Joni McGary Talks with People

Dr. Meryl Nass on the Farm Crisis

My guest today is Dr. Meryl Nass, a physician, researcher, and one of the wisest voices I know on the forces shaping our health, our food supply, and our liberty. We dig into the American farming crisis and the government policies that have hurt rather than helped independent farmers, and that appear to be putting our national food security at genuine risk. Meryl explains how federal farm programs have been captured by agribusiness, leaving behind the 98% of farmers who are small operators. We cover the many pressures driving farms into unprofitability, including a stunning statistic: between 2017 and 2022, 20 million acres of harvested cropland went fallow and 142,000 farms — 8% of all American farms — went under. Meryl also gives an update on the Farm Bill that just passed the House. It’s mostly bad news, but there are a few silver linings worth knowing about. We then turn to the Ebola and Hantavirus outbreak headlines. Meryl gives her honest assessment of actual risk versus manufactured fear, and why she believes these stories may be serving a much larger agenda around WHO power and global health governance. We close with something I really needed to hear: how Meryl stays grounded, purposeful, and optimistic in the middle of all of this. I think you’ll find it as inspiring as I did. Find Dr. Meryl Nass On Substack: Meryl’s CHAOS Letter (Critical Health Analysis and OpinionS) [https://merylnass.substack.com/] Find Meryl on Children’s Health Defense: CHDTV [https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows/good-morning-chd/] (Dr. Nass is on every other Tuesday and the last Thursday of the month) New Hampshire Farm Bill: HB 396 [https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/nh/2026/bills/NHB00014985/] Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI] If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI]. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link [https://jonimcgary.substack.com/p/breaking-up-with-health-insurance] to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com [https://jonimcgary.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

3/11: Viral Takeover

I was honored and delighted to speak with independent investigative journalist Sonia Elijah about her remarkable book 3/11 Viral Takeover: On March 11, 2020, a Pandemic was Declared and Our World Changed Forever. Elijah has written something truly unusual — a book that is packed with sourced and well-documented facts yet reads like a real thriller. She painstakingly details the pandemic simulations that came before COVID, the suppression of the lab-leak theory, the censorship apparatus that was up and running just two weeks after the pandemic was declared. We talk about what happened, the treachery that went on behind the scenes, and how the Covid response laid the groundwork for censorship, digital surveillance, and control going forward. The systems remain in place to be built upon during the next crisis, whatever it might be. Everyone should have this historical record on their bookshelf. I really can’t recommend it enough. Find Sonia Elijah: Buy the book: 3/11 Viral Takeover [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ47RQL5] (and get some copies for your friends!) Website: SoniaElijah.com [https://www.soniaelijah.com] On Substack: Sonia Elijah Investigates [https://substack.com/@soniaelijah?utm_source=global-search] On X: https://x.com/sonia_elijah [https://x.com/sonia_elijah] Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI] If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI]. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link [https://jonimcgary.substack.com/p/breaking-up-with-health-insurance] to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com [https://jonimcgary.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Is AI the Most Pressing Issue of Our Time?

I sat down with Dave Rollo, a long-time Bloomington city council member with a background in biology and policy, who has spent the last few years studying the risks of advanced AI. We talk about why AI poses an existential threat, not only to our society, but to our continued existence as a species. Dave breaks down why top experts are genuinely frightened, and why the rest of us should be too. Dave brought a resolution to the Bloomington City Council calling on officials at all levels of government to acknowledge these risks and impose a moratorium on artificial general intelligence development until there is certainty that the technology will align with human values and well-being. Right now, no such certainty exists. We discuss the challenges of slowing this development, what individuals can do to raise awareness, and why one of the most impactful actions right now may be opposing data centers in your own community. Dave illuminates the threats of this complex technology without jargon, making it accessible to anyone. By the end of this conversation, you may find yourself agreeing with Dave that this is the most pressing issue of our time. Find Dave: Dave welcomes further discussion on this issue. He can be contacted via the Bloomington City Council Website [https://bloomington.in.gov/council] Additional Resources: Websites: The Center for Humane Technology [https://www.humanetech.com] Pause AI [https://pauseai.info/learn] Recommended Reading: If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies [https://www.amazon.com/Anyone-Builds-Everyone-Dies-Superhuman/dp/0316595640] (NYT Bestseller) by Eliezer Yudkowsky and NateSoares. Podcasts: John Sherman For Humanity [https://theairisknetwork.substack.com/s/for-humanity-an-ai-risk-podcast] AI Risk Network Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheAIRiskNetwork] Diary of a CEO Podcast Interviews with AI Experts: * Geoffrey Hinton [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giT0ytynSqg] * Stuart Russel [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Y-fynYsgE] * Tristan Harris [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFU1OCkhBwo] * Karen Hao [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn8HBj8QAbk] * Roman Yampolskiy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UclrVWafRAI] Tristan Harris interviewed by Chris Williamson [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NufB1LL_rCU] Eliezer Yudkowsky interviewed by Chris Williamson [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRvAt4H7d7E] Nate Soares (co-author of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tjOzQne1LY]If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tjOzQne1LY]) interview with Nate Hagens [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tjOzQne1LY] Suggested Film: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptomimist * Trailer [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkPbV3IRe4Y&t=3s] * Website [https://www.focusfeatures.com/the-ai-doc-or-how-i-became-an-apocaloptimist] Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI] If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI]. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link [https://jonimcgary.substack.com/p/breaking-up-with-health-insurance] to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com [https://jonimcgary.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Robyn Stylman on Breast Cancer and Charting Her Own Healing Path

I recently invited my good friend Robyn Stylman to talk with me about how she navigated the treatment landscape after her breast cancer diagnosis. Robyn had already experienced how alternative treatments could heal, so when her diagnosis came, it was natural for her to look beyond the conventional playbook. We discuss how she researched and put together a personalized care plan using many different healing modalities rather than opt entirely into the allopathic standard of care protocol. She decided to be an active participant in her healing, researching all possibilities and using her instincts to guide her to what her body needed to be healthy. Along the way, Robyn decided to study some of the healing methods she discovered and is now a practitioner helping friends and family on their own paths to better health. It takes courage and quite a lot of effort to forge an alternate treatment path when faced with a scary diagnosis. Robyn’s experience illustrates how claiming your agency and doing just that is in itself a powerful healing modality. Dislcaimer: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. It is one person’s experience with a breast cancer diagnosis. Find Robyn Stylman: On Substack: Robyn Stylman [https://substack.com/profile/74910052-robyn-stylman] On Instagram: Robyn Stylman [https://www.instagram.com/robynstylman/] Resources suggested by Robyn: Tend the Terrain Website by Nasha Winters [https://drnasha.com/] Recommend books by Nasha Winters: The Metabolic Approach to Cancer [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603586865?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_VPGYK5PEKJ8NPQ4BY54W&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_VPGYK5PEKJ8NPQ4BY54W&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_VPGYK5PEKJ8NPQ4BY54W&bestFormat=true] and Mistletoe and the Emerging Future of Integrative Oncology [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938685350?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_C76QTD74AF1QA4HX44HE_1&bestFormat=true] Believe Big [https://www.believebig.org/] (lots of resources) Integrative Metabolic Practitioner Directory [https://my.terrain.network/] How to Starve Cancer [https://www.howtostarvecancer.com/] Chris Beat Cancer [https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/] Radical Remission [https://www.radicalremission.com/] Book recommendation: Tripping Over the Truth: How the Metabolic Theory of Cancer is Overturning One of Medicine’s Most Entrenched Paradigms [https://www.amazon.com/Tripping-over-Truth-Overturning-Entrenched/dp/160358935X/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=189099535169&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WWF99qkcuE0-9ln6eaw1Vcowt15iusik9B6H3812KgCxaU1diXbrxXgLUqob7M4QFmtHNvgw6_2ZX9SNpmVIYjDqAwCDjG-JcaPvJN8D9OjId-Z_laVzBro5uazFm3XxwhkV5eZNM1KdcANJT6wGZqNrjVWVsH0Nw9Klr1dFcexFaaGQ25UjDdLLiU5wikZe.vHR5QTrGmqWsZHjiqgKgvC9dewNwgUWtMFlh_swD-Q4&dib_tag=se&hvadid=793015616879&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9004831&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=16453491181567419297--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16453491181567419297&hvtargid=kwd-299935413082&hydadcr=23977_13896411_2444223&keywords=tripping+over+the+truth&mcid=5f1228583c503a48901825a123268b04&qid=1776358969&sr=8-1] by Travis Christofferson [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Travis-Christofferson/author/B00OAOSZOA?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1776358969&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=6d36fa3c-7b03-4b22-8466-fb02011ebace] and Dominic D’Agostino Biofield Tuning [https://www.biofieldtuning.com/] (not for active cancer, but for general health) Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealthinstead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI] If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI]. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link [https://jonimcgary.substack.com/p/breaking-up-with-health-insurance] to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com [https://jonimcgary.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

What Ayahuasca Taught This Doctor That Conventional Medicine Couldn't

Lisa Benink was an elderly care physician in the Netherlands who spent her career thoughtfully weaning vulnerable patients off the avalanche of drugs they’d been prescribed, watching them come alive again in the process. She was recognized for her skill and compassion by patients, their families, and the medical establishment at a national level. During COVID, she became disillusioned when she witnessed the removal of informed consent through vaccine coercion and mandates, and saw firsthand the cruel isolation forced upon her elderly patients in the name of keeping them safe. Her disillusionment prompted her to leave medicine and search for real healing — for herself and her patients — that could transcend the strict confines of conventional care. Around that time, a friend introduced her to ayahuasca, specifically the Santo Daime tradition founded in Brazil, where Lisa now lives. What followed was a years-long spiritual immersion that has reshaped how she understands the body, healing, and what medicine was always missing. We talk about her remarkable and inspiring journey and the power of this plant medicine to transform. We also discuss the risk of pharmaceutical capture, the sacred versus the clinical, and the looming threat of plant medicines being swallowed by industry. Find Lisa Bennink: On Substack: Strelitzia [https://substack.com/profile/465411742-strelitzia] On X: @strelitzia_heal [https://x.com/Strelitzia_heal] Essays by Lisa Bennink: Medicalization of Our Spiritual Life [https://brownstone.org/articles/medicalization-of-our-spiritual-life/] Why I Left The Healthcare System [https://strelitziahealth.substack.com/p/why-i-left-the-healthcare-system] Bio: Elisabeth (Lisa) J.C. Bennink, MD, MA, is a Dutch elderly care physician with a Master's degree in Philosophy (with honors) from the University of Groningen. She has extensive experience in geriatric medicine, dementia care, and palliative care, with a focus on reducing polypharmacy. During her medical career in the Netherlands, she was commissioned by healthcare insurers to develop innovative care models for elderly patients. In December 2020, she stepped away from conventional medical practice due to concerns about restrictive healthcare policies. She relocated to Brazil, where she studies indigenous spiritual traditions and ayahuasca culture. Learn more about CrowdHealth: I recently stopped purchasing health insurance and opted into CrowdHealth instead. Check it out at JoinCrowdHealth.com [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI] If you join, use code JONI to get a discount on your first three months of membership. There are no enrollment periods, so you can join any time. If you are tired of supporting the broken, consumer-hostile system of health insurance, check out CrowdHealth [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/?referral_code=JONI]. For the entire scoop on CrowdHealth, here’s the link [https://jonimcgary.substack.com/p/breaking-up-with-health-insurance] to my very informative interview with their CEO Andy Schoonover. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jonimcgary.substack.com [https://jonimcgary.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]