Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Andrew Doyle is the man behind satirical Twitter account Titania McGrath – a radical intersectionalist, feminist, and slam poet, who is constantly telling people how oppressed she is – and author of Woke: A Guide to Social Justice. He and Bridget have a fascinating and important conversation about the dangers of taking art and comedy literally, how smart people are becoming stupid because of woke ideology, why self-censorship is a slippery slope, and they wonder when the left became such pearl-clutchers. They discuss winning the culture war by winning people over, rather than locking them up or making certain types of speech illegal, the fact that there’s nothing more likely to help the far right to grow than the way the far left are behaving, the dangers of eroding the distinction between right wing and alt right, and the problems with The Faith of Intersectionality. Should the word “douchebag” be considered ableist? Where did the idea that “speech is violence” come from? What is it like being tribeless in an increasingly tribal world? What is the path forward? Find out on this not-to-be-missed episode. 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

Aaron Schmidt grew up a military brat and met his wife, Kara Dawn, freshman year of high school when they were assigned to be lab partners. He talks wanting to be a college football coach but being the student manager of the UVA football team cured him of that desire, being raised Catholic, becoming a 7th grade English teacher, and then getting married, selling everything and hightailing it to LA because he and Kara could see the next 10 years of their lives mapped out before them. A series of odd jobs and a series of personal losses left him at loose ends until he found a passion to pursue in Gorucks that ultimately led him to join the Army Reserves as a psychological operations specialist two years before the cutoff for enlistment. He and Bridget have an honest and revealing discussion about being mission-oriented, the hard work of a successful marriage, overcoming loss and aimlessness, and the 4 tenets of his personal ethos. 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

With the Woo Review, Bridget introduces her audience to all things New Age. From astrology, to tarot, to sound baths, to reiki, Bridget shares her hippie side with her listeners.This week’s guest, Anne, discusses her addiction to psychics and how over the course of two and a half years she spent an estimated $60,000 on psychic readings. Anne covers how she got started, why being in love with a musician kept her going back, how her psychic was a force for positive change, but ultimately how her addiction to psychics became a replacement for a higher power in her life. Bridget shares her own psychic abilities, how she learned to hide them young, the time she realized she was being haunted by a ghost dog, and her own spiritual journey of finding God when she went off Twitter for Lent. Both recovering alcoholics, they delve into a deep discussion about addiction in general, the bravery of people in 12 step programs who must confront harsh truths about themselves every day, self-actualization, owning your own story, and wrestling with the fact that even if you come from privilege it does not mean you’re not entitled to your pain – everyone’s pain is relevant and unique. 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

Story Hour with Bridget Phetasy is a segment where Bridget reminisces with cousin Maggie and tells stories explaining who she is and how she got here. Full transcript available here: WiW27-StoryHour3-TranscriptThis story hour comes as a result of several requests. Bridget covers her history with the restaurant industry – across the country, in small towns and big cities. Find out why being a hostess isn’t as easy as one might think, why you should never go out to eat when you’re starving, and why Bridget loved being a busser (hint: you don’t have to talk to the customers). Tales told also include, losing her virginity to someone inappropriate, her brilliant strategy for skipping school and how it all came crashing down, which famous singer grabbed her ass at Sundance, and Bridget’s secret true passion in life. 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

Scotty Landes – TV comedy writer (Workaholics), horror movie writer (Ma), man about town – trades stories with Bridget about travel, odd jobs, and writing something weird enough to get a job offer out of it. They discuss the privilege of doing what you love for a living but the downside is that your muse becomes a mule, how to take notes on your writing, the escape of making up a world, and how Scotty’s retirement plan is to be an old man bartender with a Golden Girls kind of living situation. They cover how to talk about travel without sounding like a dick, Bridget’s moments of deep existential loneliness that always appear on the heels of unique moments of spectacular awe, recognizing the pivot points in life, the joys of road-tripping solo, and putting career before relationships. Chock full of inspiration for people following unconventional paths, Scotty offers advice, and encouragement, but is also realistic about the importance of setting deadlines when it comes to making dreams come true. 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

Josh Schollmeyer, co-founder, and editor of MEL magazine, talks with Bridget about the meaning of modern masculinity in a changing world, constructively channeling your rage, and how kids movies are more traumatizing for children than adult movies. They also cover Josh’s years working in a lumber yard to learn the value of hard work, how he got access to Hugh Hefner’s private scrapbook collection when he was in college, and how learning to be fine with being humiliated is a crucial part of success. Josh covers his years working for Playboy, how he tried to be an agent for change but was also complicit at a time when the brand was giving in to its worst impulses, and how the chip on his shoulder over the events that forced him out of Playboy became fuel for his drive to succeed. Now with MEL, Josh discusses figuring out how to talk to men in the wake of #metoo and that one of the big problems he sees is not just a battle of the sexes, but that men are not talking to each other. 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

Amy Alkon, Advice Goddess and author of “science-help book” Unf*ckology, drops in for a fascinating conversation with Bridget about living in the modern age with Stone Age brains, the evolutionary importance of social status and why “thirstiness” is such a turn-off, and how her career giving advice began as a joke when she stood on a street corner in New York holding a “Free Advice” sign and people began to line up. They cover the social importance of guilt and shame, getting comfortable with discomfort, that self-esteem is a monitoring system to help you figure out where you stand socially, and the fact that we’re living under mob rule and we don’t even realize it. Finally, don’t miss Amy’s theory that if you imagine the worst thing that can happen to you is your kitchen appliances coming to life at night and hacking you to death, you should be able to put small things like feeling awkward and looking stupid in social situations into perspective. 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

Liz Wolfe, managing editor for The Federalist and part-time editor for Reason, has an in-depth discussion with Bridget about why she thought college was a huge waste of money and wanted to drop out, how she managed to get her degree in two years, and the fact that most people have no understanding of the debt they are taking on when they take out student loans. They bond over being self-starters and hustlers and how it’s a skill that helps them find ways around the “gatekeepers” in life, how being from big families teaches you that life isn’t fair at an early age, and discuss why sometimes having low expectations about an experience is the best way to approach it. They coin the phrase “weaponized fragility,” lament over how being patriotic has somehow become a bad thing, and note that you’ll never change someone’s mind by calling them names. Liz offers fascinating insight into being raised in a home where her parents fostered children, and the hidden costs of that experience, and Bridget shares the name of the self-help book she wants to write, Laziness Motivates Me. 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

Rachel “Wolfie” Wolfson, comedian, writer, producer, and advocate for cannabis, sits down with Bridget to discuss her disdain for bitcoin, their shared desire to do VR stand-up shows, and why she believes colleges are like engagement rings – expensive and unnecessary. They cover everything from why machines will eventually wipe out humans because of our extreme inefficiency, to a belief that mental health will be the biggest problem this country faces in the near future, to the fact that the dangers of weed should be taught the same way as the dangers of alcohol, to what it takes to create change in the world and in society. Rachel is an advocate for cannabis, but doesn’t necessarily recommend it for everyone and believes that having a healthy relationship with weed requires approaching it as a medicine first. Meanwhile, Bridget hopes she’ll live long enough to see the first sex robot kill a human. You can find Rachel on Twitter and Instagram @wolfiecomedy.For questions, comments or topic requests contact us at: walkinswelcomequestions@gmail.com 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

Sydney Benner is the creator of the revolutionary new fitness program, FLIGHT!  She has devoted her life to connecting people together through movement. Sydney explains her calling to create spaces and places for people to gather that feel inclusive, supportive, and where they can be authentically themselves. Sydney and Bridget discuss finding the balance in all the imbalance, the grind of being a personal trainer, overcoming injuries, magic, and why you must choose your mindset every day. Syndey shares how loss of her father and step-brother within 3 years of each other helped teach her the preciousness of every moment, how she manages to rally and motivate others when she’s in a tough place, the importance of showing up – no excuses – no matter what’s going on in your life, and why you should never put your happiness in someone else’s hands. It’s the motivational podcast we all need right now. 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