Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

Most people are pretty bad at having difficult conversations. We don't get much practice--the internet makes sure that we mostly see content from people we agree with. When we do see opposing viewpoints, it's usually in the form of hateful comments. But when Dylan Marron started receiving a deluge of online abuse in response to his viral video series, he did the opposite of what most people do. He gave his detractors a call. Photo credit: Mindy Tucker. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's Right is back by popular demand! Between our usual Hard Knox episodes, Amanda sits down with her husband, Chris to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” In this Who’s Right? episode, Amanda and Chris explore what really happens when we say “no”—to others, to expectations, and even to ourselves. Is saying no an act of selfishness or self-respect? They unpack why boundaries feel so hard to set, how guilt and people-pleasing shape our choices, and whether learning to refuse might actually be the key to deeper connection. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Klay is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award–winning author of Redeployment, Missionaries, and Uncertain Ground, whose work examines the moral and emotional toll of modern war. How do soldiers make sense of what they’ve done when the meaning of war keeps changing? Why does true patriotism demand not blind loyalty, but the courage to question—and to forgive? Released on Veterans Day, this conversation dives into the nature of service, moral injury, and the fight to keep faith—with one’s country, and with oneself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's Right is back by popular demand! Between our usual Hard Knox episodes, Amanda sits down with her husband, Chris to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” In this Who’s Right? episode, Amanda and Chris debate whether marriage should be a spiritual bond or a practical alliance—and whether we might all be better off if an AI or “romance consultant” helped us choose our partners. How do love, logic, and cultural expectations collide when deciding who to marry, and why do we still trust hormones and happenstance more than wisdom and experience? How could rethinking the myth of “soulmates” actually make for healthier, longer-lasting relationships Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nicholas Christakis is a Yale sociologist and physician whose research explores how human connection, cooperation, and contagion shape societies. In this episode Amanda and Nicholas explore how our social networks influence everything from kindness to cruelty, and why the impulse to punish, forgive, or imitate spreads just like a virus. How does trust and empathy hold civilization together and why is building stronger relationships the most powerful medicine we have? Nicholas studies how cooperation, love, and trust are encoded in our biology and expressed through social networks that persist beyond any single person, arguing that the “real” structure of human life lies in the invisible web of connections between us. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda and Chris get lost in the wide world of puzzles with AJ Jacobs, author of the The Puzzler: One Man's quest to solve the most baffling puzzles ever, from crosswords to jigsaws to the meaning of life. And pay close attention, because this episode has a puzzle embedded within it! Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who's Right is back by popular demand! Between our usual Hard Knox episodes, Amanda sits down with her husband, Chris to debate something serious or silly and ask you: “Who’s Right?” In this weeks pre-Halloween episode they debate the role of death in living a full life. How do we live fully when death feels both inevitable and avoidable? Why does facing mortality make life feel more vivid, even as science tempts us with the dream of living forever? Amanda and Chris wrestle with Zen philosophy, longevity science, and the question of whether accepting death, or fighting it, is the real key to living well. We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Marshall is a writer and podcaster, best known as the cohost of You're Wrong About and creator of The Devil You Know, a CBC podcast series exploring the Satanic Panic which explores how a wave of moral hysteria in the 1980s fused pop culture, politics, and fear into an era where heavy metal lyrics and daycare centers became symbols of evil. In today's episode she and Amanda discuss why this moment still echoes today in new forms of conspiracy thinking, and how looking back helps us understand the stories we tell to feel safe—and the ones that turn us against each other. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode Amanda relfects on how to tell your story while protecting a teenager’s privacy, why intentional oversharing can build connection, and how Zen, Nonviolent Communication, and even a near dog scam teach everyday resilience. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Lemov is the author of The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyperpersuasion, whose work explores how people are persuaded, manipulated, and sometimes brainwashed. In this conversation, Amanda and Rebecca unpack why intelligence doesn’t protect us from influence, how moments of “ungrounding” make us vulnerable to brainwashing, and why shame keeps many survivors silent. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's some wisdom you can only find when you're lost, which has led Kevin Kelly, senior Maverick and co-founder Wired magazine, to get lost intentionally through decades of travelling. Along the way, he's collected some gems of wisdom and invented many of his own. Kevin Kelly is the author of Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Ask Amanda Anything, Amanda unpacks the complexity of memory, truth, and the quiet work of setting boundaries with those we love, even when love feels conditional. How do we navigate the minefield of family relationships when our histories clash and our beliefs collide? Why do some people rewrite the past to protect themselves, and how do we hold on to our reality without losing compassion? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Oster is an economist, bestselling author, and creator of Parent Data, where she uses research to cut through fear-driven myths about pregnancy and parenting. In this episode she discusses how data and boundaries help us make better choices when there’s no way to guarantee an outcome, why treating everyone—including toddlers, teenagers, and even adults—like they need both love and limits leads to resilience and how parenting can reveal universal lessons about responsibility, connection, and growth. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you laugh at the absurdity of your own trauma without minimizing it? Why do we expect people who’ve been hurt to perform grace, and what if they just want to be messy and real? In this AMA, Amanda tackles questions about forgiveness, therapy, and surviving the spotlight. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Moynihan is a journalist, co-host of The Fifth Column podcast, and a writer known for his unflinching takes on politics, culture, and free expression. In this episode, he and Amanda discuss how satire and skepticism cut through today’s noise, why outrage has become the default language of public life and how to keep your sense of humor intact when the world seems determined to lose its mind. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Old School, where we revisit some of our best episodes from previous years with some current reflections on why these episodes are still fascinating. In this “Old School” episode, Megan Phelps-Roper talks with Amanda about her upbringing in and departure from the Westboro Baptist Church. What does it mean to be lost in faith, to lose our faith in an ideology or in a person, and how do we find our balance in aftermath? Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Ask Amanda Anything: From prison letters to public scrutiny, Amanda reflects on trust, resilience, and what it means to be seen. She shares her take on Kim Kardashian’s surprising role in criminal justice reform, the philosophy behind her Waking Up series, and why some bonds from prison endure while others fade. Along the way: lessons from stand-up comedy, the challenges of dating under the shadow of notoriety, and the bittersweet experience of letting go after years spent creating The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

R.G. Shore, author of The Ocean Inside Me and a meditation teacher who began his practice in prison, joins Amanda for a conversation on resilience and self-discovery. They discuss how meditation can turn confinement into freedom, why facing hate can lead to compassion and how surrendering to the hardest circumstances can reveal unexpected strength. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Simon’s latest book, Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault, explores how survivors chart diverse paths to healing. In this episode, she reveals how she walked away from a life that looks perfect from the outside, why listening to your body can be the most radical act of self-preservation and how intimacy after trauma asks for patience, honesty, and courage. Tell Me What You Like: An Honest Discussion of Sex and Intimacy After Sexual Assault: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Tell-What-You-Like-Discussion/dp/0806542764⁠ Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yascha is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, the Founder of Persuasion and the host of The Good Fight podcast, known for his work on democracy, identity, and polarization. In this conversation with Amanda, he describes how growing up between cultures shaped his obsession with belonging and freedom, why personal resilience matters just as much as political resilience and how finding your voice in a world that wants to define you can illuminate the fight for democracy itself. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices