Best Javier Angel Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 106: Leaving the Corporate World for the Priesthood – An Interview with Matt Duff 1:09:02

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7d ago1:09:02

1:09:02

In this episode, we talk to Jacque’s friend Matt Duff about his journey from the corporate world to joining seminary to become a Catholic priest. // Our podcast was born from our friendship. We are two people with very different beliefs, yet a shared desire to have understanding and unity! We love to have good … Read More Read More…

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282 Flora Kao — Installation Art, Taiwanese Rituals, Grief, Origami, and Cultural Memory 1:04:21

9d ago1:04:21

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Artist Flora Kao joins What’s My Thesis? to discuss the evolution of her practice from painting to large-scale installation, and how Taiwanese mourning rituals, Buddhist symbolism, and diasporic memory shape her approach to space. Trained at Otis and later UC Irvine, Kao describes discovering installation as a way to create experiences that “elicit…

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Episode 105: Our Lady of Fátima – Catholic and Protestant Conversation 50:04

20d ago50:04

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In this episode, we discuss the Marian Apparition “Our Lady of Fátima” which occurred in Portugal in 1917 from Catholic and Protestant perspectives. // Our podcast was born from our friendship. We are two people with very different beliefs, yet a shared desire to have understanding and unity! We love to have good natured “Catholic … Read More Read …

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281 Manuel Vdah Bracamonte — Graffiti, LA Street Culture, Identity, and Art as Survival 1:01:51

16d ago1:01:51

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Artist Manuel Vdah Bracamonte joins What’s My Thesis? for a grounded conversation on graffiti, identity, and the lived conditions that shaped Los Angeles street culture in the 1980s and 90s. Born in El Salvador and raised in downtown LA, Bracamonte traces his earliest memories of tagging, the shift into “tag banging,” and how the social and politic…

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280 Kelly Witmer | Glass, Clay, and the Desert: Material Process & Survival in the Art World 1:14:52

23d ago1:14:52

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Artist Kelly Witmer joins host Javier Proenza to talk about material process, experimentation, and what it means to sustain an art practice in the desert. Based between Joshua Tree and Los Angeles, Witmer works across glass, ceramics, and painting, transforming the unpredictability of the kiln into a meditation on control, failure, and transformati…

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Wicked (2024) 1:08:39

27d ago1:08:39

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This week we are talking the Jon M Chu's adaptation of the famed Broadway play, Wicked is itself an adaptation of Gregory Maguire novel. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande anchor this retelling of the classic Wizard of Oz tale revolving around the life and times of Elphaba Thropp (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda the Good while attending Shiz …

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Episode 104: Why He’s Not a Priest – Discerning out of Seminary (but staying Catholic) with Ben Rahimi 1:22:40

1M ago1:22:40

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In this episode, we hear Ben Rahimi’s story of leaving seminary instead of becoming a priest, his experience in formation, his mental health struggles, and why he ultimately discerned out. // Our podcast was born from our friendship. We are two people with very different beliefs, yet a shared desire to have understanding and unity! … Read More Read…

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The Wizard of Oz (1939) 55:28

1M ago55:28

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With Wicked: For Good coming to theaters this month, we are are going somehwere over the rainbow to talk about the 1939 adaptation of this book in L. Frank Baum's Oz series. The movie tells the story of a little girl from Kansas whose house gets caught in a tornado that takes her to the enchanted land of Oz. With the help of a Scarecrow, a Tin Man …

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Episode 103: Should Mary be called “Co-Redemptrix?” Reacting to the Vatican’s document about Mary. 49:15

2M ago49:15

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In this episode, we briefly discuss the recent Vatican document Mater Populi Fidelis: Doctrinal Note on Some Marian Titles Regarding Mary’s Cooperation in the Work of Salvation from the DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH Read the full document here: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20251104_mater-pop…

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279 Craft, Textiles, and Community Resistance in East L.A. | René Camarillo 1:02:44

2M ago1:02:44

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René Camarillo is a Mexican-American craftsperson from East Los Angeles whose practice resists the hierarchies of the art world. Trained in apparel design at LA Trade Tech, fiber and material studies at Cal State LA, and textiles at RISD, Camarillo positions weaving and garment-making as acts of cultural inheritance, labor, and community survival r…

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278 Hmong Refugee History, Weaving, and Contemporary Art in Los Angeles | Sheng Lor 1:00:13

2M ago1:00:13

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Artist Sheng Lor reflects on her journey from a Thai refugee camp to a studio practice in Los Angeles. Born to Hmong parents displaced by the Secret War in Laos, Lor discusses culture shock, grief, and the intergenerational legacies that shape her art. Her loom-wrapping series transforms discarded weaving tools into sculptural memorials, addressing…

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277 Elmer Guevara | Painting the 1992 LA Uprisings, Inherited Trauma, and the Salvadoran American Experience 1:07:57

2M ago1:07:57

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In this episode of What’s My Thesis?, Los Angeles–based painter Elmer Guevara returns to the podcast ahead of his upcoming exhibition at Charlie James Gallery. Known for his densely layered figurative paintings, Guevara reflects on how memory, history, and inherited trauma shape his visual language. The conversation traces his evolution from graffi…

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Halloween (1978) [Re-Recorded] 1:06:50

3M ago1:06:50

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For spooky season we are starting this year by basically re-making our own first episode of this podcast. We return to John Carpernter's 1978 proto-slasher. In 1963, 6 year old Michael Myers murders his older sister. 15 years after being locked away in a Sanitarium, Michael escapes and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield where he finds and follo…

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276 David Lloyd on AI, Abstract Painting, and the Los Angeles Art World 1:33:44

3M ago1:33:44

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By Javier Proenza

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275 Kristen Huizar: Drawing, Printmaking & Documenting Los Angeles Life 1:29:20

3M ago1:29:20

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Artist Kristen Huizar joins What’s My Thesis? to reflect on drawing, printmaking, and the act of documenting Los Angeles. Born and raised in Commerce, CA, she traces her path from community college to Cal State Long Beach, where persistence and community shaped her practice. Working with wax pastels on plastic vinyl, hand stitching, and large lino …

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274 Emma Christ on Artillery Magazine, Gallery Work, and the Future of Artist Support 1:25:37

3M ago1:25:37

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In this episode of What’s My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza speaks with Emma Christ, editor at Artillery magazine and gallerist working between Portland and Los Angeles. Christ reflects on her beginnings in photography, formative years at Bard and Reed, and her transition from artistic practice into gallery management, editing, and writing. The conve…

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273 Israel Campos: Printmaking, Mexican Revolution Art, & Los Angeles Identity 1:00:08

3M ago1:00:08

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In this episode of What’s My Thesis?, Los Angeles printmaker Israel Campos shares how his work bridges Mesoamerican codices, Mexican revolutionary art, and the mural traditions of his South Central upbringing. Known for his meticulous intaglio prints, Campos reclaims visual histories disrupted by colonization—collapsing linear perspective, weaving …

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272 Jackie Castillo: Southern California Light, Class, & Installation Art | ICA LA 1:14:48

4M ago1:14:48

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In this episode of What’s My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza sits down with Los Angeles–based artist Jackie Castillo, whose practice transforms the overlooked landscapes of Southern California into sculptural, spatial interventions that challenge how we see, inhabit, and remember place. Born and raised in working-class neighborhoods of Orange County, …

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271 Feminist Ritual, Asian Art, and Curating Beyond the Western Gaze | Ann Shi (a poco art collective) 1:04:49

4M ago1:04:49

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This week on What’s My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza is joined by Ann Shi, a nomadic curator and founder of a poco art collective, whose deeply intuitive curatorial practice bridges Chinese literati aesthetics, feminist mysticism, and contemporary Asian diasporic identity. With roots in China, academic training in Oxford and at Sotheby’s Institute o…

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Weapons (2025) 1:29:48

4M ago1:29:48

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This week we finally review some 2025 horror again. The follow up to Zach Cregger's 2022 horror film "Barbarian" takes us to the small town of Maybrook who's rocked by the sudden mysterious disappearance of nearly an entire elementary school class and how the shocking tragedy has changed the town around it. Spoiler heavy talk ahead so please watch …

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270 Filipino-American Artist Kim Garcia on Dementia, Diaspora, and Art as Emotional Archive 1:06:23

4M ago1:06:23

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In this resonant episode of What’s My Thesis?, artist and educator Kim Garcia joins host Javier Proenza for a layered conversation about memory, community, and the personal and political frameworks that shape diasporic identity. Garcia, whose practice spans sculpture, drawing, and community-based collaboration, reflects on her evolving relationship…

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269 Paper, Process, and the Alchemy of Grief with Lauren Goldenberg Longoria 1:11:16

5M ago1:11:16

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In this episode of What’s My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza is joined by artist Lauren Goldenberg Longoria for a conversation that traverses personal memory, studio practice, and the tender labor of transformation. Known for her materially rich works that fuse paper, performance, and poetic intuition, Goldenberg Longoria speaks candidly about the hea…

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Superman Returns (2006) 59:23

5M ago59:23

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This week we decided to review DC and WB's first attempt at rebooting Superman... Coming one year after Batman Begins, this sort of sequel to Richard Donner and Richard Lester's (respectively) original two films in the franchise sees the Man of Steel return to earth after a five year absence. Lois Lane has moved on in this time and started her own …

