Meredith for Real: the curious introvert

The highlight of teenage Tony Dushane’s existence was the short car ride with his crush as they were dropped off to preach door to door. In this episode, he shares the negative impact purity culture within the Jehovah’s Witness community had on his family, the awkward moments he can laugh at (& made a film from) & the advice he would give if he had a teenager.This episode originally aired July 5, 2021.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 191: DISENTANGLING FAITH FROM RELIGIOUS TRAUMARequest to join my private Facebook group to give your opinion & participate in giveaways https://www.facebook.com/groups/mfrcuriousinsiders/Guest: www.tonydushane.com | http://www.drinkswithtony.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/tonydushane/ | https://www.youtube.com/user/DrinksWithTony | https://www.facebook.com/Confessions-of-a-Teenage-Jesus-Jerk-93141619869/Novel Writing Workshop via Zoom March 18 - May 6, 2024 6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern - $375 https://www.tonydushane.com/novel/Screenwriting Workshop online asynchronous April 8 - June 3, 2024 - $475 https://www.tonydushane.com/screenplayFeature Film I at UCLA online asynchronous April 10 - June 18 - $720 https://www.uclaextension.edu/writing-journalism/screenwriting/course/feature-film-i-script-x-4101Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

The message given at every commencement speech is, “Go into the world & make an impact!” This makes anyone who gone on to lead an ordinary life to feel like an extraordinary disappointment. Dr. Brandon Warmke is an Associate Professor & philosopher at Bowling Green University who believes that living a quiet life is not an underachieving consolation prize. In this episode, he shares the dangers of moralizing, are Christian missionaries performing helpful service or performing pathological altruism, filters over formulas, the case for solitude, voting vs volunteering and bad versions of curiosity.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 136: VIRTUE SIGNALING. CAN WE MAKE IT STOP? NACHOS & NARCISSISMGuest: https://twitter.com/brandonwarmke | https://brandonwarmke.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-warmke-8894991a9/Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

By the time she was twelve, Carissa Phelps had run away from home, dropped out of school, and fled blindly into the arms of a brutal pimp. After years of being trafficked, she was able to escape, graduate from UCLA with a law degree and an MBA, and become an attorney working to help at-risk youth & end the infrastructure behind human trafficking.She shares names of corporations listed in lawsuits for supporting trafficking, how she was trafficked and escaped, the trafficking ecosystem & the unexpected ways we all may be supporting trafficking.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 11: LEARNING HOW TO HEAR THEM: HOW KIDS DISCLOSE SEXUAL ABUSEGuest: https://www.runawaygirl.com/ | https://a.co/d/iYRWw3c | https://www.linkedin.com/in/carissaphelps/HEAL TRAFFICKING https://healtrafficking.org/PEARR TOOL https://www.commonspirit.org/physician-enterprise/key-programs/human-traffickingSURVIVOR ALLIANCE https://www.survivoralliance.org/Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

After selling a successful business, a series of serendipitous events led Matt Simpson to research Ayahuasca as a healing modality for trauma. The experience was so healing, that he never returned to the rat race or his addictions. He now coaches others on how to properly and responsibly use psychedelics to heal trauma and addiction. In this episode, you’ll hear the big problem that plant medicine can cause, the manic bubble of psychedelic enlightenment, and behavioral sobriety vs rooted recovery & around the 25-minute mark, he answers questions from listeners.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 160: COULD MAGIC MUSHROOMS CURE ADDICTION?Guest: https://www.instagram.com/worththefightbook/ | https://www.facebook.com/worththefightbook/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-simpsonwtf/ | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worth-the-fight-podcast/id1480588649 | https://www.worththefightbook.com | https://www.nltrans.org/?fbclid=IwAR2WP09wo2Up0QCKOGL_3B7yyrBKNjyWbImNnRujmSZHx5P5rXleNos2z34Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Dr. Bruce Greyson was the protégé of Near Death Experience Researcher, Dr. Raymond Moody. Dr. Greyson was raised in a scientific household with no particular religion, his interest in near-death experiences was a scientific one that started when an unconscious patient of his described (in detail) a conversation he had with another woman in a different room. Despite the scrutiny of his peers, he spent the next 50 years collecting, cataloging & studying thousands of modern accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs). In this episode, he shares evidence that consciousness exists outside the body, terminal lucidity, astral projection & many stories illustrating the unexplained.This episode originally aired on July 26, 2021.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 148: ARE TECHNOLOGY, RELIGION & UFOs CONNECTED?Guest: https://www.brucegreyson.com/ | https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/ | https://www.iands.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/Bruce-Greyson-MD-114742627009060 | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-greyson-4154b4173/ | Book: https://amzn.to/3iL3ULrHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Gary Arndt is a photographer, travel blogger & podcaster whose list of visited countries is so long, where he hasn’t been is actually a shorter list. In this episode, we challenge what exploring culture is and is not, the Parochial vs cosmopolitan mindset, how to save money & increase your human connection, his surprising moment in Oman, cultural travel tips & the good and bad of cruises.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 49: AMERICAN POLYGLOT: CROSSING BORDERS OF LANGUAGE & COLORISMGuest: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/?hl=en | https://everything-everywhere.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyarndt/ | https://twitter.com/EverywhereTrip | https://www.facebook.com/EverythingEverywhereHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

In this conversation-style episode, I talk with the hosts of the Bledsoe Said So podcast, Ryan Bledsoe & Nick Fermanides. Ryan is the son of former guest & UFO experiencer, Chris Bledsoe. Their family & the strange phenomena happening at their home has been studied by NASA, the CIA, academics & the defense intelligence agency & thanks to their small Southern town & Pentecostal community, they’ve also received a lot of backlash. In this episode the three of us talk about the intersection of our Pentecostal upbringing & phenomena as well as the role plant medicine has played in our spiritual journeys. We covered our favorite things from our experience with the church, divine creativity, ritual seeking vs surrender & I share about my first magic mushroom trip.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 207: ARE ALIENS ANGELS? FAITH & PHENOMENON WITH CHRIS BLEDSOEGuest: https://www.instagram.com/rybledsoe/ | https://www.instagram.com/nicholasfermanides/ | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bledsoe-said-so/id1573038290 | https://twitter.com/BledsoePodcast | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTiYvok1lXCcdKHKyNxi7jwHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Melissa Garner is a licensed mental health counselor in Florida who specializes in assisting women in recovering from trauma & toxic relationships. In this episode, we’ll briefly discuss how people end up in these kinds of relationships, paint a picture of types of abuse & the reasons people stay, create a safety plan & how to support those in abusive relationships. We also address when the female partner is the abuser.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 15: THE IMPORTANCE OF BOUNDARIES & SELF-CARE IN RELATIONSHIPSGuest: https://www.facebook.com/selfcare.selfhaven/ | https://www.self-haven.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/self_haven/ | https://www.thehotline.org/  Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

Dan Wise was the office manager of a Georgia pill mill. Before going to prison, he made a Hail Mary YouTube video asking for advice on how to survive a prison sentence. After serving 2 of his 5-year sentence, he re-entered the world to discover that the video had become popular & he was inspired to make a business coaching others on how to make the most of federal prison. In this episode you’ll hear about life at a pill mill, thriving in prison, what a prison consultant does & the revolving door of the system.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 18: FELON TURNED ENTREPRENEUR PART 1Guest: https://www.youtube.com/@RDAPDAN1 | https://rdapdan.com/  | https://www.facebook.com/RDAPDan | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rdapdan/ | https://www.federalprisontime.com/daniel-wiseHost:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/

KC Davis’ personal growth journey began at 16 when she entered a rehab center for drug addiction & mental health issues. It continued at 19 when she became an evangelical Christian. Since then, her journey has taken some winding turns. She’s now a licensed professional counselor, author & host of the podcast Strugglecare, where she shares skills for survival & self-kindness for her fellow self-help rejects. In this episode she explains the tyranny of introspection, why she wanted to be the perfect drug addict & the grey area of improvement.If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 58: DEPRESSION OR SADNESS? HOW TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?Guest: https://www.strugglecare.com/ | https://a.co/d/5wwVKiF | https://www.tiktok.com/@domesticblisters | https://www.instagram.com/strugglecare | https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-73f222c6 | https://www.facebook.com/StruggleCare/Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovertSponsors: https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ | https://www.ensec.net/