Explore every episode of the podcast The Fat Vegan

We look at the history of measuring human intelligence including some sample questions from actual IQ assessments. Plus, a professor of psychology joins me to review questions from my own version of an IQ test. 

From "put a fork in me" to "uh-oh," we look at famous and not so famous last words. 

Being terminated may be the greatest gift you can get, if you know how to open it - in today's Get Smarter With Words podcast. 

Jonnie takes his show on the road, as he talks about what people pay us for our time vs. what we are truly worth, and how to know the difference.

The Pandemic and 9/11 have a surprising number of things in common, from Rudy Giuliani to massive losses for the airline industry. We look at the connections, and the lessons we can learn from them in today's Get Smarter With Words podcast. 

Jack Anderson, a professional resume writer, joins me to talk about the biggest resume mistakes and the best words to use to build a great resume that will help you get more, and better interviews. 

Testosterone has nothing to do with it. We review the words that get men killed early, in today's Get Smarter With Words podcast. 

Angry? Hurt? Broken? Feel like you are at odds with the world? On today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, I talk about a Victim Mentality - where it comes from, how it can ruin your life, and how you can overcome it. 

We create passwords for everything that matters - cell phone access, access to online banking and shopping sites, and social media platforms. In today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, I share the most common - and worst  - passwords and passcodes. Plus, I share a simple process for creating more secure and easier to remember passwords. 

Don't want to get out of bed? Love the way it smells outside when it rains? Hate shaving that space between your eyebrows? All of these have a name. On today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, we look at the unusual names for things and actions that you did not know had names, plus our Strangers On LinkedIn segment showcases an especially persistent LinkedIn message writer.

Billy Joel's next door neighbor heard the early stages of "Piano Man" long before you and I heard it on the radio. We talk about my interview with Joel's neighbor, my "near miss" with supermodel Christie Brinkley, the racist origins of our highway system and the architectural influence of a 30 foot tall cement bird, in today's Get Smarter With Words podcast. 

Do you hate shopping for a car? So do most Americans. Why? I chat with Scott Politte, President of Stivers Ford Lincoln in Waukee, Iowa about why we cringe at the thought of visiting a car lot. Plus, our new CONsumer alert segment throws up a red flag on those grocery store discount cards. And our Strangers On LinkedIn segment honors Mindy and her unusual writing approach.

"Bemitted" is just one of the 350 million pictures we post on Facebook every day, most of which are copyright protected. Are we breaking the law? In today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, we look at the rules governing the posting and sharing of copywritten pictures and music on social media. Plus, will companies come after you for posting pictures without permission? You will hear a call I received from a company demanding payment for a picture I blog posted over 10 years ago. 

From Schoolhouse Rock to Bugs Bunny, we learned a lot (by accident) from watching cartoons, over and over. In today's Get Smarter With words podcast, Jonnie looks lovingly at the history of cartoons, and those animated words, phrases and songs that we will never get out of our heads. 

Today is the 31st anniversary of my mother's suicide. In today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, we look at how today's events, and the event from three decades ago are connected, and what we can learn from both. 

Think babies are babbling just to hear their heads roar? On today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, Jen Wright, instructional coach for infant and toddler classrooms through Drake University's Head Start program, helps us unravel the mystery of infant communication, with some help from Jethro Tull. Plus, we honor Martin Luther King Day, introduce our new "Troll Of The Day" segment, and keep that irritating ear worm stuck in your head with Strangers on LinkedIn.  

Tired of scam calls, spam texts, social media trolls and email phishing? Jonnie demonstrates the most effective - and creative - ways to shut them down, including calling their place of employment. 

Have you ever used pot? In today's Get Smarter With Words potcast, Jonnie talks about his first experience with the drug, and why it will be the last. 

Who wrote the best recruitment ad in history? What did it say? What is the most important question to ask during an interview? Jim Lobaito, recruiting and sales training guru and Founder of The Performance Group, joins us on today's Get Smarter With Words podcast to share his expert insight. Plus, we play a rousing game of "Marketing Term, Prison Slang or Bullshit." 

We will never forget the events of January 6th, 2021. But it is not the first time the U.S. Capitol has been targeted by nut jobs. In today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, Jonnie takes a look at the 200 year timeline of attacks leveled against that hallowed building, and what Wednesday's assault really means. 

Race car driver and Indianapolis native Gage Walker takes us into the pits to explain his love of the sport, and what drives grownups to want to drive really fast for really long periods of time. Plus, we hit the final turn with a rousing game of "Racing, Cosmetology or Bullshit."  

When is the last time you used the term, "the F word," or "the N word?" In Monday's Get Smarter With Words podcast,  we talk about the history of some of the worst words in the English language - words so bad that we refer to them by their first letter. 

How did you ring in the New Year last night? Drag your best friend by the ears? Toss your coach out of a window? In today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, we look at the rich history of weird New Year's celebrations. 

Is "to lose weight" your New Year's resolution? In today's podcast, we fatten up on the reasons why diets aren't all that and a small bag of low fat chips. Plus, we share a specific strategy for changing how we think about what we weigh.   

Is God okay with cussing? Why do people lose their faith? Does Mary agree with me that The Exorcist is a "must see" for Christians? My conversation with Reverend Doctor Mary Pugh, Pastor at Blue Grass Presbyterian Church, on today's Get Smarter With Words podcast. 

Jonnie talks about the trigger of his transformation from face-stuffing beef eater to face stuffing Vegan, and how, and why, he sustains a Vegan lifestyle. 

Linda Shenk, an Associate Professor of English at Iowa State University, joins me to talk about why the words written by the greatest writer in the English language give me a freakin headache. 

This week's "Best Of" includes the untold history of Christmas songs, taking the "frog position" for a better Brazilian with Cosmetologist Lindsey Crank, and "Facebook, LinkedIn or Bullshit" with my Aunt Candy.

Celebrated author and social media expert Candy Stensland joins me on the Get Smarter With Words podcast to discuss what makes asinine Facebook posts so asinine, plus we will play a rousing game of "Facebook, LinkedIn or Bullshit."

Lindsey Crank, a certified Cosmetologist and owner of The Urban Chair,  joins me to talk about bad shampoos, great dos, and the dos and don'ts of crotch hair removal. 

Did you know that there are over 900,000 Christmas songs? In today's Get Smarter With Words podcast, Jonnie deep dives into the origins of some of our holiday favorites, and takes a look at the most misinterpreted Christmas lyrics. 

An interview with Teresa Zilk, how to write an effective thank you note and what warnings at the end of drug ads really mean highlight this week's Get Smarter With Words podcast Best Of The Week. 

In today's episode, Jonnie looks at the twisted history of drug ads on TV, and how those ads influence the $500 billion we spend annually on prescription medications. 

In today's podcast, Jonnie traces the history of thank you notes, why most fall short, and how to make sure that yours is off the hizzle. 

I talk with Teresa Zilk, founder of "Stories To Tell My Daughter," about race, gender and her perspective as a black woman in America. 

In today's show, Jonnie cracks open the casket of 47,000 dead and dusty words to find a few worth bringing back to life. 

In today's podcast, Jonnie takes a look inside the Post Office and your mailbox to better understand how this 245 year old institution continues to deliver 1 billion pounds of junk mail per year with profits of only $70 billion in losses.

Admit it. You giggled when your parents said, "Math is hard." You guffaw every time you drive past an In-N-Out Burger. The laughs continue as Jonnie shares dozens of words and phrases that mean something naughty but that sound as innocent as they come. 

In today's special Black Friday podcast, Jonnie honors the great American tradition of buying stuff we don't need with money we don't have based on savings that don't exist. 

Thanksgiving is the most misunderstood holiday of the year. In today's episode, Jonnie explains why we have it so wrong. 

Do you want to sound smarter without having to be smarter? In today's episode, Jonnie will share how pace and enunciation directly impact whether we sound like we are college educated, or kindergarten dropout. 

Do you post on LinkedIn? 700 million people do, and not always to their own benefit. In today's Podcast, I will share the 5 most important things to consider before you write a word, plus how to make your words stand out in that crowded LinkedIn crowd. 

Jonnie tries to add some sense to the insanity of political TV ads by breaking down the words they use and what we can learn from them. 

In today's inaugural Podcast, Jonnie discusses the motivation for Get Smarter With Words, and the many benefits of having a good vocabulary.