Best Ryan Hecht Podcasts (2025)

1
Science Beacon on a Hill With Griffith Observatory Director Dr. Ed krupp 1:05:23

18d ago1:05:23

1:05:23

The Griffith Observatory is the most visited public observatory in the world, and a science icon that overlooks the Los Angeles basin. Since 1935, the facility has hosted astronauts, WWII pilots and celebrities, and continues to promote science and wonder in a world full of misinformation. In this episode, Jim chats with Griffith Observatory Direct…

1
Will Potter 52:44

1M ago52:44

52:44

A century and a half ago, one out of every five Americans lived on a farm. Today, it’s closer to one out of every fifty, even though the population has increased more than tenfold. The industrial-scale farm and livestock business that we depend on today feeds hundreds of millions every day, but at what cost? In this episode of Point of Inquiry, Jim…

1
Adventures Assemble Episode 7: Plotting Nerdy Adventures and Building a Nerdy Empire 19:05

2M ago19:05

19:05

I'm back from Japan and not going anywhere this week—except deep into YouTube land. In this episode, I share my mission to grow the Adventures Assemble YouTube channel from just 12 subscribers to the magical 1,000 needed to unlock monetization. I'm talking content strategy, upcoming nerdy adventures, and the weird, wonderful places I’m planning to …

1
Adventures Assemble Episode 6: Kyoto Regrets, Udon Rewards, and the Curse of Celebration Sickness 25:14

3M ago25:14

25:14

I’m back from Japan! In this episode, I recover (barely) from the post-Star Wars Celebration plague and take you through the final stretch of my two-week nerd adventure across Japan. I recap my day trips to Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe—including sacred deer, curry that broke the internet, and the Osaka fried food fantasy known as kushikatsu. Plus, I share…

1
Adventures Assemble Episode 5: Sick in Japan: Star Wars Celebration, Ramen, and Rolling With It 25:55

3M ago25:55

25:55

✏️ Episode Description: In this deeply personal episode of Adventures Assemble, I check in from Osaka with a raw and real update on my first week in Japan. From the highs of epic ramen and electric baseball games to the lows of jet lag and a 102° fever, it’s been a wild ride—and not quite the one I expected. I talk about attending Star Wars Celebra…

1
Adventures Assemble Episode 4: The Final Countdown Before Japan! 20:53

4M ago20:53

20:53

In this episode, I’m just 48 hours away from getting on a plane to Japan—and I’m feeling a wild mix of excitement and nerves! I break down my full itinerary, from Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo to day trips out of Osaka, a visit to Hiroshima, and wrapping it all up in Kanazawa. I’ve got my ticket, passport, money, and smartphone—everything else I’l…

1
Adventures Assemble Episode 3: Two Weeks to Go—Planning, Panels, and Panic! 18:33

4M ago18:33

18:33

It’s officially happening—I'm just two weeks away from heading to Japan for Star Wars Celebration 2025! In this episode, I talk through everything I’ve got planned so far (and everything I still need to figure out). From panel reservations that didn’t go my way to plotting late-night food tours in Tokyo, the itinerary is finally starting to come to…

1
Three Weeks to Tokyo: Star Wars Celebration 2025 Plans and Panic 28:44

4M ago28:44

28:44

Description: In this second episode of Adventures Assemble, I’m just three weeks away from boarding a plane to Tokyo for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025—and wow, there’s still a LOT to figure out. Join me as I talk through the panel reservation madness, what’s been announced so far, and my thoughts on all things Star Wars—from the original trilogy…

1
Adventures Assemble Begins: Star Wars, Japan, and Controlled Chaos 25:52

4M ago25:52

25:52

Welcome to the very first episode of Adventures Assemble! I’m Ryan Hecht, and I’m heading to Japan for Star Wars Celebration 2025—and no, I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. This podcast isn’t a polished guide from a seasoned world traveler—it’s a real-time journey from someone figuring it out as he goes. In this episode, I introduce the show…

1
Taking Inspiration from Greek History With Evaggelos Vallianatos 49:03

5M ago49:03

49:03

The ancient Greeks had a profound influence not only on their own world, but also on what would become Western culture as a whole. In this episode of Point of Inquiry, Jim chats with Evaggelos Villianatos, a Greek scholar who sheds an interesting light on how his ancestors helped shape the science, arts, language and governments of the modern world…

1
A Primer on Cold Reading 37:39

6M ago37:39

37:39

The art of cold reading has convinced millions of people that gimmicks like crystal balls, palm reading, tarot cards, and other alleged paranormal abilities are real. People walk away from astrologers, mediums, and psychics saying "there's no way he could have known that" or other exclamations of amazement. But are these skills really paranormal, o…

