Best Benjamin Diaz Podcasts (2025)

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Making Sense of Our Inherited Brain Chemicals 44:04

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16h ago44:04

44:04

She is the Founder of the Inner Mammal Institute and author of Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain your brain to boost your serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphin levels. Our happy brain chemicals are not designed to be on all the time. When you know what sparks them in the state of nature, you can find healthy ways to spark them in daily life. …

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An Indictment of An Educational System That Is Broken 49:45

5d ago49:45

49:45

He was one of the top prep basketball players in the state of Missouri in his junior and senior years at Central High School in Kansas City. So, when the colleges came running, he accepted a full ride to the University of Arkansas. Despite being unable to read or write, he went on to be one of the most prolific players to grace the Razorbacks’ camp…

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Life Skills Education for Kids 37:55

8d ago37:55

37:55

In a world where “self-help” ($34 billion) and mental health ($83 billion) are billion-dollar businesses, they ask: Why do so many adults struggle with life? It is simple yet profound: No one taught them the craft of living well, he says. Think about this: Teaching kids’ sports skills at an early age is common. Yet many ignore instructing their kid…

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“FATE: The Winx Saga” writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs talks adapting properties 57:56

9d ago57:56

57:56

Comics writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs talks about adapting a well-established property from another medium (animation) and what it's like to create in someone else's playground.By Summer Brooks

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Phil Tiemeyer, "Women and the Jet Age: A Global History of Aviation and Flight Attendants" (Cornell UP, 2025) 55:34

10d ago55:34

55:34

Women and the Jet Age: A Global History of Aviation and Flight Attendants (Cornell University Press, 2025) is a global history of postwar aviation that examines how states nurtured airlines for competing political and economic goals during the Cold War. While previous histories almost exclusively stress US and Western European aviation progress, Dr…

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Experiencing Nature After Dark 40:10

12d ago40:10

40:10

Experienced naturalist and photographer Charles Hood captures it all, sharing his nocturnal adventures all over the world, with insight, wit, and over 240 stunning photographs. Open your senses to this darkened world, which is strange yet familiar—and more beautiful than you ever imagined. A new world awakens in the dark, filled with spectacular bi…

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A Conversation with Pulitzer Prize Winner Benjamin Nathans: The Lives and Afterlives of the Soviet Dissident Movement. 1:03:29

12d ago1:03:29

1:03:29

In this week’s episode of then & now, we’re joined by Benjamin Nathans, Alan Charles Kors Endowed Term Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk about his recent book, To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement (Princeton University Press, 2024)—which was awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Pri…

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Inspiration for Creating Your Own Bucket Wish List 36:54

15d ago36:54

36:54

She is a farmer’s daughter, mother, wife, businesswoman, and a detailed list maker. She is a Southern, Mountain-Dew driven, M&M’s eater, adrenaline-seeker adventurer, and climber of Mount Everest (although I did not do so well). ‍From the farm to corporate America, from a receptionist to president of a global manufacturing company, explains some, b…

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“Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel Comics” 1:03:36

16d ago1:03:36

1:03:36

"Super Visible: The Story of the Women of Marvel Comics" co-authors Margaret Stohl and Judith Stephens talk about the story behind making the book and talking to many of the women behind the creation of Marvel Comics.By Summer Brooks

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Amusing and Weird Occurrences in The White House 28:01

19d ago28:01

28:01

He has covered politics for his entire career in journalism, giving him a unique insight into the reasons politicians often do the strange things that they do. Hal left daily journalism in 2006. In 1999, Hal started writing nonfiction books for young readers and by 2025 he has authored more than two hundred titles for several national publishers. H…

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Insights Into the World of Making Wine 37:31

22d ago37:31

37:31

People around wine countries often know him by his codename Agent Cru. That is because he is an undercover CEO of Wine Spies, a wine e-tailer and eCommerce technology company. Since 2007, they have featured a brand-new wine on their site every single day at the best price on planet Earth for a 24-hour window. He cut his teeth as a "cellar rat" scru…

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Paul R. Beckett, "An Anatomy of Tax Havens: Europe, the Caribbean and the United States of America" (de Gruyter, 2023) 1:04:21

22d ago1:04:21

1:04:21

Tax havens in offshore lands like Switzerland, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas were once considered a rarity, the preserve of the super-rich. Today, they are big business available to the masses. Their goal? To avoid any form of accountability. Own nothing. Possess everything. Be answerable to no one. Where are these tax havens? What forms can t…

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“Off the Grid” director Johnny Martin, actor Maria Elisa Camargo 35:55

23d ago35:55

35:55

Director Johnny Martin, then actor Maria Elisa Camargo talk about making Off the Grid, a new action-thriller also starring Josh Duhamel, Greg Kinnear and Peter Stormare.By Summer Brooks

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The Imbalance of The Criminal Justice System 44:08

26d ago44:08

44:08

The author reflects upon 35 years of being a criminal attorney both for prosecution and for the defense in high-level cases. It looks at the practice of law from being a former prosecutor to the running of a successful defense practice. It is focused on the representation on behalf of the prosecution for the state and as a defense counsel represent…

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The Sociolinguistics of Exclusion: Affirmative Action, DEI, and the Struggle for Belonging. A Conversation with Jamaal Muwwakkil. 49:24

27d ago49:24

49:24

In this episode of then & now, we are joined by Dr. Jamaal Muwwakkil, Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA and incoming Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington, to discuss the recent rollback of affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in American universities. Jamaal examines how the…

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Maya J. Berry, "Defending Rumba in Havana: The Sacred and the Black Corporeal Undercommons" (Duke UP, 2025) 1:31:12

27d ago1:31:12

1:31:12

In Defending Rumba in Havana: The Sacred and the Black Corporeal Undercommons (Duke University Press, 2025), anthropologist and dancer Maya J. Berry examines rumba as a way of knowing the embodied and spiritual dimensions of Black political imagination in post-Fidel Cuba. Historically a Black working-class popular dance, rumba, Berry contends, is a…

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You Can Switch Off Your Inborn Sabotaging Trait 37:39

29d ago37:39

37:39

Did you know you were born with a protective trait that stops your success, but you have the antidote to switch it off immediately? Have you ever, even for one quick second, felt that something was stopping you from achieving what you really wanted, that no matter what you did, it was ineffective, and you felt hopeless? They will help you to discov…

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“Found Footage Finds” filmmaker Chris Vander Kaay 1:01:38

30d ago1:01:38

1:01:38

"Found Footage Finds" is a docuseries created by Chris Vander Kaay about "found footage" films. The examination of those films along with interviews with some of the filmmakers is a lovely deep dive into a fun, niche movie genre.By Summer Brooks

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How To Avoid Foreclosure and Bankruptcy 31:28

1M ago31:28

31:28

Simply put, Hope4Hardship helps people get out of their own way. That starts with constructive discussions with your bank. The depth of your struggle, how long it lasts and how bad it becomes is completely dependent on you and how long you will wait before you begin facing this head on. Threatening the safety that our home represents is one of the …

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The Hidden Story of America's Housing Crisis 42:00

1M ago42:00

42:00

For many families, homelessness is no longer someone else’s problem. It is right around the corner, a real threat in their own immediate future. The crisis is the result of a long history of government policies, court cases, and political manipulation. While these disparate causes make up a tangled web, they have one surprising root: the attack on …

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Ana Hebra Flaster, "Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town" (She Writes Press, 2025) 1:03:01

1M ago1:03:01

1:03:01

Ana Hebra Flaster was six years old when her working-class family was kicked out of their Havana barrio for opposing communism. Once devoted revolutionaries themselves but disillusioned by the Castro government’s repressive tactics, they fled to the US. The permanent losses they suffered—of home, country, and loved ones, all within forty-eight hour…

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“Diablo” director Ernesto Díaz Espinoza on filming action 23:14

1M ago23:14

23:14

Director Ernesto Díaz Espinoza talks about DIABLO, his latest action-thriller, starring Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror.By Summer Brooks

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The Indomitable Spirit of Rural America 38:30

1M ago38:30

38:30

This is a family saga that captures the essence of rural America, Helen Sheehy's Just Willa spans seven decades of one woman’s life, taking us from the Dust Bowl to the Depression, from Roosevelt to Reagan. It gives us a character of indomitable spirit—the daughter of a homesteader who survives the trials of single motherhood and goes on to marry a…

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Coming Out Republican: The Gay Right and the Politics of Belonging. A Conversation with Neil J. Young. 38:00

1M ago38:00

38:00

In this week’s episode of then & now, LCHP Assistant Director Dr. Rose Campbell is joined by Dr. Neil J. Young—historian, podcaster, and author of Coming Out Republican (The University of Chicago Press, 2024), which traces the history of conservative and libertarian gay figures in United States history and their influence on the modern Republican P…

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Colonial Williamsburg, Learning from The Past 27:50

1M ago27:50

27:50

Williamsburg was the thriving capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom and independence was taking shape. From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most populous, and most influential of the American colonies. The seat of government in Virginia moved to Richmond i…

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Ben H. Winters on writing his comics debut “Benjamin” 35:00

1M ago35:00

35:00

Writer Ben H. Winters has a new comics limited series coming out, BENJAMIN, which is a prestige format 3-issue series that melds Philip K. Dick with Thomas Pynchon in a story that bends and breaks perception, time and reality itself.By Summer Brooks

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Revealing and Shattering Subconscious Barriers 49:25

2M ago49:25

49:25

With over 35 years of professional experience and 20+ years of personal healing from trauma and abuse, she will guide you on a journey of self-discovery, inner healing, and empowerment. Using proven coaching and energy techniques, she clears away the hidden blocks and dysfunctional beliefs that hold you back and guide you home to your inner truth a…

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Clothing That Fits and Flatters Imparts Confidence 40:17

2M ago40:17

40:17

Ironically, upwards of 65% of the population face challenges to clothe their bodies. Why does the fashion industry ignore such a huge target market? It confounds her, but it is not the primary influence on fashion. She exclaims “style” is the distinguishing characteristic. It is not about size. It is about Style”. Style is the difference between ‘f…

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“Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse” Director Isaac Ezban 33:06

2M ago33:06

33:06

Director Isaac Ezban talks about his new post-apocalyptic film, Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse, the story of three young brothers fighting to survive in a world ravaged by an incurable plague.By Summer Brooks

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Remembering The Devastation of Childhood Illnesses 37:13

2M ago37:13

37:13

Most people easily forget how devastating some childhood illnesses were. Before the measles vaccine was developed in the early 1960s, 2 1/2 million people died of measles every year in the world.” Schneebaum advises parents who are hesitant to vaccinate to talk to their pediatrician about their concerns and approach the subject with an open mind an…

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Mexico's Dirty War and the Struggle for Accountability: A Conversation with Carlos Pérez Ricart. 47:29

2M ago47:29

47:29

In this week’s episode of then & now, guest host Professor Fernando Pérez-Montesinos is joined by Carlos Pérez Ricart, Assistant Professor in International Relations at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) in Mexico City, to discuss Mexico’s Dirty War—an internal conflict from the 1960s to the 1980s between the Institutional Revolut…

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Ready For Some Farm Fresh Eggs? 27:54

2M ago27:54

27:54

Thought of Raising Backyard Chickens? Every Spring, thousands of chickens are sold at local farm supply stores. Often these chickens die before they are ready to start laying eggs (16-30 weeks). Children quickly realize that chicks are not as fun as the Xbox and parents find out that chickens cannot be house broken! The costs quickly start increasi…

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The Shocking Truth About Modern Nursing 30:06

2M ago30:06

30:06

Nurse Kathy Allan happened to look out the window of the hospital where she worked one day and saw a new mother and her infant being discharged – by a cleaning lady dressed in scrubs. The problem was, only nurses should wear scrubs and only nurses can discharge patients. When Allan began asking questions, the hospital administration threatened her …

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Why History Matters: L.A. Wildfires Past, Present, and Future 1:07:50

2M ago1:07:50

1:07:50

In this week’s episode of then & now, we present a recording of a recent panel discussion focusing on L.A. wildfires past, present, and future. This program is part of the “Why History Matters” series presented by the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Department of History—a series dedicated to the belief that historical knowledge is an indispensable, an…

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M. Myrta Leslie Santana, Transformismo: Performing Trans/Queer Cuba" (U Michigan Press, 2025) 58:47

2M ago58:47

58:47

In Transformismo, M. Myrta Leslie Santana draws on years of embedded research within Cuban trans/queer communities to analyze how transformistas, or drag performers, understand their roles in the social transformation of the island. Once banned and censored in Cuba, transformismo, or drag performance, is now state-sponsored events. Transformismo su…

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Decoding What Your Body is Trying to Tell You 35:50

2M ago35:50

35:50

After years in the fast-paced energy of a New Jersey clinic, she followed her intuition to the magic of the Idaho mountains, where she now guides transformations from her little slice of paradise. Using a blend of energetic wisdom and functional bloodwork analysis, she helps decode the deeper stories your body's trying to tell you. Think of her as …

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“Parable of the Talents”: On adapting science fiction classics 50:37

2M ago50:37

50:37

Eisner and Hugo Award winning comics writer Damian Duffy talks about the challenges of adapting the works of Octavia Butler to graphic novels. Parable of the Talents is the newest adaptation, following Kindred (2017) and and the Hugo Award-winning Parable of the Sower (2020).By Summer Brooks