Ira's Everything Bagel

This week, Ira spoke with Ayoola Dominic, CEO of Koolboks, which provides sustainable, solar-powered cooling systems in underserved areas. In this cold episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ayoola talks about his background as a pharmacist and his parents, who are both medical doctors; why he’s passionate about the developing world; why re-frigeration is important in these areas; the lack of refrigeration in Sub-Saharan Africa (compared to the West); how to make refrigeration affordable and accessible to everybody; utilizing the resources of water and the sun; what is the good of technology if you can’t afford it; the role of lithium batteries; how 90 percent of their customers are small businesses that are generating income; his recent appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative; why the need for data collection on usage; using data to connect customers with needing a middleman, such as a fish farmer and a frozen food seller; the pay-as-you go billing system; how third-party banking agencies facilitate the billing; and optimizing sales for all their customers. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Marilyn Raichle, author of "Don’t Walk Away: A Care Part-ner’s Journey." In this caring episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Marilyn talks about how her mother, Jean, told her and her siblings that when she got Alzheimer's, they should just “walk away”; why Marilyn didn’t walk away; how an art class showed her that her that Jean was “still there”; how she was still living with invention, wit and joy; Jean’s new “family”; the “enduring personhood” of people who live with dementia; why she wrote the book; sharing joy; the framework of loss: care partners; how she became the family caregiver; the “ladies of assisted living”; why “sometimes your brain just gets in the way”; letting go of the person who used to be; and learning to relate by slowing down. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with actor Michael Warburton, who provides quality commentary and insight into movies, culture & the arts on X with his handle, @TheMonologist. In this curated episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Michael talks about his acting background, including the stage; why he decided to start this project (during COVID); how he started it as altruistic exercise and eventually asked people to contribute; authentically sharing with people what he likes; his process; why the appreciation of people is rewarding; the validation of his instincts; how he was amazed at the famous people from all walks of life who follow him; planning a podcast based on his postings in 2025; the importance of the legacy element and keeping these artists’ work alive; why more and more people are looking back for quality; and why he won’t pander to his followers. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Burt Kearns, author of "SHEMP!: The Biography of The Three Stooges’ Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy." In this slapstick episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Burt talks about why Shemp was put in a very thankless role in The Three Stooges; why he decided to write the book on Shemp; why what most of what we know about The Three Stooges isn’t true; how Moe and Shemp started out as a vaudeville act; how it became violent comedy; why Shemp was the star of the show; why Moe disparaged Shemp; how kids watching TV in the 60’s never took to Shemp; Shemp as a versatile actor; why he feels that Moe was responsible for Curly’s death and Shemp’s death; and the most surprising thing he found about Shemp while doing research. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Colonel Joshua M. McConkey, M.D., author of "Be The Weight Behind The Spear." In this leading episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Joshua talks about why the book title is his personal leadership ethos; how he worked with people in the military who are the tip of the spear; why the weight behind the spear is important ; his con-cern with the “Covid” generation, which has problems communicating with people on a face-to-face basis and has a sense of “entitlement”; why they lack leadership skills; how it’s important to get everyone engaged in the community; the mental health crisis in the United States; why his kids don’t have any social media accounts: how he won the lottery (literally); how his time in Iraq changed him as a person; how holding kids accountable in essential; why teachers need to be empowered; why he advocates one-on-one mentorship for that Covid generation; and how it’s free to teach accountability, integrity and leader-ship. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with speechwriter, confidant and strategist Ken Khachigian, author of "Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan & Nixon." In this inside episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ken talks about why he decided to write the book (including information nobody else had); how he kept diaries and meticulous records; how Nixon and Reagan jointly ended the Cold War; how he had the discipline to write notes on his meetings with the two presidents despite his grueling schedule; how he gained the trust of two dissimilar presidents; why they both felt comfortable with him; why he took Reagan at his word; how he felt he was part of history with both Nixon and Reagan; how there was internal disloyalty in the Reagan administration; why power is a terrible addiction; what he regrets; the technology at the time; how he unearthed a “very significant piece of information in the Reagan archives that on one else saw; how he avoided becoming jaded working in that high-level environment; and the big historical takeaway from the book. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Steven Hoffen, an award-winning teen documentarian who installs hydroponic gardens in places of need. In this growing episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Steven talks about how he developed an interest in hydroponics; why he decided to do a documentary on the subject; how he started a non-profit to fund and place hydronic equipment in areas of food need; using a sustainable technology to supplement or alleviate food insecurity; how his film project led him to great partnerships; how he set up the Growing Peace Foundation; expanding chapters to others states; receiving awards for his work; and what he wants for the future of the organization. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

