Brenden’s Journey, MasterTalk, Knowledge, & Personal Development (1h10m) – Episode 429

Episode 429 welcomes Brenden Kumarasamy to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: his YouTube channel “MasterTalk”; living in Montreal, Canada; Stoicism and sphere of control; older kids still living at home; parenting and kids leaving the nest; knowledge and truth; religion and the afterlife; his favorite anime “Death Note”; collecting stories and trying to live a mistake free life; his top 3 podcasts: “Akimbo” by Seth Godin, “The School of Greatness” by Lewis Howes, and “Impact Theory” by Tom Bilyeu; Warrent Buffet’s focus framework; the value of attending personal development conferences; his book recommendation: Thirst by Scott Harrison; and more

ARK3 Returns, Trauma and Rage, PTSD, & Violent Parenting (1h3m) – Episode 428

Episode 428 welcomes back Alex R. Knight III to chat with Skyler on the following topics: finally making the connection between his former alcoholism and trauma he experienced in childhood and adolescence; accepting failure as okay, and not as shameful; post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by both of them; family disfunction and divorce; the roots of authoritarianism in violent (physically and psychologically/emotionally) parenting; laws against spanking; the effects of prolonged brain exposure to stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline; stress in infancy, such as “cry-it-out”; evolutionary reasons why kids protest bedtime; Skyler’s family bedroom; and more.

Special Children, Prison Bail Inequality, & Disney Princesses as Role Models (36m) – Episode 424

Episode 424 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/unpopularopinion: MassLax writes, “We HAVE to stop telling kids they’re special.”; tarababygirl writes, “Being able to pay your way out of jail shouldn’t be a thing.”; and ShinyAwesomeYT writes, “Disney princesses are terrible role models for children”.

Lauren’s Journey, Raising Kids to Understand Consent (1h4m) – Episode 416

Episode 416 welcomes Lauren Carlson to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: growing up in a small town and later moving to a bigger city; kids and coronavirus normalization; their respective stories from 9/11; her books on consent for kids, parents, and educators; when parents force their children to show affections to others; the practice of forced feeding of children; how humanity has treated children; the roots of human violence in childhood trauma; children and learning to feel and deal with big emotions; kids taking risks and getting hurt; respecting children saying “No!”; and more.

Angry or Rude People, Expenses in Hours, Laser Printers, & Google Calendar (26m) – Episode 034

Episode 034 looks at why we shouldn’t expect an angry person to be able to reason or think clearly, especially children; having empathy and compassion for someone acting rudely, as they’re likely dealing with something difficult; how to calculate your expenses in work hours instead of money, and the benefit of doing so; why a laser printer is more economical for home use than an inkjet; and how Skyler utilizes Google Calendar and Gmail to keep track of recurring tasks, events, and reminders.

Shame and Bully People

One thing I dislike about people who discuss social justice and other such ideas is that they are merely trying to shame and bully people into having a singular idea regarding certain complex social concepts. This runs extremely contrary to how I think the world should run. It feels very socially and emotionally tyrannical.

David’s Journey & Foster Parenting (49m) – Episode 371

Episode 371 welcomes David Scholes to the podcast to chat with Skyler on the following topics: what becoming foster parents entails; why he and his wife chose to become foster parents; initial and interval requirements to being a foster parent; where foster kids come from and some trouble cases he’s seen; why he adopted his son out of his foster care; abuses in the system; how being a foster parent can be rewarding; video game “addiction” and what’s really going on there; the free range kids phenomenon; protecting himself from illnesses like COVID-19 through his ketogenic dieting, 5 years on; and more.