Episode 28 Special Guests: Owner & Founder of Hull Millwork and Hull Homes, Brent Hull & Author Jack Cashill.
How much did America change after World War II? The short answer: a lot. For starters, we accelerated our standard of "cheap and fast" to the utmost degree in our architectural design and building. Mr. Hull comes on to share his passion for craftsmanship in architectural millwork, residential construction, and historic restoration as well as explain the history of how we got to the ugliness we see today. Turns out, Catholic university architecture schools are the only remaining hold out on beauty, and might be our only hope in the restoration of it.
Then Mr. Cashill comes on to discuss his book, "Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight From America's Cities." We discuss how the urban ethnic Catholic parishes were the center of community for immigrants and how that was just never recreated in the suburbs. He also made the connection that while our cities were crumbling due to crime (the fallout of the sexual revolution in the black community), our Church also decided to reimagine itself.
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 27 Special Guest: Tim Carney, author of the book, "Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Having Kids Much Harder Than It Needs To Be."
Civilization is in crisis. The birth decline continues to drop as marriage rates plummet and suffer from further delay. But how responsible is our culture for this? Does it play a role in family formation, making it intentionally harder to have kids? Would a more religious culture that encourages married couples to have more babies catch on? Listen to my discussion with Tim where we address all this and more!
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 26 Special Guests: Franciscan University Professor of Theology, Dr. John Bergsma & Father David (Diocese of Arlington).
Are we willing to suffer for our beloved? If we liken the analogy of marriage to our relationship with God, how many of us simply think we love God enough, but are seldom willing to suffer for Him? In this episode I get into the different perspectives on suffering between protestants and Catholics with fellow Catholic convert, Dr. Bergsma. We discuss why we must suffer, why Catholics "offer up" their sufferings, why it seems the wicked prosper and the just are punished, and what we can learn about enduring faith from Joseph in the Old Testament.
Then I talk with Fr. David about spiritual discernment, if suffering is sent from God or the devil, and I learn something about the book of Job that I didn’t know!
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 25 Special Guest: Father Patrick Schultz from the Diocese of Cleveland.
I'm sure you've heard that famous Dr. Peter Kreeft quote: "Abortion is the Antichrist’s demonic parody of the eucharist. That’s why it uses the same holy words, “This is my body,” with the blasphemous opposite meaning." You could say that secular liberalism's sacramental substitute for the eucharist is a body *not* given up for another.
In the same way, consider our culture's obsession with therapy. Is it a cope for a lack of sacramental confession and/or spiritual direction? Is meditation and manifesting alternative replacements for prayer? I pose all these questions to Father Pat, one of my favorite young priests! We also discuss the sacrament of confirmation and the need to bring back reverence and beauty in the liturgy, something that was suppose to remain in the mass post-Vatican II, but has unfortunately been obliterated by cringe suburban Catholicism.
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 24 Special Guests: Them Before Us' Katy Faust & The Spectator's Teresa Mull.
Issues related to marriage and family within liberalism's structure have long been decided based on what's best for the individual (i.e. the parent, the adult), never considering or in favor of what's best for the child. Katy goes child-centric in our conversation surrounding why biology matters, the agendas of adoption agencies, and how a regime that allows for reproductive technology like IVF to exist makes Ishmaels (like thousands of frozen embryos).
Then I talk with Teresa about why moving to small town America might be the answer to our prevailing woes of wokeness!
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 23 Special Guests: Writer and Author Declan Leary & Media Research Center's Brent Bozell III.
If one of the founding fathers of the modern conservative movement, Brent Bozell Jr. were alive today (and still living in America), he'd probably be on the FBI's Catholic Extremist watch list. I interview Declan and his son Brent to discuss this lost piece of conservative media history and the Catholic giant that he was, his disenchantment with conservative politics after returning to the States from Catholic Spain, and his legacy with Triumph Magazine...and ask, could a *new* Triumph be the answer to the growing dissatisfaction with conservative media many on the Right are experiencing?
Episode 23 Segments: Krames Korner
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 22 Special Guest: Diocese of Arlington’s Father David.
In a post-Christian culture, with the trend of reception-based ceremonies, what weddings can a Catholic go to in good conscience?
Then I give my take on what I consider the missing rhetoric surrounding the two-parent household discussions and how they benefit children. Are the roles of mother and father interchangeable? Are two parents in the home all that matter, or do children deserve a married mother and father? And then I ask Catholic millennial women their thoughts on motherhood!
Episode 22 Segments: Father Knows Best, Call Her Traddy, Krames Korner
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 21 Special Guest: Professor James Wilson.
They say divorce is down but that's only because marriage rates are too. In a post-marriage culture, how do we defend marriage if we don't even know what it is? I speak with Professor Wilson and we break down the three acts of the profound play written by Pope Saint John Paul II, "The Jeweler's Shop," a meditation on marriage. Each of the three acts dives into a couple's marriage and teaches us something about love. You won't want to miss this one!
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 20 Special Guests: Christopher Chapman & Jacob Beckwith.
Do fools rush in or do men "know?" Ever heard of a decade-long friendship getting out of the friend-zone? After this episode, you will have! Meet the man behind the legend that is Emily Stimpson Chapman. Her husband Chris tells me his vocation story and his perspective in their shared love story. Then I discuss the growing trend of Gen Z ditching their smartphone for a dumbphone with Jacob.
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 19 Special Guests: Patricia Patnode & J.P. De Gance.
Writer and repentant former member of the Daddy Gang, Patricia comes on to discuss the social impact of Call Her Daddy (the #1 female podcast in the world). We ponder if Alex Cooper's Catholic education really screwed her up her views on sex (pssst..she must have never read Pope Saint John Paul II's defense of the female orgasm).
Then I interview J.P. on his son's high school homeschool football league and if this could be a budding alternative for Catholic student-athletes who want the varsity sports experience without the less-than-stellar Catholic formation received in a lot of Catholic schools.
Episode 19 Segments: Call Her Traddy
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 18 Special Guests: Dr. R.J. Snell & Dr. Kathleen Sullivan.
We know what they took from us...beauty, Catholic culture, dancing, erotic weddings, and good storytelling. Dr. Snell presents a whimsical case.
Then Dr. Sullivan tries to sell me on Jane Austen...I may be persuaded by Persuasion. You'll have to listen to find out!
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 17 Special Guests: Ivana Greco & Patrick Brown
What is the childcare blob? Ivana Greco dives into what the mainstream consensus is when it comes to who will watch the baby, comparing it to the Washington, D.C. foreign policy blob.
Then I go back and forth with EPPC's Patrick Brown over whether an agnostic or "neutral" policy (if such a thing exists) is the best approach to take when it comes to what's in the best interest of children.
This is part two of a two part series attempting to reframe the childcare debates...instead of asking, "What can we do to help working mothers? Let's start with asking, "What's best for the child? What's best for the family?"
Episode 17 Segments: I'm Listening (Should Catholics flirt?)
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 16 Special Guests: Kelsie Long & Carrie Kaczmarek Bland.
Research shows that the first three years of a child's life are critically important in developing healthy attachment to their primary caregiver (the mother). Instinctively at three, I knew daycares were metaphorical orphanages, but what about private nannies? Better ratio, right? I decided to talk with two nannies about their experiences in stepping in for "Mom."
Episode 16 Segments: Call Her Traddy
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 15 Special Guests: Verily Editor-in-Chief Mary Rose Somarriba & Maria Perrone.
I interview the current Editor-in-Chief of Verily Magazine, Mary Rose (who is practically my neighbor) about what sets Verily, the first publication in alternative women's media apart from her competitors.
Then I discuss the Roseto Effect with my friend Maria and how millennials can implement their own version of it and form community again.
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 14 Special Guests: The American Conservative's Emile Doak & Maria Perrone.
Should a Catholic stay in their hometown, move to modern day Sodom and Gomorrah, or one of these Catholic Meccas? I discuss with Emile, long-time defender of staying in your hometown who is on the verge of moving his family to one of these thriving Catholic communities.
Then I talk with my newlywed friend Maria about what she's learned in her first few months of marriage and why it's so important to marry the right person who feels like home.
And finally, I pop off about Trad Larpers (they must be stopped!)
Episode 14 Segments: I'm Listening, Call Her Traddy
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 13 Special Guests: New Polity's Jacob Imam & Julia Beatty.
Are we more American or Catholic with how we think about money? Jacob comes on for a fun exchange on why usury, investing in the market (and understanding investing as pure speculation) goes against Church Tradition, and points out that our desire for big bank accounts in retirement (401Ks) currently fund the exact companies trying to steal the very assets we want to buy.
Then my married mom friend calls in to chat about previous episode discussions regarding men and women and gives her take on what's wrong with guys and girls in the Catholic dating scene!
Episode 13 Segments: I'm Listening
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 12 Special Guests: Former Director of Nursing (Elisa Huelskamp), Former NICU Nurse (Christina Vescera), Former Oncology Nurse (Julia Beatty).
Nursing was once the most trusted profession, but would you still consider that to be true based on today's standards? I talk with the three closest nurses in my life about what they think of the medical field, their experiences during Covid, and when they have felt morally or otherwise compromised in their former jobs.
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 11 Special Guests: Catholic Writer & Speaker Leah Libresco Sargeant, Americans United for Life's Senior Fellow Zak Slayback, and Hillsdale Graduate Matthias Rhein.
What is the Catholic approach and ethic to end of life issues? I discuss that with Leah!
Then I talk with Zak about the industrialization of healthcare and what's going on in the pro-euthanasia movement. I ask him if there's a connection between the pro-bodily autonomy movement of the sexual revolution and the pro-bodily autonomy movement of "the right to die" movement, and how it's sadly turning into the "duty to die" movement.
Then Matthias brings to my attention a new stat that just came out on the rise of body cremation over traditional burials and the implications that will have on younger generations.
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 10 Special Guests: A lot of Thompson's...
Watching Venmo transactions got me thinking....Who should pay during the course of a romantic relationship? What does it look like for the man to be the provider in marriage and does that start in dating? (There's an obvious answer, but in our culture people want to act like there's not).
Episode 10 Segments: Call Her Traddy & Krames Korner
Sound Engineer: Mark Coming
Episode 9 Special Guests: Catholic wife, mother, & writer, Emily Stimpson Chapman.
This episode was made in response to the growing trend of mostly male conservative commentators placing worldly pressure (mostly on women) to get married young in an effort to solve the country's fertility crisis. But is marriage something you can control outside of God's will, or is it a gift and miracle? And is the marriage decline really due to feminism, or are we instead in the midst of an invisible WWIII with spiritually dead men lost to the sexual revolution?
Episode 9 Segments include: Krames Korner & Call Her Traddy