Episode 11: Navigating Professional Challenges During COVID: A Doctor's Perspective

Episode 11: Navigating Professional Challenges During COVID: A Doctor's Perspective

In this episode of the Veriditas Podcast, Dr. Petra Bueskens converses with Dr. Peter Donald, a medical professional who experienced significant career disruption due to COVID-19 public health measures. Peter shares his journey from overseas volunteer medical work to assisting surgeons and ultimately facing vocational registration challenges. The conversation touches on the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare system, the role of personal integrity, and the societal reactions to health mandates. They delve into the broader implications for healthcare professionals, the polarization of public opinion, and the emergence of new communities and solidarity among those resisting the official narrative. The episode also explores the potential future implications of these experiences on public health policy and societal trust. 00:00 Introduction to the Veriditas Podcast 01:03 Guest Introduction and Background 01:58 Challenges in Medical Practice 06:48 Home Birth and Medical Regulations 11:56 COVID-19: Initial Reactions and Realizations 13:26 Questioning the Official COVID-19 Narrative 14:58 Vaccine Mandates and Personal Decisions 31:53 Public Protests and Media Misinformation 36:24 A Case of Severe COVID-19 37:25 The Chetty Regimen and Treatment Protocols 38:05 Ivermectin Controversy and Personal Experiences 41:49 Operating Room Conversations and Dissent 48:29 Antigenic Imprinting and Vaccine Concerns 56:51 Reflections on Government Overreach and Personal Integrity 01:05:04 Historical Parallels and Future Implications 01:10:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts     References Murdoch Institute study 'No Jab, No Job project – A COVID-19 vaccine legacy' - https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/projects/no-jab-no-job [https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/projects/no-jab-no-job] Covid Through Our Eyes: An Australian Story of Mistakes, Mistreatment and Misinformation [https://covidthroughoureyes.com.au/]. Edited by Professor Robert Clancy and Dr Melissa McCann (2025) - https://covidthroughoureyes.com.au/ [https://covidthroughoureyes.com.au/]  Tulchinsky TH, ‘John Snow, Cholera, the Broad Street Pump; Waterborne Diseases Then and Now’, Case Studies in Public Health, 2018, pp.77–99. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-804571-8.00017-2  Kirby Institute Seminar Series, ‘Professor Nikolai Petrovsky – Vaccines and biodefense: COVID-19, flu and beyond’, – 8 June 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_2Rq1zoRg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_2Rq1zoRg]    Holly Honderich, ‘CIA says lab leak most likely source of Covid outbreak’, BBC News, 26 January 2025//www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9qjjj4zy5o  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/25/covid-lab-leak-theory-right-conspiracy-science [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/25/covid-lab-leak-theory-right-conspiracy-science] Susan Brink, ‘What's The Real Story About The Milkmaid And The Smallpox Vaccine?’, NPR, February 1, 2018. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/02/01/582370199/whats-the-real-story-about-the-milkmaid-and-the-smallpox-vaccine [https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/02/01/582370199/whats-the-real-story-about-the-milkmaid-and-the-smallpox-vaccine]   Neil Mitchell, ‘'We never want to do that again': Brett Sutton on the lessons that must be learned from the pandemic’, 9News, September 23, 2025. https://www.9news.com.au/national/neil-mitchell-brett-sutton-interview-we-never-want-to-do-that-again/f503cd11-b8bf-4f9c-a156-cb8d815ad3a7 [https://www.9news.com.au/national/neil-mitchell-brett-sutton-interview-we-never-want-to-do-that-again/f503cd11-b8bf-4f9c-a156-cb8d815ad3a7] Dr Shankara Chetty - https://www.conference.maafim.org/index.php/speakers/dr-shankara-chetty [https://www.conference.maafim.org/index.php/speakers/dr-shankara-chetty]  Jay Naidoo, ‘COVID injections polarised society, led to persecution of honest doctors like Dr Shankara Chetty’, BizNews, 12 Apr 2023. https://www.biznews.com/health/covid-injections-jay-naidoo [https://www.biznews.com/health/covid-injections-jay-naidoo] Santin AD, Scheim DE, McCullough PA, Yagisawa M, Borody TJ. Ivermectin: a multifaceted drug of Nobel prize-honoured distinction with indicated efficacy against a new global scourge, COVID-19. New Microbes New Infect. 2021 Aug 3;43:100924. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2021.100924  AHPRA -https://www.ahpra.gov.au [Australian%20Health%20Practitioner%20Regulation%20Agency%20-%20Home%0Dhttps%3A/www.ahpra.gov.au%0D] Geert Vanden Bossche - https://www.geertvandenbossche.org/ [https://www.geertvandenbossche.org/] Luc Montagnier on the Coronavirus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIdkWmISRMY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIdkWmISRMY]  Leonie Thorne, ‘Why it's important to look at the 'bigger picture' behind COVID-19 intensive care numbers’, ABC News, Thu 3 Feb 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-03/how-to-interpret-omicron-covid-vaccination-rates-in-icu-hospital/100800114 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-03/how-to-interpret-omicron-covid-vaccination-rates-in-icu-hospital/100800114] Judd Boaz, ‘The Victorian Premier says the state is heading for a 'vaccine economy', here's what that might look like’, ABC News, Mon 6 Sep 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-06/daniel-andrews-vaccine-passport-double-vaccinated/100435606 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-06/daniel-andrews-vaccine-passport-double-vaccinated/100435606]   You can see the episode blog post on the Veriditas Substack here: https://veriditas3.substack.com/publish/post/178648122 [https://veriditas3.substack.com/publish/post/178648122]    Subscribe to the Veriditas podcast and Substack here: Veriditas Substack: https://veriditas3.substack.com/ [https://veriditas3.substack.com/]  Veriditas podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-veriditas-podcast-heterodox-thoughts-on-sex/id1805836395 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-veriditas-podcast-heterodox-thoughts-on-sex/id1805836395]  Veriditas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VeriditasHeterodoxThoughtsonCu/videos [https://www.youtube.com/@VeriditasHeterodoxThoughtsonCu/videos]

Episode 10: Reevaluating the Social Contract: The Future of Welfare in an Algorithmic Age with Kate Mason

In this episode of the Veriditas Podcast, host Dr. Petra Bueskens speaks with recurring guest Kate Mason, delving into the transformation of welfare and citizenship under the new “wellbeing economy” and how this is reshaping the social contract. Kate discusses social impact bonds and the increasing involvement of private corporations in public welfare through ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) metrics. The conversation also touches on the concerning trend of data collection and genetic engineering in children under the guise of public health and social good. Kate expresses her concerns about the societal implications of these changes, suggesting they signify a shift towards more intrusive and authoritarian governance. The discussion also covers the potential future of a universal basic income tied to extensive data sharing and surveillance, and parallels drawn between these trends and historical eugenics movements. Kate also shares insights from her year-long hiatus from research, shedding light on the evolving landscape of public trust, social cohesion, and the increasingly intertwined roles of government and private corporations in shaping public policy. They highlight the intrusive nature of new welfare models, particularly their impact on children, and the loss of personal privacy in the name of collective good.   00:00 Introduction to the Veriditas Podcast 00:52 Discussing the Social Contract and Social Impact Bonds 02:27 The Risk-Averse Landscape and Authoritarianism 03:45 Genetic Engineering and Eugenics Concerns 06:11 Zero Trust Social Contracts and Digital Identity 09:18 Democracy and Social Cohesion in Australia 16:05 Pre-Crime and Strengthening Hate Crime Laws 20:44 Social Impact Bonds and Capitalism 2.0 25:30 Impact Investing and the Role of Corporations 39:02 Data Collection and Eugenics in Social Programs 41:03 The Dark Side of Eugenics 41:17 Epigenetics and Environmental Influence 41:46 Political and Organizational Influence 42:29 Children's Rights and Wellbeing 43:21 Wellbeing Economy and Data Collection 43:39 Intervention and Reporting on Wellbeing 44:59 Citizen Juries and DNA Collection 48:23 Genetic Engineering and Ethical Concerns 51:58 Social Impact Bonds and Welfare 55:45 Privacy, Surveillance, and Social Contracts 01:13:37 Mental Health and Pathologizing Children 01:16:05 Conclusion and Future Directions   References   Kate Mason, 'Democracy 2.0 Capitalism 2.0: People as a market- Children as the most precious mineral', August 4, 2024. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fimuLAqxZ80&t=1s&pp=2AEBkAIB [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fimuLAqxZ80&t=1s&pp=2AEBkAIB] Link to Substack article: Democracy 2.0 Capitalism 2.0, https://kate739.substack.com/p/democracy-20-capitalism-20 [https://kate739.substack.com/p/democracy-20-capitalism-20]  Centre for Policy Development. The Wellbeing Economy in Brief, March 4, 2024. https://cpd.org.au/work/wellbeing-economy-in-brief/ [https://cpd.org.au/work/wellbeing-economy-in-brief/]  Big Brother Watch, 'Checkpoint Britain: the dangers of digital ID and why privacy must be protected’, August 2025. https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Checkpoint-Britain.pdf [https://bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Checkpoint-Britain.pdf]  Australian Government. Strengthening Australian democracy: A practical agenda for democratic resilience. 15 Jul 2024. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us-subsite/files/strengthening-australian-democracy.pdf [https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about-us-subsite/files/strengthening-australian-democracy.pdf]  Olivia Caisley, ‘New AFP boss warns hate crime laws may need to be strengthened further’, ABC News, 8 October, 2025. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-08/afp-commissioner-krissy-barrett-national-security-warning/105848960 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-08/afp-commissioner-krissy-barrett-national-security-warning/105848960]  Australian Government, Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill 2025. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7240 [https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7240]  Andrew Frost Thrive by Five - https://www.thrivebyfive.org.au/news/regional-remote-funding/#:~:text=15%20February%202023%20%E2%80%93%20Minderoo%20Foundation's,services%20operating%20in%20vulnerable%20communities [https://www.thrivebyfive.org.au/news/regional-remote-funding/#:~:text=15%20February%202023%20%E2%80%93%20Minderoo%20Foundation].  Alison McDowell, What is a Social Impact Bond? April 7, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I9tRPq_Jp8 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I9tRPq_Jp8]  The Investment Dialogue for Australia's Children, https://www.investmentdialogue.org.au/ [https://www.investmentdialogue.org.au/]  Nothing to hide argument –  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument#:~:text=Edward%20Snowden%20remarked%20that%20%22arguing,to%20hide%20something%20from%20others [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument#:~:text=Edward%20Snowden%20remarked%20that%20%22arguing,to%20hide%20something%20from%20others].

Episode 9: The Decline of Fertility: A Dialogue with Andrew Glover from Pronatalism Australia

Episode 9: The Decline of Fertility: A Dialogue with Andrew Glover from Pronatalism Australia In this episode of the Veriditas Podcast, Petra interviews Dr. Andrew Glover, who discusses the profound societal and demographic challenges posed by declining fertility rates. They explore themes such as the impact of social media, shifts in cultural norms, the role of academic and ideological pressures, and the loss of traditional family structures. Andrew outlines several complex factors contributing to fertility decline, including economic pressures, housing affordability, and career-focused lifestyles. He also proposes potential solutions like stable long-term family rentals, superannuation-backed parental leave, and workplace fertility metrics. The conversation delves into the ethical considerations of immigration as a solution to population decline and contrasts high fertility cultures with those experiencing precipitous declines. This comprehensive discussion underscores the urgency and complexity of addressing fertility issues as a pressing civilizational concern.   Andrew Glover is a social scientist, a member of Heterodox Academy and the founder of Pronatalism Australia, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to revitalising birth rates through evidence-based policy and cultural renewal.   References Pronatalism Australia | Andrew Glover | Substack [https://pronatalism.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] Andrew Glover, “Falling Fertility: A Crisis We Refuse to Face [https://quillette.com/2025/06/13/falling-fertility-a-crisis-we-refuse-to-face-demographics/]”, Quillette, 13 June 2025. Institute of Family Studies. Fertility Blog. https://ifstudies.org/blog/category/fertility [https://ifstudies.org/blog/category/fertility] Daniel Hesse, More Births [https://www.morebirths.com/] Substack. Birth Gauge: Tracking the Global Fertility Decline. https://x.com/birthgauge/ [https://x.com/birthgauge/] The Lancet: Dramatic declines in global fertility rates set to transform global population patterns by 2100 [https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-dramatic-declines-global-fertility-rates-set-transform], March 20, 2024. Australian Government. 