Van and Alyssa are joined by special guest, engineer, and former conservative, Telvin Tansiel! We dive into why the American two-party system has failed, how it has been changing over time, and what could possibly fix our situation now. Come unpack this topic with us! Special thanks to Telvin for the unique perspective that he’s contributed to this episode. Remember to vote this November and please support reproductive rights in your area! Find our research for this episode here in our Google Doc. Official Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/UnpackingthePod  Click here to access our Official Unpacking the Pod Linktree for socials, submissions, and more! Music by Gold Tiger and Myuu

Alyssa, Van, and Keaton talk beach bods, or more specifically, society’s image of the perfect body. We talk about our struggles with childhood chubbiness, body dysmorphia, and how we can learn to accept our bodies. Come unpack this topic with us! Thank you to our producer, Keaton K., for writing this episode’s intro skit. Find our research for this episode here in our Google Doc. Official Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/UnpackingthePod  Click here to access our Official Unpacking the Pod Linktree for socials, submissions, and more! Music by Gold Tiger

Would you say humans have achieved mastery over nature? What about possession of nature? How can that be possible when such mastery and possession are actually the folly of humankind? We explore why that is so in this episode, where we explore the history and effects of animal farming, overfarming, and overfishing. Learn how much damage we have caused from blind exploitation of what nature has to offer and if there's any possible way to divert from our self-destructive course. Thank you to our producer, Keaton K., for writing this episode's intro skit. Find our research for this episode here in our Google Doc. Official Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/UnpackingthePod  Click here to access our Official Unpacking the Pod Linktree for socials, submissions, and more! Music by Gold Tiger, Myuu, and the Tower of Light.

At every corner of the store is another ”all-natural, organic, harm-free” product that has no seemingly novel take on being environmentally friendly. For a majority of eco-friendly products, this is true. Why is that so? What are companies doing that are actually deceptive and false? Who are the genuine players trying to change the world? How is our society’s demand for more environmentally-conscious products affecting the market response? Find out in this special kick-off to SEASON 3 with the entire pod team! Van, Alyssa, David, and Keaton! Thank you to Keaton K. for writing this episode’s intro. Music by Gold Tiger from Audio Jungle

Trigger Warning: This episode contains topics such as suicide, police violence, mass shootings, and other disturbing topics. Listener discretion is strongly advised.  IT'S THE SEASON TWO FINALE! The whole UHC team sits down to talk about guns - why are they here, why does America want to keep them, and what should we do with them? This episode was a doozy, so mentally prepare yourselves for this hard-hitting topic. We cover the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, cultural shifts in Japan, the Rittenhouse trials, and the future of smart weapons.  We're planning ahead for Season 3! Submit feedback here. Find our research for this episode here in our Google Doc. Official Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/UnpackingthePod  Click here to access our Official Unpacking the Pod Linktree for socials, submissions, and more!

Rachel Blackstone, a good friend of Van’s, hosts this episode about Black mental health, white allyship, white liberalism, tokenism, ”blaccents,” and many more topics around the life of being Black in America. We explore many facets of our identity and how to maintain our mental health as we continue to dismantle racism in modern-day society. This episode bookmarks the end of Black History Month and might even serve as a reminder that Black history never stops - it is continuously being made, every single day.

The age-old question that we dare ask on this episode: why were we born? We discuss the topic of antinatalism, what that means in the modern world, and what ethical and philosophical quandaries have sprouted out of this rather dark topic. We explore a lot of our personal feelings and share the attitudes many others had towards our ever-growing human population. We're planning ahead for Season 3! Submit feedback here. Find our research for this episode here in our Google Doc. Official Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/UnpackingthePod  Click here to access our Official Unpacking the Pod Linktree for socials, submissions, and more!

Spill the tea! I need to know! Tell me more about what this episode is all about! Well, listen to it to find out why all these questions are behavioral habits conditioned by a society that values ”being in the know” rather than knowing better! Join Van, Alyssa, and Keaton (BTS) for what gossip really is, why it’s such a morally gray topic, and what happens when gossip goes unchecked.

This episode might come off more like a rant, BUT there are extremely important points to learn here. Where did tipping come from? Why are wages so low? What societal norms have we placed on servers? There‘s a lot of juicy content here!

What is money? Is it a physical thing? A social contract? Possibly both? What ways does it benefit us and what ways does it work against us? Check out this episode to explore these questions with Van and Alyssa. This episode was sponsored by NOLA Skyline Event Center - the perfect venue for your next special occasion! Follow them @nolaskylineeventcenter or visit their website. Find our research for this episode here in our Google Doc. Official Redbubble Store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/UnpackingthePod  New episodes every Thursday! Click here to access our Official Unpacking the Pod Linktree for socials, submissions, and more!