Episode 012. Busy Philipps: A Dance with Joy and Responsibility

As this season of The Control Variable comes to a close, Kim sits down with former evangelical Christian Jeanna Kadlec to discuss her gripping new memoir Heretic. Together, they explore how Jeanna escaped the church's cult-like grip, her struggle to create a new identity, and her horror as she recognized the profound role fundamentalist Christianity played in the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Both Kim and Jeanna want to know: How do we confront the evangelical church's centuries-old toxic influence on American society--and what might a more inclusive, more compassionate American story be?

The wonderfully hilarious actress, writer, producer, director and activist Busy Philips (Freaks and Geeks, Cougar Town, Busy Tonight, Girls 5eva) joins Kim on The Control Variable to detail her journey in reproductive rights activism and bring some much-needed humor to some deeper topics in our society.

In the wake of a sudden resurrection of QAnon in Trump's midterm election campaigns, Kim revisits the haunting investigation into the cult-like political group from episode 4 of American Propaganda. What role did QAnon play in the January 6th insurrection? How did so many fall prey to this bizarre cult-like phenomenon? As she seeks answers to these questions, Kim interviews cult experts and deprogrammers (including a former member of the Moonies) and learns about the psychological manipulation methods, cult leaders use to keep a tight grip on their followers.

Why do so many Americans love guns? What would it take to end our epidemic of gun violence? On this week's show, Kim—a lifelong "gunophobe"—explores these questions and more with her friend Saul Schisler—a hunter, gun collector and artist. Both Kim and Saul want to know: Can a country that loves its guns as deeply as America ever hope to stop mass shootings?

The conversation continues between Kim and Robert McNamara's son Craig McNamara - author of the memoir Because Our Fathers Lied. This time Kim wants to know: Is Craig still haunted by his father's legacy in Vietnam? Does he consider his father a war criminal? Where does Craig himself come out on the question of war? Are there any conditions under which he'd be willing to fight?

Kim sits down with writer, activist, and farmer Craig McNamara (author of the memoir Because Our Fathers Lied) to discuss his complicated relationship with his father, former secretary of defense Robert McNamara, the thread of the Vietnam War in his life, and what a new kind of American patriotism might look like.

Writer, activist and Hollywood showrunner Ayelet Waldman joins Kim to talk about America's raging mental illness epidemic, the healing power of storytelling and the magical Yiddish word bashert. Also, why she and her husband Michael Chabon are finally adapting Chabon's 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay into a TV series.

Award-winning author, activist, and environmentalist Bill McKibben joins Kim to discuss how the American story has evolved into an individualistic patriotism that excludes a large swath of people and how this new mentality contributes to the global environmental crisis. The big question on both their minds is… what the hell has happened?

Writer, filmmaker and activist Jennifer Baumgardner says shame has been weaponized in America to keep many women from prioritizing their reproductive freedoms. On today's trailblazing episode—made in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned—Jennifer and Kim share the deeply personal stories of their own abortions; Kim wrestles with the question of motherhood; and Jennifer talks about how and why she came to make her landmark documentary film "I Had An Abortion."

Long term studies have shown that women make more effective and less violent police officers. Looking for answers to our flawed criminal justice system, Kim sits down with Maureen McGough, Chief of Strategic Initiatives at the Policing Project at New York University School of Law and co-founder of the 30x30 Initiative, to chat about how the recruitment of more female cops may bring missing – and crucial – skill sets to police forces across the country.