Shows / If I’m Really Honest
If I’m Really Honest
Want to seek truth without tribalism? Wish you could be fully honest instead of carrying your team's flag? This is a place where ignorance isn’t punished, curiosity is rewarded, and conflict doesn’t mean contempt.
Host Jamin Coller sits down with people you’re not “supposed” to talk to - former extremists, outspoken pastors, rabbis, activists, skeptics, believers, and thinkers from every corner of the spectrum. They share stories and challenge ideas that most of us were taught to avoid, whether…
Episodes
If I’m Really HonestTim Folger - Reality Gets Weird
How do you tell a compelling story about science while staying honest about what we do not know? Science writer Tim Folger joins Jamin Coller to discuss…
If I’m Really HonestPhil Zuckerman - Good Without God?
Can people and societies be good without God? Sociologist Phil Zuckerman joins Jamin Coller to discuss secular life, morality, and what research on highly…
If I’m Really HonestRobert Alter - The Bible as Literature
What changes when you read the Bible closely as literature? Robert Alter joins Jamin Coller to discuss translating the Hebrew Bible, the artistry of its…
If I’m Really HonestDuane Grady - When Pastors Stop Believing
What happens when a minister stops believing, but religion has become his career, community, and identity? Former Pentecostal minister Duane Grady joins Jamin…
If I’m Really HonestDan Barker - Trapped as a Pastor
Dan Barker is a former evangelical minister, author, musician, and co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In this conversation, Dan reflects on…
If I’m Really HonestKipp Davis - What the Dead Sea Scrolls Really Tell Us
Dr. Kipp Davis is a biblical scholar specializing in the Dead Sea Scrolls, early Jewish literature, and the history and transmission of biblical texts. In this…
If I’m Really HonestWill Gervais - What Actually Makes Someone NOT Believe in God?
Will Gervais is a cultural and evolutionary psychologist who studies religious belief, disbelief, morality, and how human minds make sense of gods. In this…
If I’m Really HonestRolf Potts – Why Travel Changes How You See Your Life
Rolf Potts is a travel writer, essayist, and the bestselling author of Vagabonding and The Vagabond’s Way. In this conversation, we explore what meaningful…
If I’m Really HonestPeter Boghossian - Does Friendship Require Tribal Loyalty?
Peter Boghossian is a philosopher, educator, former Portland State University professor, pioneer of street epistemology, author of A Manual for Creating…
If I’m Really HonestBryan Caplan – Why We Lie to Ourselves
Bryan Caplan is a New York Times bestselling author, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, and one…
If I’m Really HonestPhil Halper - What Physicists REALLY Think About the Big Bang
Phil Halper is a science communicator, astrophotographer, creator of the Before the Big Bang series, co-author of the acclaimed book Before the Big Bang…
If I’m Really HonestAli Lapper - Disability, Grief, and Radical Self-Acceptance
Ali Lapper is an internationally acclaimed artist, disability rights advocate, author, television presenter, and former subject of one of Britain's most iconic…
If I’m Really HonestJeran Campanella - Leaving Flat Earth After Antarctica
Unabridged, FULL episode: https://youtu.be/rlCFKSxoOp0 Jeran Campanella was one of the most recognizable voices in the modern Flat Earth movement, creator of…
If I’m Really HonestHal Whitehead - The Secret Cultures of Whales
Marine biologist Hal Whitehead has spent more than four decades studying whales, pioneered research on sperm whale culture, helped transform how scientists…
If I’m Really HonestGary Noesner - Waco, Negotiation, and the Paradox of Power
Gary Noesner spent more than 30 years with the FBI, served as Chief of the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit, led negotiations during the Waco siege, helped…
If I’m Really HonestJoel Salatin - Unshackle America's Food
Joel Salatin (@FarmLikeALunatic) is one of the world's most influential voices in regenerative agriculture. He is the co-owner of Polyface Farm, author of more…
If I’m Really HonestNicholas Christakis - What Makes a Good Society?
Nicholas Christakis is a physician, sociologist, bestselling author, Yale professor, director of the Human Nature Lab, pioneer of social network science, and…
If I’m Really HonestSean B. Carroll - Evolution, Faith, and the Search for Truth
Sean B. Carroll is one of the world's leading evolutionary biologists, a bestselling science author, former Vice President for Science Education at the Howard…
If I’m Really HonestDr. Brad Duchaine - Face Blindness, PMO, and the Mystery of Recognition
Brad Duchaine is one of the world’s leading researchers on face perception. He’s a Professor and Chair of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth…
If I’m Really HonestDave Weiss - From Atheist to Flat Earth
"Flat Earth Dave" Weiss of @flatearthdave is one of the foremost voices in the flat earth community. We talk about: * The emotional cost of changing your mind…
If I’m Really HonestProfessor Dave Farina - Countering The Counter Narratives
"Professor Dave" Farina of @ProfessorDaveExplains is one of the internet’s largest science education and debunking channels. In this episode, I sit down with…
If I’m Really HonestDaniel Whiteson - Are We Discovering Reality or Inventing It?
Dr. Daniel Whiteson is a theoretical physicist at CERN, a professor at University of California, Irvine, and a contributor to the discovery of the Higgs boson…
If I’m Really HonestMark Sargent - Life As A Flat-Earther
Mark Sargent @markksargent is a leading figure in the Flat Earth movement. Rather than focusing on proving or disproving claims, this conversation dives into…
If I’m Really HonestJoshua Bowen - Where the Bible Really Came From
In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Joshua Bowen to explore - Where the Bible came from. - Whether the Bible actually endorses slavery - How ancient…
If I’m Really HonestJonathan Rauch - Do We Need Religion?
Jonathan Rauch and I explore: *What happens when we lose religion… but still need meaning *Why truth feels harder to find right now *Whether Christianity is…
If I’m Really HonestMichael Shermer – Truth, Religion, and the Limits of Reason
Michael Shermer joins me to talk about truth - what it is, how we know it, and why so many of us get it wrong. We explore the difference between empirical…
If I’m Really HonestEduardo Briceño – Growth Mindset (What People Get Wrong)
In this conversation, I sit down with Eduardo Briceño to unpack what’s really going on there—and why that instinct might be the very thing holding us back. We…
If I’m Really HonestMichael Langone - How Cult Influence Actually Works
Psychologist Michael Langone, longtime executive director of the International Cultic Studies Association, discusses manipulation, shame, recovery, religion…
If I’m Really HonestAdam Zeman - The Mind Without a Mind's Eye
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, I sit down with neurologist Adam Zeman, the researcher who coined the term aphantasia — the inability to form…
If I’m Really HonestDerek Lambert - Integrity At Any Cost
Derek Lambert (host of MythVision) joins If I’m Really Honest for a candid conversation about myth, meaning, and why the “Historical Jesus” debate makes so…
If I’m Really HonestMary Roach - The Joy of Curiosity
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, Jamin talks with bestselling science writer Mary Roach about curiosity, writing, research, and the surprising human…
If I’m Really HonestWill Harris - A Bold Return to Giving a Damn (White Oak Pastures)
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, Jamin Coller talks with regenerative farmer Will Harris about changing course after decades of industrial farming, the…
If I’m Really HonestElizabeth Loftus - The Misinformation Effect
Dr. Loftus has spent decades studying how memories can be distorted by suggestion, imagination, and time. Her research on the “misinformation effect” helped…
If I’m Really HonestDan Ariely - The Psychology of Mistrust
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, Jamin talks with behavioral economist Dan Ariely about misbelief, trust, COVID-era polarization, and why admitting…
If I’m Really HonestHope for Humanity - Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West, physicist and former president of the Santa Fe Institute, joins Jamin Coller to explore scaling laws, sustainability, innovation, and the…
If I’m Really HonestCognitive Science of Religion - Dr. Jonathan Jong
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, Jamin Coller and cognitive psychologist Jonathan Lewis-Jong unpack belief—what it is, how it functions in the human…
If I’m Really HonestDark Side of Meditation - Willoughby Britton
Neuroscientist and trauma researcher Dr. Willoughby Britton joins Jamin Coller to discuss the hidden risks of meditation, spiritual bypassing, and the…
If I’m Really HonestConversation with a Psychopath (Part 2) - M. E. Thomas
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, Jamin Coller sits down with M.E. (Jamie) Thomas, a lawyer, educator, musician, and author of Confessions of a…
