This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comAbbey and Liam have been married for over a decade, and have been exploring an open relationship for most of that time. They are unusually thoughtful, open, and articulate about the joys, challenges, and surprises they've encountered along the way. You can learn more about them here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Paid version: …

Mark is a good dude who has lived a good life. You can see it in his face. Not a life without challenge or disappointment, but a life of meaning and purpose and love and kindness. (How could a “good life” ever be free of challenge and disappointment?) I really enjoy hanging out with this guy. We talk travel, music, film, theater, Manhattan in the 80s and 90s, Crestone in the 2000s…. Life, death — all the juicy stuff.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. “Brazil,”by Django Reinhardt; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

In an age where we’re told to always strive for efficiency, monetization, and TOTAL OPTIMIZATION, doing something purely for the fuck of it becomes a subversive, revolutionary act. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Paleontologist-Futurist Michael Garfield is devoted to helping navigate our age of accelerating weirdness and helping cultivate the curiosity and play we'll need to thrive in it. As host and producer of Future Fossils Podcast, Michael refuses to be enslaved by a single perspective, creative medium, or intellectual community, walking through the walls between academia and festival culture, theory and practice — speaking and performing everywhere from Moogfest to Burning Man, SXSW to Boom Festival, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to Long Now's Ignite Talks to The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Transition music: “Olympus Mons,” by Michael Garfield. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Mark Nelson is an American ecologist and author based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His research focuses on closed ecological system research, ecological engineering, restoration of damaged ecosystems, and wastewater recycling. Nelson was one of the eight original crew members of Biosphere 2 in 1991. Marks books can be found here and here.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range; “If I had a Million Dollars,” by Barenaked Ladies; Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

I met this incredible woman over a decade ago (ep 87), when she was in a very difficult spot, suffering from constant pain, unable to move or care for herself. She was preparing to die. In the years since, I’ve seen the light in her grow stronger and stronger. She’s recovered from severe scleroderma, written a book about her journey, been profiled on a Netflix series, featured in Gabor Maté's NYT bestseller The Myth of Normal, and continuously explored her inner world with the help of sacred plants (ayahuasca) and other modalities. Her initiation into the world of healing by way of her own near death experience is as authentically “shamanic” as anything I’m aware of in the modern world.You can learn more about the retreat she’s leading in Costa Rica here.This video of Mee Ok and Gabor Mate will give you a sense of the incredible journey my friend is taking. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Russell Brand, in search of universal human values, explores ethics, cultural perspectives, and non-monogamous relationships. Reflects on mortality, authenticity, and societal shifts towards centralized power. Discusses the challenges of modern food consumption and the confusion surrounding masculinity and femininity.

Bill first picked up a camera in 1965, at age 20, little knowing that photography would become his profession. Since then camera work has taken him to India, China, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Alaska, Egypt, Ireland, Bhutan, Zambia, Chilean Patagonia and the American West. Bill’s images have appeared in magazines, books, calendars, newspapers, catalogs, annual reports.  In 1995 Bill moved to the San Luis Valley, took up residence in a travel trailer near Crestone, Colorado and started building a strawbale house.Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range. Outro: “Smoke Alarm,” by Carsie Blanton. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chrisryan.substack.com/subscribe

Neil Strauss, a best-selling writer, discusses his new podcast 'To Die For' on Russian sex espionage. The podcast explores dark realities of exploitation, manipulation, cult behavior, and power dynamics. It delves into the impact of Spotify's AI algorithms on music culture and reflects on art creation and technology companies influencing modern art forms.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comA “director’s cut” of one of my most popular posts on Substack: What We Fall in When We Fall in Love. The Raymond Carver story I mention is in this collection. Music (paid version): “Trampoline,” by Joe Henry.