Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Adrienne Iapalucci is a stand-up comic, podcast host, and Bridget’s “spirit human.” She and Bridget discuss how their dysfunctional childhoods are probably what led them to stand-up in the first place and what keeps them grinding long after most normal people would quit. They talk addiction, the stand-up scene in NYC vs LA, their shared belief that things will always get worse, and why they both default to dark comedy the darker things get. Adrienne tells stories about working for a collections agency, Bridget shares how she learned the lesson you should never read someone else’s journal the hard way. They discuss how comedy has changed in today’s political climate and wonder if it’s better to achieve massive success with the wealth that comes with it only to watch it all slip away, or to live a moderately successful life being able to do what you love, but never “making it.” Stream or buy Adrienne’s latest album Baby Skeletons. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

W. Keith Campbell is a nationally recognized expert on narcissism, society and generational change. He and Bridget discuss social media and narcissism, whether everyone with a big platform is inherently a narcissist, why Keith thinks Kylie Jenner is a genius, how technology always leads to status inversions where the wisdom of age gets crushed by youth’s expertise in tech, and why narcissism is essentially America’s brand. They also cover the evolution of individuals identifying themselves as “brands,” how geek culture and the great fantasy migration relates to self-esteem, the inevitability of the tribalism and polarization of social media, manufactured authenticity, the elite wars, and the first word that came into his head when he met Joe Rogan. Be sure to check out Keith’s latest book The New Science of Narcissism. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Harleen Kaur is a former NASA space engineer and current CEO and founder of Ground News, the world’s first news comparison platform. Ground News aggregates news stories from around the world, shows you how they are being covered by different media outlets, and helps you identify the media bias on the different coverage. Harleen founded the company to solve a problem she herself had, when it came to identifying media bias and putting news stories within a larger global perspective. She and Bridget discuss how revenue models are ruining journalism, the advantages of traveling and living in several different countries, the perspective working on a probe to Pluto can give you on the achievements of humankind, and how challenging yourself with information that competes with your world view teaches intellectual resilience.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Johann Hari (Chasing the Scream, Lost Connections) sits down with Bridget to discuss the rise in depression, anxiety and addiction in society, particularly during Covid, and what that means about their underlying causes. Through extensive traveling and research for his books, Johann has explored the idea that the roots of all three are not just biological, but also psychological and social, and that we need a more complex approach to treatment in order to address all three aspects of these ailments. In a deep and wide-ranging conversation, they discuss loneliness, tribalism, how Portugal solved its heroin crisis, how Cambodians treat depression, the rising wealth disparity in our society, how junk values have taken over our lives, homelessness, competitive victimhood, and why social media is to having a social life what porn is to having sex. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Desi-Rae is a sociopolitical commentator, crypto enthusiast, and artist who started her talk show Just Thinking Out Loud, after she realized she felt conflicted about honestly speaking her mind. Originally from Jamaica, she offers her perspective on US politics, how you used to be able to disagree with someone and still be friends with them, why she hates identity politics, and how people were always assuming what she thought because she’s black. She and Bridget discuss whether being racist or sexist is the worst vice a person can have, the cost of cutting family members out of your life, how victimhood requires constantly looking for oppressors, why we should ask people to learn about the parts of themselves they don’t like, and how everyone in America is rich compared to the rest of the world. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Tori Perrotti, aka “Target Tori,” talks with Bridget about her experience going viral, cyber-bullying, cancel culture, and the amazing positive support she received that inspired her to found the Pause. Be Kind platform. They discuss what they’ve each learned in the service industry, being an only child vs. the oldest of five, trade stories about being bullied in high school and how those experiences shaped them, and notice why it’s so hard to think of others in any given situation. Tori shares her desire to take what happened to her and use the opportunity to create something bigger, to spread a positive message, and to do something that would make her feel more fulfilled and contribute to society. It’s a refreshing and uplifting conversation in the midst of these darkly cynical times. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Cydnee Black uploaded her first makeup tutorial to YouTube in 2013, at that time, she was one of the few African Americans doing makeup tutorials. She now has over 1 million subscribers and is considered an “influencer” even though she despises that term. She has since transitioned into researching moments in history that interest her and creating informational videos about topics such as the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings, JFK’s affairs, and the life of Coco Chanel, while still doing makeup applications. She talks to Bridget being a black girl with blue eyes, how she was bullied for “speaking white,” and how she and her sister were the only black kids at their school. They cover why you should never idolize anyone on the internet, why women hate their bodies so much, keeping themselves small to make others feel more comfortable, BLM, cancel culture, psychics, colorism, and being your own brand. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Corey DeAngelis is the director of School Choice at Reason Foundation and the Executive Director at Educational Freedom Institute. Corey and Bridget discuss school choice, which would mean allowing a tax payer’s education dollars to follow their child to wherever they’re getting their education – public school, private school, or charter school – rather than automatically being paid to their local school district. They delve into the effects of Covid and how families are seeing their school system leaving them high and dry while still getting their children’s education dollars, why school choice would be good for individual teachers, and where the money being poured into the school system is actually going. They also cover why this shouldn’t be a partisan issue since it’s a market-based reform in education and an equalizer in society, and they explore some of the arguments against school choice. Don’t miss Corey’s book School Choice Myths: Setting the Record Straight on Education Freedom. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Doug Schoen (author & campaign consultant) drops in to discuss his most recent book The End of Democracy?: Russia and China on the Rise, America in Retreat. He and Bridget have a frank conversation about the fact that we are so divided in this country we are failing to pay attention to the larger threats of Russian and Chinese influence in the world. They cover how a lack of common purpose and a failure to recognize the challenges we face in America puts us at risk, the damage caused by putting politics ahead of the greater good of the country, and the fact that if the US abandons the global stage, other countries will turn to Russia and China who are only too happy to intervene in ways that put our country’s interests at risk. They acknowledge how helpless individuals can feel in the face of such large-scale problems and how we must unite as a country behind some of our core principles, such as liberty and freedom of speech, if we are to have a hope of maintaining national resilience and international influence. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Karol Markowicz (New York Post, Spectator USA, Time) and Bridget discuss the effect of the pandemic in NYC, how nobody in California seems to be able to connect policies they hate and the people they’re voting for, why large portions of immigrant communities love Trump, looking back and seeing their own blindspots going into 2016, and the best and worst case scenarios for how the 2020 election might go. They cover the future of the Democratic party, why Karol tries to bring up the fact that she’s a conservative very early in a conversation with a new person, whether she fears for her safety being an outspoken conservative in a liberal place, and why she doesn’t worry about what she’s going to tell her grandchildren about who she voted for. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show