JCIP #199 - Dr Andrew George Thomas

Explicit content warning

09/01/23 • 96 min

In episode 199 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with academic Dr Andrew George Thomas. Andrew is currently Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Swansea University, researching in the area of Evolutionary Psychology. Andrew did his BSc in Psychology at Cardiff university but moved to Swansea university for his PhD where he studied with Professor Steve Stewart-Williams. In order to fund his PHD, Andrew worked part-time and then full-time in the private sector before he managed to get his foot in the door in academia and has stayed there for the last seven years. Andrew is also the founder of blog ‘Darwin does dating’ where he writes about dating, relationships and the sexual marketplace through an evolutionary psychology lens. We came across Andrew through one of his tweets which said: “Don't make the mistake of assuming men have a similar experience to women in terms of receiving compliments, affection, touch. Compliment a man who isn't in the top 5% of desirability and chances are you'll have been the first person to do so for months...” In this episode we discuss all of the mental health angles around that tweet, his academic journey, social class, mating strategies, becoming a counsellor and the concept of ‘dysphoric singlehood’. Andrew was also involved in conducting the largest ever study of incels and we discuss what he and his team uncovered. For Andrew’s mental health, we discuss the mental health impact that a previous relationship break-up had on him which ended through his ex-partner being unfaithful as well as two separate but serious bouts of depression and anxiety which took place in around 2012 and 2016 respectively. We discuss those experiences, how he managed them and overcame them AND how he used them to train as a mental health counsellor and his attitude towards therapy and medication. As always, #itsokaytovent You can follow Andrew on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrThomasAG You can read Andrew's 'Darwin Does Dating' blog here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/darwin-does-dating Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp...ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

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Behind The Decks - Able Faces

In this episode of Behind The Decks we checked in with Jack McNeilage who forms one half of Scottish dance music production duo, Able Faces. Jack formed the group with his brother Mark and in this episode we discuss the two brothers' music journey, from starting a band to meeting their now manager and becoming a songwriting duo before moving into music production and recently DJing too. We also discuss the importance of self-awareness in the music industry, trust and how and why the duo hold themselves to high standards for their work. For Jack’s mental health we discuss his experience of anxiety and how that’s caused by triggers related to touring and travelling as well as factors like lack of sleep. When these factors go unchecked, they have led to him experiencing burnout. As always, #itsokaytovent You can listen to Able Faces on streaming platforms below: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS-9Bt1uHpDIgC4EUNeHgWg Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nL523vzwv24ad0oFf2VZ2?si=dc4470305f0a4136 Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp...ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk Outro: Able Faces - Don't Let Me Down feat. Nate VanDeusen: https://open.spotify.com/track/6gsJ39IWABJqIJcorcX7jU?si=5ec3052457f843e1

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JCIP #200 - Aram Shabanian

In this landmark two hundredth episode of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with conflict journalist and researcher Aram Shabanian. Aram is the Open-Source Information Gathering (OSIG) Manager at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. In this episode we discuss his unconventional route into conflict journalism, after having to study at two different universities after dropping out from the first one after failing his exams in his second year. He then got an opportunity to appear on great friend of the pod Jake Hanrahan’s Popular Front podcast in 2018 and Matthew Gault’s podcast ‘War College’ and used those opportunities to get into the Middlebury Institute of International Studies for his post-graduate degree. From there, he befriended a woman based in Iraq who brought him on board at the New Lines Institute where he got a foot in the door, before becoming a permanent member of staff through hard work and successfully predicting the Russia-Ukraine war. In this episode we chart that unconventional journey in conflict journalism, class and elitism in this field and the problematic industry belief that in order to cut your teeth as a researcher, you must view a lot of harrowing content which can traumatise early-stage researchers. We also discuss the latest situation in the war in Ukraine, the mutiny by the Putin-backed Wagner Group and the sexual abuse and war crimes being committed by Russian soldiers against Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and the Ukrainian population. For Aram’s mental health, we discuss his experience of depression, his diagnosis of ADHD, how medication has helped his mental health and the impact of the death of his mother which took place during a difficult time for his mental health already. We finish by discussing his experience at the Evergreen State College from 2014-2017 during the most tumultuous time in its history as it was taken over by a group of hard-left activist students. Thank you for helping us get to JCIP #200 and as always, #itsokaytovent You can follow Aram on social media below: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShabanianAram Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/f/help-vent-supp...ir-mental-health Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk