Best Uma Ben Podcasts (2026)

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Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD) Part 2 Encore with How to ADHD, Black Girl Lost Keys, Jahla Osborne + more 1:37:09

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1d ago1:37:09

1:37:09

Did Part 1 leave you informed and now you need a pep talk? Get ready for an absolute banger of an encore episode with 5 experts: René Brooks of BlackGirlLostKeys.com, TEDTalk speaker and How to ADHD YouTuber Jessica McCabe and neuroscientist Dr. Jahla Osborne of University of Michigan. What is it like to get diagnosed? How do you know which medicat…

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Episode 488 - Irene Lucio 42:36

1h ago42:36

42:36

After a celebrated run off-Broadway and rave reviews, Irene Lucio has returned to the role of Isadora in the groundbreaking play. LIBERATION explores the universal themes of freedom, identity, and resilience, set against the backdrop of historical and contemporary struggles for justice. Isadora is an Italian immigrant filmmaker who entered a green-…

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Attention-Deficit Neuropsychology (ADHD) Part 1 Encore with Russell Barkley 1:40:25

9d ago1:40:25

1:40:25

Focus. Productivity. Relationships. Distraction. Neurodiversity. How do you know if you have ADHD? How can you get others to understand your ADHD brain? What are your treatment options and how can they help? In this encore of our wildly popular Part 1 episode, we talk racing thoughts, brilliant brains and the causes and effects of Attention-Deficit…

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Episode 487 - Christiani Pitts 46:04

11d ago46:04

46:04

Christiani Pitts has starred on Broadway in Two Strangers Carry A Cake Across New York, King Kong and A Bronx Tale. She recurred on Starz's "Power Book III:Raising Kanan" and starred in the Netflix feature "Resort To Love." Other credits include : Dead Ringers, Blue Bloods, The Good Fight, Evil and Elementary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi…

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Ornithorhynchology (PLATYPUSES) with Tahneal Hawke 1:09:28

15d ago1:09:28

1:09:28

Duck bills. Beaver tails. Underground lairs. Eggs. Milk. Venom? A platypus has it all. Scholar, conservationist, and Ornithorhynchologist Dr. Tahneal Hawke is here to run through the baffling anatomy and answer all of our WHAT’S THE DEAL, WHAT EVEN *ARE* THEY questions, and chat about field work, evolution, how to spot a platypus, why you can’t hav…

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Bonus Episode: Nutritional Microbiology (GUT HEALTH & DIET) with Miguel Freitas and Elaine Hsiao 48:21

17d ago48:21

48:21

The microbiome is back! In 2018, we chatted with Dr. Elaine Hsiao - a UCLA microbiome researcher– and learned all about the hot cauldron of your guts. In this 2025 update bonus, we chat again with Dr. Hsiao to get updates on the last 7 years of her research. We also stop by White Plains, New York to hang out with Dr. Miguel Freitas, lead nutritiona…

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Episode 486 - Death Becomes Her 44:43

12d ago44:43

44:43

Julia Mattison is a writer, songwriter, actor, and musical comedian who co-wrote the lyrics and music for the Broadway musical, Death Becomes Her. Her projects with Noel include Is Anyone Alive Out There? (Audible Theater), Noel and Julia’s Wayward Brainchildren (Joe’s Pub), “Brooklyn Sound” (Streamy Award winner, Webby Award nominee), Ruby Manger …

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Ep 101: Deepak Chopra On Consciousness and Reality 1:14:23

14d ago1:14:23

1:14:23

Useful Resources: 1. Deepak Chopra2. Donald D. Hoffman3. Awakening: The Path to Freedom and Enlightenment - Deepak Chopra4. Seymour Reichlin5. Digital Dharma: How AI Can Elevate Spiritual Intelligence and Personal Wellbeing - Deepak Chopra6. The Hard Problem Of Consciousness7. Rosalyn Yalow8. Neuropeptides9. Psychoneuroimmunology 10. Candace Pert11…

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Astrobromatology (SPACE FOOD) with Maggie Coblentz 1:11:05

23d ago1:11:05

1:11:05

Dehydrated eggs. Airborne tortillas. Pouches of chicken. Tang. Work up an appetite for space food with artist, designer and Astrobromatologist, Maggie Coblentz. She shares how the intersection of design and science led her skyward, doing experiments on zero G flights, and shipping miso into space. We also talk Martian gardening, stinky roommates, b…

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Episode 485 - F. Murray Abraham 39:36

17d ago39:36

39:36

F. Murray Abraham has appeared in more than 80 films including Amadeus (Academy Award, Golden Globe, and L.A. Film Critics Awards), The Phoenician Scheme, The Name of the Rose, Finding Forrester, Scarface, The Ritz, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Inside Llewyn Davis. A veteran of the stage, he has appeared in more than 90 plays, among them Uncle Van…

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Pteridology (FERNS) with Fay-Wei Li 1:03:33

