Best anna Silva Podcasts (2025)

1
47. Important Conversations with Anna Connelly 1:01:12

Play Pause

2d ago1:01:12

1:01:12

2025 has been a year of difficult conversations. It's been a year of angst, anger, and frustrating conversations. How do we continue to talk about the hard things, especially when we don't know how to get through to the other person? You've seen Anna Connelly online with her cheeky conversations with her "conservative cousin" talking about history,…

1
46. Unholy Sh!t with Father Nathan Monk 1:28:27

8d ago1:28:27

1:28:27

This episode is brought to you by ground news. Subscribe for 40% off their vantage plan at groundnews.com/monte Father Nathan Monk is a social justice advocate, author, and former Orthodox priest. He is the author of multiple non fiction books and novels including Russian Sleeper Cell and his 2015 hit Chasing the Mouse: A Memoir about Childhood Hom…

1
45. Malcolm X: Revolution by Fire 1:25:36

15d ago1:25:36

1:25:36

This episode is brought to you by Ground News. Subscribe at groundnews.com/tables for 40% off their vantage plan. In this episode, we trace the extraordinary life of Malcolm X (1925–1965), born Malcolm Little in Omaha and shaped by racial terror, systemic oppression, and personal trauma. We explore his early years marked by the activism of his pare…

1
Pierre Friedlingstein on carbon’s pivotal role in climate change 28:10

16d ago28:10

28:10

The COP30 climate summit is taking place in the Brazilian city of Belém, a gateway to the Amazon rainforest, which continues to face widespread deforestation. We all know that our climate is changing and that we are largely responsible for this, but we can’t tackle the problem unless we understand what’s going on. One scientist who’s done more than…

1
44. Home for the Holidays- How Do I Have This Conversation? 1:09:45

22d ago1:09:45

1:09:45

When I was at the protests in DC a sweet girl came up to me and asked how to start talking when you're afraid and I worry I was too harsh. I said something along the lines of "you just have to start". We are past the point of being complicit in silence- and that doesn't mean that these conversations especially with family aren't hard. Starting can …

1
Julia Simner on tasty words and hearing colours 28:22

23d ago28:22

28:22

Imagine if you were listening to an opera or a Taylor Swift concert, and as the lights in the auditorium dimmed, the music was accompanied by a rainbow of colours only you could see. Perhaps while listening to your friends talking, you simultaneously experience a smorgasbord of tastes, with different words evoking different flavours, maybe a delici…

1
43. The Change We Want to See- Trevor Silva and My Cluck Hut 1:21:59

29d ago1:21:59

1:21:59

This episode is brought to you by Ground News. Subscribe at groundnews.com/tables for 40% off their Vantage Plan If you've seen the amazing ads on instagram from a soap company that is very openly ANTI fascist, yes the same ads I play the resistance fairy godmother, today you meet the owners. Trevor Silva and his wife Jennifer are the founders of M…

1
Caroline Smith on meteorites and potential ancient life on Mars 28:24

1M ago28:24

28:24

Caroline Smith is passionate about space rocks, whether they’re samples collected from the surface of asteroids and the Moon and hopefully Mars one day soon, or meteorites, those alien rock fragments that have survived their fiery descents through our atmosphere to land here on Earth. She is Head of Collections and Principal Curator of Meteorites a…

1
42. The Family- Christian Nationalist Power 1:14:09

1M ago1:14:09

1:14:09

This episode is brought to you by ground news. Subscribe at groundnews.com/monte This episode uncovers the hidden history and modern influence of The Family. A secretive religious–political network that has shaped American power since the 1930s. Founded by Abraham Vereide and built on the belief that God works through “key men,” The Family cultivat…

1
AP De Silva on building molecular fluorescence sensors for healthcare 28:11

1M ago28:11

28:11

From humble beginnings in his native Sri Lanka, to a more than 40 year academic career at Queen’s University Belfast, Prof. AP (Amilra Prasanna) De Silva’s research into molecular photosensors has led to a pioneering career in that’s evolved from chemistry to medical diagnostics on one hand, to information processing on the other. Prof. De Silva ch…

1
41. William Randolph Hearst and the Legacy of Yellow Journalism 2:05:39

1M ago2:05:39

2:05:39

William Randolph Hearst was one of the most powerful and controversial figures in American media history — a man whose newspapers didn’t just report the news, but created it. Rising from the son of a wealthy mining family to the head of a sprawling media empire, Hearst revolutionized journalism through bold headlines, emotional storytelling, and se…

1
Peter Knight on quantum technologies 28:09

1M ago28:09

28:09

There are problems and tasks so hard and complicated that it would take today’s most powerful supercomputers millions of years to crack them. But in the next decade, we may well have quantum computers which could solve such problems in seconds. Professor Sir Peter Knight is a British pioneer in the realms of quantum optics and quantum information s…

1
40. HOW DID WE GET HERE? -with Timothy J Heaphy 1:06:52

2M ago1:06:52

1:06:52

Last summer here in Nashville, there were 8 neo-Nazi marches. What is social media’s role in fueling — or even enabling — political violence? How do algorithmic echo chambers, disinformation loops, encrypted organizing platforms, and the erosion of trust in institutions converge to create real-world harm? And what can be done to hold systems and ac…

1
Eleanor Schofield on conserving Tudor warship the Mary Rose 28:20

2M ago28:20

28:20

In July 1545, King Henry VIII watched from Southsea Castle on England's south coast as his fleet sailed out to face the French - only to witness his prized warship, the Mary Rose, sink before his eyes. Raised from the Solent in 1982, the ship is now the centrepiece of the Mary Rose Museum, along with thousands more artefacts that were recovered fro…

1
39. Satanic Panic and the West Memphis 3 1:14:27

2M ago1:14:27

1:14:27

This episode is brought to you by Ground News. Susbscribe at groundnews.com/tables for 40% off their vantage plant. Please support this show by subscribing to patreon.com/montemader. Please leave a rating and review! Happy Halloween!!! In this episode, I am going to take you deep into one of the most bizarre and destructive moral panics in modern h…

1
George Church on reimagining woolly mammoths and virus-proofing humans 28:21

2M ago28:21

28:21

"My ideas are often labelled as impossible, or useless, or both. Usually when people say that I'm on the right track." George Church is a geneticist, molecular engineer, and one of the pioneers of modern genomics. He's also someone who makes a habit of finding solutions to the seemingly impossible. Over the course of his career so far, George devel…

1
38. Conviction: A Redemption Story with Danny Collins 1:32:28

2M ago1:32:28

1:32:28

Danny Collins once had everything lined up — talent, ambition, and a fast track toward the major leagues. Danny signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2002 but his life began to unravel. Addiction took hold, leading to 14 felony convictions and years behind bars. In prison, desperate for protection and belonging, Danny joined a white supremacist group —…

1
Gareth Collett on a career in bomb disposal 28:29

2M ago28:29

28:29

Movies might have us believe that bomb disposal comes down to cutting the right wire. In fact, explosive devices are complex and varied - and learning how to dispose of them safely involves intense training, as well as the ability to stay calm under pressure. This was the world of Dr Gareth Collett, a retired British Army Brigadier General and engi…

1
37. Holy Disruptor: Amy Duggar vs. The Duggar Legacy 1:25:05

2M ago1:25:05

1:25:05

This week on Flipping Tables, Monte sits down with Amy Duggar—the outspoken cousin who dared to step outside the Duggar machine and call it what it is. Known to millions from 19 Kids and Counting, Amy has spent years reclaiming her voice and redefining her faith after growing up in the shadow of one of America’s most controlling religious families.…

1
Sonia Gandhi on building model brains to tackle Parkinson’s disease 28:23

2M ago28:23

28:23

Many people will be familiar with Parkinson’s disease: the progressive brain disorder that causes symptoms including tremors and slower movement, leading on to serious cognitive problems. You might not know that it’s the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world. Today it affects around 11.8 million people and that’s forecast to double by…

1
36. John Brown's Holy War 1:11:11

3M ago1:11:11

1:11:11

I've been guilty in the past of talking about historical figures doing really awful things and making comments like "they were a reflection of their time" meanwhile, other men and women of their time- knew it was wrong and fought against it. A great example of this is John Brown. John was a devout Christian, and a staunch abolitionist. In fact, he …

1
Mark O'Shea on close encounters with venomous snakes 28:28

3M ago28:28

28:28

By BBC Radio 4

1
35. Faction to Faith with Caroline Stout 1:13:19

3M ago1:13:19

1:13:19

I know things over the last two weeks have been extremely heavy. I found myself more fatigued than I ever remember being. After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, getting doxxed and looking at the world burn it really brings up the question "Is there hope left?" Is there room to bridge the ever widening gap happening across America? Caroline Stout,…

