The Curious Middle

Jill Kargman grew up on the Upper East Side and still felt like an outsider there. The creator of Odd Mom Out joins us o talk about status, Instagram, October 7, and why she calls herself politically homeless. Jill explains why so many Jewish New Yorkers have already switched, why Hollywood stays quiet, and what her daughter saw on campus after October 7. Then it's rapid fire: Birkins, four-nanny families, body-altering filters, and the Upper East Side habit that tells you someone's a jerk.

We also talk about her new movie Influenced and her next project, a film based...

Meet Tanya. She was born in Los Angeles to parents who left the Soviet Union as refugees in 1979. After October 7, her group of friends and her lesbian basketball league turned on her. Teammates she'd played with for years stopped talking to her. When she said she was voting for Trump, they actually banned her from team events. Her story went viral, and now she's running for West Hollywood City Council, and working for ThinkAgain

We chat about:

Father Robert Sirico shares the unlikely path that led him to the priesthood — from protesting alongside Jane Fonda to a political transformation sparked by a chance encounter with a conservative friend, who handed him Bastiat, Hayek, and Milton Friedman and unraveled everything he thought he knew. Now president emeritus of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, Father Sirico makes the moral case against socialism without abandoning genuine compassion for the poor.   Memorable Quotes from Reverend Sirico:  "if you want to feed the poor, you have to be able to build a factory that makes bread." " We must...

Danielle Haas spent 14 years inside Human Rights Watch editing their reports before she quit and helped found Eightrights.org, an insider-led group holding the human rights sector accountable. In this episode, she walks us through how Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders operate with almost zero outside scrutiny, and how human rights became a civil religion for secular Westerners, complete with its own priesthood and rituals at Davos. We also get into just how much influence these NGOs hold: their reports and messaging shape mass media, academia, public policy, and the UN, and where the funding for...

Germania Rodriguez was 11 years old when her family fled Venezuela . Her mother, one of the regime's most aggressive journalist critics, had just been falsely accused by Hugo Chávez's government. Two decades later, sitting in NYU lecture halls, Germania became a Bernie Sanders supporter anyway. In this episode, Germania joins The Curious Middle to explain how someone who watched socialism destroy her home country still fell for it in an Ivy League classroom — and what finally broke the spell. We get into why the New York Times and Hollywood have a decades-long blind spot for left-wing dictatorships, the actual difference bet...

James Lindsay returns for a two-hour deep dive: his own journey from lifelong Democrat to Trump voter, how Trump Derangement Syndrome became what he calls one of the most wide-ranging psychological operations in modern history, the 130-year throughline from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to today's "Israel Derangement Syndrome," what Salafism and the book Milestones actually teach, and why he says American schools are deliberately inducing emotional crises in kids to turn them into activists.

"It's one of the most wide-ranging psychological operations that's ever been executed on the American public — honestly, the gl...

Alyssa Rosenheck was one of the only Jewish kids in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when a classmate stood up in class, pointed at her, and said, "The Jew took it." She pushed the girl down. Her dad's response: "My daughter has my permission to deck anyone who offends her family or faith."

That courage runs hrough everything that followed: a tennis scholarship, a decade in corporate medical sales, a thyroid cancer diagnosis that scared her into finally living, a camera she picked up to heal, and a divorce that hinged on one line from her husband she "can't unhear."...

James Lindsay led the 2018 Grievance Studies Affair, a hoax so effective it got a chapter of Mein Kampf rewritten as feminist theory accepted into a peer-reviewed journal. Since then he's built New Discourses around defining the woke formula of critical theory plus Leninist tactics, and how the formula appears on the left and the right. In this conversation, Lindsay traces "woke" back through Lenin's vanguard model and a 1937 Nazi corporate law that literally invented the word "stakeholder," then applies the same framework to Tucker Carlson, breaking down why he meets every box on the definition.

James connects...

Dr. Joseph Moore is a historian who spent a decade testing every financial strategy Americans have ever tried: he Airbnb'd every room in his house, bought land on the moon, founded a cryptocurrency, and invested in a startup that went to zero — to write How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked and Didn't. He started the project as a "lefty humanities professor" trying to prove the American Dream was a myth. Ten years of evidence later, he'd changed his mind completely. We're all about changing your mind when you know better.

We...

Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, is back! Last time, she told us serving your country can mean enlisting as an educator, a line we still bring up constantly. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation: why personal responsibility beats collective grievance, how socialism and communism sell real problems with fake solutions, a teacher's union resolution instructing teachers not to tell parents when a student is transitioning, intersectionality as what Marissa calls "victim bingo," and why PragerU ended up on the Southern Poverty Law Center's hate map alongside Charlie Kirk.

Summarized timestamps

Liza Libes is defending literature like it's under siege, and after this conversation, you will understand why.

Liza went to Columbia wanting to study Tolstoy and came out having read more Edward Said and Sartre she signed up for. We got into how her English degree turned into a theory degree overnight, why Anna Karenina isn't the feminist manifesto her professors taught it as, and why so much of what gets published now has had the backstory and the beauty edited right out of it by agents chasing a formula.

Liza's family fled the Soviet...

What if you could name the thing tearing America apart? Benedict Beckeld joined us to trace a pattern that has played out in every great civilization in history: ancient Greece, Rome, Enlightenment France, Britain, and now America. The more successful a society becomes, the more its own people turn against it. Wealth, safety, and open intellectual space create the exact conditions for a culture to start eating itself alive.

Benedict is a writer and philosopher whose work spans contemporary culture, political philosophy, and the philosophy of history. He holds a master's in ancient Greek, Latin, and German...

Adam Louis Klein is a PhD student in anthropology at McGill who became one of the leading voices against antizionism after October 7. He was in the Amazon jungle doing fieldwork when the attacks happened. When he returned and refused to stay silent, he was immediately labeled a Zionist and told he had no future in his field. Instead of backing down, he built a movement.

In this episode, Adam explains why antizionism is its own category of bigotry, distinct from antisemitism but equally harmful, and why naming it matters more than debunking individual claims. He lays out...

What if pursuing wealth isn't greedy, it's morally good?

Rabbi Daniel Lapin has spent decades making that case, and in this conversation he makes it clearly. He's the bestselling author of Thou Shall Prosper, founder of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, and one of the most practical thinkers on money, character, and how to live well.

We get into his Five F's framework: Family, Finance, Friendship, Fitness, and Faith, and why these five areas, arranged in a circle, are the clearest measure of whether someone has their life together. Rabbi Lapin breaks down...

Matt Nuclear is one of the most compelling young voices in political commentary right now. He went viral debating Amanda Seales on Jubilee's Surrounded series, one Black conservative among twenty, and has been building a reputation for tackling the issues most people his age avoid entirely. 

We invited Matt for a converrsationa about  what it actually takes to form independent opinions in an age of social media groupthink.

Matt grew up in a 90% white state, came to the US from Angola at age six, and found his way into political debate not through mentors or fa...

How much power does The New York Times really have , and what happens when that power is used to shape narrative instead of pursue truth?

In this episode of The Curious Middle, we speak with Ashley Rindsberg, author of The Gray Lady Winked, about the Times' reporting on some of the most important stories of the last century: the Nazi invasion of Poland, Stalin's Soviet Union, the Holocaust, Israel, the 1619 Project nd more.

Ashley Rindsberg is an investigative journalist and author focused on media malfeasance, information warfare, and the hidden systems influencing public discourse.

Johnny Chafin, a political commentator and host of The Johnny Chafin Show, joins us to share how he went from a two-time Obama voter to an outspoken conservative in deeply blue Los Angeles.

His political evolution started with a willingness to engage seriously with people who challenged his worldview.

"I thought everybody gathered information the way I did — weighing the source, questioning the agenda. I didn't know people weren't like that."

What began as open-minded conversations with a close friend who supported Trump eventually led to Johnny taking a public stance of his ow...

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Jonathan Harounoff, British-Iranian journalist and author of Unveiled: Inside Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom Revolt.

Jonathan takes us inside the Woman, Life, Freedom movement—how it began, why it refuses to die, and why the regime continues to answer peaceful protest with barbaric force. Drawing on years of reporting and deeply personal conversations with Iranians inside the country and across the diaspora, he shares the brutal realities of life under the regime—and the extraordinary courage of people who keep standing up anyway.

We talk about hunger, fear, and...

We speak with Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU about education, civics, and parenting in a time of cultural chaos. Marissa shares the moment that inspired her to "enlist" through education, explains why activism can show up even in math and literacy, and calls on parents to stop outsourcing values to institutions. Plus: practical ways to use PragerU at home in just 5–20 minutes a day.

https://www.prageru.com

00:04 — Intro: Who is Marissa Streit & what is PragerU Why parents must play an active role in teaching civics and history.

04:36 — Education as the ro...

Rob Henderson, known for coining the term "luxury beliefs," joins us to discuss his memoir Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class. Rob shares his extraordinary path—from homelessness and the LA foster care system, to adoption in rural Northern California, to enlisting in the Air Force at 17, and eventually studying at Yale and Cambridge.

Rob shares research that shows how childhood instability (more than poverty alone) shapes life outcomes; why the foster system is so under-resourced; how elite cultural narratives can unintentionally harm the very communities they claim to help; and how certain "st...

Former Michelle Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz joins us to explore the world of Jewish wisdom she discovered beyond ethnic jokes, bagels, and a vague sense of guilt. She shares how her culturally Jewish upbringing transformed into a deeply learned, joyful identity—and why real Jewish study is essential if we want to withstand modern antisemitism.

We trace how 2,000 years of Christian anti-Judaism, Nazi antisemitism, and Soviet anti-Zionism have been funneled into today's leftist campus ideologies—shaping the anti-Israel narratives dominating universities, media, and movements on both the far left and far right. Most people don't even realize they...

Monica Harris is the Executive Director of FAIR For All, 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:

In this episode, we speak with Lucy Biggers, head of social media at The Free Press and 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 socialists like AO...

Leland Vittert, NewsNation's chief Washington anchor and author of the memoir Born Lucky, 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, disci...

What happens when a no-nonsense entrepreneur decides she's had enough of California's chaos? Elaine Culotti 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, working-class perspective to politics. We cover Calforinia's c...

Our guest is Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods, 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 st...

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...

Brandy Shufutinsky is the newly appointed Director of the Education and National Security Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 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 International Relations from the University of San...

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 lockdowns, the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, and the d...

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 t...

In this episode, we talk about the value of work with David Bahnsen, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group, a 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 hi...

Ada 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 powe...

Jenny Wood, former Google executive, leadership coach, and author of Wild Courage, joins us to talk about what it really takes to grow your career, whether you're in the early stages or navigating a mid-career reset. With her candid approach, Jenny shares how to apply your experience and find your courage.

In this episode, we cover practical, no-nonsense strategies for standing out at work, communicating with your boss, building a network that actually supports you, and tapping into the kind of courage that deepens with age. If you've ever felt overlooked, underestimated, or simply ready for more—th...

Natasha Sizlo was having a terrible year. Fresh off a divorce, bankruptcy, the end of a passionate relationship, and then the news came about her beloved father's devastating terminal illness. When a friend suggested an astrology reading, Natasha's first instinct was a hard pass. But, Natasha relented, and the reading led her towards a year of magic, the kind of year that turns into a romantic comedy on the big screen and a best-selling book.

All Signs Point to Paris by Natasha Sizlo.

Hire Natasha to be your real estate agent

If you...

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meant-for-you/id1036108112?i=1000661332590Are you living a psychologically rich life? In this episode we discuss what it means to be psychologically rich and how you can generate more richness. In "Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life", Shigehiro Oishi, Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago,  shares his research and the ways leading a psychologically rich life can transform how you prioritize your days and goals.

As Shige shares, "a  psychologically rich life is a life filled with diverse, unusual, interesting experiences that ch...

Filmmakers Courtney and Ted Balaker discuss their latest documentary surrounding the mental health crisis among Gen Z.  Their film based on the  book, The Coddling of the American Mind, by Jonathan Haidt   and Greg Lukianoff, was made to spark critical discussions, including conversations across college campuses.

We discuss the alarming trends in Gen Z's mental health, the role of social media, and the impact of educational environments that often prioritize emotional safety over intellectual freedom and critical thinking.

Please listen to this enlightening discussion that will alert you to concerning Gen Z cultural trends.

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Yardena Shwartz, an award-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated producer, joins us to discuss her book, Ghosts of a Holy War. Yardena's book focuses on the 1929 Hebron massacre, allowing us to see the shocking parallels between the historical events of 1929 and the October 7th massacre in Israel. Hebron, an ancient city with archeological finds going back some 5,000 years, is in the controlled territory of both governments. For thousands of years, Hebron has had great religious importance for both Jews and Muslims.

Despite Yardena's credentials, and her book's relevance to the current news cycle, "Ghosts of a Holy War" book...

When it comes to understanding our government, we often find ourselves asking, "What would Sharon say?" So we did. We invited Sharon McMahon, America's favorite government teacher and the force behind @SharonSaysS, to help us unpack why civics education in the U.S. has been defunded, sidelined, and under-taught for decades.

Sharon shares eye-opening insights about a troubling reality: many students graduate with little more than a single semester of civics, leaving them unequipped to understand how their government actually works. This lack of knowledge isn't just an educational failure  it's a civic crisis. When citizens don't u...

Like both of us (your co-hosts Polina and Yelena) Viktoria was born in the Soviet Union. VIktoria immigrated to the USA from Kiev with her family when she was 10. After getting interested in politics a few years ago, Viktoria started a highly successful Instagram page (communistsurivivor) , as a place to share her experiences and political opinions. Viktoria's childhood in the former Soviet Union has shaped her politics and inspired her to share the realities of life under communism.

We hope that Viktoria's thoughts on the differences between life in the Soviet Union and the opportunities available in...

We are thrilled to share our conversation with respected broadcaster Erin Molan. Throughout the world, many people have discovered Erin for fearless commentary and stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

As she does in her videos, Erin discusses the importance of condemning Hamas and standing against terrorism, emphasizing that true support for children in Gaza means advocating for the eradication of the group that endangers their lives and future. We discuss the erosion of Judeo-Christian values in Western society and how the erosion of these principles can lead to moral confusion and the acceptance of violence.

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