2023 Intergenerational Report [https://treasury.gov.au/publication/2023-intergenerational-report]. Jonathan Boymal, ‘Australia’s fertility rate has reached a record low. What might that mean for the economy [https://theconversation.com/australias-fertility-rate-has-reached-a-record-low-what-might-that-mean-for-the-economy-241577]?’ The Conversation, October 21, 2024. David Taylor, ‘Australia's birth rate hits rock bottom with severe consequences for economic future’ [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-17/australia-birth-rate-hits-rock-bottom-economic-consequences/104480816], ABC News, October 17, 2024. Anna Brown, ‘Growing share of childless adults in U.S. don’t expect to ever have children’ [https://pewrsr.ch/3DAU3RR], Pew Research, November 19, 2021. Marc Novicoff, ‘The Birth-Rate Crisis Isn’t as Bad as You’ve Heard—It’s Worse [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/06/birth-rate-population-decline/683333/]’, The Atlantic, June 30, 2025. Elizabeth Bruenig, ‘Why the Left Should Embrace Pronatalism' [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/democrats-pronatalism-family-policies/681827/], The Atlantic, February 25, 2025. Elissa Strauss, ‘THE ESSAY: What Both the Left and the Right Get Wrong about Pronatalism [https://elissa.substack.com/p/the-essay-what-both-the-left-and]’, Made with Care Substack, June 26, 2025. Darel E. Paul, ‘Mass Immigration Lowers Fertility’ [https://www.compactmag.com/article/mass-immigration-lowers-fertility/], Compact Magazine, May 30, 2025. Emily Klancher Merchant and Win Brown, ‘The problem with pronatalism: Pushing baby booms to boost economic growth amounts to a Ponzi scheme’ [https://theconversation.com/the-problem-with-pronatalism-pushing-baby-booms-to-boost-economic-growth-amounts-to-a-ponzi-scheme-235725], The Conversation, August 9, 2024.   References for topics specifically discussed in the show Ramesh Thakur, ‘Academic freedom is so last century: Has the free speech fightback begun [https://www.spectator.com.au/2021/04/academic-freedom-is-so-last-century/]?’, The Spectator, April 3, 2021. *This article discussed the publication of my article ‘An Apology to J.K. Rowling’ published in Areo Magazine, June 23, 2020. https://areomagazine.com/2020/06/23/an-apology-to-jk-rowling/ [archive].  Areo magazine is no longer on the web Quillette have bought the rights to the Areo magazine archive. Arlie Hochschild and Barbara Ehrenreich, Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy [https://www.amazon.com.au/Global-Woman-Nannies-Workers-Economy/dp/1862075883], Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2002. Lyn Craig, ‘Children and the Revolution: A Time-Diary Analysis of the Impact of Motherhood on Daily Workload [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1440783306064942]’. June 2006; Journal of Sociology 42(2):125-143. Lyn Craig, Contemporary Motherhood: The Impact of Children on Adult Time [https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315573878/contemporary-motherhood-lyn-craig], Routledge, 2007. Lauren Day, ‘The Rise of Pronatalism in America’. Video. ABC News, 30 July 2025. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-30/the-rise-of-pronatalism-in-america/105593364 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-30/the-rise-of-pronatalism-in-america/105593364] Catherine Pakaluk, Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth, [https://www.amazon.com.au/Hannahs-Children-Quietly-Defying-Dearth/dp/1684514576/ref=asc_df_1684514576?mcid=cf11aa0f62613a56a2b0f341550a00a4&tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=712261052316&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2580185053242316798&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9071157&hvtargid=pla-2279069843953&psc=1&gad_source=1] Regnery Publishing, 2024. The Data Team, ‘Parents now spend twice as much time with their children as 50 years ago. Except in France [https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2017/11/27/parents-now-spend-twice-as-much-time-with-their-children-as-50-years-ago]’, The Economist, 27 November, 2017. Kate C. Prickett and Jennifer March Augustine, ‘Trends in Mothers' Parenting Time by Education and Work From 2003 to 2017 [https://doi.org/10.1215/00703370-9160022]’, Demography (2021) 58 (3): 1065–1091.  Reuters, ‘Hungary's Orban launches tax exemption for mothers, cap on housing loan rates [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarys-orban-launches-tax-exemption-mothers-cap-housing-loan-rates-2025-02-22/]’, February 23, 2025. ‘Order of Parental Glory’ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Parental_Glory]. Russian medal awarded by the state to mothers who have four or more children. Uliana Pavlova and Jack Guy, ‘Putin revives Stalin-era ‘Mother Heroine’ award for women with 10 children’ [https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/18/europe/putin-mother-heroine-award-decree-intl], CNN, August 18, 2022. Taylor Weidman and Azat Ruziev, ‘The country where mothers win medals for having more kids’ [https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191017-the-country-where-mothers-win-medals-for-having-more-kids], BBC News, 21 October, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9daille_de_l%27enfance_et_des_familles [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9daille_de_l%27enfance_et_des_familles] Leslie Cannold, What no baby? Why women are losing the freedom to mother, and how they can get it back [https://www.amazon.com.au/What-No-Baby-Cannold/dp/1459609891]. Fremantle Press, 2002. Petra Bueskens, Modern Motherhood and Women’s Dual Identities: Rewriting the Sexual Contract [https://www.routledge.com/Modern-Motherhood-and-Womens-Dual-Identities-Rewriting-the-Sexual-Contract/Bueskens/p/book/9780367460129]. Routledge, 2018. Kathryn Edin, Promises I Can Keep – Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage, [https://www.amazon.com.au/Promises-Can-Keep-Motherhood-Marriage/dp/0520241134] University of California Press, 2005. Charles Murray, In Coming Apart: The State of White America 1960-2010 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_Apart_(book)], Crown Forum, 2012. Charles Murray, ‘The New American Divide’ [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204301404577170733817181646?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink], The Wall Street Journal, 21 January, 2012. Brad Wilcox and Chris Bullivant, ‘The Benefits of Marriage Shouldn’t Only Be For Elites [https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-benefits-of-marriage-shouldnt-only-be-for-elites#:~:text=We%20propose%20two%20solutions%20to,more%20attractive%20candidates%20for%20marriage.]’, Institute of Family Studies, June 3, 2022. Brad Wilcox, ‘The Awfulness of Elite Hypocrisy on Marriage’ [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/elitism-marriage-rates-hypocrisy/677401/], The Atlantic, February 13, 2024. Brendan Coates, Joey Moloney, Matthew Bowes, ‘Housing is less affordable than ever’ [https://grattan.edu.au/news/housing-is-less-affordable-than-ever/#:~:text=Home%20ownership%20is%20falling%20fast,due%20to%20rising%20house%20prices], The Grattan Institute, 28 March, 2025. Antoun Issa, ‘It took me 15 years to save for a house. For millennials and Gen Z, the journey to home ownership has become an ultramarathon’ [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2023/feb/13/it-took-me-15-years-to-save-for-a-house-for-millennials-and-gen-z-the-journey-to-home-ownership-has-become-an-ultramarathon], The Guardian, February 14, 2023. Justin Fox, ‘The wealthy are starting to have more babies than the poor again’ [https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-03-12/the-rich-are-starting-to-have-more-babies-than-the-poor-again], Bloomberg, March 11, 2024. Corinne Purtill, Dan Kopf, Corinne Purtill, and Dan Kopf, ‘The reason the richest women in the US are the ones having the most kids’ [https://qz.com/1125805/the-reason-the-richest-women-in-the-us-are-the-ones-having-the-most-kids], Quartz, July 21, 2022. Paul Ehrlich, The Population Bomb [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Population_Bomb], 1968. Shanna Swann, Countdown: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race [https://www.shannaswan.com/countdown], Scribner, 2021. Ashley Ahn, South Korea has the world's lowest fertility rate, a struggle with lessons for us all [https://www.npr.org/2023/03/19/1163341684/south-korea-fertility-rate#:~:text=Stone%20has%20studied%20global%20attitudes,the%20Institute%20for%20Family%20Studies.], NPR, March 19, 2023. IEA Interviews Institute of Economic Affairs, ‘The Western Population Crisis: Lyman Stone’ [https://insider.iea.org.uk/p/the-western-population-crisis-lyman-bb3],  May 20, 2025. Boom, ‘On the higher fertility of semiconductor workers: One in every fifty Taiwanese babies born is a TSMC baby [https://www.boomcampaign.org/p/on-the-higher-fertility-of-semiconductor],’ Aug 21, 2024.

Episode 8: The Journey from Psychiatric Patient to Vital Self: A Conversation with Laura Delano

In this episode of the Veriditas Podcast, host Dr. Petra Bueskens interviews Laura Delano, author of 'Unshrunk', a memoir that critiques the psychiatric industrial complex. They delve into the impact of psychiatric diagnosis and medication on personal identity and discuss the challenges of navigating away from a medicalized understanding of mental health. Laura shares her journey from being diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 14 to rejecting psychiatric treatment and finding a life full of meaning and vitality. The episode also touches on themes of informed choice, the cultural construction of mental health, and the importance of reconnecting with one's instincts and community. 00:00 Reconnecting After a Long Time 00:45 Reflecting on the Conference Experience 02:36 The Impact of Public Appearances 04:23 The Struggles of Being a Dissident 05:23 Officially Starting the Interview 06:16 Laura's Early Life and Pressures 31:39 The Diagnosis and Its Impact 49:21 The Whack-a-Mole Analogy 50:33 Life at Harvard and Decline 53:09 The Hopelessness of Treatment Resistance 55:23 Complicity in the Medical Model 58:32 Rehumanizing Society and Personal Healing 01:00:55 Therapy and the Individual Therapist 01:06:00 Critique of the Medicalized Mental Health Industry 01:15:37 The Power of Asking Questions 01:18:53 Transcendence and Personal Growth 01:30:50 Final Thoughts and Reflections   References Laura Delano, Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624778/unshrunk-by-laura-delano/], Viking, 2025: https://unshrunkthebook.com/ [https://unshrunkthebook.com/] Laura’s website: https://www.lauradelano.com/ [https://www.lauradelano.com/]   Articles on Laura May 15th, 2025— The Wall Street Journal— ‘Unshrunk’ Review: The Toll of the Treatment [https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/unshrunk-review-the-toll-of-the-treatment-d0ab4dfe] April 21st, 2025— Daily Mail— “I almost ended my life at 25 because of the cocktail of anti-depressant drugs I had been put on from the age of 14” [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14632595/nearly-ended-life-14-years-antidepressants-ditching-saved-me.html] March 28th, 2025— CounterPunch— “Unshrunk: A Memoir That Upsets the NYT and Which Freethinkers Will Love” [https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/03/28/unshrunk-a-memoir-that-upsets-the-nyt-and-which-freethinkers-will-love/] May 18th, 2025— Psychology Today— “Navigating Mental Health Without Drugs” [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-biology-of-human-nature/202503/navigating-mental-health-without-drugs] March 17th, 2025— The New York Times— “The Ex-Patients Club” [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/health/laura-delano-psychiatric-meds.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4k4.Lvl3.QAnwylcysP56&smid=url-share] March 17th, 2025— Psychology Today— “Diagnosis Cascade: A Book Review” [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/side-effects/202503/diagnosis-cascade-a-book-review] April 8th, 2019 issue— The New Yorker — “The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-challenge-of-going-off-psychiatric-drugs]” under the ‘American Chronicles’ headline March 20, 2025 – The Washington Post  - “She stopped taking her psych meds. Now she helps others do the same [https://img.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/03/20/laura-delano-unshrunk-psychiatry-medication-book-review/]” Laura on Tucker Carlson: “Laura Delano: How Big Pharma Created the Mental Health Crisis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PdWKkyooCk]”   Ivan Illich’s definition of “iatrogenesis”, “… iatrogenesis was a centrepiece of his ideology, and he defined it at three levels. Clinical iatrogenesis was the injury done to patients by ineffective, toxic, and unsafe treatments that he listed in extensive footnotes. He described the need for evidence-based medicine 20 years before the term was coined. Social iatrogenesis resulted from the medicalisation of life. More and more problems were seen as amenable to medical intervention, with pharmaceutical companies developing expensive treatments for what he described as non-diseases. His most biting words were cultural iatrogenesis, the destruction of traditional ways of dealing with, and making sense of, death, pain, and sickness. He used the medical profes-sion's own statistics to argue that many of the diseases over which doctors claimed victory were on their way out in the natural rhythm of things.” Obituary, Ivan Illich, THE LANCET, Vol 361, January 11, 2003. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Obstetric Violence and Birth Trauma [https://www.anmf.org.au/media/havkmrnj/anmf_information_sheet_obstetric_violence_and_birth_trauma.pdf]. A conversation could change a life | RU OK? Jimena Escoto, “Masterpiece Story: The Reluctant Bride by Auguste Toulmouche [https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/masterpiece-story-the-reluctant-bride-by-auguste-toulmouche/]”, Daily Art Magazine, 19 March 2024.   Key texts: Ivan Illich, Medical Nemesis: The Expropriation of Health [https://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/pubhealth/rosner/g8965/client_edit/readings/week_2/illich.pdf], Pantheon Books, New York, 1976. Richard Brown, Rockefeller Medicine Men: Rockefeller Medicine Men - Medicine and Capitalism in America [https://dn720205.ca.archive.org/0/items/rockefellermedic00browrich/rockefellermedic00browrich.pdf], Berkeley: University of California Press, 1980 Foucault, The Birth of the Clinic: An Archaeology of Medical Perception [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_the_Clinic], 1963. R.D. Laing, The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness [https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Divided_Self/4JT-12rMtJsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT5&printsec=frontcover], Penguin, 1960. Thomas Szasz, The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_Mental_Illness], Hoeber-Harper, 1961. Robert Whitaker, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America [https://robertwhitakerbooks.com/anatomy-of-an-epidemic/], Crown, 2010. Peter Breggin, Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and their Families [https://www.amazon.com.au/Psychiatric-Drug-Withdrawal-Prescribers-Therapists/dp/0826108431], Springer Publishing, 2012. Kelly Brogan, A Mind of Your Own: The Truth about Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives [https://www.harperacademic.com/book/9780062445247/a-mind-of-your-own/], Harper Wave, 2016. Daniel Mackler, Six Reasons Why I Quit Being a Therapist [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Fi32LbXHA], January 5, 2018. Barbara Ehrenreich, Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America [https://www.amazon.com.au/Bright-Sided-Barbara-Ehrenreich/dp/0312658850], Picador, 2009.   Academic articles: Samuel K Teague and Peter Robinson, “The History of Unreason: Social Construction of Mental Illness” in Jennifer M. Martin (Ed.), Mental Health Policy, Practice, and Service Accessibility in Contemporary Society, IGI Global, 2018, pp.1-19.DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7402-6.ch001 [https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7402-6.ch001] Stahnisch FW, Verhoef M, “The Flexner report of 1910 and its impact on complementary and alternative medicine and psychiatry in North America in the 20th century”, Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Vol. 2012, issue 1; Article ID 647896. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/647896 [https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/647896] Beeker T, Mills C, Bhugra D, Te Meerman S, Thoma S, Heinze M, von Peter S. “Psychiatrization of Society: A Conceptual Framework and Call for Transdisciplinary Research”, Frontiers in Psychiatry 2021 Jun 4; vol. 12, article 645556. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.645556 [https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.645556] Gray DP, Dineen M, Sidaway-Lee K. “The worried well”. Br J Gen Pract. 2020 Jan 22;70(691):84–85. doi: 10.3399/bjgp20X708017 [https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X708017]

Episode 7: Politics, Economics, and Culture with Professor Gigi Foster

Episode 7: Navigating Complexity: Politics, Economics, and Culture with Dr. Gigi Foster In this episode of the Veriditas Podcast, Petra engages in an in-depth conversation with Gigi Foster, a Professor of Economics at the University of New South Wales and founder of Australians for Science and Freedom. They explore the distinguishing aspects of the current political and cultural moment, societal dissonance, and the impact of algorithm-driven realities. Dr. Foster reflects on her heterodox upbringing and its influence on her balanced perspective that values social welfare. The discussion navigates through her professional background, the importance of assessing policies like lockdowns through cost-benefit analysis, and the unintended consequences of such policies on the economy and society. They touch on the long-term psychological and economic effects of COVID-19 policies, and the rising inflation in post-pandemic times. Dr. Foster underscores the importance of open dialogue and institutional reform to rebuild society and prepare for future challenges. The episode also includes mentions of upcoming events and conferences aimed at fostering these essential conversations. 00:00 Introduction to the Veriditas Podcast 00:57 Guest Introduction and Background 02:02 Heterodox Thinking and Influences 04:43 Economics and Social Welfare 08:30 Political Perspectives and Leadership 12:43 Personal Background and Resilience 16:48 Life in Pittsburgh and Move to Australia 23:30 COVID-19 Policies and Economic Impact 33:01 Introduction to Co-Author and Research Background 33:17 Historical Perspective on Quarantine and Public Health 34:45 Assumptions and Evidence in Lockdown Policies 36:15 Mental Health and Wellbeing Costs of Lockdowns 41:17 Economic Impact and Lost GDP 42:15 Collateral Damage and Long-Term Effects 46:58 Media and Public Perception During COVID 54:38 Accountability and Future Reforms 01:03:12 Introduction to ANCO Capitalism 01:03:28 The Birth of Brownstone Publishing 01:04:08 Collaborations and Blogs 01:04:51 Estimating the Impact of COVID-19 01:05:23 The Science Behind Excess Deaths and Prevented Lives 01:11:07 Economic Consequences of COVID-19 Policies 01:13:40 Inflation and Lockdown Policies 01:21:26 The Importance of Public Discourse 01:22:12 Upcoming Events and Conferences 01:28:49 Concluding Thoughts on Collaboration and Hope   Bio Gigi Foster is a Professor with the School of Economics at the University of New South Wales, having joined UNSW in 2009 after six years at the University of South Australia.  