Meredith for Real: the curious introvert

Dr. Benjamin Bergen is a Cognitive Science professor at the University of California San Diego, the author of the book, What the F, and was featured on the Netflix series “The History of Swear Words.” Here he shares what makes a word bad, discusses the future of cussing, the efficacy of word prohibition & the cultural influence of cursing etymology around the world.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 68: CROSS-CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS? LESSONS OF LOVE FROM YOUTUBE CREATOR DATING BEYOND BORDERSGuest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-bergen-a89b763/  | https://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-K-Bergen/e/B00DVR8POC/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dskHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Dr. Diana Walsh Pasulka is a Professor of religious history at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her research focuses on religion and technology, but it was her research about purgatory specifically that lead her to UFO culture, a journey she documents in her book, American Cosmic. Here she helps us understand the connection between tech, religion & aliens, explains why you might think about something & then see it show up in your life & why some Christians get offended at the idea of interplanetary life.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 95: THE PENTAGON SAID UFOS ARE REAL?! SPAGHETTI & COSTCOGuest: https://twitter.com/dwpasulka | https://www.amazon.com/D-W-Pasulka/e/B07NL6KZN5/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dskHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli is a  zero waste consultant and executive director of Common Ground Compost, a New York organization dedicated to waste reduction through zero waste program design, staff training, education, advocacy, collection & compost. Here she explains how trash & recycling really work, the socioeconomic dynamics in environmental causes & how we can be less trashy.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 118: GMO MOSQUITOES?! ETHICS, DISEASE BURDEN & THE FUTUREGuest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithdf/ | https://www.instagram.com/_garbagequeen_/ | https://www.instagram.com/commoncompost/ | https://www.facebook.com/commongroundcompost | https://commongroundcompost.com/ Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Sister Kate of Sisters of the Valley shares how she went from homeless to housing others & why she transitioned away from THC products to a CBD model & now mushroom coffee as well. We talk about being inspired by the beguine sisters of Northern Europe, the occupy movement, moon ceremonies & privatizing sexuality.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 120: HOLY SMOKE: THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH OF CANNABISGuest: https://twitter.com/sistersofcbd | https://www.instagram.com/sistersofthevalley/ | https://www.facebook.com/sistersofthevalley/ | https://www.sistersofthevalley.org/Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Matt Shifrin is a rock climber, podcaster, TedTalk speaker, musical composer & inventor. He’s also blind. He shares how he invented Lego instructions for the blind & how legos helped him rock climb. He also shares how his experience of the world differs from a sighted person in situations like getting a Lyft & crossing the street & how he’s using technology to “see” facial expressions.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 41: TWO-TIME QUADRIPLEGIC? FOOTBALL PLAYER TO COMMUNITY CHANGE MAKER

Introverts are notorious for having a few close friends. Extroverts are known for having many friends, but none very close. Adam Smiley Poswolsky gives tips for both as we discuss the friendship gap, a term to describe being “connected” in a digital age, while experiencing heightened loneliness. He’s a speaker & author of Friendship in the Age of Loneliness. He answers the question, What IS friendship?, Can I have opposite sex friends? & gives practical strategies to deepen relationships you already have.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 121: PROFESSIONAL CUDDLER? HUGGING, HORMONES & BODY AUTONOMYGuest: https://smileyposwolsky.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamsposwolsky/ | https://twitter.com/whatsupsmiley https://www.instagram.com/whatsupsmiley/Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Is the “ick” factor of cannibalism nature or nurture? Bill Schutt, a PhD zoologist & author of, answers this question by sharing the history of human cannibalism. He’s also the author of Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History. We discuss why accounts of historic cannibalism may have been exaggerated, cannibalism in Europe, eating placenta & taking holy communion.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 114: HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M INDIGENOUS? MAN DISCOVERS HE’S NATIVE ROYALTYGuest: https://www.reddit.com/user/incrediblyShinyShartHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

When the Redditor known as Incrediblyshinyshart lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident & had to have it amputated, he made an unusual choice – to eat it. He shares his thoughts on mourning, cannibalism & why eating part of his own body was life-changing.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 117: CHIN TATTOOS: HEALING & SOVEREIGNTY IN ALASKAGuest: https://www.reddit.com/user/incrediblyShinyShartHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Rob Baedeker is the co-author of What to Talk About: On a Plane, at a Cocktail Party, in a Tiny Elevator with Your Boss's Boss. In this episode, he shares how to break free of the sleep-inducing conversation templates we've all had on repeat, deal with awkward political discussions & keep the conversational spark alive with our friends & family by converting small talk into real talk.If you liked this episode, you'll also like episode 127: THE OUTGOING INTROVERT PARADOX: INSIGHTS & TIPSGuest: https://standdeliver.com/ | https://twitter.com/robbaedeker | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-baedeker-55bb219/Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

The thought of collecting hair is reserved in our minds for the worst episodes of Hoarders, but Lisa Gautier of Matter of Trust is using discarded hair to clean up the ocean. In this episode, she explains how her organization discovered mats & booms made of human & animal hair were super oil absorbers, who is using them, how they are disposed of  & how they’re using a politically agnostic social media platform for data collection.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 12: CURING FEAR WITH SHARKS: A LIFE UNCAGEDGuest: https://matteroftrust.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/matteroftrust/ | https://www.facebook.com/matteroftrust.org/ | https://www.youtube.com/user/matteroftrust | https://twitter.com/MatterOfTrustHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: Watch me on TV https://bit.ly/3ImiTat |   https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/