#120 - Smoke and Mirrors (Mike Rothschild)

Amanda and Chris dive deep into the messy, meaningful, and often awkward realities of adult friendship—from ghosting to bro weekends to birthdays. Is it weird to prioritize your friends with a ranking system? Should friendships come with breakup rituals? Tune in for a heartfelt exploration of how we connect, drift apart, and find our people. We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Reach out to us at https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more by supporting Labyrinths on Patreon. ⁠https://www.patreon.com/knoxrobinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re sharing an episode of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans that Amanda recently appeared on. On A Slight Change of Plans, Dr. Maya Shankar blends storytelling with science to help us better understand how to navigate the changes, big and small, we face in our lives. In this episode, Amanda tells Maya about reaching out to the lead prosecutor in her case, Giuliano Mignini, to understand why he had been so determined to vilify her. Find A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get your podcasts. You can hear Amanda’s first episode with Maya here. https://www.amandaknox.com⁠ Bluesky: @⁠amandaknox.com⁠ | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: ⁠@amamaknox⁠ | ⁠@emceecarbon⁠ Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: ⁠https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Ashleigh Banfield has survived war zones, 9/11, and the brutal churn of network news. But her most disorienting challenges have been deeply personal. In this episode, Ashleigh opens up about being cast out—by teachers, by a career she loved, by people she trusted most—and how those experiences shaped her view of belonging, resilience, and reinvention. https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda and Chris debate dopamine addiction, digital identity, parenting without smartphones, and the existential question: are we just curated content with a pulse? It's a hilarious, heady, and honest conversation about quitting (or not quitting) the apps that run our lives. We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Reach out to us at https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Order Free: My Search for Meaning https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more by supporting Labyrinths on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/knoxrobinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

True crime has become a massive industry that takes real life suffering as grist for the content mill. Is it possible to tell such stories in an ethical way? How did we even get here? To answer these questions, we're diving into history to see where true crime came from, how it evolved, and where it is today. Along the way, we'll be talking with victims, podcasters, filmmakers, critics and other true crime luminaries. This is part 1 of Blood Money, a five-part miniseries. "Packington's pound" music courtesy of Valery Sauvage aka Luthval on youtube. https://www.patreon.com/knoxrobinson https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investigative journalist Mike Rothschild recently lost his home in the L.A. Fires. Drawing from his personal experience, he joins us to discuss how misinformation spreads during crises, the real-world consequences of conspiracy theories and how the history of conspiracy culture has shaped society. https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, and more by supporting Labyrinths on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/knoxrobinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The psychedelic renaissance is here, but will it last? In this 7-part series, Amanda and Chris deep dive into the history, neuroscience, politics, and power of psilocybin mushrooms, along with their relationship with mindfulness and the fabric of life on earth. Michael Pollan, author of How to Change Your Mind, and This is Your Mind on Plants, gives us the lay of the land, from the dangers of therapy abuse to the potential for personal and societal transformation. https://www.patreon.com/knoxrobinson https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda and Chris wade into the murky waters of family loyalty. From sibling drama to parental duty, they unpack messy dynamics, moral instincts, and why sometimes, chosen family matters more than blood. We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Reach out to us at https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Order Free: My Search for Meaning : https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The murder of JonBenét Ramsey shocked the world—but in the rush to find answers, the truth was buried beneath media spectacle and police missteps. In this episode, we speak with JonBenét’s father, John Ramsey, along with author Mark Olshaker (Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit) and documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey), to unravel the lasting impact of the investigation, the unfounded accusations against the Ramsey family, and the ongoing fight to uncover what really happened that night. https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it possible to succeed when you fail? Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton did just that, and so has modern adventurer and mountaineer Alison Levine, leader of the First American Women's Everest expedition, Levine has survived subzero temperatures, hurricane force winds, and sudden avalanches. She's had plenty of triumphs, but she's learned just as much, if not more, from her failures. https://www.amandaknox.com Bluesky: @amandaknox.com | @wisecracker.bsky.social IG: @amamaknox | @emceecarbon Free: My Search for Meaning Preorder Link: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/amanda-knox/free/9781538770719/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices