Culture Changers with Allison Hare

Have we biohacked our way to loneliness? We've over-optimized every aspect of our lives—Oura rings, trackers, endless connections on social media. We're fitter, more quantified, more tracked than ever. Yet we're the loneliest society that has ever existed. Suicide rates have never been higher. Somewhere along the way, we lost touch with each other and maybe even ourselves.

Chris Schembra makes the case that true fulfillment doesn't lie in adding more optimization. It lies in adding friction back. In this conversation, we break down why convenience is the enemy of connection, what earned intimacy actually requires, and how the serenity prayer—tattooed on Chris's arm from early sobriety—reveals the wisdom we're desperately seeking.

What You'll Learn:

Why "biohacking" and optimization have backfired on human connection

The difference between weak ties (what social platforms designed for) and deep relationships (what we actually need)

What "earned intimacy" means and why it requires inconvenience and repeatability

The League of Gentlemen: how a village of 100 friends grew from three people having breakfast together

Why we're outsourcing our emotions to chatbots instead of sitting in our own thoughts

The serenity prayer as a practical life design tool—not spiritual advice

The discernment crisis: why judgment and taste are the most valuable skills of tomorrow

How to reclaim your life from algorithms and convenience

Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/8xxiRxRR24E

Resources & Links:

Chris Schembra on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/chrisschembra

Reach out: [email protected]

7:47 Gratitude Experience: https://747club.org

EP79of CC: A new twist on gratitude: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0V49SVlsXGMmcH8Af2aGnO?si=3f708350572a4b01

EP101: BDSM and the Boardroom: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4cBTAzKRV27qa3wSOwpsQV?si=be9222f7e2104674

EP157: Ketamine psychedelic therapy: Chris Schembra's story: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0V49SVlsXGMmcH8Af2aGnO?si=3f708350572a4b01

Key Timestamps:

00:00 — Intro: Have we biohacked our way to loneliness?

00:41 — Mother Teresa on the poverty of the soul

02:23 — Allison pushes back on the framing

03:40 — The distinction between "too easy" and "too optimized"

04:09 — Why tech companies call us "users"

05:56 — The convenience trap: clicking vs. calling

06:51 — Outsourcing emotions to chatbots and streaming services

54:26 — Building true intimacy vs. collecting weak ties

55:27 — The Strength of Weak Ties study and social media's backfire

56:25 — The breakfast story: how a village of 100 friends was born

58:26 — Walking through seasons of life together

59:13 — The League of Gentlemen and being held when you show up messy

01:01:14 — The serenity prayer tattoo and the three pillars

01:03:40 — Wisdom to know the difference: the discernment crisis

01:04:40 — The beauty of inconvenient choices and earned connection

Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff.
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We celebrate female empowerment while simultaneously destroying women who actually achieve it. This episode unpacks why we pile on female leaders—from Brené Brown to Mel Robbins to Gwyneth Paltrow—in ways we never do for men. Not to defend these women although some deserve critique. It's about understanding the line between legitimate critique and character assassination, and asking what happens when we redirect that energy toward systemic change instead of moral policing. Where is the line where you go from beloved to canceled?

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro: The White Women Villain Pattern

2:18 We're at an Inflection Point

4:42 The Brené Brown Takedown (Threads, Reddit, Appropriation Claims)

7:04 Appropriating Black Feminist Theory

9:23 The Mendoza Line: Where Does Deserving Cancellation Begin?

12:45 Why Thought Leaders Stay Silent (Fear of Judgment)

15:20 The Grifter Accusation (Mel Robbins, Gwyneth, Reese)

18:00 Cult Leaders, Wellness Culture & False Profits

21:30 The Poet Cassie & Mel Robbins' Poem

25:15 Accountability vs. Character Assassination

28:40 The Over-Optimization Backlash

31:00 We're All Learning (Both/And Complexity)

34:20 Toxicity & Beloved-by-Millions Syndrome

37:15 It's Envy and Gender, Not Ethics

40:30 I Want to See People Win

43:00 Don't Die with Your Song Unsung

45:15 Systemic Change Happens in Community

48:30 These Women Are Mirrors, Not Heroes or Villains

51:32 We Can't Dismantle Patriarchy by Policing Women

53:55 Little Drops of Water Matter

56:14 Your Message Needs to Be Heard

Be sure to share this one. Subscribe/follow/leave a review. Do all the things. It means the world to me.

Prefer to watch on YouTube? Voila! https://youtu.be/9qKRgKekea4

Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff.
Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!
Sign up for the free weekly email
AllisonHare.com
Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording today
Reb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.
Feedback and Contact:: [email protected]

You can watch two people look at the same video of the Minneapolis shooting and come to completely opposite conclusions about what happened. Why? Because their brains — literally — were looking at different parts of the screen. That's selective perception. And once Dr. Jay Van Bavel explained it to me, I couldn't stop seeing it everywhere. In my feed. In my family. In myself.

Jay is one of the top 1% of researchers in the world — not my words, that's Clarivate — and a professor of psychology and neuroscience at NYU. His research has been cited by the US Supreme Court, the Senate, and the World Health Organization. And in this conversation, he did not let me off the hook. Neither will you.

We went deep on why our brains are not built for social media, how AI is becoming a full-time confirmation bias machine, what's actually happening to democracy right now, and — I promise there's a reason to keep listening — one genuinely hopeful hack backed by hard data that can lower your polarization by 25%.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why two people can watch the exact same video and reach opposite conclusions — and it's not about intelligence or bad faith

How AI chatbots are 50% more sycophantic than actual humans — and what that's doing to your relationships and your politics

What the research actually says about Trump's approval drop and the role of "apolitical" influencers in shifting minds

The one social media move backed by a clinical study that can reduce your polarization by 25% in a single month — and keep it lower for a full year

Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/-upTCa6s7oc

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Dr. Jay Van Bavel's Substack: The Power of Us

NYU Center for Conflict and Cooperation: nyu.edu

The Power of Us (book) by Jay Van Bavel & Dominic Packer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allison__hare

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonhare/

Website: https://allisonhare.com

Book a free podcast clarity call: https://allisonhare.com/freecall

Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff.
Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!
Sign up for the free weekly email
AllisonHare.com
Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording today
Reb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.
Feedback and Contact:: [email protected]

How can we be so self-aware and so clueless about ourselves at the same time? Have you ever wondered why so many high-achieving, self-aware people still struggle to actually feel seen and healed? In this episode of Culture Changers, I’m inviting you behind the scenes of my fifth ceremonial psilocybin-assisted therapy journey to crack open the messy, nonlinear world of emotional healing, trauma recovery, and the radical power of self-discovery.

I ditch the filters (you know me) and share what magic mushrooms (psilocybin) revealed to me about my own deeply held fears, body trauma, perimenopause mood swings, and that gnawing sense of never being “enough”, even after years in therapy and spiritual hustle. I get real about the pitfalls and promise of the psychedelic healing landscape, from shady, bougie retreat centers to the truly ethical practitioners at Entheo Temple, plus why safety and integrity matter more than ever in this wild west of plant medicine.

Whether you’re psilocybin-curious, passionate about trauma healing, or just looking for a brutally honest conversation about what it means to be fully seen, this episode is for you. We’ll dig into everything including: microdosing, EMDR, healing community, body image, and I’ll share how embracing vulnerability (with a side of irreverence) can help you break open, reconnect, and rise the hell up. Healing isn’t linear, but with the right questions, support, and a little mushroom magic, real progress is possible.

I cover:

How healing isn’t linear or predictable

Psychedelic-assisted therapy experiences

Importance of ethical practitioners/facilitators

Self-awareness and emotional vulnerability

Being seen vs. hiding oneself

Personal trauma and body acceptance

Building supportive community for growth

Timestamps:

00:00 Reflecting on healing and self-awareness

04:53 Preparing for guided ceremonies

07:16 Exploring psilocybin's healing benefits

12:21 Reflecting on a bad business experience

13:26 Attending an ethical healing retreat

16:28 Heroic doses and emotional healing

22:01 Realizing personal relationship patterns

24:51 Attending a small group ceremony

27:29 A mushroom ceremony experience

31:21 Reflecting on a healing session

32:49 Relaxing in nature with reflection

36:01 Struggling with body image

41:24 Closing thoughts and next steps

43:09 Supporting the show and staying connected

Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/AmpeTTXQzVs

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To Learn More About Entheo Temple:

Website: https://www.entheotemple.org 

My Psychedelic Docu-Series:

First Time Ever: EP150: My psychedelic journey inward: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2zWPpOEQchQ7g9azKJ3bcO?si=b57e2a0e7c214835

EP154: LIFE Update: Psychedelic Aftermath, 12-hour walk: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zy86Rj0a1C2ojq4ZZiClk?si=a64d3dd8c55e498b

2nd journey: EP168: Psychedelics Part 2: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6wQTCTc4kSlqYZFicWy2ni?si=78af6ff3c4aa474b

3rd journey: Psychedelics, brutal solo hike, and overcoming fear and doubt: https://open.spotify.com/episode/15L2tjPE0Cvx3YMQQ8fiop?si=fe13431a55914b44

4th Journey: Psychedelics Uncovered My Hidden Shadow: https://open.spotify.com/episode/06QFKj1Ak2mQuPw10UBD1i?si=e3cc9bc30d0e4f07

To Connect With Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allison__hare

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonhare/

Website: https://allisonhare.com

Book a free podcast clarity call with Allison: https://allisonhare.com/freecall

Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff.
Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!
Sign up for the free weekly email
AllisonHare.com
Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording today
Reb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.
Feedback and Contact:: [email protected]

What is really happening to women’s bodies in pop culture right now? 

Today I’m tackle the challenging, layered, and sometimes contradictory truth about Hollywood’s obsession with ultra-thin bodies, the rise and risks of GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, and the relentless cycle of shame, judgment, and pressure being placed on women, by the media, by society, and by ourselves.

I break down how award season 2026 brought shocking displays of celebrities: Demi Moore, Kelly Osbourne, Ariana Grande, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Zoe, and more! Showing off bodies so gaunt they sparked a firestorm of discussion (and concern) about what’s being normalized, and why. Drawing on my own deeply personal stories, I connect the dots from generational pressures, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, and orthorexia, to today’s seismic shift: weight loss drugs making “ideal” bodies attainable (and dangerously easy).

We get real about the systemic roots: patriarchy, internalized misogyny, Christian nationalism, and the culture of restriction, while asking how we might live more authentically. If you’re curious about celebrity body standards, weight loss drug culture, body positivity, or women’s mental health, this episode gives you stats, real talk, and action steps.

This episode is not about body shaming; it’s about changing the cultural conversation. Join me and let’s get honest, empowered, and maybe a little pissed off, in all the right ways.

I cover:

Extreme celebrity weight loss and body ideals

Eating disorders—prevalence, misconceptions, statistics

Generational body image beliefs and family dynamics

GLP-1 weight loss drugs—societal impact

My own body dysmorphia and disordered eating experiences

Patriarchal systems, politics, and body standards

Shame, judgment, and policing women's bodies

Timestamps:

00:00 Wasting Away: Women's Bodies Now

03:22 Body Trends and GLP-1 Shift

08:21 Mother's Advice on Independence

13:07 Unrealistic Motherhood Aspirations

17:44 Struggling in My 40s

19:46 Prioritize Nourishment Over Obligation

24:29 Society, Dysmorphia, and GLP-1s

27:28 Body Politics and Societal Standards

35:03 GLP-1: Benefits and Risks

42:11 Body Image and Health Choices

Rather watch on YouTube? https://youtu.be/cLuFQCv-Wnk

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To Connect With Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allison__hare

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonhare/

Website: https://allisonhare.com

Book a free podcast clarity call with Allison: https://allisonhare.com/freecall

Be sure to rate, review, and follow this podcast on your player and also, connect with me IRL for more goodness and life-changing stuff.
Schedule a FREE podcast clarity call with me - Your future audience is out there. Talk to them!
Sign up for the free weekly email
AllisonHare.com
Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
DOWNLOAD the free podcast equipment guide- No guesswork, no google rabbit holes, start recording today
Reb3l Dance Fitness - Try it at home! Free month with this link.
Feedback and Contact:: [email protected]