The How Absurd Podcast

In this episode we explore Blake's experiences as a PhD student, including a deep dive into his research project around the menstrual cycle and how it relates to ACL injury in female athletes. This funnels into conversations around the gym, training, performance and injury; as well as the conflicts between science and 'the field'.

We return after a brief hiatus, kicking 2025 off with a conversation on one of the most existential matters of the present day: the climate crisis. Discussions include a brief history of how we sleepwalked into this hot mess, as well as a seemingly endless number of interconnected factors including determinism, our relentless push for growth, and the fundamental necessity for truth in an increasingly complex world.

A deep dive into the power of travel, how it can enrich our lives or create opportunities for us to reflect on what it means to live. This leads us into many a tangent, including a fascination with sharks, why it matters to wonder, and the incredibe power of having 'awe'.

A conversation surrounding the little known concept of Sonder: the realisation that everybody else lives a life as vivid and complex as our own. We also discuss how the modern penchant for individualism diminishes our capacity for Sonder, and subsequently, our ability to connect with others.

A topic feared by many, death persists in greeting each of us at some point. We discuss some of the fallacies that occur when we come to meet our final moments, the fears bound to this inevitable outcome, and how we may become misled in regretting our own lives and the illusions of the right way to live.

A deep dive into the power of letters, what they can represent and why their physical form has such a profound impact on both the writer and the recipient(s). Includes conversations around writing as a form of introspection, what our favourites writers letter have taught us, as well as their nostalgic/sentimental value.

A podcast inspired by the concept of self improvement, the myths that are bound to it, and how it relates to topics such as habits, liberation, consciousness, and how this all ties in to the true pursuit of self.

A deep dive into Rainer Maria Rilke's profoundly beautiful collection of letters once shared with a young Franz Kappus. Amongst the powerful prose are many themes, including introspection, curiosity, love, solitude, anxiety, and more. Listen as we talk about these themes in light of our own experience, and why this book was special enough to deserve its own episode.

An episode prompted by the concept of 'standing in your own way', and how we as individuals may consciously or unconsciously be doing so. We explore the broader actions of thinking and feeling, and how these two things intertwine to create self-awareness.

A continued theme of dissecting words, comparing definitions, and how comprehension may help us to better understand ourselves. Mattering (to be significant or important), may in fact be more necessary in our social lives than we realise....