Love in the Small: TikTok’s “Bird Theory,” Bids for Connection

Flood & the Consequences of At-Risk Building

Last year’s 2025 Guadalupe River Flood was one of the most rapid and destructive flood events in recent U.S. history. In just forty-five minutes, the river rose more than twenty-five feet, overwhelming communities throughout Central Texas and exposing long-standing vulnerabilities in land-use decisions, floodplain policy, and local emergency systems. For our upcoming episode of The Irreverent Podcast, Jamie examines this event in depth — not through sensationalism, but through careful analysis. The episode explores the documented flood history of “Flash Flood Alley,” the structural incentives that continue to drive development into high‑risk zones, and the policy frameworks that shape how communities prepare for and respond to flash‑flood hazards. Today, we’re sharing the trailer for this episode. It offers a concise, research‑grounded introduction to the discussion and highlights why this event carries implications far beyond Central Texas. If you work in emergency management, planning, policy, environmental studies, or simply want a clearer understanding of the forces that shape risk in American communities, I invite you to listen.

Love in the Small: TikTok’s “Bird Theory,” Bids for Connection

If you’ve seen the viral “Bird Theory” on TikTok, someone says, “I saw a bird today,” and captures their partner’s reaction, then you’ve just glimpsed into the ever-evolving meme world. This one has real science behind it. The trend repackages John and Julie Gottman’s research on “bids for connection”, tiny attempts to engage, and what partners do next: turn toward, turn away, or turn against. In longitudinal studies, couples who stayed together, "turned towards" the bids ~86% of the time; those who later divorced did so ~33%. These “small” moments add up to a big predictor of resilience. To read our full article on Substack: https://substack.com/@theirreverentapproach/note/p-187868960?r=o3jrh&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web [https://substack.com/@theirreverentapproach/note/p-187868960?r=o3jrh&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web]

The New Architects of Influence: How Digital Platforms Quietly Reshape Power, Justice, and Public Life.

In the 20th century, authoritarianism announced itself — it censored newspapers, burned books, and sent police into the streets. But in the 21st century… authoritarianism whispers through design. Today’s most powerful institutions don’t look like governments. They look like platforms. Like feeds and algorithms. Like cloud services, ad networks, and AI models. These infrastructures — owned mostly by corporations — now govern what billions of people can see, say, organize, and verify. And that makes them architects of influence.

Walking Toward Peace: What the Texas‑to‑DC Monks Teach Us About Conflict Transformation

A 2,300‑mile, 100‑day pilgrimage is offering the United States a living case study in embodied nonviolence, civic healing, and the quiet power of presence. Lessons conflict resolvers can apply from the street to the negotiation table. To read the full article for this podcast, please go to Substack or LinkedIn and search for the same title.

Scarcity by Design | Infrastructural Negligence

Ever wonder why certain areas remain marginalized and in a food desert (a geographical area where nutritious food is absent)? Why are certain fundamental infrastructures for the well-being of people never addressed? These are just some of the questions for our upcoming podcast on INFRASTRUCTURAL NEGLIGENCE — the malicious and conscious withholding of addressing foundational necessities for a community to thrive, in order to keep the community impoverished.