Ever blamed yourself for finishing a bag of chips?

What if it wasn’t a lack of discipline — but a billion-dollar formula working exactly as intended?

In this episode, we dive into the hidden science and strategy behind processed food. From lab rats and child taste tests to boardrooms and engineered bliss points, we uncover how craving became a financial strategy & framework

Once you understand the system, you’ll never look at the snack aisle the same way.

From the science of the “bliss point” to the economics of “stomach share,” we explore how sugar, salt, and fat were optimized not for nutrition — but for craving.

Drawing on investigative reporting from Michael Moss, we examine how convenience, chemistry, and competition reshaped the modern diet — and what that means for your daily choices.

This isn’t about willpower. It’s about design.

Drawing on Cameron Murray’s The Great Housing Hijack, we unravel how modern housing markets are structured to protect banks, and developers — not buyers or renters.

We break down the hidden “absorption rate” that slows construction on purpose, the political impossibility of cutting $3 trillion in homeowner wealth, and the media incentives that keep the panic cycle alive. If solving the crisis would hurt the majority of voters, is it any wonder that nothing changes?

Finally, we explore a radical alternative.

If you’ve ever wondered why building more homes doesn’t lower prices — this episode connects the dots.

From complaints about rents to modern-day developers drip-feeding supply, this episode unpacks a provocative thesis: the housing system isn’t broken — it’s working exactly as designed.

Why are some of the world’s safest, wealthiest countries becoming the most defensive? In this deep dive into neo-nationalism, we explore the research of anthropologists like Andre Gingrich and Marianne Gullestad to understand the psychology behind the shift.

From imagined national “families” in Norway to political theatre in Australia — including the rise of One Nation in Australia — we examine how identity, fear of decline, and economic insecurity collide.

This episode breaks down concepts like economic chauvinism, cultural fundamentalism, and the “contagion effect,” showing how neo-nationalism spreads when mainstream parties attempt to outflank the far right.

If globalisation created wealth, why does it now inspire walls?