Episode 50: Kindness Is a Strategy, The Beekman 1802 Story
When Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell left their high-powered New York City careers for a 19th-century farm in upstate New York, they didn’t set out to build a skincare empire. But after losing their jobs during the 2008 recession—and taking in a neighbor’s herd of goats—they discovered that frugality, creativity, and a deep commitment to kindness could grow into something remarkable.
In this conversation, the founders of Beekman 1802 share the values and scrappy problem-solving that helped them turn goat milk soap into a nine-figure brand. We talk about the surprising business advantages of kindness, why constraints fuel creativity, how to stay grounded as you grow, and why success is best defined on your own terms.
Get their new book, G. O. A. T. Wisdom: How to Build a Truly Great Business--From the Founders of Beekman 1802
Show notes and resources from this episode: http://reconsidering/p/episode-50-kindness-is-a-strategy
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Episode 49: Values and what matters with Valerie Tiberius
In this episode, we sit down with philosopher Valerie Tiberius to explore the surprisingly complex topic of values—how we develop them, how they change over time, and how to align them with our actions in a chaotic world.
Valerie, a professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota, shares insights from her decades of research and writing, offering practical tools for reflecting on what matters most. We discuss the difference between values and morals, the influence of culture and technology, and why your emotional reactions might be the key to understanding your core values. She also introduces her “Lab Rat Strategy,” a refreshingly grounded approach to self-reflection.
Whether you’re rethinking your goals, raising kids, or just trying to stay sane while doomscrolling the news, this conversation will give you fresh language—and a bit of clarity—for navigating modern life.
Show notes and transcript: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-49-values-and-what-matters
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Episode 48: AI, algorithms and the battle for your mind with Simon McCarthy Jones
What if the next frontier of human rights isn’t out in the streets but inside your own head? We talk with Dr. Simon McCarthy-Jones, Associate Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, about the modern fight for freedom of thought.
Simon unpacks how everything from social media algorithms to brain-reading technologies are reshaping not just what we think, but how we think. We explore the psychological and legal implications of a world where our inner lives are no longer entirely private—and where even a simple Google search might be treated as a window into your mind.
We also discuss:
Why freedom of thought is an absolute right under international law—and why it’s so underdeveloped
The blurred line between thought and speech in the age of ChatGPT, Google, and digital diaries
Whether persuasive tech and personalized AI are eroding mental autonomy
What you can do to protect and reclaim your inner cognitive space
Simon also offers practical strategies for thinking more freely, from managing your attention to cultivating reflective habits—and why real thinking might be more social than solitary.
Show notes and resources: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-48-ai-algorithms-and-the
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Episode 47: The last human jobs with Allison Pugh
What happens when the work that makes us most human—caring, listening, connecting—is increasingly outsourced, automated, or pushed to the margins? As AI enters every aspect of our lives, it’s ever more imperative to answer the question, “what does it mean to be human?”
Sociologist Allison Pugh has been thinking deeply about that question. In her new book The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, she explores the overlooked emotional labor of roles like teachers, nurses, and social workers—and why these forms of connection are essential not just to our economy, but to our collective humanity.
In this conversation, we unpack the invisible scaffolding that keeps our care systems running, why “connection” work is under threat, and what we lose when efficiency becomes more valuable than empathy. Whether you’re managing a team, raising kids, or just trying to be more present in your relationships, Allison’s insights will challenge how you think about the work of being human.
Show notes and links: https://www.reconsidering.org/p/episode-47-the-last-human-jobs-with
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Episode 46: Liz O'Donnell on caring for elderly parents
We don’t talk enough about caregiving. Especially the kind that unfolds quietly while juggling jobs, parenting, and the slow, disorienting decline of aging parents. But Liz O’Donnell is changing that.
In this deeply moving episode, Liz—founder of Working Daughter and author of the book by the same name—shares her story of navigating career ambition, caregiving chaos, and emotional survival after receiving a double diagnosis for both of her parents. What followed was a crash course in elder care, systemic gaps, and radical acceptance.
In this episode we discuss:
How to show up at work when your personal life is falling apart
Why letting go of guilt is one of the most challenging acts a caregiver can embrace
What caregiving reveals about family roles, unspoken expectations, and sibling dynamics
Why our culture still stigmatizes elder care—and how we can start the right conversations now
Liz’s story isn’t just about hardship. It’s also about grace, humor, and the unexpected gift of showing up fully for those we love.
Show notes and resources:
Reconsidering explores how to navigate your career, relationships, and the values that guide you through the inevitable changes of life. Co-hosts Bob Baxley, Meredith Black, and Aarron Walter talk with deep thinkers who’ve figured a few things out about living a satisfying life filled with meaning and show you how you can too.
New Zealand