Casinos don’t just rely on luck, they rely on psychology, design, and timing, and in this episode Dr. Sally Gainsbury explains exactly how.

Dr. Gainsbury, an internationally recognized gambling-harm researcher, Professor of Psychology at the University of Sydney, and Director of Australia’s only university-based Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic, walks through how early wins can reshape expectations, why “losses disguised as wins” keep people playing, and how modern platforms deliberately separate users from the feeling of spending real money.

The conversation traces her upbringing around Australia’s race-betting culture to her research on slot machines engineered with “random reinforcement schedules” that override normal learning and keep people returning even while losing. She also explores the rise of app-based betting, celebrity sponsorships, youth exposure through gaming economies, and how sports culture itself is being reshaped by wagering.

Finally, Dr. Gainsbury outlines evidence-based interventions, from smarter friction to personalized prompts, that can reduce harm while preserving autonomy.

Guest bio: Professor Sally Gainsbury is a leading researcher on gambling harms and digital behavioral risk. She is Professor of Psychology at the University of Sydney and Director of the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic. Her work informs global policy on platform design, prevention strategies, and technology-driven interventions that reduce gambling-related harm.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Dr. Sally Gainsbury Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallygainsbury/

Professor Profile: https://profiles.sydney.edu.au/sally.gainsbury

Gambling Research Page: http://bit.ly/4mr7M4W

The Zach Show Links: The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sPYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@auxoroInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachshowpod Website: https://www.auxoro.com/Substack: https://thezachshow.substack.com/

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Most people think the OceanGate Titan disaster was a tragic accident. It wasn’t. It was the predictable outcome of an egomaniacal mindset.In this episode, Zach and his brother Dave break down the OceanGate disaster through the lens of the Netflix documentary 'Titan: The OceanGate Disaster,' unpacking how Stockton Rush’s obsession with proving carbon fiber could work at Titanic depth slowly turned engineering into ideology. The film reveals that multiple experts warned the sub was unsafe long before the implosion, yet those warnings were repeatedly dismissed. From a monitoring system that couldn’t actually detect failure to whistleblowers who were pushed out for raising concerns, the red flags weren’t subtle. They were everywhere. Engineers described the hull as impossible to properly inspect and capable of failing without warning, but the mission continued anyway.We also explore how startup-style thinking, move fast and break things, collides with safety-critical industries, and what happens when a founder starts believing he alone understands the technology. Because the Titan didn’t just fail underwater. It failed years earlier, when doubt stopped being allowed inside the company and Stockton Rush's ego reigned supreme. Guest bio: David Grossfeld is a med student at Touro University, a content creator, and Zach's younger brother.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

DAVID GROSSFELD LINKS:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativemedman/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creativemedmanYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@deaddogcomedy

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

The Zach Show 2.0: ⁠https://thezachshow.supercast.com/⁠

Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/⁠

TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@zachshowpod⁠

Website: ⁠https://www.auxoro.com/⁠

Substack: ⁠https://thezachshow.substack.com/⁠

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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In this conversation, Zach sits down with acclaimed author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, the writer behind Chain-Gang All-Stars and Friday Black, to explore the uneasy relationship between violence, justice, and entertainment in modern culture. They discuss how violent spectacle, from gladiators to modern media, captures our attention and forces us to confront our own role as spectators.

Nana explains how Chain-Gang All-Stars uses brutal prison death matches as a lens to examine the American carceral system, state violence, and the moral contradictions around punishment. The conversation also dives into Nana’s writing process, including why he sometimes writes longhand, how Metroid Prime influenced the book’s unique footnote structure, and why humor can coexist with the darkest subject matter.

They also discuss Succession, the psychology of audiences misreading satire, and how growing up with a defense-attorney father shaped Nana’s views on crime and compassion. Ultimately, the episode wrestles with a bigger question: what stories about violence reveal about who we are, and who we’re becoming.

Guest bio: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is the acclaimed author of the bestselling novel Chain-Gang All-Stars and the award-winning short story collection Friday Black. A National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Esquire, exploring violence, justice, and the American imagination.

NANA KWAME ADJEI-BRENYAH LINKS:

Chain Gang All-Stars (Buy Local): https://bit.ly/4cqaXqz

Friday Black (Buy Local): https://bit.ly/4luPKyl

Website: https://www.nanakwameadjei-brenyah.com/

Spotify: https://bit.ly/4bblEuU

Substack (WISLY): https://nanakwame.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/king_nk/

Stream All of Nana's Music: https://bit.ly/40MSD3G

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachshowpod

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Substack: https://thezachshow.substack.com/

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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On this episode of The Zach Show, Andrew Iliadis explains how companies like Palantir, Anduril, and SpaceX are reshaping warfare, surveillance, and state power by building autonomous defense technologies faster than governments can regulate them. He traces the roots of this shift to post-9/11 defense expansion, cloud computing, and Silicon Valley’s deep ties to military funding. By analyzing Palantir’s patents and products, Iliadis argues these firms don’t just analyze data, they define reality through “ontology,” shaping who is watched, predicted, detained, or targeted. When prediction becomes policy and private tech sets the agenda, democratic oversight struggles to keep up.

Guest bio: Andrew Iliadis is an Associate Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication. His research examines how data science, AI, and digital infrastructure are reshaping media, governance, and power, with a focus on surveillance, automated decision-making, and national defense. He is the author of Semantic Media and the forthcoming Autonomous Defense (UC Press, 2026), and serves on multiple editorial boards.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Clarification: As noted by Andrew, Intel and Fairchild Semiconductor were founded after World War II and emerged from a Silicon Valley ecosystem shaped by WWII-era defense research and military contracting (e.g., Fairchild Camera, HP, Varian, and Stanford’s wartime mobilization).

ANDREW ILIADIS LINKS:

Website: https://andrewiliadis.com/

CV: https://andrewiliadis.com/cv/

Publications: https://andrewiliadis.com/publications/

Autonomous Defense (Book) Coming Soon on UC Press: https://bit.ly/4t37uEa

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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For years, the Epstein story sat half-exposed and half-buried—until the DOJ quietly released over 40,000 files. In this episode, investigative biographer Andrew Lownie breaks down what actually matters: missing evidence, sanitized redactions, and an investigation that admits to 10 co-conspirators yet charged only one person. From Clinton and Trump to Prince Andrew, the files suggest not incompetence, but protection.  

Guest bio: Andrew Lownie is an award-winning investigative biographer, journalist, and publisher, widely regarded as one of Britain’s most relentless royal historians. He is the author of Traitor King, The Mountbattens, and his latest book Entitled, which examines Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Known for deep archival research and award-winning writing, Lownie has built a reputation for exposing power, corruption, and institutional cover-ups at the highest levels of the British establishment.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

ANDREW LOWNIE LINKS

Entitled: https://bit.ly/3YpacFT

Website: https://andrewlownie.me/

Substack: https://andrewlownie.substack.com/

All Books: https://andrewlownie.me/books

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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Investigative biographer Andrew Lownie joins the show to unpack the rise and fall of Prince Andrew, from his troubled childhood and war-hero image to financial corruption, Epstein, and royal protection at the highest levels. We explore Andrew’s marriage to Sarah Ferguson, the Trade Envoy scandals, intelligence entanglements, the Virginia Giuffre case, the infamous Newsnight interview, Andrew's and Fergie's relationship to Epstein, and why Lownie believes the monarchy enabled Andrew for decades. 

Guest bio: Andrew Lownie is an award-winning investigative biographer, journalist, and publisher, widely regarded as one of Britain’s most relentless royal historians. He is the author of Traitor King, The Mountbattens, and his latest book Entitled, which examines Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Known for deep archival research and award-winning writing, Lownie has built a reputation for exposing power, corruption, and institutional cover-ups at the highest levels of the British establishment.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

ANDREW LOWNIE LINKS

Entitled: https://bit.ly/3YpacFT

Website: https://andrewlownie.me/

Substack: https://andrewlownie.substack.com/

All Books: https://andrewlownie.me/books

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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In this episode of The Zach Show, we break down the most explosive new Jeffrey Epstein revelations following the release of 20,000+ estate documents and Trump’s order to disclose government files. We cover claims that Trump “knew about the girls,” secret emails showing journalist Michael Wolff advising Epstein on Trump strategy, and FBI footage that undermines the official jailhouse timeline. We revisit the alleged 2017 Thanksgiving with Trump, the Prince Andrew photo, and speculation around Melania’s early connection to Epstein’s modeling pipeline. We also examine Epstein’s global network — Israel ties, cyberweapons financing, intelligence links — and ask the real question: how did he become untouchable?

This is only the first half of the episode on Jeffrey Epstein. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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Investigative journalist ‪Scott Carney‬ joins Zach to trace his wild path from exposing India’s organ and human-remains trade to uncovering the dark psychology behind modern wellness gurus. Carney recounts the tragic death of a student who believed she’d achieved enlightenment, revealing how spiritual seeking can slide into psychosis. He explains how fame and money transformed figures like Wim Hof and Andrew Huberman, breaking down Huberman’s controversial ROKA partnership and why “science” is now for sale. Finally, Scott warns we’re entering “peak grift," a new era where charisma, sponsorships, and algorithmic worship turn wellness into the most profitable con of all.

Guest bio: Scott Carney is an investigative journalist, anthropologist, and New York Times bestselling author known for exposing the dark underbelly of global wellness, spirituality, and black-market economies. His work has uncovered India’s organ trade, the dangers of extreme meditation, and the rise of modern health grifters. Through books like What Doesn’t Kill Us, The Red Market, and The Enlightenment Trap, Carney blends immersive reporting with sharp cultural critique to reveal uncomfortable truths.

This is only the first half of the episode with Todd Purdum. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

SCOTT CARNEY LINKS:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sgcarney

Substack: https://sgcarney.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgcarney

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sgcarney

Website: https://www.scottcarney.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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From ancient Mesopotamia to Twilight, the werewolf has evolved from cursed lovers and cannibals to tragic heroes and pop icons. In this Halloween deep dive, Zach and Dr. Julie Labau trace 4,000 years of transformation, from gods punishing desire to colonizers weaponizing myths. The werewolf isn’t just a monster, it’s a mirror reflecting what every generation fears losing control over: sex, sanity, and humanity itself.

This is only the first half of the episode with Todd Purdum. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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Todd Purdum joins Zach to unpack Desi Arnaz’s wild arc: raised like a prince in Cuba, exiled at 16 by revolution, hustling in Miami, inventing the conga craze, then conquering Broadway and Hollywood with Lucille Ball. We dig into trauma that fueled his genius, the invention of the three-camera sitcom, catching "Lightning In A Bottle" with I Love Lucy, womanizing, marriage cracks and goodbyes, and the fingerprints Desi left on modern television.

Guest bio: Todd S. Purdum is a veteran journalist and author whose forty-year career has spanned The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Politico, and The Atlantic. He’s covered everything from city hall to the White House, served as diplomatic correspondent and Los Angeles bureau chief, and written definitive books on both Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution and the political drama behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He is the author of 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television.'

This is only the first half of the episode with Todd Purdum. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

TODD PURDUM LINKS:

Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television: https://bit.ly/4opO7St

Author Page: http://bit.ly/3L0BoY6

New York Times Archive: https://www.nytimes.com/by/todd-s-purdum

All Books: http://bit.ly/3J97tMU

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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On this episode of The Zach Show, Mick West joins Zach to trace how modern conspiracies form from the Charlie Kirk assassination to UFO lore. They examine social media speed, projection of political fears, and AI’s role in amplifying falsehoods such as Grok inventing quotes about the Kirk assassination. Mick shows why high-resolution footage often fails to stop speculation, how theories evolve like viruses, and why people prefer simple enemies. The conversation moves into an analysis of the recent 'Hellfire Missile Vs. UFO' video presented in Congress, parallax, thermal contrast, provenance problems, the rise of UFO cults, how misperception fools even the most experienced pilots, and more.

Guest bio: Mick West is a science writer, debunker, and founder of Metabunk.org. Author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, he specializes in unraveling conspiracy theories and UFO claims. A former video game programmer, Mick co-founded Neversoft and helped create Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater before becoming the internet’s go-to UFO skeptic.

This is only the first half of the episode with Mick West. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

MICK WEST LINKS:

Escaping The Rabbit Hole: https://bit.ly/3IG6ROm

Metabunk: https://www.metabunk.org/

SitRec: https://www.metabunk.org/sitrec/

X(Twitter): https://x.com/MickWest

YouTube: https://bit.ly/4nT5YBh

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Rate The Zach Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha