Ill Conceived

ANNOUNCEMENT: Ill Conceived Gives You The Talk

Thursday, June 4 at 7pm / Lincoln Lodge, Chicago $20 per ticket / 50 tickets only https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-60426-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ill-conceived-podcast-live-in-chicago-one-night-only-60426-tickets-1990032806695?aff=oddtdtcreator]

JD Vance: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived [https://www.patreon.com/posts/jd-vance-b-side-158391085] -------------------------- The natalist arguments of people like JD Vance are increasingly being used to defend new laws rolling back bodily autonomy, and in Wyoming, a newly signed "fetal heartbeat" bill has made this connection explicit [https://www.npr.org/people/nx-s1-62504/hanna-merzbach]. We're talking about it, plus we read your mail about: * The tendencies of fundamentalist Catholicism vs. more mainstream Catholicism and the people they tend to attract * The varying cultural tendences of different ethnic Catholic traditions * JD's connection to Erika Kirk and her whole deal

JD Vance

The Vice President of the United States and his wife Usha are expecting their fourth baby, setting an apparent example for their fellow natalists. But just how intertwined is JD Vance with the natalist movement overall and what does it have to do with Usha’s new podcast about children’s books? This week, June and Josh dig into JD Vance’s history with conservatism and Catholicism to try to figure it out. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived! [https://www.patreon.com/illconceived]*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com [illconceivedpod@gmail.com]*** EPISODE ART: JD Vance in a press photo by Niall Carson for Getty Images. Born in Middletown, Ohio, Vance graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School, eventually working under Peter Thiel at Mithril Capital. After being elected to the United States Senate in 2022, Vance was selected by Donald Trump to serve as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election. AUDIO CLIPS: * 18:51 – Donald Trump reading from 2 Corinthians [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oqyMMBAapY] as part of the America Reads the Bible special event * 24:51 – JD Vance referring to Democratic opposition as "childless cat ladies" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBTz3n9ZzPA] * 59:39 – Usha Vance reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlqxCvyjlP4] for her podcast Storytime with the Second Lady SOURCES: * J. D. Vance and the Right’s Call to Have More Babies [https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/j-d-vance-and-the-rights-call-to-have-more-babies] * The troubling history behind JD Vance's natalism [https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/troubling-history-behind-jd-vances-natalism] * JD Vance And Peter Thiel: What To Know About The Relationship Between Trump’s VP Pick And The Billionaire [https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2024/07/16/jd-vance-and-peter-thiel-what-to-know-about-the-relationship-between-trumps-vp-pick-and-the-billionaire/] * What have I done? I forced my kid to listen to Usha Vance’s podcast - now she’s a fan [https://www.theguardian.com/global/commentisfree/2026/apr/22/usha-vance-podcast] * JD Vance Repeats ‘Anti-Family’ Criticism of Democrats on Sunday Morning News Show Tour [https://archive.is/thVOI#selection-549.0-552.0] * Baby Bonuses and Motherhood Medals: Why We Shouldn’t Trust the Pronatalist Movement [https://nwlc.org/resource/baby-bonuses-and-motherhood-medals-why-we-shouldnt-trust-the-pronatalist-movement/] * Trump May Soon Offer a Motherhood Medal, an Idea Popularized in Nazi Germany [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/04/trump-motherhood-medal-pronatalist-nazi/] * Republicans Are Right: One Party Is ‘Anti-Family and Anti-Kid’ [https://archive.is/vJV7r#selection-501.0-508.0] * Usha Vance and JD Vance, Pronatalism’s Poster Couple, Are Having a 4th Kid [https://archive.is/L5l6c#selection-611.0-616.0] * JD Vance’s Approval Rating Plunges to New Historic Low [https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-approval-rating-plunges-historic-low-11809549] * Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul Announce First Four Communities to Receive Free 2-K Seats [https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/03/mayor-mamdani-and-governor-hochul-announce-first-four-communitie] * Democracy | Of Childless ‘Psychopath’ Women and ‘Replacement’: JD Vance’s Birthrate and Immigration Obsessions Have Shared History [https://www.mississippifreepress.org/democracy-of-childless-psychopath-women-and-replacement-jd-vances-birthrate-and-immigration-obsessions-have-shared-history/] * An Analysis of Happy No Snakes Day and the Deeper Implications on the Horizon for Children’s Literature and Christian Nationalist Policies in the Public School System [https://medium.com/@pierreandjaime/an-analysis-of-happy-no-snakes-day-and-the-deeper-implications-on-the-horizon-for-childrens-2a2b67920ba4] * Beyond the Nuclear Family [https://dissentmagazine.org/article/beyond-the-nuclear-family/] * The Role of the Nuclear Family in Capitalism [https://voicesofcapitalism.com/nuclear-family-capitalism/] * With Defense of ICE, JD Vance Clarifies His Next Target: You [https://inkstickmedia.com/with-defense-of-ice-jd-vance-clarifies-his-next-target-you/] * J.D. Vance Used to Be an Atheist. What He Believes Now Is Telling. [https://archive.is/KoCKA] * Gold Mother's Cross [https://www.holocaust.org.uk/gold-mothers-cross#:~:text=The%20crosses%20came%20in%20three%20classes:%20*,approximately%204.7%20million%20crosses%20had%20been%20awarded.] * Wikipedia: Order of Maternal Glory [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Maternal_Glory#References] * Who in the USSR was awarded the ‘Mother-Heroine’ title? [https://www.gw2ru.com/history/2425-russia-mother-heroine] * National Conservatism: A Statement of Principles [https://nationalconservatism.org/national-conservatism-a-statement-of-principles/] * 5% of People Detained By ICE Have Violent Convictions, 73% No Convictions [https://www.cato.org/blog/5-ice-detainees-have-violent-convictions-73-no-convictions] FOLLOW THE SHOW: * Website: illconceivedpodcast.com [https://illconceivedpodcast.com] * Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com [https://bsky.app/profile/illconceivedpodcast.com] * Tumblr: @illconceivedpod [https://www.tumblr.com/illconceivedpod] FOLLOW JOSH: * Website: joshboerman.com [https://joshboerman.com] * Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world [https://bsky.app/profile/bosh.worstpossible.world] * Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds [https://www.worstpossible.world] * Stream: Traditional Scrench [https://www.twitch.tv/traditional_scrench/] FOLLOW JUNE: * Bluesky: @junlper.beer [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mf5dzzqkp7fnmby6blfeljwj] * Other podcast: Kill The Computer [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kill-the-computer/id1647062210] * Writing: June's Substack [https://junlper.substack.com] ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree [https://linktr.ee/birdrespecter] / Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/birdrespecter.bsky.social])

Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman: The B-Side (PREVIEW)

THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived [https://www.patreon.com/posts/tucker-carlson-b-152967395] -------------------------- Fox News has reported on the "problem" of teenagers not getting pregnant anymore [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/toBC5f7oFFs]. We're talking about it, and reading your letters because it turns out that a lot of you had a lot to say about Hannah Neeleman, including: * The cultural specifics of Mormonism and how they're reflected in Ballerina Farms * The sinister overtones of her husband's whole deal * The economics of farm tourism vs. functional scale farming * Natural births and why many people prefer them * Ballerina Farm-style natalism as a reflection of European settler-colonialism As always, our babies stay winning!

Ballerina Farm / Hannah Neeleman

Natalists have an ideal life and an ideal wife: rugged, individualistic, and dedicated to self-sufficiency. Perhaps nothing epitomizes this ideal better than Ballerina Farm, the popular social media account of dancer and pageant queen Hannah Neeleman that is growing into an influential direct-to-consumer food and lifestyle brand that no longer sells raw milk. This week, Josh and June look at the history of Ballerina Farm and try to understand how its strange brand of seemingly apolitical tradwifery serves as a stalking horse for the natalist movement and reactionary politics more broadly. CHECK OUT OUR RECENT PODCAST GUEST APPEARANCES! * June on Anime Sickos [https://animesickos.com/episode/249-june-sternbach-goes-guesto-mode] * Josh on Lions Led By Donkeys [https://soundcloud.com/llbdpodcast/episode-406-project-habakkuk] * Josh on Well There's Your Problem [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8upM_XRL_G8] ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived! [https://www.patreon.com/illconceived]*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com [illconceivedpod@gmail.com]*** EPISODE ART: Hannah Neeleman in a professional headshot. After graduating from Juilliard's dance undergraduate program while pregnant, Neeleman moved to Brazil then back home to Utah, where she and her husband Daniel purchased a farm along the east side of the Wasatch Range. Her Instagram account Ballerina Farm [https://www.instagram.com/ballerinafarm/] has over 10 million followers. AUDIO CLIPS: * 1:01:48 – "Strength at Every Stage" protein powder advertisement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRJwYlE-Ya0] from Ballerina Farm * 1:27:12 – Response to the Sunday Times article [https://www.instagram.com/reels/C-GeBacSJx2/] from the Ballerina Farm Instagram account SOURCES: * Ballerina Farm website [https://ballerinafarm.com/] * Ballerina Farm Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ballerinafarm/] * “Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children) [https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/the-sunday-times-magazine/article/meet-the-queen-of-the-trad-wives-and-her-eight-children-plfr50cgk]” by Megan Agnew (The Sunday Times, July 20, 2024) * “She Gave Birth Two Weeks Ago. Now She’s in a Beauty Pageant [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/style/ballerina-farm-mrs-world-hannah-neeleman.html]” by Madison Malone Kircher (The New York Times, January 30, 2024) * “Tycoon or Tradwife? The Woman Behind Ballerina Farm Makes Her Own Path [https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/03/dining/ballerina-farm-hannah-neeleman.html]” by Julia Moskin (The New York Times, December 3, 2024) * “The Business of Ballerina Farm [https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/hannah-neeleman-ballerina-farm-tradwife-tiktok/]” by Liz Flora (Business of Fashion, May 27, 2025) * “When Ballerina Farm Comes to Town [https://www.thecut.com/article/what-locals-think-new-ballerina-farm-store.html?isNewSocialUser=false&providerId=google.com]” by Erica Schwiegershausen (The Cut, September 10, 2025) * “Park City Creamery to sell business to Ballerina Farm [https://www.parkrecord.com/2025/12/23/park-city-creamery-sells-business-to-ballerina-farm/]” by Katie Hatzfeld (The Park Record, December 23, 2025) * “Ballerina Farm pauses raw milk sales after samples fail health tests [https://www.kpcw.org/summit-county/2026-01-29/ballerina-farm-pauses-raw-milk-sales-after-samples-fail-health-tests]” by Grace Doerfler (KPCW, January 29, 2026) * Hannah Neeleman’s feature spread in Evie magazine [https://www.studiobrycethompson.com/ballerina-farm-evie-mag] * “Audio Recording From Ballerina Farm Times Interview Exposes Dishonest Journalism [https://www.eviemagazine.com/post/audio-recording-ballerina-farm-times-interview-exposes-journalism]” by Nicole Dominique (Evie, July 29, 2024) FOLLOW THE SHOW: * Website: illconceivedpodcast.com [https://illconceivedpodcast.com] * Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com [https://bsky.app/profile/illconceivedpodcast.com] * Tumblr: @illconceivedpod [https://www.tumblr.com/illconceivedpod] FOLLOW JOSH: * Website: joshboerman.com [https://joshboerman.com] * Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world [https://bsky.app/profile/bosh.worstpossible.world] * Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds [https://www.worstpossible.world] * Stream: Traditional Scrench [https://www.twitch.tv/traditional_scrench/] FOLLOW JUNE: * Bluesky: @junlper.beer [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mf5dzzqkp7fnmby6blfeljwj] * Other podcast: Kill The Computer [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kill-the-computer/id1647062210] * Writing: June's Substack [https://junlper.substack.com] ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree [https://linktr.ee/birdrespecter] / Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/birdrespecter.bsky.social])