Photo by Maddie Lovell This week, Ira spoke with photographer, educator and creative explorer Benita VanWinkle, who photographs and documents America’s vanishing movie theaters. In this celluloid episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Benita talks about how she started on her road to capturing theaters on film; how beautiful theaters that couldn’t sustain as film venues could be preserved and repurposed to meeting venues, etc.; how she maps out a trip to photograph 65-90 movie houses in small towns; why she never knows whether she will get inside a theater or not; the wide variety of design elements in movie houses; the best camera she recommends to her students; how she has photographed 1,100 theaters; why she’s partial to small-town theaters; and what they represent in American culture. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with award-winning photographer, TV host, conservationist and National Geographic photographer Jason Edwards, author of "Icebergs to Iguanas: Photographic Journeys Around the World," a large format series of books illustrating his National Geographic imagery. In this wide-angle episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Jason talks about his early years as a drawing and painting artist; experiencing the influence of two German curators as an eighteen year old; forming his own style; starting out with film and eventually converting to digital photography (but somehow still carrying the same weight); how he keeps in shape for his globe-trotting adventures; viewing the world as a photo; what he views in the camera that the rest of us do not; seeing the “rectangle” in everything he does; why he is paid to make images, not excuses; how the book project came into existence; why story telling in the book is essential, along with the stunning im-ages; the “behind the scenes” perspective; how the photos and text were curated for the book; and why it will become a series of books. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with FBI consultant and forensic psychologist Tahir Rahman, M.D., author (with Jeffrey Abugel) of "Extreme Overvalued Beliefs: Clinical and Forensic Psychiatric Dimensions." In this believable episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Tahir talks about why he decided to specialize in this work; how he developed a new and better classi-fication system for criminal behavior involving mass shootings, terrorism, etc.; why people have extreme overvalued beliefs; the cultural reinforcement of these beliefs; copycat behaviors; why he is an amateur historian; the thinking behind the behavior; binary simplistic thinking; learning about these behaviors; the role of media; coming up with solutions; how to evaluate a threat; establishing a probable cause; the role of substance abuse, grief, and financial losses; the underutilization of crisis response teams; who the book was written for; delusions vs. belief systems; and what he wants readers to take from his book. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with marine biologist Sally Ann Hunter, author of "Transfigured Sea." In this oceanic episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Sally talks about becoming a marine biologist; why she decided to write a novel; her style of writing, which is “nature writing”; her writing regime; moving from her short story to writing a book; her story of two women who explore the sea and their personal growth; how she balanced writing between the creatures and the two characters in the book; how her writing came out of her subconscious; why most of the people in her novel are based on people she knows; how she combined her scientific education with her emotional connection with the sea; why the edge of the sea is the most fascinating place of all; how whale sharks are not dangerous to humans; where magic happens in estuaries; why the ocean seems to be alive; how humans can help protect the ocean; and learning about self-development and growth. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Charles J. Moxley Jr., author of “Nuclear Weapons and International Law: Existential Risks of Nuclear War and Deterrence through a Legal Lens.” In this explosive episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Charles talks about what the risks are in eliminating nuclear weapons; how can the law apply “lawless” nations; why it’s in everyone’s self-interest to adhere to notions of international law; the enduring legacy of MAD (mutual assured distruction); the fallacy of using low-yield nuclear weapons; how to deal with irrational leaders; why the need to harness the potential for survival; how we have chemical and biological conventions; the danger of a “nuclear winter”; why our policies are misguided; proportionate response; and being optimistic about progress. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Jane Lee Rankin, author of "Farm Family: A Solo Mom’s Memoir of Finding Home, Happiness, and Alpacas." In this sheared episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Jane talks about when she first fell in love with the mountains and rural living; first meeting an alpaca at the Kentucky State Fair; her dream of raising alpacas; shearing them once a year; why her farm is considered a fiber farm; the importance of agritourism (“farms plus people”); having a sense of humor to survive; how the book derived from customers’ questions during tours of the farm (Apple Hill Farm); why what started out as a story of the farm became a memoir; why a lot of her farm team are students; how alpacas have a spiritual energy; why there’s a heartbeat to a farm; and what she wants people to take away from her book (hint: real life on the farm). (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Dr. Roy Meals, (a Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UCLA and author of several books), who walked the 342-mile perimeter of Los Angeles in 10-mile segments, talked with the people he encountered, and explored local points of interest. In this peripatetic episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Roy talks about how he got the idea for his project; his preparations for the walks; the people (and locations) who had an impact on him; discovering the Simms Library of Poetry; relying on his sense of human nature; visiting a landfill; and what he discovered about people and places. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

This week, Ira spoke with Bernie J. Mullin, author of "Reimagining America's Dream: Making It Attainable for All." In this imaginative episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Bernie talks about a lack of mutual understanding of what the American dream is; the top ten social issues in America; how to create the ability to generate wealth; the nasty divide in politics; the “entitlement game”; why “elbow grease,” honesty and integrity are important; how we became the “trophy generation” and how to change it; why the fundamental thing is discipline; the importance of free pre-school for every child; and the challenge for the majority of people in this country. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)