocate for honest labeling, regenerative fishing practices, and family-owned operations, Miles represents a new generation of fishermen committed to safeguarding the ocean for the future. With gratitude to our sponsors: RA Opticshttps://raoptics.com/bttpUse Code: BTTP ----- Sky Horse Publishinghttps://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/ ----- Sign Uphttps://www.backtothepeople.net