Formally educated at Yale University (BA in Ethics, Politics, and Economics) and the University of Maryland (PhD in Economics), she works in diverse fields including education, social influence, corruption, lab experiments, time use, behavioural economics, and Australian policy.  Her research contributions regularly inform public debates and appear in both specialised and cross-disciplinary outlets (e.g., Quantitative Economics, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Population Economics, Journal of Economic Psychology, Human Relations).  Her teaching, featuring strategic innovation and integration with research, was awarded a 2017 Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning.  Named 2019 Young Economist of the Year by the Economic Society of Australia, Professor Foster has filled numerous roles of service to the profession and engages heavily on economic matters with the Australian community.  As one of Australia’s leading economics communicators, her regular media appearances include co-hosting The Economists [https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-economists/], a national economics talk-radio program and podcast series premiered in 2018, with Peter Martin AM on ABC Radio National.   References Gigi Foster Sanjeev Sabhlok (2022) Do Lockdowns and Border Closures Serve the "greater Good"? A Cost-benefit Analysis of Australia's Reaction to COVID-19 [https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/Do-lockdowns-and-border-closures-serve-the-%E2%80%9Cgreater-good%E2%80%9D-A-cost-benefit-analysis-of-Australia%E2%80%99s-reaction-to-COVID-19--Gigi-Foster-with-Sanjeev-Sabhlok_p_507.html]. Connor Court Publishing. Paul Frijters, Gigi Foster, and Michael Baker (2021) The Great Covid Panic: What Happened, Why, and What To Do Next [https://www.amazon.com.au/Great-Covid-Panic-What-Happened/dp/1630692778]. Brownstone Institute. Gigi’s blog on Brownstone: https://brownstone.org/author/gigifoster/ [https://brownstone.org/author/gigifoster/] Australians for Science and Freedom (ASF): https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/ [https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/] ASF Covid Collateral film screening: https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/event/bring-a-friend-movie-night-documenary-film-screening-covid-collateral-renowned-specialist-panel-qa/ [https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/event/bring-a-friend-movie-night-documenary-film-screening-covid-collateral-renowned-specialist-panel-qa/] Gigi’s recently censored TEDx talk, ‘The Manipulators’ Playbook’ [https://rumble.com/v6tart1-the-manipulators-playbook-gigi-foster.html] now hosted on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v6tart1-the-manipulators-playbook-gigi-foster.html [https://rumble.com/v6tart1-the-manipulators-playbook-gigi-foster.html] You can also read a transcript of the talk here: https://brownstone.org/articles/the-manipulators-playbook/ [https://brownstone.org/articles/the-manipulators-playbook/] Two articles on the censorship by TEDx of Gigi’s talk Maryanne Demasi, ‘When Ideas Become Too Dangerous to Platform [https://brownstone.org/articles/when-ideas-become-too-dangerous-to-platform/]’, Brownstone Institute, June 6, 2025. Lance D Johnson, ‘TED talks suppressed a presentation about MANIPULATION because it exposes global power structures, their narratives, and tactics’ [https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-06-09-ted-talks-suppressed-a-presentation-about-manipulation.html], Natural News, June 9, 2025.   Inflation: https://brownstone.org/articles/the-world-catastrophe-wrought-by-covid-lockdowns/ [https://brownstone.org/articles/the-world-catastrophe-wrought-by-covid-lockdowns/]   Miscarriage: James Thorp - obstetrician talking about miscarriages: https://www.jpands.org/vol28no1/thorp.pdf [https://www.jpands.org/vol28no1/thorp.pdf] Michael Nevradakis, ‘Another Study Shows Higher Miscarriage Rate Among Women Who Received COVID Vaccines’, Children’s Health Defence, May 5, 2025. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/spanish-study-high-miscarriage-rate-covid-vaccine-women/ [https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/spanish-study-high-miscarriage-rate-covid-vaccine-women/] Mental health declining in Australia since the Covid-19 public health policies https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/risk-factors/covid-19 [https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/risk-factors/covid-19] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-05/abs-data-shows-mental-health-anxiety-depression-rising/102928618 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-05/abs-data-shows-mental-health-anxiety-depression-rising/102928618] https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/youth-mental-health-enters-dangerous-phase [https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/youth-mental-health-enters-dangerous-phase] https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20year%20of,has%20changed%20during%20the%20pandemic [https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20year%20of,has%20changed%20during%20the%20pandemic] Mainstream recognition regarding the ‘collateral damage’ of Covid-19 pandemic policies: https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/publications/collateral-damage-report-australias-covid-19-pandemic [https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/publications/collateral-damage-report-australias-covid-19-pandemic]