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268 Aggressive Feminism, Neurodivergence, and the Reclamation of Minimalism with Dena Novak 1:07:28

5M ago1:07:28

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In this candid and moving conversation, host Javier Proenza sits down with Los Angeles-based artist Dena Novak, whose sculptural paintings and ceramics challenge the rigid codes of minimalism through what she calls “aggressive feminism.” Drawing from a rich personal archive of experience—one shaped by Orthodox Judaism, motherhood, neurodivergence, …

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Diana Taylor: A practice where research and materiality meet.  Presented by What's My Thesis? in partnership with DON’T LOOK Projects 1:04:29

5M ago1:04:29

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Diana Taylor: A practice where research and materiality meet. Presented by What's My Thesis? in partnership with DON’T LOOK Projects In this illuminating live conversation recorded at DON’T LOOK Projects, UK-based artist Diana Taylor joins host Javier Proenza (What’s My Thesis?) for a deeply textured discussion around her first solo show in the Uni…

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267 Gentrification, Grief, and the Labor That Built California with Corey La Rue 1:24:06

5M ago1:24:06

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In this episode, artist and community advocate Corey La Rue. traces his relationship to the land, labor, and survival—from a near-death experience that altered the course of his life, to his ongoing advocacy for California’s agricultural workers and displaced communities. Raised in the Bay Area in California, La Rue shares his early exposure to fie…

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266 Dreams in Migrations: AAPI Identity, Diaspora, and Resistance in Contemporary Art 57:49

5M ago57:49

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Dreams in Migrations: AAPI Identity, Diaspora, and Resistance in Contemporary Art In this special live episode of What's My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza moderates a closing panel discussion at BG Gallery for Dreams in Migrations—the third annual AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) exhibition curated by artist and organizer Sung-Hee Son. This…

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265 Queer Landscapes, Dual Lives, and the Art of Looking Closely with J. Carino 1:00:44

5M ago1:00:44

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Queer Landscapes, Dual Lives, and the Art of Looking Closely with J. Carino Painter J. Carino joins What’s My Thesis? for a candid conversation on the formation of a deeply personal visual language—one that straddles autobiography, queer identity, and reportage practice. Known for his emotionally resonant paintings that combine landscape, figure, a…

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Superman (2025) 1:36:17

5M ago1:36:17

1:36:17

James Gunn officially kicks off the new DC Studios with his long awaited adaptation of the Man of Steel. This movie finally takes Superman out of the grim and gritty era of the Zack Snyder universe and brings back the wonder of the 1978 original with a Superman that is a much needed ray of light in a dark work. This is a SPOILER FILLED review so we…

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Superman II (1980) 1:22:31

6M ago1:22:31

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In preparation for Jame Gunn's highly anticipated DCU reboot of the man of steel, we are going back to 1980 and watching the first Superman sequel ever. Mostly shot in parallel with the original before Richard Donner's exit, this movie is a continuation of the original and expands on the relationship between Superman and Lois lane while also giving…

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264 Strategic Generosity: Collecting, Curating, and Championing Emerging Artists with Leslie Fram 1:06:28

6M ago1:06:28

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Strategic Generosity: Collecting, Curating, and Championing Emerging Artists with Leslie Fram In this galvanizing episode of What's My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza is joined by Leslie Fram—collector, curator, marketing strategist, MFA educator, and tireless champion of emerging talent—for a sweeping conversation that summons the urgent need for inn…

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Asking Better Questions with Kaitlyn Cunningham of STATSports 53:06

6M ago53:06

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This episode is the thirteenth in a series of Stuart McMillan chatting with and introducing various presenters from The Speed Summit, brought to you by 3X4 Genetics. Our guest this time is STATSports Account Mananger Kaitlyn Cunningham. Stuart and Kaitlyn talk about asking qustions, The What vs The Why, evolving as a practitioner, podcasting ... an…

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263 Astrology, Embodiment, and the Myth of Power: A Conversation with Alystair Rogers 1:24:20

6M ago1:24:20

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Astrology, Embodiment, and the Myth of Power: A Conversation with Alystair Rogers In this episode of What's My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza is joined by artist Alystair Rogers for a searching, radically honest exploration of transformation—personal, political, and astrological. Traversing terrains of gender, spirituality, social critique, and visua…

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You Always Meet Someone Twice with High Performance Coach David Joyce 47:55

6M ago47:55

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This episode is the twelfth in a series of Stuart McMillan chatting with and introducing various presenters from The Speed Summit, brought to you by 3X4 Genetics. Our guest this time is High Performance Coach David Joyce. Stuart and David talk about how coaches are akin to gardeners, looking through 4 crucial lenses, high perfomance avenues ... and…

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262 Building Gene’s Dispensary: Community, Curation, and Creating New Art Spaces in Los Angeles with Keith J Varadi 1:26:38

6M ago1:26:38

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Building Gene’s Dispensary: Community, Curation, and Creating New Art Spaces in Los Angeles with Keith J Varadi In this wide-ranging conversation on What’s My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza welcomes artist, curator, and writer Keith J. Varadi, founder of Gene’s Dispensary, for an illuminating discussion on forging alternative pathways in the contempo…

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Superman (1978) 1:11:30

6M ago1:11:30

1:11:30

On this podcast, you will believe a man can fly. This week we go back to the grandaddy of the Comic Book/Superhero genre by discussing Richard Donner's 1978 epic. Almost every superhero movie that has come after including those made today include tropes from this film. We follow the Last Son of Krypton as he is sent away from his collapsing planet …

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Sinners (2025) 1:34:54

7M ago1:34:54

1:34:54

We are back reviewing what may already be the film of 2025. We are unapologetic glazers of Ryan Coogler's work so this episode is less about whether we enjoy this movie and more how great this latest work of the East Bay director is. This modern Vampire story revolves around a pair of twin brothers (both played in an EXCELLENT turn from Michael B J…

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261 What We Keep: Material Memory and Cultural Translation in the Work of Chenhung Chen 1:00:29

7M ago1:00:29

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In this intimate conversation hosted at Don’t Look Projects for her solo show By the Company They Keep, the Chenhung Chen traces a path from formative memories of classroom murals in Taiwan to a tactile, spiritually inflected sculptural practice rooted in the poetics of material and memory. Drawing on a lifetime of cross-cultural experience—born in…

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Episode 102: Shattered to Shimmering: The Discoball Theologian’s Story of Divorce, Healing, God, Glitter, and Grace – An Interview with Kerena Lawlor (@discotheo_) 1:52:02

7M ago1:52:02

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Today we are joined by Kerena Lawlor (@discotheo_ on Instagram) as she shares her story of a traumatic and abusive marriage which culminated in a divorce. From this experience, and her passion for ministering to women, Kerena has begun ministering both in person and online to other women who are suffering. Her dream is to … Read More Read More…

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Building the Parachute on the Way Down with Dr. Martin O'Reilly of Output Sports 43:11

7M ago43:11

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This episode is the eleventh in a series of Stuart McMillan chatting with and introducing various presenters from The Speed Summit, brought to you by 3X4 Genetics. Our guest this time is Dr. Martin O'Reilly CEO and Co-Founder of Output Sports. Stuart and Martin talk about the intersection of academic research, entrepreneurial execution and performa…

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260 Light, Legacy, and the Detroit Mindset with Gerald Collins 1:04:29

7M ago1:04:29

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This week on What’s My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza is joined in-person by multidisciplinary artist Gerald Collins, whose practice illuminates the intersection of architecture, chromotherapy, and community. Based in Detroit, Collins returns to the show for a candid and expansive conversation that moves through memory, material, and meaning with str…

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Searching for Half a Step with Matt Price - Los Angeles Kings Director of Strength & Performance Science 58:19

8M ago58:19

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This episode is the tenth in a series of Stuart McMillan chatting with and introducing various presenters from The Speed Summit, brought to you by 3X4 Genetics. Our guest this time is Matt Price Director, Strength & Performance Science for the Los Angeles Kings. Stuart and Matt talk about working in the NHL, multiple ways to be fast, science in S&C…

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Episode 101: LCMS Lutheran Becomes Catholic – An Interview with Sam Landon 1:10:30

8M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

Today we are joined by Sam Landon as he shares his story of growing up LCMS Lutheran and converting to Catholicism in college. Sam grew up in east Tennessee but has lived in Chicago since 2017. He received his Master’s Degree in Religious Studies, specializing in New Testament and Early Christianity, from the University of … Read More Read More…

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259 The Radical Intimacy of the House Gallery: Rethinking the Contemporary Gallery Model with Liz Hirsch 1:05:29

8M ago1:05:29

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In this episode of What's My Thesis?, host Javier Proenza is joined by Liz Hirsch, co-director of 839—an artist-run house gallery in Los Angeles that reimagines what a commercial art space can look and feel like. Located in a 1920's bungalow, 839 is part of a growing network of intimate, artist-centered spaces shaping the future of exhibition-makin…

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Setting Expectations with Chris Miller of Mount Sinai Health System 45:52

8M ago45:52

45:52

This episode is the ninth in a series of Stuart McMillan chatting with and introducing various presenters from The Speed Summit, brought to you by 3X4 Genetics. Our guest this time is Chris Miller Athletic Performance Coach at Mount Sinai Health System. Stuart and Chris talk about working in the NBA, the difference between team and individual sport…