1
34. The Bible Says!- With Dr. Dan McClellan 1:27:26

3M ago1:27:26

1:27:26

This episode is brought to you buy Ground News. Get 40% off their Vantage Plan at groundnews.com/tables One of my favorite people alive, and my favorite public scholar. I've been considering graduate school and this conversation has me deeply considering going back to school. There's so much to know. Dr. Dan McClellan is a public scholar of the Bib…

1
33. The Separation of Church and State- w/ Dr. Randall Balmer 1:23:58

3M ago1:23:58

1:23:58

I am SO SORRY. In the wake of traveling and working in DC I completely forgot to post last weeks episode. I'm a human and I apologize sincerely. It means a lot to me to stay on top of this work and education the best I can. That said, YOU GET TWO EPISODES THIS WEEK The first is the most comprehensive conversation I've had to date. Dr. Randall Balme…

1
32. Weapons of Mass Deception 58:58

4M ago58:58

58:58

September 11th was the day where I learned as a girl that America was not impervious. I'll never forget the people standing in the windows and the smoke. Little did I know I would grow up to live in New York City and it wasn't until then I understood the scale of the disaster. It's not until you realize just how big those buildings are, how close e…

1
31. The Devastation of James Dobson 1:17:38

4M ago1:17:38

1:17:38

TRIGGER WARNING: CHILD ABUSE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE On August 21, 2025, Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family died. A behemoth and kingmaker in the evangelical world who supported vicious corporal punishment of children, the subjugation of women and the demonization of the LGBTQ community. Today we discuss the life and career of James Dobson. We w…

1
30. Beyond the Veil & Death with Dignity with Britna Savarese 1:24:55

4M ago1:24:55

1:24:55

This episode is brought to you by Ground News. Subscribe for 40% off their Vantage plan ($5 a month) Death is the one experience we all share, yet it remains the conversation we avoid most. In this episode, I sit down with death doula Britna Savarese to explore what it truly means to accompany someone at the end of life. We talk about why our cultu…

1
29. Burn the Witch!! 1:31:19

4M ago1:31:19

1:31:19

“What else is woman but a foe to friendship, an inescapable punishment, a necessary evil?” — Heinrich Kramer (Malleus Maleficarum, 1487)Part I, Question VI Today we travel to Europe's witch trials, the church and government leaders claimed it was to rid the world of women who had made pacts with Satan. It was really just to remove women from positi…

1
28. The Everyday Man- with Jordan Waggoner 1:19:53

4M ago1:19:53

1:19:53

This episode is brought to you by Ground News. Find accurate, detailed news quickly and easily. Use groundnews.com/tables for 40% off their Vantage plan ($5 a month) This episode is a bit of a rant. Bit of a verbal demo derby. As the election heated up in 2024 I came across a Minnesota man walking through a pasture just ranting. I had just encounte…

1
27. The Color of Compromise- with Jemar Tisby 1:27:32

5M ago1:27:32

1:27:32

Video for this episode available on patreon. Thank you to all my supporters www.patreon.com/montemader The book "The Color of Compromise" is an heartbreaking historical journey through the history of America specifically around faith and the racial divide. In this episode we sit with the author of "The Color of Compromise" and "The Spirit of Justic…

1
26. F*cking Commies- McCarthy and the Red Scare 1:06:55

5M ago1:06:55

1:06:55

Sorry this came out late, for some reason it did not publish. "History doesn't repeat itself but it often rhymes"- Mark Twain It seems to be a common ideology that anyone who identifies as "left" or "liberal" or "progressive" or audible gasp "democratic socialist" is "a f*cking commie"!!!! And that of course is bad.... but why? Why is that rhetoric…

1
25. Is This The Best We Are? w/ Kyle Sullivan 1:32:43

5M ago1:32:43

1:32:43

This show is brought to you by ground news. For 40% off their vantage plan ($5 a month) subscribe at groundnews.com/tables What would happen if representatives from every religion sat in a room and talked? How long would a conversation take before the atheist and the christian realized, they love the same hobbies, care about their kids having the b…

1
24. The Dirt on Purity Culture- with Jubilee Dawns 1:30:51

5M ago1:30:51

1:30:51

If you grew up in Church in the 90s and early 2000s you remember the CRAZE that was the book "I kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. Purity culture was rampant in the church, preaching to young girls their worth was their virginity and that their bodies belonged to their fathers until they were given to their future husbands. YIKES. Do you know …

1
Kevin Fong on medical planning for Mars and Earth-based emergencies 28:39

5M ago28:39

28:39

There can't be many people in the world who've saved lives in hospital emergency rooms and also helped care for the wellbeing of astronauts in space – but Kevin Fong’s career has followed a singular path: from astrophysics and trauma medicine, to working with NASA, to becoming an Air Ambulance doctor. Kevin is a consultant anaesthetist and professo…

1
Let's Talk About Trad Wives 59:34

6M ago59:34

59:34

In this episode, we talk about the performative phenomenon taking over social media: trad wives. If you search the term on Instagram, you'll find hundreds of women promoting a false fantasy of a 1950s housewife in an attempt to make money from other women who desire this lifestyle. It's a way for fundamentalist Christian/LDS women to make an income…

1
23. Viva La Revolution! 57:31

6M ago57:31

57:31

This week on the podcast I scratched my original plan. The passage of the Big UGLY monstrous bill the day before July 4th and my recording being that day, it inspired me to change the topic. I didn't celebrate July 4th the way that I have growing up. But I spent a lot of time thinking about what revolution means, especially at this moment in histor…

1
Dame Pratibha Gai on training atoms to do what we want 28:23

6M ago28:23

28:23

Chemical reactions are the backbone of modern society: the energy we use, the medicines we take, our housing materials, even the foods we eat, are created by reacting different substances together. If we zoom in, it’s the atoms within these substances that rearrange themselves to give rise to new substances with the properties we need. However, che…

1
22. The Ladies are Leaving- with Irene's Entropy 1:32:18

6M ago1:32:18

1:32:18

54% of Gen Z individuals who disaffiliated from their childhood religion were women. For millennial women- 34%. For the first time in US History, men and young men are converting more to religion and filling the pews than women. Why? Women site gender inequality, systemic abuse, teaching limited roles for women, and lack of female church leadership…

1
Catherine Heymans on the lighter side of the dark universe 28:34

6M ago28:34

28:34

Have you ever considered the lighter side of dark matter?Comedy has proved an unexpectedly succesful way to engage people with science - as today's guest knows first-hand. Astrophysicist Catherine Heymans is a Professor at the University of Edinburgh and the current Astronomer Royal for Scotland. She’s spent her career studying dark matter and dark…

1
21. Hell Bent - with Brian Recker 1:01:12

6M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

If you're familiar with the online deconstruction space, you've probably encountered Brian Recker or @brecker on Instagram. As a former evangelical pastor, he's been very vocal about his deconstruction and transformation. In this episode, Brian and I talk about our growing up years, our faith and how thats evolved from narrow and rigid mindsets int…

1
Tim Coulson on how predators shape ecosystems and evolution 28:36

6M ago28:36

28:36

As a young man, traveling in Africa, Tim Coulson - now Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford - became seriously ill with malaria and was told a second bout would probably kill him. Aged only 20, this brush with his own mortality led him to promise himself he would write a complete guide to science: life, the universe and everything. His …

1
20. Escaping a Cult w/ Dr. Steven Hassan 1:31:09

6M ago1:31:09

1:31:09

How can someone so intelligent end up with a cult like mindset? Someone who otherwise seems to have their life together? Seems to be so grounded? Anyone can fall into a cult, and even those who are deeply indoctrinated can get back out. Dr. Steven Hassan is a leading expert in cults, mind control, and undue influence, best known for transforming hi…

1
Claudia de Rham on playing with gravity 28:21

6M ago28:21

28:21

Claudia de Rham has rather an unusual relationship with gravity. While she has spent her career exploring its fundamental nature, much of her free time has involved trying to defy it - from scuba diving in the Indian Ocean to piloting small aircraft over the Canadian waterfalls. Her ultimate ambition was to escape gravity’s clutches altogether and …

7M ago1:11:30

1:11:30

Across platforms the most common question I get is "What does the Bible say about homosexuality and trans people?" Christian nationalists main talking point is a direct opposition to gay rights. But does the Bible really say that? Today we meet with pastor and theologian Brandan Robertson to talk about that, break down the "gotcha" passages of the …

Anna Silva Podcasts