Unknown Variables

Is there any safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy?In this episode of Unknown Variables, I sit down with Dr. Alexandra Perez, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at Emory University, to unpack one of the most misunderstood—and rarely discussed—topics in public health: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE).Despite what many people hear from friends, social media, or even doctors, the science tells a more complicated story. Dr. Perez explains why no amount of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy, how prenatal alcohol exposure affects brain development, and why many children and adults are impacted without obvious physical signs.We explore:Why doctors sometimes say “one glass is fine” — and what the evidence actually showsWhat Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) really are (and why most cases go undiagnosed)How prenatal exposure can increase risk for ADHD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges later in lifeThe role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and environment — not just biologyWhy many kids are misdiagnosed when underlying neurodevelopmental differences go untestedHow Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) helps repair parent–child relationships and reduce disruptive behaviorThe unique barriers faced by Spanish-speaking and Latine families in healthcare and researchWhy simply “translating materials into Spanish” is not enoughHow to talk about alcohol and pregnancy without shame or stigmaThis conversation is not about blame — it’s about education, prevention, compassion, and better systems of care.If you’re pregnant, trying to conceive, a parent, clinician, educator, or simply someone who wants to better understand how early life experiences shape mental health, this episode is for you.

What if the real goal of money isn’t wealth—but time?In this episode of Unknown Variables, I sit down with Andy Hill, creator of Marriage Kids and Money and author of Own Your Time, to talk about financial independence, Coast FIRE, and why so many people feel stuck even when they’re “doing everything right.”Andy shares how he and his wife went from a negative $50,000 net worth to nearly $2 million, paid off their home in under five years, and ultimately designed a life around time freedom—not just money. We talk honestly about motivation, marriage, stress, side hustles, gambling culture, index fund investing, and what it really takes to build financial independence with a family.This conversation isn’t about get-rich-quick schemes, crypto hype, or gambling apps—it’s about building margin, reclaiming your time, and designing a life you don’t want to escape from.In this episode, we cover:Why most people don’t have a money problem—they have a time problemHow motivation (not discipline) drives long-term financial changePaying off a mortgage early vs. investing: what Andy would do differentlyWhat Coast FIRE is and why it works for parentsHow to build financial independence starting from debtWhy gambling and “quick money” are destroying wealth for young peopleHow couples can get on the same page about moneyThe role of side hustles, income growth, and index fund investingWhy time—not net worth—is the ultimate measure of wealthAndy also shares the personal moments behind the numbers: marriage counseling, burnout, quitting a stable corporate job, and the realization that there are only 168 hours in a week—and how you use them matters.📘 Andy Hill’s book, Own Your Time, is available now Learn more at 👉 https://marriagekidsandmoney.com🎧 Listen to Andy’s podcast & YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@MarriageKidsandMoney

Most people assume the answer is simple: greed. But the real story is far more complicated — and far more surprising.In this episode, I sit down with Sam Kazer, PhD, a scientist who has worked across academia, global health, and the pharmaceutical industry, to break down what it actually takes to turn an idea into a real medicine. We talk about why drug development takes 10+ years, why clinical trials are so expensive, and why most drug ideas fail long before they ever reach patients.We also explore:Why “Big Pharma” isn’t a single villainHow academic research and industry depend on each otherWhy biologic drugs cost more than small-molecule drugsHow public funding quietly enables many of the medicines we rely onWhat people misunderstand most about drug pricing and regulationThis isn’t a defense of the pharmaceutical industry — it’s an explanation of the system we all rely on, and why simple answers don’t capture the full picture.

Is the medical system broken? And what does plastic surgery really do?In this episode of the Unknown Variables Podcast, Dr. Anthony Rojas speaks with Dr. Kianna Jackson, MD, Chief Resident in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Vanderbilt University, MIT graduate, and founder who challenged the residency application system itself.Most people think plastic surgery is about Botox, breast implants, or celebrity aesthetics. Dr. Jackson explains why that’s wrong—how plastic surgery is about form and function, restoring faces after trauma, burns, and cancer, and helping patients reclaim their identity when their ability to speak, smile, or be recognized has been taken from them.Dr. Jackson also shares her experience as a Black woman in surgery, confronting imposter syndrome and the “DEI hire” narrative despite graduating first in her medical school class and becoming the first Black student to win Vanderbilt’s highest academic honor. She offers a nuanced, honest discussion of affirmative action, equity vs equality, and why diversity in medicine leads to better patient outcomes.The conversation goes deeper into the broken medical training pipeline. Dr. Jackson recounts spending thousands of dollars applying to residency, uncovering a system that extracts over $100 million annually from medical students, and building CentralApp, a platform that disrupted the residency application process nationwide—forcing ERAS to lower its fees. She also shares hard-earned lessons from founding a startup while working 80-hour weeks as a surgical resident.This episode explores:What plastic surgery really is (beyond aesthetics)Facial reconstruction and restoring identityBurn, cancer, and trauma reconstructionBeing a Black woman in surgeryDEI, affirmative action, and imposter syndromeWhy residency and medical school admissions are brokenThe true cost of becoming a doctorLessons from building (and losing) a medical startupMentorship, medicine, and choosing the right pathWhether you’re a premed student, medical trainee, physician, healthcare professional, or simply curious about how medicine actually works, this conversation will change how you see plastic surgery—and the system behind it.🎧 Listen to the full episode on the Unknown Variables Podcast 🔔 Subscribe for conversations on science, medicine, entrepreneurship, and the unseen forces shaping success.

What is it actually like to work at the CDC?In this episode of the Unknown Variables Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Erin Thomas — a sociologist at the CDC — to unpack the side of public health most people never see: systems, behavior, trust, and the human factors that determine whether good science turns into real-world outcomes.We talk about:Why “CDC work” is so much more than labs and vaccinesHow bias and structural barriers show up in lactation support and breastfeeding careWhat the U.S. Ebola response revealed (and why COVID exposed it at scale)Why changing guidance can destabilize the public — even when it’s scientifically correctHow CDC work shifts across roles: research → evaluation → tuberculosis (TB) programsWhy TB still matters in the U.S. (and who it impacts most)What it takes for evidence to actually change practice in a massive organizationAnd what still gives her hope about the future of public healthIf this conversation helped you see public health differently, subscribe/follow — it tells me to keep making episodes like this.Guest: Dr. Erin Thomas (CDC)Note: Views expressed are the guest’s own and do not necessarily represent the CDC.Host: Anthony J. Rojas, Ph.D.

How do you actually become a college professor — and who really makes it?In this episode of Unknown Variables, I talk with four professors who recently landed faculty positions across a range of institutions — from teaching-focused universities to research-active campuses — to unpack what the path to academia really looks like.You’ll hear from:A first-generation scholar who didn’t even realize “professor” was a career option (Yale University)A biologist who transitioned from the humanities into science (Georgia College)A faculty member who bypassed the traditional postdoc route (Towson University)A professor who applied to dozens of schools to land their position (Appalachian State University)Together, we break down the real decisions that shape academic careers: choosing advisors, navigating impostor syndrome, R1 vs R2 vs teaching-focused roles, geographic constraints, mentorship, burnout, and the advice they wish they’d been given earlier.If you’re an undergraduate, graduate student, postdoc, or early-career researcher wondering whether academia is for you — or how to survive the path if it is — this conversation pulls back the curtain on the many hidden routes to becoming a professor.

What do Americans consistently misunderstand about China — its people, its politics, and how it quietly became the world’s manufacturing powerhouse?This week, I sit down with Joshua Woodward, a South Side Chicago native turned MIT mechanical engineer who spent four years inside Apple’s camera supply chain in Shenzhen before founding a manufacturing consultancy based in China.Josh didn’t just visit China — he lived through three and a half years of COVID lockdown, worked daily on factory floors, spoke fluent Mandarin to stunned locals, and built relationships inside the manufacturing ecosystem that produces the world’s most complex consumer electronics.In this conversation, he exposes:• Why America has engineering talent — but China has the ecosystem• What Americans get wrong about work culture, surveillance, and freedom• How Apple accidentally accelerated China’s tech dominance• Why tariffs don’t work and end up hurting Americans• What it’s like to be Black in China, and how language breaks barriers• Why China and the U.S. are more alike than we thinkJosh’s story moves from surviving Chicago, to obsessing over MIT at age 12, to becoming an Apple insider shaping devices billions of people use — and shows how much of what we assume about China collapses under firsthand experience.If you think you understand China — this episode will challenge you.About the GuestJoshua Charles Woodward• MIT Mechanical Engineering• Former Apple Engineering Project Manager in Shenzhen• Founder, The Sparrows — a China-based manufacturing consultancy

This week on Unknown Variables, I sit down with Atlanta’s viral lawyer, Cody Randall — better known online as ATL Cody — whose mission is to democratize legal knowledge one sidewalk conversation at a time.With more than 1,000,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Cody has become a nationally recognized voice for people who can’t afford traditional legal help. From giving free advice on the Atlanta BeltLine with his dog, Reba, to confronting the brutal reality that justice often depends on wealth, Cody is redefining what it means to serve the public.In this episode, we explore:Why legal help is so expensive — and who pays the real priceHow social media can level the playing field for people in crisisThe surprising questions people ask him on the streetsWhen a lawyer should tell someone, “This might be a you problem”How socioeconomic status shapes legal outcomes in AmericaThe emotional labor of being both attorney and therapistWhy he believes free information can shift the power dynamicHis most meaningful BeltLine moments — and his biggest red flagsCody’s honesty, humor, and pragmatism make this episode one of the most illuminating conversations we’ve had yet.The full episode is streaming now on all platforms.Watch the video version on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode, Anthony sits down with Dave Farina, better known as Professor Dave Explains, the science educator with over 4 million subscribers who has taught more chemistry students than any professor on Earth — literally.Together, they dive deep into:🔥 Dave’s Origin StoryHow a touring rock drummer accidentally became one of the biggest science educators onlineWhy passive income for a struggling band turned into a global teaching missionHis “rock-star teacher” era and the unexpected aesthetic that shaped early O-Chem videos📚 Building a Global ClassroomThe moment Dave realized he was reaching millionsWhy students prefer YouTube to textbooksHow he balances tutorial content with hiring PhDs to write 101-level scripts in new fieldsWhat makes a video engaging instead of just accurate⚔️ The Debunking JourneyThe inside story of Dave’s multi-year saga with James Tour and the debate at RiceHow Dave identifies charlatans, grifters, and bad actorsHis two-tiered strategy: immunize the public + neutralize misinformation at the sourceThe toll of daily online vitriol — and the rewarding messages from people who changed their minds🦠 When Science Meets FamilyAnthony and Dave discuss navigating misinformation at family gatheringsDave’s advice for Thanksgiving dinner:Ask gentle but probing questions — go full Socratic.🌎 Hope, Fear, and the Future of ScienceWhy Dave is more pessimistic post-pandemicThe rise of institutionalized pseudoscienceA glimmer of hope: scientists finally stepping into the sci-comm arenaWhy the next decade may determine whether truth survives online🎶 PlusDave’s long-delayed plan for a music comebackThe “Simulated Sun” projectWhat he hopes will happen by 2026

Science is self-correcting — but that process can look messy from the outside. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Rojas sits down with Dr. Marshall Brennan, Editor-in-Chief of Device (Cell Press’s flagship applied science journal) and founding editor of ChemRxiv, to explore how scientific publishing really works.They discuss what happens after a scientist hits “submit,” the role of peer review in maintaining integrity, and how the system handles mistakes, retractions, and even the rise of AI in research. From preprint servers to data falsification scandals, this is a behind-the-scenes look at how science polices itself — and why that’s a good thing.Topics CoveredWhy you shouldn’t blindly trust scientistsHow peer review protects the integrity of scienceThe purpose (and limits) of preprint serversWhat actually happens when a paper gets retractedHow editors decide which papers get publishedThe impact of AI on research and peer reviewWhy trust in science depends on communicationDr. Marshall BrennanEditor-in-Chief, Device (Cell Press)Founding Editor, ChemRxivBlueSky: @organometallicaHosted by Dr. Anthony Rojas, Unknown Variables explores the stories and ideas that shape science, innovation, and the people behind them.Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts — and watch the full video version on YouTube