SHHH (AKA – Shit And Shame With Shawn)
Join The Puru (Shawn Shafner: performer, activist, and educator) for serious but entertaining talk about poop, fecal matters, LGBT shame and other unnameable taboos that clog our bodies, minds, and communities. Shawn and his esteemed guests talk (and might even sing) about taking responsibility for our literal shit and our metaphorical shit, to transform them from waste to resource. It’s time to get our shit together, before it hits the fan.
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selected EPISODES
Bobby Edwards - Squatty Potty Inventor & CEO
Shawn is thrilled to talk to Squatty Potty creator Bobby Edwards about the undeniable anatomical superiority of squatting over sitting to poop, and how shameful Victorian taboos have all but erased the practice for 'modern' Americans. They also touch on the constipation which plagued Bobby’s mom (and business partner) eventually giving rise to the SquattyPotty, and the parallel overcoming of gay shame and repression that have enabled Shawn and Bobby to go proud in more ways than one. Finally Bobby shares his branding secrets for getting a poop-themed product in Bed, Bath & Beyond, thanks to his recent appearance on Shark Tank.
The Sex Episode: A Podcast Collision with Sex for Smart People* (*that means you)
Sex and poop. Both are natural parts of having a body. Both can be intensely pleasurable. And both are rich boiling pots of shame and cultural baggage. Which is why The Puru has teamed up with S. Ryan Johnstone and Dave McGee of Sex for Smart People* (*that means you) to bring you this very special episode tackling the mother of all modern taboos. Join us for a thoughtful, compassionate, super-honest and often hilarious hour addressing anal sex, safe scat play, and how looking at your toilet paper might just make you a better lover. Did I mention there’s a whale choir? Oh yeah. There’s a whale choir. Plus even more Sex for Smart People* at sexforsmartpeople.com
American Wasteland: Dr. Daniel Gerling Gets Down with Doodie
Constipated? Take relief: it's probably not because your sphincter is too tight. In this episode of SHHH, The Puru sits down with Dr. Daniel Gerling, Assistant Professor at Augustana University and perhaps the foremost expert on poop history in the United States (who else could write the dissertation, "American Wasteland: A Social and Cultural History of Excrement, 1860-1920"?). Hear Danny explain why American occupiers collected over 120,000 jars of Filipino feces, how the demodex (eyelash mite) may be the only creature that doesn't poop, and why sphincter expanders were recommended as a cure for constipation in the early 1900s. Put down that fork--this is one fascinating hour you might not want to eat through.
Pee and Prosperity: Kim Nace of the Rich Earth Institute
What do you get when you mix 5,000 gallons of urine and 5 acres of hay? It might just be the future of our food. In this episode, The Puru talks to Kim Nace, co-founder of the Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, where hundreds of local citizens collect their pee for science. But this is no kids stuff--the Rich Earth Institute is blazing a new trail and quickly gaining the attention of big-name foundations, National Geographic, and even the US Government. Tune in to understand why our pee is polluting the planet, how we can turn that waste into a resource, and what your tax dollars are doing to help. Soon morning tinkle will be music to your ears...