Best Recess Theory Podcasts (2025)

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Lily Allen and Tate McRae revive the revenge anthem 33:50

Play Pause

5h ago33:50

33:50

They say the best revenge is living well, but if you’re a pop star going through a break up, that’s false. The best revenge is releasing a searing scorched-earth revenge banger that calls out your ex and, ideally, rides that vengeance to the top of the Billboard charts. That’s exactly what Tate McRae and Lily Allen have done in the wake of their hi…

1
What Happens When Social Trust Collapses? | Peter Atwater 3:26

1d ago3:26

3:26

Episode 447 is the tenth installment in the Hundred Year Pivot podcast series. In it, Demetri Kofinas and Grant Williams speak with Peter Atwater, a recognized expert on the impact of confidence and mood on individual and group decision-making. Peter's work has been instrumental not only in helping his clients, students, and readers understand how …

1
@DrWendyWalsh - Silence, Swift, and the Bird Theory 34:16

2d ago34:16

34:16

Dr. Wendy is covering Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard drama and why silence is the real danger, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and Kayla Nicole, and TikTok's Bird Theory. PLUS we are getting some Wendy wisdom with her drive by makeshift relationship advice. It's all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

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@DrWendyWalsh - From Deadbeat to Dusty & the Radical Path to Recovery 27:42

2d ago27:42

27:42

Dr. Wendy is talking about deadbeat to dusty and why the generations always rename the term? PLUS we are talking to Richard Taite, an Encino native who overcame homelessness and addiction. He is now one of the nation's leading recovery experts. His new book is "Experiencing Transcendence: The Freedom of Recovering from Addiction and Trauma" which i…

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"It’s Easier to Be Born Global than to Become Global": An Interview with Martin Mignot 53:21

2d ago53:21

53:21

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.driftsignal.com Venture capital has always been an American game played with American rules. Silicon Valley sets the terms, defines success, and draws the world’s best entrepreneurs into its orbit like a gravitational force. For European founders, this creates an existential question…

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After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble 29:47

4d ago29:47

29:47

This week’s SNAP crisis is just a preview. Tucked inside the giant tax-cut and spending bill signed by President Donald Trump this summer are enormous cuts to SNAP: Who qualifies, how much they get, and who foots the bill for the program. That last part is a huge change. For the entire history of the food stamp program, the federal government has p…

101
The remittance mystery 28:26

6d ago28:26

28:26

For decades, the U.S. has been the single biggest source of remittances worldwide. A remittance is a transfer of money, typically from an immigrant to their family in their country of origin. But we are in the middle of a big, loud and very public immigration crackdown on those who are here without legal status. And that crackdown is disrupting the…

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159. Teaching Homeschoolers with Jean Lee of the Academy of Chaos 29:30

6d ago29:30

29:30

Jean Lee is a neuroscientist and homeschooling parent of three who founded the Academy of Chaos, which provides classes for homeschoolers. She’s also the director of the Midwest Homeschool Expo, one of the largest secular homeschool conferences in the United States. Jean’s career is defined by scaling operations, leading diverse teams, and building…

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Can “professor” Charlie Puth pass our qualifying exam? 38:27

7d ago38:27

38:27

Charlie Puth breaks down his new single "Changes," a maximalist eighties production hiding a melancholy story about drifting friendships. As he prepares for fatherhood, the singer-songwriter reflects on how relationships evolve from deep conversations to small talk, why he listens to lyrics last, and his belief that music should offer a three-minut…

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Trump's Plan to Remake the Middle East | Kamran Bokhari 1:03:43

8d ago1:03:43

1:03:43

In Episode 446 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with geopolitical analyst and forecaster Kamran Bokhari about Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan and the new security order taking shape in the Middle East. Kamran first appeared on Hidden Forces in the days following the October 7th attacks to discuss the wider war unfolding between the U.S., I…

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@DrWendyWalsh - Royal Scandals and Relationship Secrets 31:14

9d ago31:14

31:14

Dr. Wendy dives into Prince Andrew’s controversy and the conversation around age of consent, plus the secrets it’s actually okay to keep from your partner. Then, she’s back with her signature drive-by makeshift relationship advice and a dose of endy wisdom. It’s all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

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@DrWendyWalsh - Ghosted Friends and Breast Cancer Awareness 26:54

9d ago26:54

26:54

Dr. endy tackles the emotional side of friendship — what to do when someone ghosts you — and speaks with author and motivational speaker Bershan Shaw about breast cancer awareness, resilience, and finding strength through life’s toughest battles. It’s all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

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The "Boomer Blues" and a Return to Faith | Roger Mitchell 1:48:05

10d ago1:48:05

1:48:05

Episode 445 is the ninth installment in the Hundred Year Pivot podcast series. In it, Demetri Kofinas and Grant Williams speak with Roger Mitchell, an entrepreneur and writer whose essay "The Answer Was Here All the Time," published in Grant Williams's 2025 compendium, explores faith, meaning, and the search for moral grounding in a contemporary We…

201
Should the fine have to fit the crime? 25:45

11d ago25:45

25:45

The U.S. Constitution famously outlaws “cruel and unusual punishments.” But there's another, far more obscure part of the Constitution called the Excessive Fines Clause, which basically says that the fine has to fit the crime. So far, the Supreme Court has been pretty mysterious about what that means. But for Ken Jouppi, the fate of his $95,000 pla…

351
TikTok’s Trojan Horse Strategy 25:03

13d ago25:03

25:03

When TikTok videos started to go viral on Instagram and Reddit, TikTok turned to professional sound designers to protect their content. More and more companies are paying to develop a “sonic identity” – a series of sounds, songs, and micro-jingles to help maintain a unified brand. In this episode, in conjunction with the sound design podcast Twenty…

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158. Teaching Novel Writing with Tavia Stewart & Laura Bradley of NaNo 2.0 24:58

13d ago24:58

24:58

National Novel Writing Month might be gone, but its founder Chris Baty and a collection of former employees and volunteers are making sure the writing tradition continues. Next month their new organization, NaNo 2.0, will be encouraging writers all over to start and complete a novel, while also providing support through resources and camaraderie. I…

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How D'Angelo changed music, in three songs 37:05

14d ago37:05

37:05

On October 14th, the visionary musician D’Angelo passed away at 51 years old. Only releasing three albums during his lifetime, he synthesized influences from gospel, jazz, rock, and hip-hop to create a singular and transcendent sound artists still try – and fail – to emulate today. On this special episode of Switched On Pop, Charlie and Nate are jo…

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@DrWendyWalsh - Hollywood Hearts and Chat-Fish Fakes 35:41

16d ago35:41

35:41

Dr. Wendy is covering the latest in Hollywood relationships this week. Stella Bandera's wedding, Kevin Federline's book, Meghan and Harry and more. PLUS you are no longer getting catfished. Now we have to look out for CHAT-fishes. ChatGPT is creating personalities for people. It's all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

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@DrWendyWalsh - Crush Recession and Relationship Confessions 27:18

16d ago27:18

27:18

Dr. Wendy knows why we are in a crush recession, PLUS is your husband weaponizing incompetence? And how to handle relationships highs and lows on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

51
How Russia’s shadow fleet is sailing around oil sanctions 31:18

18d ago31:18

31:18

Bjarne Caesar Skinnerup works as a maritime pilot in the straits of Denmark. That means he’s used to seeing oil tankers. But after the start of the war in Ukraine, the tankers started getting weird. They were flying flags he’d never seen before. They were old, very old, though many had taken on new names. Something was off. He’d stumbled on a shado…

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122 Carman - No Monsters 1:19:30

19d ago1:19:30

1:19:30

Another Halloween Carman-spook-tacular is upon us! Donavon of Jesus Stole Our Movies joins us to discuss the No Monsters music videoBy Clifton Stuckey

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The year NYC went broke 31:59

20d ago31:59

31:59

In 1975, New York City ran out of money. For a decade it had managed to pay for its hundreds of thousands of city employees and robust social services by taking on billions of dollars in debt. But eventually investors were no longer willing to lend the city any more money. New York teetered on the edge of bankruptcy — the city shuttered more than a…

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157. Food Education with Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn of Pilot Light 34:49

20d ago34:49

34:49

Alexandra DeSorbo-Quinn is the executive director of Pilot Light, a nonprofit that helps educators incorporate food education into their lessons. She joined the organization in 2014, hired personally by its founders as its first staff member, and since then, she has proudly worked in partnership with many educators, chefs and community members to g…

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What do John C. Reilly and Taylor Swift have in common? The Great American Songbook 57:12

21d ago57:12

57:12

John C. Reilly joins to discuss Mr. Romantic, his theatrical tribute to the Great American Songbook that treats Irving Berlin and Tom Waits as equals in the canon of timeless American song. Reilly recorded live in one room with his band using vintage ribbon microphones, embracing the squeaks and imperfections while layering in cinematic sound effec…

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China's Quest to Engineer the Future | Dan Wang 50:19

23d ago50:19

50:19

In Episode 444 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, about his pioneering new framework that compares the U.S. and China not along ideological lines or modes of governance, but by state capacity and the propensity to build. According to Dan Wang, China is an "engineering s…

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@DrWendyWalsh - The Truth About Going to Bed Angry and the Age Gap Debate 26:23

23d ago26:23

26:23

Dr. Wendy is offering her Wendy wisdom with her drive by makeshift relationship advice. PLUS maybe it's better to go to bed angry. Dr. Wendy explains AND what is the perfect age gap? All that and more on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

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@DrWendyWalsh - Finding Warmth Without Playing Hard to Get 30:53

23d ago30:53

30:53

Dr. Wendy is getting into Diane Keaton, life, love, and death. PLUS is unconditional love possible? We have your answers. Are you single? We have tips on how you can be confidently warm and NOT play hard to get. All that and more on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

51
How the government got hedge funded 28:10

25d ago28:10

28:10

The U.S. government spends a ton of money, on everything from Medicare to roads to defense. In fact, it spends way more than it takes in. So…it borrows money, in the bond market. By selling U.S. Treasurys, basically IOUs with periodic interest payments. And for decades, people have loved to invest in Treasurys, for their safety and security. But la…

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156. Impact Mentoring with Dr. Scott Pickle 33:12

27d ago33:12

33:12

Dr. Scott Pickle is superintendent of the Sequoia Union Elementary School District in Woodlake, California. He is also a public speaker and best-selling author who uses his platform to champion the belief that all students can achieve at high levels. Scott used his 30 years of experience to write two published books, Upright and Impact Mentoring: 2…

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The End of Neoliberalism and the Coming Storm | Viktor Shvets 54:34

27d ago54:34

54:34

In Episode 443 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with former investment banker turned global strategist Viktor Shvets, whose books The Great Rupture and The Twilight Before the Storm provide an audaciously comprehensive and compelling framework for understanding the forces shaping our world. These include technology and finance, amplified by…

51
Two ways AI is changing the business of crime (Two Indicators) 19:39

27d ago19:39

19:39

Pre-order the Planet Money book here for your free gift. Our sister show, The Indicator, is chronicling the evolving business of crime for its Vice Week series. Today, we bring to you two cases of crime in the age of AI. First, cybercriminals are using our own voices against us. Audio deepfake scams are picking up against individuals but also again…

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Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Sound: How to actually listen to the album 1:09:28

28d ago1:09:28

1:09:28

By Vulture

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@DrWendyWalsh - Dating Like A Subaru 24:46

30d ago24:46

24:46

Dr. Wendy is helping you create the perfect dating profile and how to date like a Subaru. It's all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

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@DrWendyWalsh - Kidman and Urban Divorce 35:08

1M ago35:08

35:08

Dr. Wendy is getting into Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban divorce, Selena Gomez, and Benny Blanco marriage and answering your relationship questions with her drive by makeshift relationship advice. It's all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

101
BOARD GAMES 2: Making our prototype 35:41

1M ago35:41

35:41

It’s here! It’s free to download and playtest! It’s the Planet Money game! (Download here.) Download and playtest the game go here Sign up for the 11/1 virtual AMA event and get updates about the game Submit your feedback on the game Watch the how-to video with Kenny and Elan for playtest instructions In this episode, the story of how we arrived he…

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The Power of the Trio (ft. Trousdale live at USC) 48:39

1M ago48:39

48:39

There's no lead singer in Trousdale. The trio of Quinn D'Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones, has shared vocal duties equally since they started singing together as students at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. Since then, they've touring the world and released a sophomore album, Growing Pains, that features the…

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121 Silage - Watusi 1:31:38

1M ago1:31:38

1:31:38

Jay and Clifton wonder whether Silage’s Watusi is a ska album, rap-rock album, or even just an elaborate youth group prank.By Clifton Stuckey

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155. Teaching Handwriting with Holly Britton of Squiggle Squad 25:54

1M ago25:54

25:54

Holly Britton is a handwriting instruction specialist with teaching experience in grades K through eight. She educated her own four now-adult children, has taught in private and public school classrooms, served as a curriculum director and founded Squiggle Squad, a unique approach to handwriting instruction for children, pre K to second grade. In t…

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BOARD GAMES 1: We're making a game 32:17

1M ago32:17

32:17

We want to make a board game. It must, of course, teach the world about economics. It must be fun. It’d be nice if it sold lots of copies! How hard could that be!? (Monopoly and Catan are hugely popular and basically little economy simulators, after all.) Well, turns out, it’s quite hard! We’re in a golden age of tabletop games. Thirty years ago th…

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Doja Cat is the new Janet 35:35

1M ago35:35

35:35

This summer, one singular artist could be heard everywhere from the new Cardi B album to the TikTok charts: Janet Jackson. The incomparable Queen of Pop has had her fingerprints all over pop music for the past few months, and it’s never been more apparent than on Doja Cat’s “Jealous Type.” The lead single from Doja’s new album Vie has all the hallm…

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Why America Needs a New China Strategy | Kurt Campbell & Rush Doshi 53:58

1M ago53:58

53:58

In Episode 442 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Kurt Campbell and Rush Doshi. Kurt is the chairman and co-founder of The Asia Group and served as the United States Deputy Secretary of State in the Joe Biden administration and as the Indo-Pacific Coordinator from 2021 to 2024. Rush also served under the previous administration in his ca…

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@DrWendyWalsh - The Perimenopause Revolution 34:49

1M ago34:49

34:49

We are talking to Dr. Mariza Snyder about her book, The Perimenopause Revolution (Hay House, October 2025) She is breaking the silence around one of the biggest, yet least understood, transitions in a woman’s life: perimenopause and its impact on relationships. PLUS Dr. Wendy is covering the Big Five and Compatability. It's all on KFIAM-640!…

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@DrWendyWalsh - AI Dating 31:57

1M ago31:57

31:57

Dr. Wendy is covering AI taking over our dating lives and falling in love with these robots. PLUS some common myths about sex. We are also getting some Wendy wisdom with her drive by makeshift relationship advice. It's all on KFIAM-640By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)

101
How refrigeration took over the world 23:29

1M ago23:29

23:29

The next time you open your fridge, take a second to behold the miracles inside of it: Raspberries from California, butter from New Zealand, steak from Nebraska. None of that would have been remotely possible before the creation of the cold chain. The cold chain is the name for the end-to-end refrigeration of our food from farm to truck to warehous…

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Who Profits in a Post-American World? | Adam Posen 57:15

1M ago57:15

57:15

In Episode 441 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, about the profound transformations underway in the global economy driven by America's transition away from being the world's primary insurance provider for international security to its exploiter-in-chief. In a r…

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How Jane Street’s secret billion-dollar trade unraveled 28:53

1M ago28:53

28:53

On Wall Street, fortunes are often won and lost with the tiniest advantages. And for the past few years, one trading firm has stood out from the rest for both huge profits and careful secrecy — Jane Street Group. But last year, one of Jane Street’s biggest and most lucrative trading strategies was unexpectedly revealed in a Manhattan courtroom. The…

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154. Raising Readers with Maya Smart 58:38

1M ago58:38

58:38

For this episode, I speak to Maya Smart, an early literacy advocate, parent educator and author of Reading for Our Lives: The Urgency of Early Literacy and the Action Plan to Help Your Child. She's affiliated faculty at Marquette University and holds degrees from Harvard and Northwestern. Her website MayaSmart.com features weekly book picks some pl…

1
Stockholm syndrome: Why we can't resist Swedish pop (ft. Zara Larsson) 43:29

1M ago43:29

43:29

How does a country of 10 million people dominate the global pop charts? From ABBA's Eurovision breakthrough to Max Martin's methodical hit-making, Sweden has quietly engineered a kind of musical Stockholm Syndrome: we've all become captives to their sound without realizing it. Listen to the crystalline vocal production and deceptively simple chord …

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Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity | Paul Kingsnorth 53:35

1M ago53:35

53:35

In Episode 440 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Paul Kingsnorth, a novelist, essayist, and former environmental activist who first came on many people's radars during the Covid-19 pandemic with the publication of his viral three-part series "The Vaccine Moment." His current work explores the intersection of technology, culture, and the…

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@DrWendyWalsh - Kayne West Documentary 34:15

1M ago34:15

34:15

Dr. Wendy is talking about the Kayne West documentary, In Whose Name and the new science of attachment. PLUS we are covering why marriage matters, and getting some Wendy wisdom with her drive by makeshift relationship advice. It's all on KFIAM-640!By KFI AM 640 (KFI-AM)