Non-Toxic

The real winner of the war in Iran will be solar power

A fifth of the world’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a sliver of ocean between Iran and the Gulf States. Since the beginning of the US Israeli war in Iran, that traffic has slowed to a trickle, which has sent the price of oil skyward. Countries around the world are doing everything they can to accelerate the transition because whether they care about the climate crisis or not, they recognize that there is no choke point on the sun. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

How to break the rightwing chokehold on gym culture

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] In this episode of Non-Toxic, I’m joined by fitness influencer Colin Davis to explore the intersection of muscle hypertrophy, masculinity, and climate activism. You might remember Colin from the [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/p/carbon-bros-episode-4-integration?utm_source=publication-search]Carbon Bros [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/p/carbon-bros-episode-4-integration?utm_source=publication-search] finale [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/p/carbon-bros-episode-4-integration?utm_source=publication-search], but a brief cameo didn’t do him justice—so we’re diving into the full, extended conversation here. Colin is breaking the mold by proving bodybuilding isn’t just for the right wing. He argues that to reach men today, the left needs to meet them in their own digital spaces and speak their language. We get into the surprising links between empathy and physical strength, while Colin deconstructs some of my own biases about gym culture. It’s a wide-ranging, candid conversation that feels like a long-overdue hang. Non-Toxic Newsletter is supported by listeners like you. Consider becoming a paid subscriber today. [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe]

The Dark Side of the Battery Supply Chain

Is our “green” future being built on a global sacrifice zone? In this episode, I’m joined by my former New Yorker colleague Nicolas Niarchos to discuss his revelatory new book, The Elements of Power. It’s a globe-spanning investigation into the battery supply chain—stretching from the Congo and Indonesia to Israel, China, and the US—revealing how the promise of clean energy is often built on violence, child labor, and systemic corruption. With conflict in the Middle East driving up oil prices, many EV owners are feeling a sense of moral (and economic) superiority. But as Nicholas explains, the supply chain powering those batteries is just as ethically fraught as the oil and gas industry, if perhaps a bit more functional at the moment. We dive into Nicolas’s firsthand accounts of Congolese mining “crevasses,” where hand-dug pits collapse on workers with terrifying frequency. We also discuss how mineral wealth dictates Congolese politics and why cobalt has become the “new oil” in a high-stakes geopolitical tug-of-war between the US and China. Don’t miss the end of our talk: Nicolas shares the harrowing story of his detention by the Congolese secret police while investigating the ties between mining interests, the presidential family, and separatist militias. It is an absolutely insane, must-hear account. PS: Nicolas has just launched a brilliant new magazine with another New Yorker alum called Now Voyager [https://nowvoyagermag.com/]. [https://nowvoyagermag.com/] Their first issue is available now, both online and at newsstands. If you value the kind of deep-dive, boots-on-the-ground reporting we discuss today, you definitely need to check it out. This epsiode is sponsored by Bluecorn Candles. [https://bluecorncandles.com/collections/beeswax-candles?em_source=google&em_adid=801202775214&em_campaign=15010890142&em_keyword=bluecorn+candles&utm_term=em%3Agoogle%3A801202775214%3A15010890142%3Abluecorn+candles&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=15010890142&utm_content=131639207667&utm_term=bluecorn+candles&gadid=801202775214&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15010890142] Use the code NONTOXIC20 for 20% off your first order. Non-Toxic Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

The doctor who was helping Jeffrey Epstein live (and creep) forever

If you’ve been reading the latest batch of the Epstein files, you may have noticed an unlikely name from the world of longevity and “Medicine 2.0”: Dr Peter Attia. To understand the connection between Jeffrey Epstein and Attia, I sat down with Sami Reiss, author of the Super Health. [https://superhealth.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] An expert in “dark wellness,” Sami interviewed Attia way back for GQ [https://www.gq.com/story/peter-attia-interview] and has been following his rise (and fall) for a long time now. In our chat, he breaks down the history of longevity medicine and Attia’s kind of basic approach to the science of aging. Hint: eat protein and do strength training. We get into the emails showing Attia’s years-long post-conviction relationship with Epstein [https://superhealth.substack.com/p/attia-and-epstein], and we also touch on Epstein’s broader interest in genetics and eugenics (including a proposed sperm bank of Nobel laureates). And of course we gotta talk about masculinity’s role in all this—especially the obsession with testosterone replacement therapy in the longevity space. Because it’s really all about erections at the end of the day. Non-Toxic Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe] This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Moggers, Gigachads, and Neo-Nazis

Are you a genetic loser with a recessed maxilla? Have you been brutally framemogged? Will you ever ascend? Welcome to the world of looksmaxxing, where all your problems can be solved with specially crafted fitness protocols that will change your life, or at least mutilate your face. In this episode of Non-Toxic, we’ll be talking about one squarejawed looksmaxxer in particular, Clavicular, whose advice on fitness, skincare, and more extreme methods of changing your appearance have been ricocheting around the internet the past few months. At only 20 years old, Clav has recently risen to fame in part because of his buddy, neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes. I decided to go deeper on looksmaxxing, so I invited a new pal onto the show, Madeline Peltz, who’s got a great Substack called Number Two Pencil, [https://numbertwopencil.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips] where she writes about the far-right, Gen Z, and popular culture. Previously, she covered rightwing internet and pop culture for Media Matters. Her forthcoming book, Good Girls and Alpha Males, is about the conservative movement’s campaign to recruit Gen Z and is slated for publication in Spring 2027. Come ascend with us. The discourse won’t detoxify itself. To keep the show going, ⁠become a paid Non-Toxic subscriber [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe] today⁠. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]