Podcast

[Rough Draft]

The idea of the podcast is the following:

• First I will collect 80 stories that are about 15 minutes in duration (I have recorded about 40 already). I chose this time length because I don't have time for heavy editing, so I will take these stories as they are. If a listener doesn't like it, they only have to wait for 15 minutes to hear the next story. The topics of the podcast are multidisciplinary and open to anything. Some people talk about their research, others talk about their passions and philosophies and others talk about their life journeys.
• Once I have collected the 80 stories, I will make episodes, where each episode consists of two stories that don't have an obvious connection but nevertheless have an interesting stream-of-consciousness connection. At the end of the episode, I will have a discussion or monologue on the connection of these stories and brainstorm fascinating ideas.

Feel free to contact me if you want to collaborate or share a story.

Here is a podcast series that I had done for the AAAS media challenge on Science and Human Rights. The current podcast that I am working on will not be this formal...instead I want it to be salivating a messy creativity.

http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2017/july/rights-information-podcast.html

Update: The First Series will be on Depression

After collecting a number of stories, I found a strong cluster of stories around the topic of Depression. So far the Depression Series consists of the following types of stories:

• Life Journeys: I have been honored to interview a number of people that have shared their life journeys through depression. Some of the topics covered include: suicide, sexual assault, death, physical abuse by a parent, the cycles of depression, different treatments, PTSD, and art.
• Research: I have interviewed a number of researchers in the area of depression and some of the topics include: suicide, cognitive behavior therapy, therapy in general, executive control, depression in youth, depression in academia, and SSRIs. I still need scientists who can talk about, depression and: epigenetics, psychedelics, gut-biome, addiction, placebo, Exercize, environment, spirituality, language, psychoanalysis, and medication.
• Creation: I want this podcast to be more than just a collection of stories. I want it to be a living entity that leads to collaborations and new ideas. I aim to do it in the following ways:
  • In the new course that I am developing for WHS, I will have an entire module on Depression where in addition to teaching students about depression (in part through the podcast) we will also teach them preventative measures.
  • At Brandeis I will hold a few multidisciplinary lecture and idea generation events.
  • I am collaborating with artists who will first listen to the podcast and then create artwork motivated from the podcast. These artists include musicians and visual artists.
  • In collaboration with a mindfulness practitioner, we are developing a course to help people customize and personalize their own practice.