Tangentially Speaking is dedicated to the idea that good conversation is organic, uncensored, revelatory, and free to go down unexpected paths with unconventional people. chrisryan.substack.com
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Sep 29, 2026 · 56:03
Shane has spent the past few years building out a schoolbus, and now he’s taking it out on the road. His first stop was Crestone. Our previous podconvo was ten years ago. Follow…
Sep 28, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Is “genocide” the right word? Does it matter? Are our “leaders” psychopaths? Is it possible…
Sep 18, 2026 · 5:27
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Are we ruled by the Closetocracy? Is Andrew Tate a paragon of unresolved trauma? Would Willie…
Sep 15, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Is Super El Niño gonna kill us? Is AI gonna kill us? Is Donald Trump or Putin or Iran gonna…
Sep 7, 2026 · 1:49:39
James grew up in suburban Chicago, studied philosophy in college, and after trips to Tanzania (living with the Hadza) and working on farms in New Zealand, he moved with his wife…
Sep 5, 2026 · 2:05:18
Chris and I are old friends, from back in the 90s, when I lived in a mansion in Barcelona infested with fashion models. He and his lingerie-model girlfriend were my next-door…
Aug 29, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Following up on the previous ROMA where I explore the bird’s-eye view of AI. Is our behavior…
Aug 24, 2026 · 46:49
Somehow, my mic never got turned on, so this one is all-guest. The perfect episode! Lloyd is a builder, a writer, a photographer, a publisher, an athlete and a great friend. This…
Aug 17, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com We dig into what it feels like to come of age under a permanent sense of "the world could end…
Aug 13, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Are we like beavers who drown in pools we’re busy building?
Aug 12, 2026 · 2:01:45
I sat down over coffee with Kyle on my recent drive through Santa Cruz. Our spontaneous, far ranging conversation included birding in Manhattan, our differing learning styles,…
Aug 11, 2026 · 1:11:45
Richard is one of my favorite writers and one of my favorite people. His books have followed his interests, from chili peppers to the Cuban revolution to eels to homelessness to…
Jul 21, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com The world cup, seen through the eyes of an anthropologist. The significance of Barca. Why…
Jul 13, 2026 · 1:31:56
Dave has been around. He spent eight years in the navy, lived in Bali for a while, led hundreds of intimacy workshops, explored non-monogamous relationships and intentional…
Jul 10, 2026 · 9:23
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Are the vikings cool yet? The importance of distance in historical thinking. Some really…
Jul 9, 2026 · 1:36:24
With almost 800 episodes in the archives, new listeners (and old) often ask me for recommendations. In response, I’ll occasionally re-post some of my favorites. This was my first…
Jul 6, 2026 · 16:57
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Accents. The World Cup. How soccer strategies reflect on contemporary American politics.…
Jul 6, 2026 · 1:24:02
Jan is a historian specializing in telling the stories of the many extraordinary women of the Old West — many of them madams and prostitutes. She’s written many books, including:…
Jun 29, 2026 · 1:52:46
I love talking with Kevin about cutting-edge technology. He’s up to his neck in the stuff. He doesn’t just dabble in it. He’s practically submerged in it. I hope you enjoy this…
Jun 23, 2026 · 1:30:14
Robert Wright is the New York Times bestselling author of The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning . His previous books include: The Evolution of God…
Jun 18, 2026 · 7:43
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Would it be such a bad thing if Iran nuked up? Robert Thurman lived a great life . Fukuyama…
Jun 17, 2026 · 1:11:51
Dadaonysus is an artist, scientist, gamer, adventurer, deep-thinker. Our conversation covers a lot of ground, from a difficult childhood to homelessness to being neurodivergent…
Jun 7, 2026 · 1:34:17
A collection of songs that impart wisdom and meaning. The DJCPR series is normally bonus material behind a pay-wall, but I figure it’s worth showing you what you’re missing every…
Jun 6, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Is Graham Platner the Trump of the left? Could there even be a Trump of the left? Are the…
Jun 3, 2026 · 1:22:56
Mehran Seyed Emami is an Iranian therapist, podcaster, and founder of Ravannama (Persian Psychedelic Society), a community focused on psychedelic education, awareness, and harm…
May 28, 2026 · 1:13:58
Thank you Bejinha , Midwest Timecapsules , John Climenhaga , david price , Ryan Hichens , and many others for tuning into this live video with Anya Kaats ! Join us for our next…
May 21, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What are some of the potential unintended positive consequences of this shitstorm we’re all…
May 19, 2026 · 1:51:31
Ryan is an aspiring underachiever. He’s worked for NASA, planned and conducted his own scientific research at the CDC, and served as a foreign affairs analyst/speechwriter in the…
May 14, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com We respond to a listener's question about our own addictive behaviors and addiction in…
May 5, 2026 · 1:13:11
Guustaaf Damave is a Dutch technologist and writer based in Taiwan. He has been writing a weekly newsletter about AI, culture, and the future since 2023. You can read it at…
Apr 27, 2026 · 1:34:09
Author, historian, professor, podcaster, father, partner, son, funny and smart dude. Daniele is a man of many dimensions. We just bullshit for an hour or so, but I’d like to…
Apr 24, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Is violence ever justified? Is structural violence different from interpersonal? What about…
Apr 18, 2026 · 4:39
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Conspiracies and collapse. Felt the lightning. Waiting on the thunder.
Apr 15, 2026 · 35:21
The QWERTY keyboard and its resonance with cognitive and behavioral assumptions we all carry within us that are designed around conditions that no longer exist. And other stuff.…
Apr 11, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com On this AROMA, we answer a listener’s question about whether non-monogamy is an expression of…
Apr 8, 2026 · 1:38:44
Andy grew up in the UK, but a series of events led him to drop his life there fly off to a place where he knew no one (although he was born there). As you’ll hear, that gutsy…
Apr 5, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In which we talk about our last days in LA, our impressions of the tenth Bombay Beach…
Apr 3, 2026 · 1:07:02
Jesse Bering is an award-winning science writer specializing in evolutionary psychology and human behaviour. He is the author of The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson ,…
Apr 1, 2026 · 1:17:53
Peter Michael Bauer is an internationally known leader in the cultural rewilding movement. For over 20 years he has written and taught about rewilding. He has served as an expert…
Mar 23, 2026 · 1:21:18
Tao is a magical man, living a magical life. Film director, musician, philosopher, bon-vivant, and all-around lovely human being. I’m thrilled to bring him back into our party…
Mar 19, 2026 · 1:01:19
I got an email from a guy named Nick, who suggested I might like to meet his buddy, Ryley, who happened to be in Baja. I could sense the love and respect Nick felt for his…
Mar 13, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Probably our last AROMA from Baja. This one comes to you from a campfire on the beach. We…
Mar 10, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In this one we talk about our reactions to “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” by Ursula K.…
Mar 10, 2026 · 47:39
We figure out the framing a minute in. Thank you Nickalas Chisari , Bob Goldsmith , Dustin Fenster , Devin McManus , Raymundo Ortiz , and many others for tuning into our live…
Mar 8, 2026 · 1:28:28
Barbara, Anya’s grandmother, has lived a full life of 91 years and going strong. She’s lived all over the world, raised two sons, studied Jungian psychology, loved and lost and…
Mar 4, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Updates on our Mexico travels, my attempts to master the flip-flop, my dermatological…
Feb 23, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com We respond to questions from listeners about therapy, whether shame fuels eroticism, why…
Feb 20, 2026 · 1:21:59
Greetings from the lagoon in the oasis town of San Ignacio, Baja Sur, Mexico. We talk about our (maybe) upcoming retreat this summer in Montana, answer a few listener questions…
Feb 11, 2026 · 2:03
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com I tell my Peter Attia story and we explore the nature of evil on Epstein Island. Are we all…
Feb 2, 2026 · 1:33:10
One of the best things about Crestone is that it attracts people like Goldie. She came here to build an Earthship with her partner, Matt , and everyone agrees that it’s a richer…
