In Episode 2, I break down how fear evolves as we grow—from childhood panic over roller coasters and yellow-fever documentaries, to teenage embarrassment, to adult worries like job insecurity, losing loved ones, political instability, and even irrational fears like cruise ships, woolly mammoths, and running into the mugshot guy I joked about online. Inspired by a conversation with a friend facing layoffs at the battery plant, this episode looks at how fear grows, mutates, and sometimes gets ridiculous — but also how fear should remind us to show empathy, not division.

In this episode, I focus on the idea of listening — truly hearing others, even when we don’t agree. I make my position on the political spectrum clear, but that doesn’t mean I’m on the radical left. I also open up about realizing that a friend of mine holds racist views, and how that discovery challenged me.

From there, the conversation shifts to a lighter topic: one-hit wonders. When you take the time to really listen and explore an artist’s full catalog, you might find hidden gems beyond their big hit. I use Shawn Mullins as an example — he’s known for “Lullaby,” but his musical catalog is far deeper and worth discovering.