30d ago1:03:33

1:03:33

Fronds. Forest dwellers. Spores. Houseplants. Queer icons. We’ve got ferns. The charming and hilarious professor and author of “Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants,” Dr. Fay-Wei Li, tells me all about fern evolution, what ferns not to have in your house, the most expensive ferns, the tastiest ferns, mathematical mysteries,…

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Episode 484 - Laura Bell Bundy 38:26

1M ago38:26

38:26

Laura Bell Bundy Broadway: “Elle Woods” Legally Blonde (Tony, Drama Desk & Outer Critics Noms), “Sylvia” The Cottage, “Amber” Hairspray (OBC), “Glinda” Wicked. Notable Off Bway: Romy & Michelle The Musical, Mama I’m a Big Girl Now (Drama Desk Nom) “Tina” Ruthless (Outer Critics/Drama Desk Noms). TV: Anger Management, Fairly Odd Parents, Call Me Kat…

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NEW 2025 Interview: Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY) Part 2 with Dirk Moses 1:11:40

1M ago1:11:40

1:11:40

Note: if you haven’t already heard it, please start with our original, May 2024 episode with Dr. Moses: Genocidology (CRIMES OF ATROCITY) Part 1 A lot has happened since then, and author, scholar and genocide expert Dr. Dirk Moses was kind enough to return for a 2025 episode. We cover how public and legal sentiment has changed since our first episo…

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Episode 483 - Kara Lindsay 36:57

1M ago36:57

36:57

KARA LINDSAY is best known for originating Katherine Plumber in Disney’s Newsies on Broadway and reprising the role in the 2017 film. She is also one of Wicked’s longest-running Glinda’s on Broadway and starred as Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Add’l credits include: Once Upon a Mattress (Broadway), Romy and Michelle The Musica…

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Ep 100: David Ko, From Panic to Purpose 1:01:12

1M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

Episode 100 of Brave New World features David Ko, CEO of Calm, a digital health company focused on mental wellness and mindfulness. From experiencing panic attacks as a teenager to being the driving force behind Calm, his journey is an inspiring exploration of resilience, purpose, and the intersection of vulnerability and innovation. Useful Resourc…

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Bisonology (BUFFALO) Encore with various bisonologists 1:30:07

1M ago1:30:07

1:30:07

Bison bison! Not just something to holler into the sky, but also the scientific name for North America's majestic wild bovines. In this encore, we explore a beast that once roamed the plains in the tens of millions. What's up with their humps? On what occasion do they wear capes? What noises do they make? How many are out there? What are the best w…

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Episode 482 - Ari'el Stachel 45:17

2M ago45:17

45:17

ARI’EL STACHEL is a Tony Award® and GRAMMY® Award–winning actor, singer, and writer. His new solo play OTHER was presented Off-Broadway after acclaimed runs at Berkeley Rep and Berkshire Theatre Group. Stachel received the 2018 Tony Award® for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for originating the role of Haled in The Band’s Visit on Broadway, a perf…

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Strigiformology (OWLS) Part 2 with R. J. Gutiérrez 1:11:12

2M ago1:11:12

1:11:12

We’re back with Dr. R.J. “Rocky” Gutiérrez to answer listeners’ questions on owls. How much wisdom lies behind those big, immovable eyes? Are owls good or bad omens? What’s their proclivity for snatching hats? Is The Staircase owl theory plausible? Is it ok to hoot back at them? What do you mean one of their toes is reversible? This episode’s got t…

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Episode 481 - Amy Landecker 50:52

2M ago50:52

50:52

AMY LANDECKER is a dynamic actress and filmmaker known for her captivating performances across both comedy and drama in film and television. Amy made her debut as a writer, producer, director and star with For Worse, a feature film that premiered to great acclaim at the 2025 SXSW film festival. The hilarious and poignant romantic comedy focuses on …

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Strigiformology (OWLS) Part 1 with R.J. Gutiérrez 55:22

2M ago55:22

55:22

OWLS. FINALLY. In no particular order: what’s up with their eyes, legs, hoots, feathers, silent flight, nests, folklore, necks, barfs, conservation status, and omens? Go take a walk or sit on a porch in the dusk and make friends with Rocky. Dr. R.J. “Rocky” Gutiérrez is a celebrated researcher, Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, a l…

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Episode 480 - John-Andrew Morrison 47:50

2M ago47:50

47:50

JOHN-ANDREW MORRISON -Tony Award Nomination, Lucille Lortel Award, and OBIE for A Strange Loop. Currently stars on Broadway in Oh, Mary. Off Broadway: Blues for an Alabama Sky (KEEN Company, Outer Critics Circle Honoree), The Blacks - A Clown Show, Caligula and Malvolio (Classical Theater of Harlem), Medea of the Laundromat (La MaMa and Lucille Lor…

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Historical Toxicology (OLD TIMEY POISONS) with Deborah Blum 1:14:13

2M ago1:14:13

1:14:13

Metal poisons. Odorless ones. Toxic plants. Iocane powder, arsenic, old lace, poisons as self-defense, black mirrors, Aqua Tofanas, movie myths, and the start of testing for that which ails or kills you: we’ve got Historical Toxicology with Pulitzer Prize-winning science author & chemistry connoisseur Deborah Blum. She wrote the beloved “Poisoner's…

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Episode 479 - Bess Wohl 42:51

2M ago42:51

42:51

Bess Wohl is a playwright and filmmaker whose plays have been produced on and off Broadway, regionally, and internationally. Bess's plays include LIBERATION, GRAND HORIZONS (Broadway, Tony Nomination), CAMP SIEGFRIED, MAKE BELIEVE, CONTINUITY, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, AMERICAN HERO, TOUCHED, IN, CATS TALK BACK and the musical PRETTY FILTHY. Her plays ha…

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Critical Ponerology (WHAT IS “EVIL”?) with Kenneth MacKendrick 1:03:36

2M ago1:03:36

1:03:36

What is evil? Who is evil? Does evil exist? Who decides? Can we scream over turkey at grandma’s house? Let’s chat Critical Ponerology with scholar, professor, author of Evil: A Critical Primer, and a gem of a person, Dr. Kenneth MacKendrick of the University of Manitoba. He’s been teaching courses on the notion of evil for 25 years and it’s a much …

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Bonus Episode: COCKROACH MILK with Joshua Benoit and Sinead English 27:51

2M ago27:51

27:51

Cockroach milk for Spooktober. STAY HERE. Don’t tell me you like haunted houses and slasher films but can’t listen to a lovely conversation about how cockroaches make milk to feed their young. It’s one of the most nutritious substances on Earth, and I own some. Sort of. Coem along for a brief and enthralling discussion from two researchers, Dr. Jos…

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Episode 478 - Jenn Harris 41:38

2M ago41:38

41:38

Jenn Harris is an award-winning writer, director, actor, and producer. She is currently starring in Oh, Mary! on Broadway. Jenn originated the role of Clarice Starling in Silence! The Musical, won a Lortel and Theatre World award for her performance in Modern Orthodox, and was in the revival of All In The Timing. Film & TV credits: American Fiction…

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Blattodeology (YES, COCKROACHES) with Dominic Evangelista 1:08:10

3M ago1:08:10

1:08:10

Dazzling colors. Remote habitats. Gentle parenting. Fantastic genitalia. And yeah, swimming through sewers to surprise you. It’s cockroaches and I promise you will find something to love about them in this chat with cockroach evangelist and Blattodeologist Dr. Dominic Evangelista. Which are the prettiest? Are roaches better at raising kids than you…

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Episode 477 - Adam Gopnik 50:35

3M ago50:35

50:35

Award-winning, best-selling author Adam Gopnik has been a writer for The New Yorker since 1986 – covering fiction, humor, criticism, art, book reviews, personal essays, profiles, and reported pieces from abroad. He has written nine books, ranging from essay collections about Paris and food, to children’s novels, as well as several musicals and thea…

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Haunted Hydrology (SPOOKY LAKES) with Geo Rutherford 1:13:08

3M ago1:13:08

1:13:08

Mudbank bones. River wrecks. Salty seas. Pink ponds. Poison dust devils. Steamy streams.. It’s Haunted Hydrology with your favorite Spooky Lakes ambassador, the artist and author Geo Rutherford who is widely known as Geodesaurus. Geo covers the dark history of The Great Lakes, a stump that controls the weather, the what and why of a good lagoon, th…

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Episode 476 - Josh Hamilton 1:10:12

3M ago1:10:12

1:10:12

Josh Hamilton has worked as an actor since he was a teenager in NYC. On stage, he’s been in the original productions of Kenneth Lonergan’s This is Our Youth, The Waverly Gallery and The Medieval Play, on Broadway in Proof, The Real Thing, The Coast of Utopia and Dead Accounts. Off-Broadway includes Annie Baker’s The Antipodes, Jonathan Marc Sherman…

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Serpopsychology (WHAT’S CREEPY?) with Frank McAndrew 1:09:30

3M ago1:09:30

1:09:30

Are you creepy? How would you know? What’s “creepy” as opposed to scary or eerie? We talk to the pioneer of this research, Serpopsychologist, Dr. Frank McAndrew, a professor emeritus at Knox College. We chat: dates that give you the willies, Weary Willie the Clown, haunted dolls, college goths, dark alleyways, evolutionary neurobiology, what NOT to…

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Episode 475 - A Man With Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole 39:19

3M ago39:19

39:19

Kenneth Cole is an American designer and social activist who believes that business and philanthropy are interdependent. His company, Kenneth Cole Productions, creates modern footwear, clothing, and accessories that are distributed worldwide. Kenneth’s commitment to public health initiatives goes back decades. He has been one of the leading and lou…

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Revolutionology (REBELLIONS & SOCIAL CHANGE) with Jack Goldstone 1:30:26

3M ago1:30:26

1:30:26

Storming the Bastille. Facing off with tanks. Canceling a streaming subscription. We’re talking protests, boycotts, insurrections, and demonstrations. Scholar, professor, and actual real life Revolutionologist Dr. Jack Goldstone lays out the whys – and the hows. What revolts have been the gold standard? How has social media impacted social change? …