Ada Palmer on Surviving the End of the World… Again and Again
Release Date: 06/03/2025
Your School’s Ethnic Studies Curriculum Might Be More Radical Than You Think - Monica Harris Explains Why
Meant For You
Monica Harris is the Executive Director of a Harvard Law graduate, former Hollywood executive, and author of The Illusion of Division. Monica explains how her experience as a gay Black woman in Hollywood and then in “flyover country”shattered many elite narratives about America. She describes why she believes much of our current polarization is manufactured by media and political interests, and how identity-based frameworks like liberated ethnic studies and DEI are deepening division rather than healing it. We dig into the following: Why “Liberated Ethnic Studies” is...
info_outline
From “America Is Evil” to American Exceptionalism: Lucy Biggers’ Turnaround
Meant For You
In this episode, we speak with head of social media at nd a former climate activist who has completely rethought the story she was telling the world and herself. Lucy shares how she went from a left-wing digital newsroom steeped in oppressor–oppressed ideology and climate doomsday content to slowly “re-educating” herself, especially after COVID lockdowns made her question what the climate movement was really asking of ordinary people. We talk about how smart, idealistic young people get pulled into movements, from climate activism to “Free Palestine” marches and democratic...
info_outline
What Love Makes Possible: Leland Vittert on His Father, Autism & a Lucky Life
Meant For You
Vittert, chief Washington anchor and author of the memoir joins us to talk about his childhood, his career, and all the unexpected ways he truly was born lucky. Despite years of bullying and difficulty navigating school as an autistic kid, Leland had one enormous blessing: parents who never gave up on him, never lowered the bar, and never stopped believing he was capable of a beautiful life. The devotion of Leland’s father will melt your heart—and make you think about the millions of ways a child’s life can be transformed through love, discipline, and grit. Leland shares...
info_outline
Undercover Billionaire Elaine Culotti is Taking on California’s Toughest Problems
Meant For You
What happens when a no-nonsense entrepreneur decides she’s had enough of California’s chaos? has ideas politicians won’t touch. She is a fearless entrepreneur, farmer, real estate developer, and a potential candidate for governor of California. You may also know her as one of the business tycoons on Undercover Billionaire. In this conversation, Elaine shares her frustrations with California’s government and bold ideas for tackling its toughest challenges. Shaped by decades of experience in real estate, building businesses, and running her own farm, Elaine brings a no-nonsense,...
info_outline
The Queen of Kefir: Julie Smolyansky on CEO Guts, Courage & Stamina
Meant For You
Our guest is Julie Smolyansky, CEO of s, the company that pioneered the kefir market in America and today produces 95% of the kefir sold in the U.S. Julie’s story begins in 1976, when her parents immigrated from Kiev ( the former Soviet Union) to Chicago. Her mother opened a deli, while her father, a mechanical engineer, missed the kefir he had back in the Soviet Union so he started making his own, and from that, Lifeway Foods was born. In 2002, tragedy struck. Julie’s father, Michael Smolyansky, died suddenly of a heart attack. At just 27, Julie stepped into the CEO role,...
info_outline
Honoring Charlie Kirk, Free Speech, and the Fight for Western Values
Meant For You
Charlie Kirk was a national treasure, known for his fearless commitment to open dialogue and free speech. We discuss why he was so important to us, and millions. While Charlie Kirk is irrereplacable, we hope his life inspires legions of people to courageously follow his path of upholding the foundational values and principles of the US. As mothers and citizens rather than politicians, we talk about what it means to intuitively know how to keep families and communities safe, why Charlies represented us and why his loss is so devastating. While we did not agree with all of Charlie's positions,...
info_outline
Brandy Shufutinsky on the Marxist Roots of Ethnic Studies in K-12 Schools and College Campuses
Meant For You
is the newly appointed Director of the Education and National Security Program at the In this important conversation, we disciuss how today’s ethnic studies curriculum, originally intended to promote understanding among diverse communities, is instead fueling division, promoting an oppressor-vs-oppressed worldview, and teaching students that capitalism is synonymous with white supremacy and exploitation. Brandy brings deep expertise to this topic, holding a doctorate in International and Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco, an MSW from USC, and an M.A. in...
