Millions of people in the US struggle with substance abuse issues every single year -- experts work around the clock to help folks with substance abuse issues and other addictions to break free of these dangerous, sometime fatal cycles. And this means rehabilitation, or rehab, is a big business. Like many other large industries, rehab also has a dark side -- a series of disturbing conspiracies that continue, largely unabated, in the modern day.
A listener from Canada assures the guys sinister weirdness continues up north. A voicemail dives into actor Cary Grant's experiences with LSD. Banks calls to ask about how the US military infiltrated the world of professional sports. All this and more in this week's Listener Mail.
Everytable founder, Sam Polk, wants to change the way we do business by not only creating jobs, but going a step further to create wealth-building, ownership opportunities through a social franchise model. In this episode, we follow Sam’s journey from Wall Street tycoon, to nonprofit connoisseur, to social entrepreneur, and how he found himself with a new mission to transform the food system by making it delicious and profitable for everyone.
Guest: Sam Polk CEO of Everytable
Twitter: @SamPolk
Bio: Sam Polk is the founder and CEO of Everytable, a social enterprise on a mission to transform the food system to make delicious and healthy food affordable and accessible to everyone, everywhere. A former hedge fund trader, Sam left a successful career on Wall Street to follow his heart to fight food injustice and inequality in America.
SHOW NOTES + LINKS
Go to howtocitizen.com to sign up for show news, AND (coming soon!) to start your How to Citizen Practice.
Please show your support for the show in the form of a review and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords!
We are grateful to Sam Polk for joining us! Follow him at @SamPolk on Twitter, or find more of his work at Everytable at everytable.com/about.
ACTIONS
PERSONALLY REFLECT
Show Me What a Business Owner Looks Like!
Think about the businesses in your neighborhood. Are they mostly local small businesses or national chains? If more of one than another, why do you think that is? Who works there and who owns them? When you hear the word entrepreneur or business owner, what do you see in your mind? Who is that person? What do they look like?
BECOME INFORMED
“Exit to Community” a new model that shares the wealth
Success for entrepreneurs often means selling their business to a bigger company or going “public” on the stock market. These “successful exits” can generate a lot of wealth for the few people at the top: owners and investors. What if there was another path for those entrepreneurs to take? One that rewarded those most connected to and impacted by the business including employees, customers, founders and investors? There’s a movement called Exit To Community which is doing just that. Learn more about it by visiting e2c.how.
PUBLICLY PARTICIPATE
Join or support an effort to build an economy that serves the many
Consider joining or giving to a few of the community movements working to build a more inclusive economy. Here are two we are fond of: ZebrasUnite dot coop believes the most urgent human rights project of our time is to reimagine business. Then there’s the effort to make the Doughnut Economy real in communities and countries around the world. Join the Doughnut Economics Action Lab here. Hint: it’s not about pastries.
If you take any of these actions, share that with us - action@howtocitizen.com. Mention But … Why Is Our Economy So White? in the subject line. And share about your citizening on social media using #howtocitizen.
Visit the show's homepage - www.howtocitizen.com - to sign up for news about the show, to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more for your citizen journey.
How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeartRadio Podcasts and Dustlight Productions. Our Executive Producers are Baratunde Thurston, Elizabeth Stewart and Misha Euceph. Stephanie Cohnis our Senior Producer and Alie Kilts is our Producer. Kelly Prime is our Editor. Original Music by Andrew Eapen. Valentino Rivera is our Engineer. Sam Paulson is our Apprentice. This episode was produced and sound designed by Alie Kilts. Special thanks to Joelle Smith from iHeartRadio.
As the protests over India's Farm Bills continues, multiple groups argue there's a conspiracy afoot. Many protestors believe the government is selling them out to corporations. Members of the media claim the protests are a cover for a separatist movement -- or that foreign intelligence agencies are riling up the crowds as a way of destabilizing India. Tune in as Ben and Matt separate the conspiratorial fact from fiction in the second part of this two-part series.
In this classic episode, our friends at TechStuff join us for a closer look at the tricky business of staying anonymous on the internet, as well as the facts about the NSA's surveillance program.
Investigations reveal a recently deceased, wealthy businessman had a double life as a drug dealer with an interest in submarines. What exactly is the national debt? Over in the Arctic, Russia alarms international observers with its growing military presence — and a terrifying, mysterious new nuclear torpedo.
For several months, India has been in the grip of massive farm protests as millions gather to demonstrate against a series of controversial reforms collectively known as the Farm Bills. These bills, in theory, are meant to address problems with India's current agricultural system -- but a large percentage of India's farmers fear these new laws will only make their lives more difficult. Some even believe the Farm Bills are part of a conspiracy to sacrifice the livelihood of farmers for the profits of large businesses. On the other side of the protest line, members of the domestic media believe the protests themselves are a conspiracy designed to further the aims of separatist groups with ulterior motives. So which, if any, of these conspiracies are true? Tune in and learn more in the first part of this two-part episode.
Over in Australia, Paul asks whether the Tasmanian Tiger, officially extinct in the 1930s, could survive in the dense, isolated bushland of Tasmania. Agent L wonders whether the GameStop short squeeze was an inside job. Stephanie asks about the study of astrology. All this and more in this week's listener mail.
This week, author Heather McGhee breaks down the driving force of American economic exclusion via the swimming pool. Baratunde asks Heather about all she has learned traveling across the country to write her book, The Sum of Us. They explore the roots of wealth inequality, the true cost of racism, and why Americans have a zero-sum worldview - meaning progress for some must come at the expense of others.
Guest: Heather McGhee - writer, advocate
Twitter: @hmcghee
Bio: Heather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Her new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together is now available from One World, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Her 2020 TED talk, “Racism Has a Cost for Everyone” reached 1 million views in just two months online. In the coming year, she will launch an original podcast on how to create cross-racial solidarity in challenging times.
SHOW NOTES + LINKS
Go to howtocitizen.com to sign up for show news, AND (coming soon!) to start your How to Citizen Practice.
Please show your support for the show in the form of a review and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords!
We are grateful to Heather McGhee for joining us! Follow her at @hmcghee on Twitter, or find more of her work at heathermcghee.com.
ACTIONS
PERSONALLY REFLECT
Where does your family fit in?
Our history is deeply rooted in the idea that one group’s gain must come at the expense of another. Reflect on your family. Has anyone expressed any of these sentiments? Where do you think it comes from? Why?
BECOME INFORMED
Read the Sum of Us
This book is incredible. It’s engaging, insightful, and digs deep into the hidden history of our country. Heather covers lots of ground, from the economic and racial impact of Climate Change to the Housing Crisis of ‘08. Support local bookstores and this show. You can buy it and more online at bookshop dot org slash how to citizen. https://bookshop.org/howtocitizen
PUBLICLY PARTICIPATE
Fight for $15
As Heather explained, solidarity dividends are the gains we get when we work together, across racial divides. Fight for $15 is an international movement for workers rights and a $15 minimum wage. Heather cites this movement as a perfect example of reaching across racial lines. The website fight for 15 dot org has all sorts of ways you can get involved, from signing a petition to organizing in your place of work.
If you take any of these actions, share that with us - action@howtocitizen.com. Mention But … Why Is Our Economy So White? in the subject line. And share about your citizening on social media using #howtocitizen.
Visit the show's homepage - www.howtocitizen.com - to sign up for news about the show, to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more for your citizen journey.
How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeartRadio Podcasts and Dustlight Productions. Our Executive Producers are Baratunde Thurston, Elizabeth Stewart and Misha Euceph. Stephanie Cohnis our Senior Producer and Alie Kilts is our Producer. Kelly Prime is our Editor. Original Music by Andrew Eapen. Valentino Rivera is our Engineer. Sam Paulson is our Apprentice. This episode was produced and sound designed by Stephanie Cohn. Special thanks to Joelle Smith from iHeartRadio.
According to the authors of horror stories, haunting isn't just for houses. In countless works of fiction, all sorts of objects can become to a spirit -- and, over the centuries, countless people have sworn they encountered a haunted object in real life. Today's episode asks whether an object can be haunted... and the ultimate answer may not be what you expect.