If I’m Really HonestConversation with a Psychopath - M. E. Thomas (Part 1)
Lawyer, musician, and author of Confessions of a Sociopath, M.E. Thomas joins me to talk about psychopathy without fear, caricature, or moral panic. This is…
If I’m Really HonestDeath and Honesty - Victor M. Sweeney
Victor M. Sweeney joins me for an unfiltered, humane, and surprisingly tender conversation about death, grief, funeral culture, and why modern Americans are so…
If I’m Really HonestDr. Aaron Adair - The Misunderstood World of Modern Physics
Dr. Aaron Adair joins If I’m Really Honest to break down quantum mechanics, infinity, cosmology, CERN optics, why the universe expands faster than light in…
If I’m Really HonestKristen Ulmer - Turning Fear Into Flow
In this episode, Jamin sits down with Kristen Ulmer, former extreme skier and author of The Art of Fear, to unpack why most of us are taught the wrong…
If I’m Really HonestDr. James McGaugh - Memory and the Brain’s Hidden Systems
Dr. James L. McGaugh - a founder of modern memory science - joins me for an hour of deep exploration into how memory actually works. We talk about…
If I’m Really HonestAndrea Hiott - The Paradox of Love and Being Human
This episode dives into the paradox of being human - how we care, how we deny care, how we form meaning, and how love requires both vulnerability and courage…
If I’m Really HonestDr. Stefanie Green - Dying On Your Own Terms
In this conversation with Dr. Stefanie Green, we explore medical assistance in dying (MAiD) through real stories, real families, and real ethical questions…
If I’m Really HonestJamie Reed - Trans-kids Safety Advocate & Whistleblower
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, I sit down with Jamie Reed - a former case-manager at the Washington University Transgender Center in St. Louis - to…
If I’m Really HonestDawn Maslar - The Science Behind Attraction & Long-Term Love
What exactly is love? And why does our brain completely change when we fall into it — only to change back again two years later? In this conversation…
If I’m Really HonestAnthony Magnabosco - Street Epistemology
Anthony Magnabosco, the public face of Street Epistemology, joins Jamin Coller to discuss what it means to have conversations that don’t devolve into debates…
If I’m Really HonestChris Germer - Self-Compassion
Dr. Chris Germer co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and co-author (with Kristin Neff) of Self-Compassion for Burnout — joins Jamin Coller for…
- If I’m Really Honest
Patrick Ryan – Ethics of Cult Deprogramming
In this thoughtful conversation, I sit down with Patrick Ryan, veteran cult intervention specialist and longtime practitioner in the field of coercive…
If I’m Really HonestJim Rutt - God, Consciousness, and AI
What does it mean to be awake—as a human, or as a machine? In this wide-ranging conversation, Jamin Coller and Jim Rutt explore consciousness, religion…
If I’m Really HonestRick Alan Ross - Cults: Inside And Out
This conversation gets precise about what makes a cult a cult. Rick Alan Ross explains early warning signs, how authority gets sacralized, why…
If I’m Really HonestMichelle Dowd - Forager in an Apocalyptic Cult
This episode features an honest, moving conversation with author and educator Michelle Dowd, whose memoir Forager: Field Notes on Surviving a Cult explores…
If I’m Really HonestSongmi Han - North Korean escapee, feat. Casey Lartigue
In this powerful episode of If I’m Really Honest, Jamin Coller speaks with Song Mi, a North Korean defector who escaped at age 17 after years of hunger…
If I’m Really HonestLynn Nadel - What Do We Really Know About The Brain?
Cognitive maps, place/grid/time cells, H.M., consolidation, reconsolidation, and free will — this deep-dive with Dr. Lynn Nadel explores how the hippocampal…
If I’m Really HonestTim Mills - From Missionary to Harmonic Atheist
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, I sit down with Tim Mills, aka The Harmonic Atheist — a former pastor-in-training, missionary, and Bible memorization…
If I’m Really HonestRabbi Tovia Singer - What Pharisees Actually Believed
Today’s episode features Rabbi Tovia Singer (Outreach Judaism) offering a Jewish perspective on Jesus’s crucifixion, who/what “Messiah” means in Tanakh, how…
If I’m Really HonestDaryl Davis - Klan Whisperer
Music, empathy, and hard conversations with Darryl Davis—the pianist who has spent decades befriending people in hate-based groups and tracing rock & roll’s…
If I’m Really HonestJeff Schoep - From Hate to Humanity
In this episode of If I’m Really Honest, I sit down with Jeff Schoep, former leader of the National Socialist Movement, to talk about his transformation from…
If I’m Really HonestTovia Singer - A Rabbi Grades My Homework
Rabbi Tovia Singer joins to walk through core Jewish readings of the Hebrew Bible: what messianic prophecies actually say, why the first century looks like the…