Podcast
Straight To It
Hosted by Charlie Zeitlin · EN
Short, 20 minute interviews covering an endless range of fascinating topics.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep. 85: Dan Kurtz-Phelan, Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Affairs on Trump’s Foreign Policy, Stewarding a Legendary Insitution and Creating Its Future
6d ago00:25:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Dan Kurtz-Phelan. Since 2021, Dan has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Affairs, which for the past 100 years has been one of the leading publications covering foreign policy. Before his tenure as editor, Dan worked in the State Department during the Obama Administration. He went on to work for then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a speechwriter and for the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff—focusing on long-term strategy. Given the rapid and chaotic state of U.S. Foreign Policy, I ask Dan about whether he thinks the Trump administration has a coherent long-term strategy for global affairs. We also discuss Dan’s time in the State Department, what Dan thinks politicians miss about foreign policy, and how history enables Dan to make better sense of the current state of global affairs.
Transcribe →Ep. 84: The Past, Present, and Future of the U.S. Tax Code with Professor Ray Madoff
3w ago00:21:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Professor Ray Madoff of Boston College. Ray focuses on philanthropic policy, the rights of the dead (including the dead's ability to control their bodies, reputation, and property), estate taxes, comparative inheritance law, and wealth inequality and taxes.Recently, I became acquainted with Ray’s work through her award-winning book, The Second Estate. The book reveals the inadequacies of the U.S. tax code and its fascinating history. The book was selected as a The New Yorker’s Best Book of 2025. We discuss the Gilded Age origins of the tax code, how the wealthy exploit the system today, and what we ought to do to fix it in the future.
Transcribe →Ep. 83: Ethics, the Philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre, and a Wide-Ranging Conversation with Scholar and Yale Lecturer Peter Wicks
May 400:33:54Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Peter Wicks. Peter is a scholar-in-residence at the Elm Institute whose research focuses on the contemporary applications of Aristotle’s ethical and political thought, the history and philosophy of higher education, and the psychology and ethics of argument and persuasion. Recently, Peter co-edited Alasdair MacIntyre on Practical Philosophy: Essential Works, which was published by the University of Notre Dame Press in 2026. Peter is a faculty affiliate of the Yale Program for Biomedical Ethics and a fellow of Davenport College. We discuss his course at Yale on the psychology and ethics of persuasion, the philosophy of one of the century's most important thinkers (Alasdair MacIntyre), and more!Enjoy the interview!
Transcribe →Ep. 82: Risk, Complexity, and Adventure with Tony Haile
Apr 1800:30:06Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Tony Haile. Currently, Tony is the CEO of Filament, a company that aims to revolutionize professional networking through smaller, private spaces for connection. Previously, Tony was on Twitter's Global Leadership Team, the Founding CEO of Scroll (which Twitter acquired), and the Founding CEO of Chartbeat. Tony got his education at St. Andrews and spent a semester studying at a Palestinian university in the West Bank. He is also an accomplished adventurer; Tony has done Arctic expeditions and a sailing race around the world. We discuss his experience living in the West Bank, his adventures, and what eventually led him to technology entrepreneurship. Finally, he shares his vision for Filament with us. Enjoy the interview!
Transcribe →Ep. 81: Sherri Franklin — Founder of Muttville and Hero to Senior Dogs
Mar 2800:27:47Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Sherri Franklin. Sherri is the founder of Muttville, a senior dog rescue in San Francisco. After understanding how wonderful senior dogs can be and seeing how inhumanely they are treated in the shelter system, Sherri started a grassroots dog rescue that eventually grew into Muttville. Every year, Muttville rescues over 1,000 senior dogs. Sherri and I discuss Muttville’s unique philosophy of emphasizing the happiness of dog rescue, how Sherri got Muttville off the ground, and what excites her about the future of senior dog rescue.
Transcribe →Ep. 80: Addressing Rural Youth Suicide with Janet Lindow
Mar 1400:26:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Janet Lindow. Janet founded the Rural Behavioral Health Institute to address the startling issue of rural youth suicide. For the past 12 years, Janet's career goal has been to improve the health of populations with limited access to effective treatment, with a primary focus on those experiencing mental disorders. After finishing her doctoral work, she taught a science course in Botswana, which widened her understanding of health disparities and left her with a fervent desire to help improve the health of people globally. Janet is currently a Research Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical School. We had an insightful, wide-ranging conversation covering Janet's personal journey with mental health, her experience of coming to understand the issue of rural youth suicide, and how she and RBHI are working to combat it.
Transcribe →Ep. 79: Rookly, The Power of Chess, and Building a Fun Future of Education with Matt Zeitlin, Co-Founder of Rookly
Feb 2800:25:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Matt Zeitlin, the Co-Founder of Rookly. Matt and his co-founder, Amir Moazami, have known each other since they were six. They played chess together growing up, and both eventually won National Championships.Rookly works to make school chess more fun and accessible by offering easy online competition. Students can see their opponents, play with friends, and connect with other schools while staying on campus. We discuss Matt’s experience with chess, what chess can do for education, and the journey of building Rookly. Enjoy the interview!
Transcribe →Ep. 78: Sunni Khalid — A Life in Journalism
Feb 1400:38:46Tap to summarizeOur guest today, Sunni Khalid, is the News Editor at KALW, a public radio station that has been broadcasting for over 80 years in the San Fransico Bay Area. He has reported from over thirty-five different countries at outlets including: TIME, USA TODAY, The Wilmington News-Journal, The Baltimore Sun, and National Public Radio. We dig into the shift from the heyday of print media to today's fragmented digital ecosystem--from a journalist who has been practicing his craft at each stage. You will hear about the power of local journalism, Sunni's personal journey, and reflections from his storied career. Enjoy the interview!
Transcribe →Ep. 77: "The Hidden Addiction" — A Conversation with Sam DeMello, Founder of Evive
Feb 100:30:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I interview Sam DeMello. Sam founded Evive, the leading digital health platform for gambling behavior change, serving partners across the nation. They bridge the critical gap in care by reaching the 99.5% of people experiencing gambling harm who never access traditional state-funded support services. Through an evidence-based platform and state partnerships, they have built a national digital infrastructure that makes personalized support accessible to everyone, anywhere, anytime. During our conversation, Sam shares his personal experience with gambling addiction, how it led him to found Evive, and his optimism for stemming the rising tide of addiction in the U.S.gambling addiction, how it led him to found Evive, and his optimism for stemming the rising tide of addiction in the U.S.
Transcribe →Ep. 76: The "Open Road" Ahead for the Publishing Industry--A Wide-Ranging Conversation with David Steinberger
Dec 3000:32:54Tap to summarizeEarlier this month, I was lucky to have an awesome conversation with David Steinberger. David has over 25 years of experience in the publishing industry. He has served as CEO of Arcadia Publishing and the Perseus Books Group, and as both President of Corporate Strategy and President of Adult Trade at HarperCollins. Over the course of his career, David has led the acquisition and transformation of numerous publishers and publishing services companies, with a focus on bringing the power of digital innovation to the world of books. David also serves as Chairman of the National Book Foundation, which presents the National Book Award.During our conversation, we cover what makes a great book, how the publishing industry works, and how Open Road uses data-driven technologies to connect books with readers who will enjoy them. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did!P.S.:I highly recommend listeners check out David's podcast, The Open Book Podcast with David Steinberger.
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