1
David Miles on Point of Inquiry 54:50

8M ago54:50

54:50

For most of human history, infectious diseases have wreaked havoc on humans. But beginning in the late 18th century, more and more of us beat back illness by getting immunized with vaccines. Today, vaccines are -- or should be – a part of every thinking person’s health regimen. But exactly what are vaccines and how do they work? How are they tested…

1
Steve Hill on Point of Inquiry 1:05:19

1y ago1:05:19

1:05:19

When a business owner, ex-marine, and retired peace office is questioned and later arrested for what appear to be bigoted reasons, there should be recourse in our system of justice to right such a wrong. But Steve Hill is having a hell of a time finding help with his well-documented struggles. Should the fact that he is a black man and a member of …

1
Robert Sapolsky POI 54:43

1y ago54:43

54:43

1
Leo Igwe on Point of Inquiry 1:01:58

1y ago1:01:58

1:01:58

1
There Are Definitely Atheists in Fox Holes 54:26

1+ y ago54:26

54:26

1
Kate Cohen on Atheism and the Rewards of Honesty 1:00:09

1+ y ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Almost 30 percent of the U.S. population is religiously unaffiliated, but only a fraction of those so-called "Nones" identify as atheist or agnostic. Fewer still feel comfortable revealing to the people in their lives that they don't believe in God. Kate Cohen was one of those people. Though she had determined that God was a human-made fiction from…

1
Sarah An Myers on Secularism and the Millennial Mind 38:15

1+ y ago38:15

38:15

Members of Gen X and older grew up in an America in which being religious was the default and atheism was, as best, on the fringes. A lot has changed in the last couple of decades, and for many Millennials and members of Gen Z, being nonreligious is really no big deal. Folks in younger generations are accustomed to living among people of various re…

1
Vaccine Hesitancy With Filmmaker Scott Kennedy 1:03:09

1+ y ago1:03:09

1:03:09

In 2019, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Scott Kennedy was working on a film about the years-long anti-vaxxer movement. Filming with top public health officials–including Tony Fauci–as well as rare interviews with anti-vaccine activists who were persuading parents by the millions to refuse vaccines for their children. And then COVID h…

1
To The Temple of Tranquility, and Step on It 32:32

1+ y ago32:32

32:32

1
Supreme Injustice 1:01:41

2y ago1:01:41

1:01:41

The U.S. Supreme Court -- that over sixty years ago ruled against state-led prayer in public schools -- has swung back the other way with a vengeance. The ultra-conservative majority on the current court has reversed 60 years of progress and put the rights of non-believers in jeopardy. In this episode, Jim Underdown speaks to Nick Little, former Di…

1
Dr. Juhem Navarro-Rivera on the Challenge of Rallying the Nones 54:08

2y ago54:08

54:08

The Nones are on the rise! When asked about their religious affiliation, year after year, more and more Americans are choosing “none of the above.” The number of religiously unaffiliated Americans, which includes atheists and agnostics, has been rocketing up over the past couple of decades, and today these Nones make up about one-third of the Ameri…

1
Getting to Know US Congressman Jared Huffman 36:54

2y ago36:54

36:54

Of the 535 Members of Congress, only one is an out-of-the-closet atheist. His name is Jared Huffman, and he is a U.S. Representative from Northern California. He is also the co-chair (with Rep. Jamie Raskin) of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a group all secular Americans should know about and support. In this episode, Jim Underdown chats wit…

1
The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project 58:07

2y ago58:07

58:07

What happens when a group of skeptics from across the globe keeps score of over twenty years of psychic predictions? Any guesses? In this episode of Point of Inquiry, host Jim Underdown speaks to Rob Palmer and Richard Saunders of the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project about this ambitious effort to track the accuracy of those who claim to…

1
MG Lord on the Weird and Wonderful History of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory 50:48

2y ago50:48

50:48

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California may be the world's premiere space exploration facility. From the earliest days of rocketry, JPL has been at the vanguard of designing and building rockets and spaceships. But the lab has a colorful history, and some of its founders broke the stereotypes of what a rocket scientist might be.…

1
Jennifer Michael Hecht on the Power of Poetry and the Weirdness of Existence 1:07:11

2+ y ago1:07:11

1:07:11

“Many of us who are happy to live outside religion still suffer from a lack of things religion gives its members,” writes historian and poet Jennifer Michael Hecht. “It seems to me the remedy to this suffering is a shift in the way we think about ritual and the poetry of our lives.” Hecht is our guest on this episode of Point of Inquiry. She’s the …

1
New Discovery in the Chemistry of Life 44:37

2+ y ago44:37

44:37

Graham Cooks and his team at Purdue University have discovered a chemical process that has exciting implications for people who believe that life could have emerged spontaneously and through natural means. The idea that the building blocks of life started in a primordial ocean now has a competitor: airborne tiny water droplets. In this episode of P…

1
Broken Promises and False Prophets: Rina Raphael on the Business of Wellness 50:13

3y ago50:13

50:13

1
Alice Greczyn on Deconversion and Her Escape From Extremist Christianity 45:44

3y ago45:44

45:44

Realizing the faith you've had your entire life is wrong can be devastating for some people. The process of deconversion can lead to panic attacks, depression, and more. What does it take for someone to get through that complicated process? Our guest is Alice Greczyn, author of the memoir Wayward: A Memoir of Spiritual Warfare and Sexual Purity. Sh…

1
Skepticism - Behind the Scenes 1:19:05

3y ago1:19:05

1:19:05

What do we do when television shows dealing with extraordinary events focus on the ridiculous to bolster views? In today's episode, we take a behind-the-scenes look at two people with experience in the industry and what they've done to create a more focused skeptical point of view on the air. Our first guest, whose name has changed to protect their…

1
Steven Pinker Discusses Rationality and Humanist Values 1:04:35

3y ago1:04:35

1:04:35

This special episode of Point of Inquiry is brought to you by our friends at CFI Canada from their new podcast, Podcast for Inquiry. They recently spoke with author Steven Pinker and we wanted to make this special conversation available to everyone. Even as a young teenager, Dr. Steven Pinker (@sapinker) prized rationality as a virtue, and consider…

1
Timothy Caulfield on the Infodemic and Spread of Misinformation 1:05:03

3+ y ago1:05:03

1:05:03

This week's episode is a bit different. Please enjoy a talk from Timothy Caulfield that originally aired on Skeptical Inquirer Presents. SIP is a live online series of talks from some of the brightest minds in the reality based community and is just one of the many great shows that the Center for Inquiry produces. This recent episode of the series …

1
Kelly Weill on Flat-Earthers and Why People Will Believe Anything 49:34

3+ y ago49:34

49:34

In this week's episode, we are diving into the flat-earth conspiracy theory and why people could believe such a thing with guest Kelly Weill and her new book, Off the Edge. In 2019 Jim Underdown and the CFI Investigations Group produced a video where they designed a series of experiments to show that the earth is indeed not flat. CFIIG's conducted …

1
Living on Life's Edge | Carl Zimmer on The Search for What It Means to Be Alive 59:27

3+ y ago59:27

59:27

What does it mean to be alive? Does life have a clear definition? On this week's episode, Carl Zimmer joins host Jim Underdown to discuss his new book, Life's Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive to help answer those questions. Can we clearly define what it means to be alive? Scientists have been struggling with this question for centurie…

1
The Case That Jesus Never Existed 53:20

3+ y ago53:20

53:20

Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God who walked the Earth as a human being. Some Atheists believe none of the God bits but that there was a man named Jesus who did exist. There is also an ever growing community who believe Jesus did not exist at all. Not as the son of God nor as a man. On today's episode we speak to someone with evidenc…

1
David McAfee - Hi, I'm an Atheist! 51:12

3+ y ago51:12

51:12

On today's episode we introduce the show's new guest host, Julia Sweeney and her interview with author David G. McAfee on his new book, Hi, I'm an Atheist!: What That Means and How to Talk About It with Others. McAfee and Sweeney speak about the new book, how it helped Sweeney get back in touch with her atheism roots, his journey being raised in a …

1
Science Denial - Why It Happens and What to Do About It 59:45

4y ago59:45

59:45

Throughout the modern world trust in science has continued to erode at dangerous speeds. From anti-vaxxers to climate change deniers, there is an ever growing movement of people that deny science at the peril of us all. The shift towards a public with increasing lack of scientific literacy and critical-thinking skills combined with the proliferatio…

1
Banachek - From the Inside of Being a Mentalist 43:32

4y ago43:32

43:32

It’s a rare person indeed who can trick and amaze people on one hand while reassuring them that what they are experiencing is not real. Meet Banacek. He’s not only an illusionist, magician, mentalist extraordinaire, he’s a skeptic’s skeptic who for decades has been instrumental in exposing fraud and deception. In this episode of Point of Inquiry, J…

1
How to Live a Good Life With Massimo Pigliucci and Skye Cleary 1:03:29

4y ago1:03:29

1:03:29

Have you ever been curious about what other people believe in or how they navigate the ethical challenges of life? Ancient philosophy was partly used as a way to better understand the best way to live life. In this episode of Point of Inquiry, Jim Underdown talks to two of the editors of How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Ph…

1
The Rise of the Nones with Ryan Burge 51:29

4y ago51:29

51:29

A question on the minds of many theists and non-theists alike is why are so many Americans leaving religion and becoming religiously unaffiliated? What are the underlying factors causing this shift? In today's episode we dive into what the data shows about this movement with Ryan Burge, author of the new book The Nones: Where They Came From, Who Th…

1
The Future of Art || Business Basics w/ Jeremy Kobus 52:50

4y ago52:50

52:50

My mentor Jeremy Kobus came on the show to talk about designing businesses with humans in mind (instead of profit). We got a little bit sidetracked…but we promise it connects. Link to Kings of Leon NFT story. Topics: How Amazon Fucks You and Everyone Else Psychographics, Ads Aren’t Necessarily Bad Diversifying Your Hobbies and Wandering Stepping in…

1
Greg Paul on the Lost Children and the Implications of Natural Evil 46:09

4y ago46:09

46:09

In the June/July issue of Free Inquiry, today's guest Greg Paul makes the case that a loving God cannot possibly exist next to all the suffering and death, children have had to endure throughout human history. In his piece, he claims this fact has the, "...potential to accelerate the already rapid decline of the illusion that is theism." On today's…

1
Self-Determined Education w/ Miriam Swords Kalk 29:45

4y ago29:45

29:45

My guest today is Miriam Swords Kalk, sister of our guest from Episode 6, Sam Kalk. This episode is a connection between some of the favorite subjects of previous episodes like Self-Determination Theory which we talked about with Sam, education which we have discussed with a lot of guests like Episode 14 with Coach Rudy, contextualized in human-cen…

1
Is Modern Yoga Bullshit? 1:04:27

4y ago1:04:27

1:04:27

Aaron and I talk about existential threats, accidentally becoming a Superwarrior at work, and bring some clarity to why modern yoga may not be as good for you as you think. For my Dallas listeners, Aaron will be holding open sessions at Classic Pilates in the Uptown location from 6:30-8 PM Thursdays throughout the summer. Topics: Sympathetic/Parasy…

1
Inside the Group Investigating Extraordinary Paranormal and Supernatural Claims 43:53

4y ago43:53

43:53

The Center for Inquiry Investigations Group tests extraordinary claims from anyone who believes they have paranormal or supernatural abilities like telekinesis, mind reading, and many otherworldly talents. The group offers a $250,000 prize for anyone able to prove a paranormal ability under mutually agreed upon test conditions. The group then repor…

1
Judaism w/ Rabbi Baruch Hecht 35:09

4y ago35:09

35:09

My relationship to Judaism is not what you might expect with an episode title like this. I have been trying to steer my guests away from Judaism since I started this podcast, but that has caused me to live inauthentically within this space. Judaism was a driving force for my curiosity and ability to challenge the status quo growing up, so I decided…

1
Building Community w/ Jacob Schnitzer 38:38

4y ago38:38

38:38

This ep is really about leadership (which is what it takes to build a community - whether personally, professionally, or otherwise). Ryan is joined by the Co-Artistic Director and Conductor of Density512, a contemporary chamber orchestra and new music collective in Austin to talk about community, solitude, and leading a team of artists. Topics: Sol…

1
Annabelle Gurwitch on Living Through Ups and Downs 50:05

4y ago50:05

50:05

Annabelle Gurwitch is an award-winning actress, comedian, and writer. She's also a secular humanist and a skeptic, though that hasn't always been the case -- at least not the skeptic part. On this episode Annabelle speaks with host, Jim Underdown about her beliefs, her new book, life as a performer, new age religions and cults, and dealing with adv…

1
Trauma w/ Chris Jones 50:53

4+ y ago50:53

50:53

Trauma is a part of everyone's story. You shouldn't shy away from healing just because your trauma doesn't look like the person's next to you. Jump in to this shockingly lighthearted episode about a subject that seems very immense and dark. The first step to addressing and healing your trauma is awareness. Go to my website to learn more about how I…

1
Radical Candor (Feedback) w/ Brett Sharp 45:53

4+ y ago45:53

45:53

It is what it is... Until it becomes what you make it. While most of our discussion revolves around the workplace, all of this is applicable to all parts of life. Join Brett and I as we talk about: Intentionality of Choice Limiting/Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset Control Connecting to Feedback Active Listening Three Types of Empathy Empathy Skillse…

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