This week I'm talking to Chris Rhyss Edwards. Army combat engineer, author of five books including "Good Reasons to Kill" and "The Woke Paradox", and now a PhD researcher building AI tools for people who won't talk to a stranger but will talk to a machine. Chris went from a bathroom-mirror pep talk from his politician mum ("she doesn't call a spade a spade, she calls it a fucking shovel") to pitching Rupert Murdoch for millions at News Corp, and he's spent the years since working out why some people can be that direct and most people can't. Now he's building CommonLayer.ai, a safety layer sitting between AI chatbots and the people using them for mental health support, and he brought the receipts: the WHO data on loneliness, the stat on how few people have anyone to call, and the story of the mate who finally asked him about erectile dysfunction because an AI chatbot gave him permission first. We also get into what happens when a squirrel in Central Park convinces an ex-combat soldier he's about to die. In this episode: - Growing up in a retirement village and joining the Army at 17 - The real, unglamorous version of "battlefield to boardroom" - Why civilian workplaces reward indecision and veterans find that maddening - The coming skills gap: AI replacing the junior roles people used to learn on - Star Trek, human-in-the-loop AI, and the three questions everyone actually asks a chatbot - His mate who fell in love with an AI avatar, and where Chris draws the line - One therapist for every 6,000 people, and why 80% of us don't need one anyway - The WHO's loneliness data and what it means for the next decade - The Central Park squirrel that triggered a full panic attack - Why the friend who asked about erectile dysfunction might be the whole point Connect with Chris Rhyss Edwards: 🌐 https://www.chrisrhyss.co/ 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrhyss/ 🏢 https://www.commonlayer.ai/

What does it take to stand on the front lines of one of the most dangerous and increasingly common realities of our climate crisis era? Discover the intense world of elite wildland firefighting with https://www.kellylynnramsey.com/, the first woman in about a decade to join the Rowdy River Hotshots, a pseudonymously named, California-based crew of highly trained wildland firefighters. In this episode of Earth911's Sustainability In Your Ear, Kelly shares insights from her powerful new memoir, https://amzn.to/4nqQCUZ, which chronicles her transformative two years fighting fires and discovering herself in the process. Her journey into the masculine world of hotshot crews offers a unique perspective on who becomes one of these ultimate first responders, exploring not just the Marine-style training and intense physicality required, but also the personal transformation that comes from confronting both literal and metaphorical fires. As we head into 2025, the conversation takes on urgent relevance, with budget cuts reducing the number of available firefighters despite wildfires growing more severe by the decade. 1,600 firefighters have been laid off this year, despite a growing need. Kelly explains the concept of Preparedness Level 5, when there are no crews left at the time fire danger peaks, and warns that understaffing could leave the nation operating at this dangerous level for much of the upcoming fire season. She also addresses the psychological and physical toll of this extreme profession, the sobering reality of firefighter mortality. She also offers practical advice for those living in wildfire-prone areas on home hardening and evacuation preparedness. Tune in to hear Kelly's powerful story of transformation, resilience, and the urgent need to support our wildfire fighting forces. Learn more about Kelly and https://amzn.to/4nqQCUZ at https://www.kellylynnramsey.com/. - Subscribe to Sustainability In Your Ear on https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/earth911-com-sustainability-in-your-ear/id1384301001?mt=2 - Follow Sustainability In Your Ear on https://www.spreaker.com/user/earth911, https://www.iheart.com/podcast/966-Earth911com-Sustain-29715785/, or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOEAu3yE_OGPAQR9o8o9XeA/

Ellen Notbohm is the Featured Author for the Summer 2025 issue of Macrame Literary Journal. She is the author of the poem "Boneyard of the White Elephants."

Join me as I talk with author Joan Fields Long about her book "Depart from Evil"