Conspirituality

“Train your mind gently, not to deny what is hard, but to see what is still good” implores the monk sharing spiritual messages to his 2.5 million Instagram followers. Clad in an orange robe—well, sometimes a blue robe, sometimes grey or yellow—the little man of unknown descent speaks knowledge from a temple constructed from just about every Asian country imaginable. As it turns out, the creators of the AI-generated Yang Mun are…Israeli tech bros? Turns out AI isn’t just for spirituality. There’s an entire industry of health slopfluencers pushing untested supplements, as Derek covers before Matthew breaks down the AI Orientalism of Yang Mun. First, Julian touches on the 5th anniversary of the Jan 6 riots, and all the propaganda that’s emerged in its wake. Show Notes The Promise of Health Chatbots Has Already Failed Yang Mun on Instagram LinktreeMcMindfulness: how capitalism hijacked the Buddhist teaching of mindfulness Traumatic Narcissism: Relational Systems of Subjugation GigaChad | Know Your Meme Jean Baudrillard - Simulacra and Simulation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Andrew Huberman's Goop collab and Mel Robbins' protein shots to MAHA flipping the long-defunct food pyramid and making meningitis great again, the first full week of 2026 was off to quite a start. Derek covers the week that made heads spin. Show Notes Andrew Huberman is Optimizing Turkey Chili Mel Robbins is Selling Protein Shots What to Know About the New Childhood Vaccine Schedule Health officials slash the number of vaccines recommended for all kids Johns Hopkins doctor concerned over CDC's new child vaccine recommendations Flu season already rivals last winter's harsh epidemic FDA announces sweeping changes to oversight of wearables, AI-enabled devices Ōura’s Ricky Bloomfield proposes new regulatory pathway for wearable health features Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marco Rubio’s office published an official press release last month titled “Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship Industrial Complex.” The memo discusses the decision to impose visa restrictions on five individuals due to their “organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.” One of those individuals is Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate and repeat Conspirituality podcast guest. Derek and Julian break down what's going on with this case. Show Notes Rubio Announcement CBC: Individuals Named and EU Reactions Imran Ahmed on PBS NewsNight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do fascists need to do to convince their rank and file that they’re the smartest in the room? They invent new science to trash the old science they didn’t like. First, we look into how RFK Jr is “making the proof” for all his scientific endeavors, then unpacking a new proposal from the AZ state sena Janae Shamp about how she’s going to get to the bottom of the clinical diagnosis of Trump Derangement Syndrome. First, we read a lovely bio-romance poem from our favorite ex-Mormon vampire millionaire, Bryan Johnson. Show Notes CDC awards $1.6 million for hepatitis B vaccine study by controversial Danish researchers US awards no-bid contract to Denmark scientists studying hepatitis B vaccine in African babies Now is the Time to Scale Up Birth-Dose Hepatitis B Vaccine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries The CDC is Funding an Unethical Vaccine Trial in Guinea-Bissau The False Narrative of Nonspecific Vaccine Effects Randomized trials show no evidence of non-specific vaccine effects Hepatitis B and C in the adult population of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau: a cross-sectional survey Fiftieth Anniversary of Uncovering the Tuskegee Syphilis Study: The Story and Timeless Lessons Chronic Hepatitis Is Common and Often Untreated Among Children With Hepatitis B Infection in the United States and Canada Fired Nurse to Fierce Senator: Janae Shamp Exposes the Border Crisis & Government Betrayal State Sen. Janae Shamp on Border Security, Housing Affordability, and Health Care in Arizona  States Look to Religious Leaders to Fill Mental Health Gap  Charles Krauthammer: Bush Derangement Syndrome is spreading Zakaria: Liberals have to avoid Trump Derangement Syndrome  Krauthammer: You can’t govern by id  New Yorker: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s Battering RamGreat job by Bret Baier in his Interview with Lyin’ Kamala Harris Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matthew reflects on the fifth anniversary of his mother’s death and revisits how her life, trauma, and values helped him understand the appeal—and fatal flaw—of Jordan Peterson’s worldview. Toughness can be an expression of love without becoming a politics of cruelty. Show Notes 33: Manipulating the Hero’s Journey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices