This week is a sharp look at the rise of the "reactionary centrist" -- folks who drift from the left toward the political center while loudly critiquing the left and quietly validating right-wing narratives. As we attempt to avoid the echo chambers that all forms of media help to create, how often do we intentionally engage with ideas that challenge our values regardless of one's political leaning? The current events of the day call us to engage in a circumspect way as some stories are systematically silenced. 

Tuck the kids away and listen to this one with adults only! Ahhh, it is p*rn, but it isn't exactly what you think. This week, we have a sharp, curious conversation about beauty standards through looksmaxxing, self-designed learning through personal curricula, and competency p*rn as a reprieve from the real world. Watch The Pitt, The Diplomat, Abbott Elementary, or the new Matlock? There may be some science behind why we binge competent characters on the small screen.

Referring back to Havel's 1978 essay, "The Power of the Powerless," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's World Economic Forum remarks explore how individual integrity and institutional honesty shape global power in the face of hegemons. (Don't worry, we'll define hegemons for you!). Carney used a surgical approach in advocating for moral courage. Small acts of non-participation in false rituals can erode authoritarian systems. In other words, there is not -- and has NEVER been -- a neutral moral ground.

Processing the loss of Renee Good was so important that we settled on a one-phase episode. From the cold impact on immigration policy (read between the lines, ya'll!) to the true cost of allyship, Renee's story overlaps with this year's MLK Week, leaving us with important lessons on grace and kindness, even in her last moments.

In this week's episode, the Drs. tackle grief and egalitarian relationships -- especially when they collide with gender. Then they move onto new political realities including NEW Mayor Mamdani, the ideal of Bernie Sanders, and the reality of U.S. involvement in Venezuela.

Season 5 begins by (hopefully) blowing your minds. Have you imagined what you're wearing to special occasion? Have you imagined what you're eating for dinner? Have you imagined what a just world could look like? Join the Drs in the New Year as they move from resistance to imagination. We work through AI slop, revisit freedom dreaming in a new way, and discuss the new U.S. visa restrictions prohibiting five Europeans who work on ending mis and disinformation from coming to the USA in the name of protecting free speech.

 In the closing episode of 2025, [un]phased unedited holds up the mirror to a year of reckoning. The doctors unpack cultural flashpoints—from executive orders galore, through trans (kids) rights and immigration policy to Jan 6 pardons—that forced us to confront our values around equity and justice.

As usual...it's not as simple as you think! This week, we pull back the layered concept of transparency in organizations. Leaders navigate the tension between disclosure and discretion, knowing that transparency is never as simple as a binary choice. We also revisit the ongoing assault of transgender people’s rights – the federal pressure continues to erase their existence.

This week's conversation maps three currents: a new organizational model that favors distributed intelligence, recent U.S. visa guidance that expands restrictions to common health considerations, and a cultural critique of individualism.

This episode spots the sludge -- every day fictions that block help and information. Recent reports of U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats require us to questions the legal, ethical, and political justifications. The pressure points around Thanksgiving travel, retail spin, and who pays the price during holiday logistics cannot be ignored this week, either.

In this week's episode, the hosts discuss the concept of Surplus Powerlessness, wade into a discussion of the (now) paramilitary, secret police style ICE agency, and end with an uplift from social media influencers who teach us new skills to get by when times are tough.

This week, despite the hosts’ denial that summer is over, they dive into a discussion of safe parking programs in California to provide overnight housing options to unhoused students, which is especially important in winter. And, it couldn’t be avoided, they also unpack the effects of the (now longest in U.S. history) government shutdown. The Haves don’t seem to care all that much for the Have Nots.

This week, The Drs discuss the growing use of AI to produce distorted and offensive depictions of important historical figures. It raises ethical questions of who is responsible for managing representations of person’s likeness and what can be done when those representations cross a line. The hosts also ponder how federalizing the National Guard for pretextual reasons such as managing crime is putting us one step closer to authoritarianism.

This week, the Drs discuss [ridiculous] reactions to the NFL’s announcement that Bad Bunny will be performing at its 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show and recap a few cases recently argued in front of SCOTUS. The cases at issue could have profound effects for LGBTQIA minors and the voting rights of racial minority groups in the U.S.

In this episode, the Drs trace the legacy of Black education from secret learning spaces during enslavement to the bold vision of Freedmen's schools during Reconstruction. They explore how paragons of education like Hampton Institute and Fisk University emerged as beacon of self-determination -- and how today's literacy crisis echoes in modern day gaps.

In this week’s single phase, the hosts take on the recent health recommendations coming out of the Department of Health and Human Services. They discuss the recent announcement of a (non-)connection between acetaminophen usage while pregnant and autism, the damage such misinformation can do to people’s trust of healthcare, and other concerning issues that will likely harm not help Americans.

Over 400 celebrities signed an ACLU letter in support of Jimmy Kimmel's return to the air after being silenced by cronies of the current presidential administration. While public opposition to threats to free speech grew, we simultaneously had to navigate being presented with unwanted videos of recent public violence in the social media public square.

Everyone from kiddos to adults should be back in school by now, so in this episode we explore two angles of education: relevant skill development and the future of tuition and student loans.

In this episode, Dr. Lisa and Dr. Shaunna unpack two big stories shaping business and society. First, we look at Harvard Business School research on why leading companies are endorsing purpose as a strategic driver of performance and profit, yet they aren't employing it. Then we look at the Supreme Court's 6 -3 decision that lifts restrictions on roving ICE patrols in Los Angeles, allowing factors like race, accent, and language to inform stops, sparking yet another debate over constitutional rights.

Although paint and public history may not have an obvious connection, they DO. Listen in to this week's podcast where the Drs illuminate public history from various angles: two examples of wh*te male public historians who are making an impact and a venue for such work -- the Smithsonian Institute and all her holdings.