Jan 28, 2026 · 1:31:07
In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about James’ journey from ministry to technology, the importance of critical thinking and humility, the role of ideology in political…
Jan 25, 2026 · 22:32
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Looking for silver linings of very dark clouds. Muss es sein? Es muss sein. Beethoven.…
Jan 19, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What is the connection (if any) between football, musicals, dancing, and prostitution Some…
Jan 15, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com This one gets dark at the beginning. Could this Epstein/Trump stuff be worse, much worse than…
Jan 12, 2026 · 1:37:26
Liam and his wife, Abbey have been together for over thirteen years and have been consensually non-monogamous for eleven of those years. Their podcast, Evolving Love , seeks to…
Jan 10, 2026 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Listener voice memos. Am I a good mentor? If “the medium is the message,” what’s the message…
Jan 1, 2026 · 3:49
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Will 2026 be the end of the beginning of the end or the beginning of the beginning of a new…
Dec 22, 2025 · 1:46:30
Ed Dupas is an Americana artist with a knack for crafting songs that stick with you — songs that balance grit and vulnerability while cutting to the heart of things. His music…
Dec 13, 2025 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Does peak experience ruin normal experience? Why not just run ads? How can we know we’re not…
Dec 11, 2025 · 1:46:06
Jef Taylor has worked in politics, advertising, and independent filmmaking. His podcast is called onefjef, and you can find on any platform or at onefjefpod.com. This is a public…
Dec 9, 2025 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Topics: How is a plate of peas a key to a life well-lived? A few pivotal moments in my early…
Dec 3, 2025 · 3:19
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com A recent health scare. What do I miss about living in Europe? Where do I think AI is taking…
Dec 2, 2025 · 1:56:55
Adam is a well-known author, journalist, and podcaster. He’s covered travel, adventure sports, human rights and the environment for many outlets. He’s perhaps best known as the…
Nov 24, 2025 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Does raging against the machine serve as a distraction from trying to control or unplug the…
Nov 17, 2025 · 1:54:28
An award-winning journalist, pro big wave surfer, and podcast host with more than four hundred episodes, Kyle Thiermann is a good friend and long-time tangentialista. His first…
Oct 31, 2025 · 1:20:24
This one happened fast. A week ago, a publicist reached out to ask if I’d possibly be interested in helping to promote a documentary about a guy (a white guy) who thinks he’s…
Oct 30, 2025 · 4:00
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In this last episode of the series, Riley Morton and I talk about the period beginning when I…
Oct 26, 2025 · 2:48
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Words that mean both what they mean and the opposite of what they mean. Early days of…
Oct 20, 2025 · 1:46:36
Tom Murphy is a recovering astrophysicist. After spending the first part of his life learning the language of physics and mathematics, Tom started hearing a deeper message…
Oct 13, 2025 · 7:55
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com This one gets very personal. Riley and I talk about how my own erotic journey informed my…
Oct 4, 2025 · 7:06
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What the hell is going on? Why does the mainstream narrative seem to be increasingly…
Oct 1, 2025 · 1:34:45
Tom is a fascinating man. He’s shot lasers at the moon and measured their reflection. After studying astrophysics at Cal Tech he taught at UCSD for years. But there came a point…
Sep 24, 2025 · 1:25:45
Lloyd is one of the most curious, delighted, resilient people I’ve ever known. In his ninety years, he’s been a father, husband, builder, publisher, traveler, writer, athlete and…
Sep 18, 2025 · 5:13
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com How was Charlie Kirk the same as the people who hated him most? What’s the dangerous appeal…
Sep 9, 2025 · 2:57
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com What happens to famous people who get lost in their own show and gradually start playing…
Sep 1, 2025 · 1:19:17
Dan Blumstein and I explore the multifaceted nature of fear, its evolutionary significance, and its impact on both human and animal behavior. The conversation also delves into…
