How Come Everybody Started Working Out? Natalia Mehlman Petrzela on Fitness History and Mom Culture

Dan Jones is a man of many parts: bestselling historian, TV presenter, novelist, and not least, a highly accomplished Dad with a great perspective on parenting. Dan joins me to discuss everything from writing to Elon Musk to history to imagining a medieval dad.

Brandy Jensen is one of my favorite writers on the Internet. I've followed her work for years, everything from advice columns to interviews with the character actor Walton Goggins, and it's only gotten better with time. She joins me to discuss the genre of Dad Books, their highs and lows, and what we should all be reading.

Alyssa Ages is a competitor in the sport of strongman, author of the recent book Secrets of Giants, and a highly qualified Mom. She joins me to chat about what strength really means and what we can learn from some of the strongest people who have ever lived.Alyssa's book, Secrets of Giants, is available here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707130/secrets-of-giants-by-alyssa-ages/

Mike Duncan is a foundational part of the present-day Dad Canon: history podcaster, bestselling author of popular history, baseball enthusiast, and a guy with a lot to say about returning a portion of Wisconsin to its natural prairie state.

I love basketball, and Ben Golliver is one of the best basketball writers and podcasters working today. He's been doing it for a long time and has managed not to lose his love of the game. We talk about the upcoming NBA season, visiting national parks, and how to appreciate your job.

Dads often seem to lose touch with pop culture, but it doesn't have to be that way. Sam Sanders is one of the sharpest people covering pop culture today, and he joins me to talk about staying connected to the broader currents of pop culture and why it's worth our time to do so.

Normalize men driving minivans. They're practical vehicles and fit the needs of a family in which the kids match or outnumber the adults, the fantastic Dad, journalist, and novelist Chad Dundas tells me. We also have a wonderful discussion about writing and the Western genre, about which Chad knows a very great deal.

For my money, there's nobody writing about politics and society in the United States with a better grasp of the country's history than Jamelle Bouie. We talk about how to think historically about the present, the 1990s as a historical period and cultural touchstone, and developing new skill sets and hobbies.

What are Dads and Uncles but flip sides of the same coin? David Roth, one of the co-founders of the excellent website Defector, podcast host, and longtime observer of American sports and politics, joins me to discuss Uncle Energy, America's constituent Types of Guy, and when we can leave a bad sports team behind.

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is a person of many parts: historian, fitness instructor, activist, and highly qualified Mom. She joins the show to discuss the history of fitness and how it came to be that everybody started going to the gym. Check out Natalia's work here: https://nataliapetrzela.com/