info_outline
Stella Escobedo on Honesty in Journalism
Meant For You
Stella Escobedo is an Emmy award winning news anchor-reporter with nearly 20 years experience, a fearless journalist and an advocate who immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan. Stella is currently a news anchor for One American News (OAN). In this conversation, Stella shares how her upbringing shaped her values, her global perspective, and the causes of her disillusionment with mainstream media. Journalism was always Stella’s passion. but during the COVID-19 pandemic, something shifted. Stella began to question the media’s silence on critical issues: the voices of parents during...
info_outline
Justice, Forgiveness, and One Remarkable Friendship
Meant For You
Karen McKinney was a prosecutor working in the gang unit when her path first crossed with Joseph Herrera, a man she would go on to prosecute for murder. Twenty years later, Karen faced Joseph when he was up for parole. Not exactly your classic “how we met” story. What no one could have predicted is that years later, the two would form an extraordinary friendship that would transform both of their lives. Karen saw something in Joseph that defied his past, a capacity for growth, empathy, and leadership. With her encouragement, Joseph began using his lived experience to help others...
info_outline
Still chasing the 'retire early' fantasy? This conversation with David Bahnsen might just change your mind.
Meant For You
In this episode, we talk about the value of work with Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of wealth management firm based in Newport Beach, California overseeing $4 billion in client's assets, David is also a thought leader, and author of Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life. David wants to challenge one of society’s most accepted myths: that success means eventually not working. David makes a bold, and deeply personal case for why work isn’t just a way to earn a living, but a core part of living well. Drawing from his career in finance and his passion for...
info_outlineAda Palmer, is a sci-fi writer, historian, and someone who sees the world with an incredibly rare, long lens. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the headlines, this episode might help.
Ada believes we’re not living in a uniquely apocalyptic time—just a normally apocalyptic one.
“We're living in a moment we must rise to, work hard on, do well where what we do matters,” she told me. “We have the ability to reduce 100% harm to 70% harm. We have that responsibility.”
That line really stuck with us—because it’s so easy to feel powerless right now. But Ada’s message is the opposite: we do have agency, and what we do does matter.
She also reminded us that fear isn’t new.
“We are not more scared than our predecessors were 50 or 100 years ago. They were just as scared as we are. The stakes were just as high. The rewards of hard work were just as real. The penalties of messing up were just as disastrous.”
Ada sees change not in election cycles, but in centuries. And that shift in perspective is powerful. We talk about why we need to stop chasing “total wins” and start celebrating the small, meaningful steps forward. Progress is almost always incremental, but that doesn’t make it any less real or important.
From ancient Rome to climate policy, Ada brings in vivid historical parallels that made us see our moment differently. She doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges—we talk about the real stakes—but she offers something many of us arel craving: perspective, hope, and a reminder that we’ve come through hard things before.
The part of our conversation that keeps echoing for us is this:
Every generation has been called to save the world.
They rose to the challenge.
Now, it’s our turn.
🗣️ Quotes from Ada Palmer
"We shouldn't think that we are living now in a uniquely apocalyptic moment. We're living in a normally apocalyptic moment."
"Nothing is more similar to the future than the past."
"Success isn't 100% victory. Success is mitigating the thing so that it's less bad when it happens."
"Every generation has to save the world, and we can work hard at it and meet this occasion."
Topics Discussed:
- 03:15 - Understanding the historical context of our current challenges
- 10:42 - The cyclical nature of apocalyptic moments throughout history
- 18:30 - Ada's journey as a historian and science fiction writer
- 25:50 - The impact of AI on society and the importance of policy
- 35:12 - How collective efforts can mitigate climate change
- 45:07 - The significance of partial victories in history
- 52:40 - Embracing resilience and responsibility in uncertain times
Check out our website: https://meantforyoupod.com
Reach out to us: meantforyoupod@gmail.com