In this episode of [indistinct chatter], Aliza unpacks a heavy week in America.

She talks about Ye’s apology and public accountability, the viral “what radicalized you” trend, and what that word really means in today’s culture. From there, she explores how music, family, and church shaped her values, and why empathy, curiosity, and questioning authority aren’t that radical at all.

Aliza also breaks down the Minneapolis general strike, the history of labor militancy in the U.S., and the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, explaining why this moment has sparked nationwide outrage and solidarity.

She closes by addressing growing civil war rhetoric, historical cycles, and why this moment feels so tense (and so important).

In This Episode:• The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy by William Strauss & Neil Howe• The Fourth Turning Is Here by Neil Howe

🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday.If you liked this episode, subscribe, share, rate and review. It really does help!

It’s tax season, baby! Join Aliza, as she dives into the fascinating (and occasionally frustrating) world of income taxes. From ancient grain payments in Egypt to labor taxes in medieval Europe, and all the way to the modern US system we navigate every January through April. We’ve got it covered.

Learn why income taxes weren’t originally meant for everyone, how the system shifted to include nearly all Americans, and why we have to file our own returns even though the IRS already receives so much of our info. She also breaks down withholding forms, claiming 0, and why your “final bill” might still surprise you.

She touches on the IRS, tax prep companies, the Free File program, lobbying, and the quirky ways taxes shape our lives (all sprinkled with personal anecdotes, birthday cake, museum adventures, and the chaos of filing).

Whether you’re filing for the first time or just wondering why this whole process exists, this episode will give you the history, context, and laughs to make tax season a little less scary.

Disclaimer: Aliza is not a CPA. This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Talk to a qualified tax professional for actual tax advice.

On Aliza’s Screen/Mind:

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

• Meow Wolf Denver

• Shout out to teachers who offer tax prep guidance in high school!

🎙️New episodes of [indistinct chatter] drop every Tuesday, anywhere you listen to podcasts.

If you liked this episode, please rate, review, or share it with a friend.

The Golden Globes made podcast history by introducing their first-ever award for Best Podcast!!! And it turns out this moment matters way more than it seems.

In this episode of [indistinct chatter], Aliza breaks down why podcasts being recognized by the Golden Globes is a huge cultural shit. Not just for podcasters, but for how we experience media, taste, and attention in an algorithm-driven world.

Aliza talks about:

• Why podcasts have always lived in a weird "not quite legit" space
• What it means for podcasting to be taken seriously by legacy media
• Why Good Hang with Amy Poehler winning feels symbolic (and kind of perfect)
• How algorithms shape what we see, feel, and believe (without us realizing it)
• Why constant exposure without context or pause can mess with mental health
• And why more people are craving slower, more human content right now

This isn't an anti-tech rant or a political lecture. It's a conversation about how culture finds us now, how algorithms reward attention (not quality or truth), and why this Golden Globes moment might signal a shift back toward people-lead curation, real voices, and connection.

If you've ever wondered:

• "Do I actually like this, or was it nudged to me?"
• "Why does everything online feel louder and heavier lately?"
• Or why podcasts still feel like a comfort space in all this...

...this episode is for you.

🎙️New episodes of [indistinct chatter] drop every Tuesday, anywhere you listen to podcasts.

If you liked this episode, please rate, review, or share it with a friend.

On Aliza's Screen and In Her Ears:

• Good Hang with Amy Poehler
• The Social Dilemma
• Coded Bias
• The Secret Rules of Modern Living: Algorithms
• @noahvsparanormal

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2026!

In this episode of [indistinct chatter], Aliza kicks off the new year by talking about predicted trends for 2026... not resolutions, not goals, just the patterns that seem to be emerging as we all collectively ask: is this actually serving us?

From AI being everywhere all at once, to travel slowing down, to tech finally being forced to fix the boring stuff that’s been broken for years, this episode is about intention. It's about how we use technology, how we move through the world, and how we show up in real life.

Aliza dives into:

• Why AI feels unavoidable in 2026 and why the conversation is shifting from excitement to discernment

• The rise of “Physical AI” and why it’s both fascinating and unsettling

• Why travel is becoming less about flexing and more about meaning

• How tech is predicted to shape daily life, not just productivity and work

• The cultural shift away from digital performance and toward real-life connection

• Why fashion and consumption are moving from trends to identity

• The end of “New Year, New Me” and the rise of integration over reinvention

Plus, Aliza shares her own kooky predictions for 2026, including analog tech making a comeback, micro-hobbies with zero hustle energy, embracing the cringe, accidental third places, nostalgia for vibes (not eras), and the slow death of hustle culture.

This episode is conversational, reflective, and a little all over the place... like a voice note from a friend who’s been thinking a lot about the world lately.

If you’re feeling burned out, overwhelmed by trends, or just curious about where 2026 might take us, this one’s for you.

Rate, review, and share with a friends! And let me know what you think 2026 has in store.

New episodes of [indistinct chatter] drop every Tuesday!

It’s the end of 2025 and somehow, we all survived it. In this year-end episode of [indistinct chatter], Aliza takes you on a month-by-month journey through one of the most chaotic, heartbreaking, historic, absurd, and oddly hopeful years in recent memory. From devastating disasters and global conflicts to pop culture insanity, medical breakthroughs, internet scandals, and Spotify Wrapped revelations, this episode asks the only reasonable question: what the hell just happened?

This is not a neat recap. It’s a rambling, honest, occasionally unhinged reflection on a year that felt cursed, miraculous, hilarious, terrifying, and transformative (sometimes all at once). Along the way, Aliza also shares her personal Spotify Wrapped, her philosophy on “embracing the cringe,” and why being a little delusional might actually be the healthiest way forward.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• January from hell: mass tragedies, wildfires, tariffs, and a historic (and controversial) inauguration

• Medical miracles & buried good news: pig kidney transplants, Ebola eradicated, women’s healthcare breakthroughs

• A world on edge: wars, assassinations, political violence, ceasefires, and global protests

• History made: the first American pope, the first millennial saint, and landmark climate rulings

• Natural disasters that reshaped communities: from tornadoes and floods to blizzards and fires

• Pop culture chaos: the Coldplay kiss cam scandal, Labubu dolls, Katy Perry in space, and fictional K-pop groups topping real charts

• Celebrity losses that hit hard and why legacies matter more than headlines

• Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s engagement, Messi magic, Super Bowl LIX tings, and award-season wins

• Spotify Wrapped breakdown: genres, artists, albums, and why Midwest emo refuses to die

• Why “embracing the cringe” might be the 2026 mindset we all need

ON ALIZA’S SCREEN/ON PAGES/IN HER EARS:

Movies & TV:

• Conclave

• The Princess Bride

• When Harry Met Sally

• A Few Good Men

• Anora

• Stranger Things

Books:

• Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

• Emma - Jane Austen

• Mansfield Park - Jane Austen

Music, Artists & Albums Mentioned:

• Royel Otis (Hickey, Pratts & Pain, Sofa Kings)

• Kings of Leon (Come Around Sundown)

• Brand New

• Pup (The Dream Is Over)

• Le Shiv

• Role Model

• Dope Lemon

• My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

• Circa Survive - “Get Out”

• Kendrick Lamar (Super Bowl Halftime Show)

• Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter

• K-Pop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

The Bottom Line:2025 was devastating. It was historic. It was ridiculous. And somehow, it still made room for joy, music, growth, and delusion. If nothing else, this episode is proof that staying informed, laughing when you can, and loving what you love (cringe and all) might be the only way forward.

New episodes every Tuesday! Follow, subscribe, and come chat about the weird, the wild, and the indistinct chatter.

Welcome back to [indistinct chatter]! Host Aliza serves up a wild Christmas story: the Great Eggnog Riot of 1826. West Point cadets, fed up with strict military life under Superintendent Sylvanus Thayer, smuggled whiskey onto campus for a Christmas Eve party. What started as innocent eggnog turned into drunken chaos with swords, smashed windows, and a barricaded superintendent.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• West Point Hell: Life under Sylvanus Thayer in the 1820s = no fun, no alcohol, no Christmas break.

• Ocean's Eleven, 1826 Style: How cadets orchestrated a weeks-long smuggling operation through Buttermilk Falls, bribing West Point employees to sneak whiskey past guards and stashing bottles across campus like doomsday preppers.

• Jefferson Davis's Big Night: The future Confederate president plots whiskey heists and somehow escapes punishment despite witness testimony placing him at the scene. Classic politician move.

• Christmas Eve Goes Project X: What started as a quiet party turned into 70+ drunk cadets with unlimited spiked eggnog. Fiddle music, dancing, Captain Hitchcock getting stuff thrown at him, and the rebellion spreads to multiple barracks.

• Swords at 2 AM: Multiple cadets running around with real military swords. Superintendent Thayer barricades himself in his room. Windows smashed, furniture destroyed. Full war zone by Christmas morning.

• The Morning After: 19 cadets court-martialed with hilarious testimony. Jefferson Davis says everyone's mistaken about seeing him there.

• Confederate Reunion: Jefferson Davis graduates in 1828, becomes CSA President. Several expelled/punished cadets also became Confederate generals.

• The Legacy: West Point banned alcohol even harder. Thayer cracked down on discipline. Congress questioned if the academy should even exist. The Eggnog Riot became legendary whispered lore for generations of cadets.

The Bottom Line: Stressed military teenagers wanted one night of Christmas fun and nearly destroyed West Point over dairy and whiskey. Were they stupid? Absolutely. But they were kids! At least your family Christmas drama doesn't involve courts-martial and swords. Right?

On Aliza’s Screen (these can be Christmas movies if you want):

• Oceans Eleven

• Project X

• Wayne’s World

TOPICS MENTIONED: Great Eggnog Riot, West Point Military Academy, Sylvanus Thayer, Jefferson Davis, Confederate States, Christmas 1826, Captain Ethan Allen Hitchcock, William Fitzgerald, Buttermilk Falls, North Barracks, courts-martial, military discipline, Civil War generals, eggnog history, holiday traditions, military history, Christmas riots

New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe and follow for more deep dives into the weird, the wild, and the indistinct chatter!

Welcome back to [indistinct chatter]! Host Aliza stumbles across a story that stopped her mid-scroll: college students at the University of Texas at Arlington just solved a 34-year-old murder. Their class project led to an arrest in a case that had stumped detectives since 1991. But this isn't just about one remarkable group of students... it's about how regular people are revolutionizing cold case investigations.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The UTA Breakthrough: How 15 criminology students spent 100+ hours reviewing 500+ files from Cynthia Gonzalez's 1991 murder. The suspect? A friend who told police she was "glad" the victim was dead but couldn't be charged for 34 years due to lack of evidence.
• Michelle McNamara & The Golden State Killer: A true crime writer became obsessed with California's most prolific serial killer. She coined the name "Golden State Killer," worked with online communities, hired researchers, and kept the case alive.
• Reddit Solves Mysteries: Meet Grateful Doe (Jason Callahan), a hitchhiker killed in 1995 who remained unidentified for 20 years until Redditor Layla Betts started a subreddit. Plus: Linda Pagano's case cracked by sleuthing Redditors digging through cemetery records.
• The DNA Revolution: Genetic genealogy has solved hundreds of cold cases. It caught the Golden State Killer and is solving more cases from the 1970s. But there are serious privacy concerns! Your third cousin's crime could be solved using YOUR DNA test.
• Recent DNA Wins: Mary K. Schlais (murdered 1974, solved 2024). Danielle Houchins (1996 Montana case). Melonie White (Vegas Justice League funded testing). Leslie Preer (cleared innocent husband after 23 years). Baby Garnet (newborn found in latrine, mother identified via consumer DNA test).
• The Warning: Boston Marathon bombing showed what happens when internet sleuths get it wrong. Amateur investigation without oversight destroys lives.
• What It Means: Fresh eyes see what experienced investigators miss. Students have time professionals don't. Communities bring different skills. Technology advances. These breakthroughs mean everything: answers after decades of nothing.

In Aliza's Ears:

• And That's Why We Drink
• The First Degree
• Morbid
• Murder, Mystery & Makeup
• My Favorite Murder
• Sinisterhood
• Up and Vanished
• Wine & Crime

The Bottom Line: You don't need a badge to make a difference. College students, true crime writers, Reddit communities, and people taking ancestry tests for fun are helping solve murders that seemed impossible to crack. Over 600 cold cases solved via genetic genealogy. First-semester students getting arrests. Families finally getting closure after 30, 40, 50 years. But with great power comes great responsibility—work WITH law enforcement, respect victims, focus on truth not fame. The UTA model could revolutionize how we handle cold cases nationwide.

TOPICS MENTIONED: UTA cold case program, Cynthia Gonzalez, Janie Perkins, Jessica Roberts, Arlington Police Department, Professor Patricia Eddings, Detective Anthony Stafford, Michelle McNamara, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Golden State Killer, Joseph James DeAngelo, Paul Holes, Patton Oswalt, Grateful Doe, Jason Callahan, Layla Betts, Linda Pagano, Reddit investigations, Boston Marathon bombing, genetic genealogy, GEDmatch, FamilyTreeDNA, CODIS, Mary K. Schlais, Jon Miller, Danielle Houchins, Paul Hutchinson, Melonie White, Vegas Justice League, Baby Garnet, Leslie Preer, Eugene Gligor, Othram, DNA testing, 23andMe, Ancestry, forensic genealogy, cold cases, citizen investigators, crowdsourced investigation, Uncovered.com, Washington State DNA funding, Colorado DNA retesting, privacy concerns, wrongful convictions, victim advocacy, true crime

New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe and follow for more deep dives into the weird, the wild, and the indistinct chatter!

Welcome back to [indistinct chatter]! Host Aliza dives into the Satanic panic that gripped America in the 1980s and 90s—and yes, it connects to Stranger Things. Remember in season 4 when the whole town wanted to hunt down Eddie for leading a "Satanic cult"? That was based on a very real (and very ridiculous) chapter of American history where Dungeons & Dragons, heavy metal, and daycare centers were all blamed for Satan's alleged takeover of society.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The McMartin Preschool Trial: How a letter to 200 parents in 1983 spiraled into the longest and most expensive criminal trial in U.S. history.

• Michelle Remembers: The 1980 book that started it all. A psychiatrist and his patient claimed to recover memories of an 81-day Satanic ritual. It launched an entire industry.

• The grifter economy: Meet "experts" who made bank scaring people. Plus: how "Cops for Christ" trained law enforcement to see Satanic crime everywhere.

• Dungeons & Dragons under attack: A grieving mother founded BADD (Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons), claiming the game taught real spells and summoned demons. Schools banned it. Parents burned game books.

• Heavy metal on trial: Judas Priest sued for subliminal messages. The PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen" list. How Parental Advisory stickers were born from panic. They even tried to ban John Denver!

• Everything became suspect: Procter & Gamble's logo, Mr. Rogers, and even Tinky Winky.

• How it ended: The 1992 FBI report finding ZERO evidence of Satanic cults. Elizabeth Loftus proving false memories are real.

• Modern parallels: We’ve learned absolutely nothing. Same patterns, different decade, same dangerous consequences.

On Aliza's Screen:

• America's Most Wanted
• Mazes and Monsters
• Stranger Things (STILL?)

The Bottom Line: The Satanic Panic ruined lives based on zero evidence. People spent years in jail for crimes that never happened. Children were traumatized by aggressive interrogations. Families were destroyed. And we're doing it again. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Question the "experts." Don't destroy someone's life based on your feelings and pattern-seeking brains. Real problems (actual child abuse, actual trafficking) get ignored when we chase fantasies.

TOPICS MENTIONED: Satanic Panic, McMartin Preschool, Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons, Patricia Pulling, BADD, heavy metal, Judas Priest, PMRC, Tipper Gore, recovered memory therapy, false memories, Elizabeth Loftus, Michelle Remembers, Mike Warnke, Lauren Stratford, QAnon, Pizzagate, moral panic, 1980s, Ray Buckey, Kee MacFarlane, FBI report, Kenneth Lanning, West Memphis Three, conspiracy theories, Eddie Munson, Frank Zappa, John Denver, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Stranger Things, Cornerstone magazine, Oprah, 20/20, Satan, 4chan, Rebecca Brown Yoder, Anton LaVey, Bob Larson, Jack Chick, Geraldo Rivera, Dr. Lawrence Pazder, Michelle Smith,

New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe and follow for more deep dives into the weird, the wild, and the indistinct chatter!