

American Thought Leaders
The Epoch Times
At a time when our nation is portrayed as increasingly polarized, media often ignore viewpoints and stories that are worthy of attention. American Thought Leaders, hosted by The Epoch Times Senior Editor Jan Jekielek, features in-depth discussions with some of America’s most influential thought leaders on pertinent issues facing our nation today.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 13, 2025 • 32min
Americans Are Not Eating ‘Real Food’—Here’s What You Need to Know: Vani Hari
Vani Hari, known as the Food Babe, is an author and activist dedicated to exposing toxic ingredients in food. She discusses the alarming rise of artificial food dyes in American diets without proper safety reviews. Hari highlights the stark differences in food regulations between the U.S. and Europe, advocating for warning labels on harmful additives. She shares her personal journey towards nutrition and emphasizes the necessity for transparency and accountability in the food industry, pushing for a shift towards real, organic ingredients.

Jan 10, 2025 • 1h 16min
Trump’s Tariffs on China: Will They Work? Nazak Nikakhtar Explains
In this latest installment of our special series on the U.S. presidential transition period, I’m sitting down with Nazak Nikakhtar, former assistant secretary of commerce for industry and analysis under the first Trump administration. She’s an expert on trade and national security and a partner at Wiley Rein LLP. In this episode, we dive into the debate surrounding the use of tariffs. How have China’s unfair trade practices destroyed American manufacturing? Will tariffs work? Or will they make things worse for the average American? And what other tools will Trump have at his disposal that can restore and protect U.S. industry?Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

5 snips
Jan 9, 2025 • 27min
Here’s Why Americans Are Becoming Sicker: Calley Means
Calley Means, co-author of "Good Energy" and a public health reform advocate, dives into the alarming truth about America's chronic disease crisis. He argues that 92% of deaths are due to chronic illnesses and critiques the profit-driven system maintaining this status quo. Means emphasizes the need for more patient-centered healthcare and transparency in public health decisions. He highlights the ethical dilemmas posed by corporate influence in health policies and advocates for a shift from managing sickness to promoting holistic health solutions.

Jan 6, 2025 • 48min
How the Family Court System Is Fueling a Fatherless Society: Mark Ludwig
“The science is out there: There have been 64 peer-reviewed studies that Linda Nielsen has reviewed. And they all come to the same conclusion—that children fare better with both parents.”After experiencing firsthand systemic problems within the family court system, in which one parent, typically the father, is relegated to weekend visits with his children in divorce cases, Mark Ludwig founded Americans for Equal Shared Parenting to raise awareness about the need for children to have equal access to both parents.“The opposition has done a great job of creating the narrative that this is just a bunch of angry dads who have anger management problems, conflict resolution problems, and maybe they shouldn’t even be a dad,” he says.Ludwig travels the country advocating for a 50/50 rebuttable presumption—legislation that presumes both parents will share equal custody in a divorce, so long as they are fit, willing, and able.“The No. 1 stability point a child needs is not where they live, but who they have a relationship with. And the stability of the relationship with both parents is more important than what house they live in,” says Ludwig. “I'll fight just as hard for mothers as I do fathers, because I’m not fighting for the mother or the father. I’m fighting for the child.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Jan 3, 2025 • 1h 2min
Why the World Has Less Trust in the Dollar, and How Trump Can Change That: Carol Roth
Sponsor special: Up to $2,500 of FREE silver AND a FREE safe on qualifying orders - Call 855-862-3377 or text “AMERICAN” to 6-5-5-3-2“We do need to shrink our spending and we need to get a hold on the debt, but it needs to be done in a way that you have the growth go first. Otherwise, you’re going to end up with less revenue, which means you’re going to actually widen the deficit and create a worse problem—a ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ type of scenario.”As part of our special series on the U.S. presidential transition period, I’m sitting down with Carol Roth, a former investment banker and author of several books—most recently, “You Will Own Nothing: Your War with a New Financial World Order and How to Fight Back.”In this episode, we discuss the biggest financial challenges facing the incoming administration and how best to navigate them.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Jan 1, 2025 • 53min
How DEI and Gender Ideology in Medicine Is Harming Patients: Dr. Stanley Goldfarb
More than 5,000 minors in the United States underwent transgender surgeries between 2019 and 2023 and nearly 14,000 had transgender-related treatments, according to research into insurance billing codes conducted by the advocacy organization Do No Harm. In total, these treatments and procedures cost at least $119 million.Dr. Stanley Goldfarb is a board-certified kidney specialist and the board chairman of Do No Harm, which recently released a national database on transgender-related services at medical facilities across America.The “gender-affirming” treatment model is based on flimsy evidence and has, in many cases, robbed children of normal lives, he says.Dr. Goldfarb says social justice ideology and diversity, equity, and inclusion standards have taken over medical education, to the detriment of patients. Students are no longer taught to think critically and to properly evaluate medical research and statistics for weaknesses and flaws, he says.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Dec 30, 2024 • 29min
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn: Putting ‘Country Before Self’ Is Necessary to Repair America
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has been advising President-elect Donald Trump’s national security team. At Turning Point USA’s AmFest conference in Phoenix, I sat down with him to discuss key challenges facing the incoming administration, such as how to address Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control of the Panama Canal.“Who’s controlling this very important waterway? It’s the most strategic waterway for the United States of America on the planet,” Flynn says. “China is the dominant player right now between us and them.”Lt. Gen. Flynn says the Chinese regime either owns or controls some component of 80 percent of the largest ports of our hemisphere. “And yet we have people in our government that go ‘Russia, Russia, Russia.’”He argues that although America has always been a benevolent “nation of givers,” it must focus more energy on domestic policy, and that every citizen has a responsibility to engage in local action.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Dec 28, 2024 • 49min
Mattias Desmet and Aaron Kheriaty: Understanding the Age of Loneliness
America is facing an epidemic of loneliness, and it’s as bad for people’s health as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, says U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy.In the past two decades, there’s been a marked rise in suicides and “deaths of despair.”What’s fueling these trends of social fragmentation, isolation, and atomization? And how are they linked to broader political and social trends?In this episode, two of the world’s leading thinkers on bioethics and group psychology join together with me for the first time.Dr. Aaron Kheriaty is a former psychiatry professor and director of the medical ethics program at the University of California Irvine Medical School. He’s the author of “The New Abnormal.”Mattias Desmet is a professor of psychology at Ghent University and author of “The Psychology of Totalitarianism.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Dec 27, 2024 • 50min
The Future of TikTok and the Collapsing Chinese Economy: Kyle Bass
Sponsor special: Up to $2,500 of FREE silver AND a FREE safe on qualifying orders - Call 855-862-3377 or text “AMERICAN” to 6-5-5-3-2Kyle Bass is the founder and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, and he’s known for his prescient bets on major global economic events.In this episode, we dive into why he believes China’s economy is collapsing, why Bytedance hasn’t sold TikTok despite a looming January deadline, and what he believes the big economic and financial priorities of the incoming Trump administration should be.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Dec 24, 2024 • 15min
Kari Lake Reveals Plans for Voice of America
At Turning Point USA’s AmFest conference in Phoenix, I sat down with former TV anchor Kari Lake, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head Voice of America (VOA).VOA is an international broadcaster funded by Congress that releases content in nearly 50 languages to more than 300 million people weekly around the globe.It was founded in 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda and share the “policies of the United States clearly and effectively.” VOA later played a major role in the ideological fight against communism during the Cold War.The director of Voice of America is officially nominated by the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. After Senate approval, the candidate must also be approved by a majority vote of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board.What would Voice of America look like under Kari Lake?Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.


