The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Lawyer, political commentator, and author Daniel Levin chats with Trey Elling about PROOF OF LIFE: TWENTY DAYS ON THE HUNT FOR A MISSING PERSON IN THE MIDDLE EAST. The book describes Daniel's attempts to locate someone who went missing in war-torn Syria, one of the most dangerous and hopeless places on the planet, as well as those heroes and villains he met along the way. Daniel and Trey talk about some of those details.

For episode #1 of our 'No Books Required' series, we're joined by Dr. Maya Shankar. Maya is a cognitive scientist, former Obama White House senior advisor, and the host of the new podcast, A SLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS. Maya chats with Trey Elling about why she decided to enter the podcasting realm, learning about situations that inspired change from people like Kacey Musgraves, Tiffany Haddish, and Tommy Caldwell; significant change she's experienced in her own life, changing how the government influences decisions thru cognitive science, and more.

Personal trainer and Mind Pump podcast co-host Sal Di Stefano chats with Trey Elling about THE RESISTANCE TRAINING REVOLUTION. Why is steady-state cardio an inefficient form of exercise? How does resistance training improve hormone levels, depression, and anxiety? Are doing reps to failure and working out until you're really sore actually bad strategies? What is intuitive eating? Sal and Trey discuss all of this and much more.

University of British Columbia philosophy professor and bestselling author Edward Slingerland chats with Trey Elling about DRUNK: HOW WE SIPPED, DANCED, AND STUMBLED OUR WAY TO CIVILIZATION. Did you know that alcohol production may haven pre-dated and even inspired early agricultural practices? Or that the right amount of alcohol allows us to become more creative, cultural, and communal? Speaking of, what is that 'right' amount before booze becomes destructive? Plus, why do some cultures have significantly lower rates of alcoholism than others? And how much of this book was written while tipsy? Ted and Trey discuss all of this and much more.

Historian and bestselling author Rutger Bregman chats with Trey Elling about HUMANKIND: A HOPEFUL HISTORY. Over the past few decades, many scientists have become much more optimistic on human nature. Did you know that a real life version of the fictional book Lord of the Flies happened in the 1960s with drastically different results? Or that the Stanford Prison Experiment was not the pure process its head scientists led us to believe? Or that a Norwegian prison which allows it inhabitants a shocking amount of trust and freedom creates law-abiding citizens? Trey and Rutger discuss these things and much more.

New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose chats with Trey Elling about FUTUREPROOF: 9 RULES FOR HUMANS IN THE AGE OF AUTOMATION. Why does Kevin consider himself a sub-optimist on the future of artificial intelligence and automation? How is AI quickly replacing the "Michael Scott" middle-management types? Kevin answers these questions and shares details from each of his nine rules for humans.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time NBA champ, 11-time All Star, and Olympic gold medalist Chris Bosh chats with Trey Elling about LETTERS TO A YOUNG ATHLETE. In this book, Chris offers guidance to young people on what it takes to achieve greatness. The guys discuss 'finding your why', keeping your ego in check, not letting wins or losses linger, and much more.

Washington Post columnist and CNN political correspondent Josh Rogin chats with Trey Elling about CHAOS UNDER HEAVEN: TRUMP, XI, AND THE BATTLE FOR THE 21st CENTURY. How did previous administrations' missteps on China pave the way for Trump's erratic handling of the CCP? What aggressive takeover strategy did Chinese president Xi Jinping detail in 'Document 9'? Who is the Bingo Club? How have General Electric and the California Public Employees' Retirement System helped the Chinese military? Why did former Houston Rocket GM Daryl Morey's tweet show the CCP's ability to censor speech outside of its borders? What did Josh report on in March of 2020 regarding COVID 19 and a potential lab leak in Wuhan? Are China's cyber warfare abilities a concern? Josh and Trey discuss these things and much more.

Pulitzer Prize winner Glenn Frankel chats with Trey Elling about SHOOTING MIDNIGHT COWBOY: ART, SEX, LONELINESS, LIBERATION, AND THE MAKING OF A DARK CLASSIC. What was the story behind the Midnight Cowboy book that the film was based on? Why did a then-conservative Hollywood allow something so risque allowed to be made? What drew director John Schlesinger to the project? Were Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight shoo-ins for the main characters? Were political forces behind the film's initial X-rating? Why did Dustin Hoffman avoid promoting the film when it came out? How surprising was Midnight Cowboy's win for 'Best Picture' at the 1970 Academy Awards? Glenn and Trey discuss these things and much more.

American Chemistry Society executive producer George Zaidan chats with Trey Elling about INGREDIENTS: THE STRANGE CHEMISTRY OF WHAT WE PUT IN US AND ON US. What makes a food highly processed? How and why humans begin to preserved food? What does aphid excrement have to do with one of the first sugar-added treats humans enjoyed? How are cigarettes and e-cigs similar and different? Is there such a thing as too much sunscreen? What causes scientific research to become flawed? Is coffee good or bad for us? And what is an acceptable amount of processed food to consume? George and Trey discuss these topics and much more.