Aug 30, 2025 · 1:14:53
Alan Collinge is the founder of StudentLoanJustice.Org , author of The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History and How We Can Fight Back . This is a public…
Aug 24, 2025 · 58:56
Are we (am I) “stuck in honoring the context of the social media platform,” that is podcasting? Is there a way not to be trapped in playing the commercial game? Did Joe and…
Aug 14, 2025 · 1:22:55
Mike just finished his stint in the army and is celebrating by riding a bicycle from El Paso to Canada. He passed by Crestone recently, and we sat down to get to know each other.…
Aug 12, 2025 · 2:43
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com More blathering. This time, talking about: — Epstein and how fame/power/money distort one’s…
Aug 4, 2025 · 4:36
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com My friend Riley Morton and I sat down for about six hours over two days and he picked my…
Aug 3, 2025 · 2:33
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com It’s the back to school episode! Do you feel like the year begins at the end of summer? Can…
Jul 29, 2025 · 1:42:29
Kevin is my go-to guy when I have questions about AI, cutting edge technologies, and crypto currencies. But he’s not just some freakishly smart super-nerd; he thinks of these…
Jul 25, 2025 · 1:42:25
Our uncle Dan was a huge influence on both of us, albeit in very different ways. For Dave, Dan was a surrogate father figure who helped guide him through adolescence. For me, Dan…
Jul 13, 2025 · 58:03
We were camping at the Tom Thorn/Beth Williams Wildlife Habitat Management Area in southern Wyoming when we recorded this, yesterday. It’s raw. It’s real. Maybe you can hear the…
Jul 7, 2025 · 1:19:19
Erik’s is the brain behind one of my favorite accounts on Substack, Poetic Outlaws . If I were a woman, I’d be chasing guys like him: smart, tough, adventurous, well-read,…
Jun 30, 2025 · 1:01:59
Mark Sisson is widely regarded as the founding father of the ancestral health movement. His number-one-ranked blog and Primal Health Coach Institute have paved the way for primal…
Jun 23, 2025 · 1:12:07
Manvir is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis. He holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Brown University and a Ph.D. from…
Jun 16, 2025 · 1:41:08
Eric Czuleger is an author and geopolitical analyst who has lived, worked, and traveled through 47 countries including conflict zones like Iraq, Lebanon, and Somalia. His book…
Jun 15, 2025 · 3:19
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Some of the topics discussed include the fact that I was an illegal immigrant for years, some…
Jun 4, 2025 · 3:36
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com Let’s get into it! Issues discussed include: Scott Galloway on the sickness of money, David…
Jun 2, 2025 · 1:31:11
Everyone should have a friend like Josh. Solid dude who knows how things work on both sides of the law. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other…
May 30, 2025 · 2:21
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com On principled thinking vs tactical thinking. Is AI coming to “save” us or “destroy” us? Is…
May 17, 2025 · 26:38
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.com In which I rip Fareed Zakaria a (new) new one, talk about the abject stupidity of the…
May 14, 2025 · 2:23:04
David was raised in a conservative Christian reality that he eventually came to question, without questioning his love and respect for the people around him. How do we negotiate…
Apr 30, 2025 · 1:18:38
Jeff Mauer is the brains behind I Might Be Wrong, here on Substack. He was head writer for Last Week Tonight, with John Oliver and before that, wrote speeches at the EPA. He’s…
Apr 21, 2025 · 1:18:38
When I first came across his Instagram account , I assumed he was a comedian of some sort, as he is so deft at taking the piss out of the New Age, Shamanic, Mother-Aya nonsense.…
Apr 15, 2025 · 1:15:57
Anya and Nadia have helped lead our retreats in Montana for the past few years. In this conversation, we talk about the different kinds of movement they’ve studied and teach and…
Apr 13, 2025 · 25:37
Intro music “Brightside of the Sun,” by Basin and Range . “Tear,” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get…
Apr 9, 2025 · 1:53:56
Allene would never describe herself in such grand terms, but the fact is that she’s spent a long career in law working hard to defend and promote the fundamental decency that is…
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