Free Speech, Tariffs and Agnes’s Memoir Preview

In this April 2025 episode, Agnes and Ryan talk about free speech, how political climates change, tariffs and trade deficits, and what they see as threats to due process. They then turn to Agnes's upcoming memoir, which Ryan describes as a hero's journey, and finish on gratitude, remembering an actor who had recently died, and birthday wishes.

Takeaways

• You can disagree with someone calmly and still respect that everyone sees things through their own experience and education.
• A trade deficit measures how much more a country buys than sells to another, and it is not the same thing as a tariff rate.
• Gratitude helps in uncertain times: appreciating small daily things like waking up, loved ones and a lazy morning.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening and freedom of speech
• 4:07 Speaking up and growing up under a conservative culture
• 7:00 History, education and the rule of law
• 16:55 Tariffs, trade deficits and oil
• 21:00 Cryptocurrency, sanctions and a social app sale
• 25:18 Agnes's upcoming memoir
• 29:00 The hero's journey and why the book ends where it does
• 33:30 Everything happens for a reason
• 36:00 Gratitude and being content with what we have
• 41:00 Current events and the loss of a film actor
• 44:55 Tax help reminder and sign-off

Conversation and opinion, not medical, legal, tax or financial advice.