PODCAST · society
Non-Toxic
by Daniel Penny
From the manosphere to the atmosphere, Non-Toxic is devoted to understanding the intersections between the crisis of masculinity and the climate crisis. Join us for conversations with experts, journalists, and regular guys on topics ranging from how to blow up a pipeline to why incels are obsessed with the idea of alphas to why meatfluencers may not have your best interests at heart.Hosted by critic and journalist Daniel Waite Penny. nontoxicpodcast.substack.com
Episodes
-
Young men think the world is cooked but they’ll somehow be fine
Are young men secretly optimistic about the American Dream while believing everything is falling apart? In this election special, I sit down with returning guest Charlie Sabgir from the Young Men Research Project to unpack a massive new survey of 1,000 young men (ages 18–29) and 500 young women —...
-
Getting it Up on Cape Cod
Summer is officially over. Put away your linen and your bathing suits and unpack your sweaters. To salute the last glimmers of the season, I’m bringing you a special bonus episode featuring an essay by my friend, Abraham Storer. It’s called “Getting It Up” about a summertime tradition on the…
more -
Bryan Johnson still wants to live forever
In May, I met the biohacker and wellness entrepreneur Bryan Johnson while I was in Las Vegas reporting a story about the Enhanced Games for Now Voyager. The article, called “Gear and Doping in Las Vegas,” is in issue four of the magazine, which comes out today. A former tech bro who sold his...
-
Abdul El-Sayed on how progressives can win back men and Democrats can take back the Senate
Today I’m bringing you a conversation I had with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is one of the two Democratic candidates facing off in a primary tomorrow to represent Michigan in the US Senate. I talked to Dr. El-Sayed about a year ago for Carbon Bros., the miniseries I did with Amy Westervelt and…
more -
Companies will only stop poisoning us when it's against the law
Throughout “Just Keep Swimming,” we’ve been connecting the dots between the chemicals hiding in everyday life and what they're doing to male fertility, and it’s not looking good. To catch you up: * Phthalates are everywhere — your cologne, your aftershave, even milk — silently interfering with…
more -
How do we know our clothes are safe?
You’ve likely heard the horror stories about lead-contaminated fast fashion, airline uniforms triggering severe allergic reactions or sweaters bursting into flames. Maybe you’re worried about the chemicals lurking in your own closet or have stared at a tag while shopping, wondering what’s…
more -
These chemicals may be killing your fertility
Thinking of having children? Wondering whether your sperm has been compromised by years of eating lunchables and drinking from a battered Nalgene? A growing body of evidence suggests sperm counts may have dropped by nearly half since the 1970s. Commentators have blamed obesity, nutrition, even...
-
After Cooling with Eric Dean Wilson (Part 1)
Western Europe has been experiencing its hottest temperatures in the history of humanity this week, so it felt like a good time to resurface this episode I recorded way back with my old co-host Andrew Lewis, and our guest Eric Dean Wilson, author of After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and…
more -
"I got two sperms"
I’m bringing you the first episode of a series I’m doing called “Just Keep Swimming.” It’s a Non-Toxic miniseries about male infertility and chemical exposure, exploring how chemicals in our environment (or chemicals we choose to inject into our bodies) can have an enormous impact on our…
more -
The real winner of the war in Iran will be solar power
A fifth of the world’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a sliver of ocean between Iran and the Gulf States. Since the beginning of the US Israeli war in Iran, that traffic has slowed to a trickle, which has sent the price of oil skyward. Countries around the world are doing everything they...
-
How to break the rightwing chokehold on gym culture
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com In this episode of Non-Toxic, I’m joined by fitness influencer Colin Davis to explore the intersection of muscle hypertrophy, masculinity, and climate activism. You might remember Colin from the Carbon Bros...
-
The Dark Side of the Battery Supply Chain
Is our “green” future actually being built on a global sacrifice zone? In this episode, I’m sitting down with my former New Yorker colleague Nicolas Niarchos to break down his wild new book, The Elements of Power. It’s a massive, globe-spanning investigation into the battery supply chain—tracking...
-
The doctor who was helping Jeffrey Epstein live (and creep) forever
If you’ve been reading the latest batch of the Epstein files, you may have noticed an unlikely name from the world of longevity and “Medicine 2.0”: Dr Peter Attia. To understand the connection between Jeffrey Epstein and Attia, I sat down with Sami Reiss, author of the Super Health. An expert in...
-
Moggers, Gigachads, and Neo-Nazis
Are you a genetic loser with a recessed maxilla? Have you been brutally framemogged? Will you ever ascend? Welcome to the world of looksmaxxing, where all your problems can be solved with specially crafted fitness protocols that will change your life, or at least mutilate your face. In this…
more -
Why Climate Denial Feels So Good
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com In this subscriber-only episode, I talk to writer and broadcaster Richard Seymour about his recent book Disaster Nationalism. Richard breaks down how his concept of disaster nationalism is different from…
more -
From the vault: Starting the new year with a burning Christmas Tree
Every year on January 7th, the artist Jay Critchley holds a ceremony inviting attendees to “re-root” themselves to the earth. He also pushes a flaming Christmas tree into the harbor. In this episode from the vault, I visit Jay’s Provincetown studio to discuss everything from his conceptual...
-
Carbon Bros (Bonus mailbag episode)
Amy and I are back after a little hiatus to bring you our long awaited Carbon Bros mailbag episode. We received so many interesting responses from people around the world. Thanks for sharing your stories, sparking ideas, and raising pivotal questions. Carbon Bros is a collaboration between…
more -
Young men are swinging away from Trump. Will they come back to Democrats?
Democrats did surprisingly well in the recent spate of elections. One of the key pieces of that story was that young men came back to the party after supposedly abandoning them in 2024 for Trump and the far right. So what happened in that intervening year to change their minds? With insights from...
-
He's benching 315, habibi
Democratic pundits have been wringing their hands about how they lost young men in 2024 and how to win them back. With Election Day comming up, I thought I’d share this bonus episode of Carbon Bros, in which I talk to Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about what the Democratic...
-
Carbon Bros: Episode 4 (Integration)
The kings of the manosphere love to talk about “integrating” a man’s warrior and civilized self, but how about integrating men, and new ideas of masculinity, into the climate movement instead? What does that look like, who’s doing it, and where are there opportunities for repair and progress?…
more -
Why is the fossil fuel industry funding anti-trans politics? (Bonus Episode)
In this eye-opening episode of Carbon Bros, my co-host Amy Westervelt talks with special guest Vivian Taylor. A veteran of both trans rights activism and climate policy (and a literal veteran), Vivian reveals the shocking connections between fossil billionaires and anti-trans campaigns. Turns…
more -
Carbon Bros: Episode 3 (Climate Hysteria, Doomers, and Boy Math Solutions)
Stop listening to hysterical Swedish teenagers and start listening to reasonable men! Some dudes do have solutions to the climate crisis; they just don’t involve messy interpersonal stuff, changing their lifestyles, or reorganizing the global economy. From techno quick fixes and visions of...
-
Bonus Episode: Putting the "tiny" in Petro-masculinity
In this bonus episode of Carbon Bros, we present an extended conversation with Cara Daggett, who coined the term "petro-masculinity." Daggett delves into the implications of this idea that far-right ideologies, misogyny, and climate denial are all tied together in the macho obsession with big old...
-
Carbon Bros: Episode 2 (Energy Dominance)
When it comes to powering the US, “energy dominance” has become a favorite phrase of the Trump administration. But who or what are they trying to dominate with all that oil and gas? In this episode, we zoom out from climate change to trace how gender became so embedded in our collective...
-
Carbon Bros: Episode 1 (The Testosterone Pipeline)
Manosphere figures like Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan, and Jordan Peterson aren’t just telling men how to treat their girlfriends or train for MMA fights; they’re also blasting their listeners with climate denial talking points. Which isn’t a coincidence. The fossil fuel industry has known since at…
more -
Carbon Bros launches July 25
In just over two weeks, Carbon Bros, a collaboration between Non-Toxic and Drilled, will be making its long-awaited debut on July 25. Here’s the gist: You’ve heard it from cable news pundits, Democratic strategists, and your favorite YouTuber: young men swung the last U.S. election for Trump....
-
Re-rooting with artist and activist Jay Critchley
Join me in the studio of artist and activist Jay Critchley, a Provincetown legend known for his provocative work at the intersection of masculinity, environmental degradation, and consumption. Each year in his annual RE-ROOTER Ceremony, the artist includes the public in an attempt to discard the...
-
What's Left? with Malcolm Harris
In this episode, I’m joined by Malcolm Harris, author of Kids These Days, Palo Alto, and What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis, out April 15, 2025 and available for pre-order. His new book is a survey of left political-economic thought, broken down into what Malcolm sees as the...
-
Telling the climate story like it's true crime, with journalist Amy Westervelt
Like a rhizomatic network, Non-Toxic is linking and building with investigative climate journalist Amy Westervelt. She and the Drilled podcast team will be helping out with a special mini-season of Non-Toxic x Drilled, launching summer 2025. For those of you who aren’t already devoted Drilled...
-
The first weeks of Trump's climate agenda, with Andrew Lewis
On this bonus episode, we're joined by environmental reporter and former Non-Toxic co-host, Andrew Lewis, to discuss the first weeks of the Trump administration's climate policy. We've also got some personal life updates like moving to Cape Cod, and trying to build a house without wrapping it in...
-
The problem of Justin Baldoni and fake male feminists, with Emily Kirkpatrick and Dr. Will McInerney
On this episode of Non-Toxic, we're going Hollywood, breaking down the PR wars and legal wrangling between the stars of the domestic violence drama, It Ends With Us. Justin Baldoni, the director and co-star of the film, is facing serious allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate on-set...
-
From the vault: We're all hypebeasts now, with Alec Leach
For this end of year episode of Non-Toxic, we dive back into the vault to revisit a fascinating conversation with Alec Leach, a sustainability strategist and author of The World is on Fire but We're Still Buying Shoes. (He's also got a great substack.) Alec shares his eye-opening journey from a...
-
Surviving Fire Season, with Clare Boerigter
Things are heating up in this episode of Non-Toxic. I'm talking to Clare Boerigter, a fire research fellow, science writer, and former wildland firefighter who has been on the front lines of America's increasingly out of control wildfires. Clare shares stories from her three seasons fighting…
more -
Why muscle dysmorphia got so big
In this episode of Non-Toxic, I dive into the world of extreme muscularity with Dr Roberto Olivardia, a researcher and clinician who helped coin the term “muscle dysmorphia.” Dr Olivardia charts the rise of muscle dysmorphia among men and his own journey into studying eating disorders and OCD...
-
How Trump won the bro vote in 2024
In this election special, we're diving deep into the not so surprising rightward shift among young men. Our guest, Shauna Daly, co-founder of the Young Men Research Initiative and a seasoned Democratic campaign operative, provides insights into why many young men turned to Trump in 2024. We…
more -
Peeling back skincare for men, with Jessica DeFino
In this episode of Non-Toxic, we’re talking with beauty critic Jessica DeFino about the evolving culture of male beauty standards. Jessica DeFino is an award-winning beauty reporter whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and more. A former editor for the...
-
Wild Man Weekend, with Ian MacKenzie
In this episode of Non-Toxic, we're traumatizing our egos in nature's vastness and exploring the roots of the term "toxic masculinity" in the mythopoetic men's movement. Through a conversation with Ian MacKenzie, host of The Mythic Masculine Podcast, we delve into the history, core concepts, and...
-
What does prison reveal about toxic masculinity? with Dr Terry Kupers
In episode 1 of Season 3, I talk to one of the main figures responsible for the spread of the term “toxic masculinity,” Dr Terry Kupers, an academic, psychiatrist, expert witness, and former doctor for the LA chapter of the Black Panthers. (He’s led quite the life.) Terry’s research on the…
more -
Greetings from Money Island! A special Earth Day bonus episode
This week we have a special Earth Day bonus episode. The intrepid producer of our show, Andrew Lewis, is reporting from the Society for Environmental Journalists. Andrew gives us an update on Money Island, the community at the center of his first book, who refused to sell their land to a New…
more -
Help me, Non-Toxic. (Bonus call-in epsiode)
For this bonus episode of Non-toxic, we're catching up with our producer, Andrew, and taking calls from our loyal listeners while dispensing poorly thought out advice. From how to get your brother-in-law to stop watching Formula 1 to the climate impact of AI, we are covering a lot of ground this...
-
Right to Roam, with Paul Powlesland
In the Season 2 finale of Non-toxic we're talking with barrister Paul Powlesland about the universal right to enjoy natural places, despite what landowners may tell you. He's the legal counsel for the activist group Right to Roam, who are pushing for greater access to England and Wale's wild…
more -
The new climate denial, with Callum Hood from the Center for Countering Digital Hate
Where does your crazy climate-denying uncle come up with those outlandish talking points that he trots out at Thanksgiving or Christmas? Things like: “Wind turbines cause autism!” Whatever he's saying probably isn't something he made up on his own. In all likelihood, he's been watching too much...
-
Reservation Rap with Mato Wayuhi
This week, we'll be talking with Mato Wayuhi, a musician, rapper, and composer from South Dakota, whose forthcoming major label debut is called Stankface Standing Soldier. You may have also heard his music in the film War Pony, and the hit television series on Hulu, Reservation Dogs. In this...
-
Can the Amazon Rainforest be saved? with Richard Mosse
This week we talk to photographer, filmmaker and artist Richard Mosse, who spent two years documenting the desctruction of one of the most ecologically sensitive areas of the world, the Amazon Rainforest. Using infrared film, GIS mapping technologies, and ultraviolet cameras, Mosse explores every...
-
We're all hypebeasts now, with Alec Leach
This week, we're joined from Berlin by sustainability expert and author of The World Is On Fire But We’re Still Buying Shoes, Alec Leach. As a former fashion editor, Alec has spent a large part of his career understanding how men in particular are convinced, persuaded and tricked into buying…
more -
The decade we could have stopped climate change, with Nathaniel Rich
In this episode of Non-Toxic, we talk to Nathaniel Rich, author of Losing Earth: A Recent History. It’s a bracing conversation about the little known story of the 1980s, when scientists, politicians, and policy-makers were all in agreement that something had to be done to lower carbon…
more -
Climate babies (Part 1) with Sian Norris
What do abortion restrictions have to do with climate change? According to believers of the Great Replacement conspiracy theory, it's all connected. Journalist and author Sian Norris joins Non-toxic to talk about her new book, Bodies Under Siege: How the Far-Right Attack on Reproductive Rights…
more -
The masculine urge to drive a pickup truck, with Lucy von Sturmer
This week on Non-toxic we're talking about the state of advertising in the age of the climate crisis with Lucy von Sturmer, greenwashing guru and founder of Creatives for Climate. Lucy charts her journey from fossil fuel hack to climate activist and breaks down how ads continue to tap into the...
-
Is the cure to male loneliness going to the park? With Hannah Seo
Researchers are starting to discover surprising links between loneliness and biophobia. Why are people avoiding social interactions and staying inside so much? Why does an indoor life make the natural world seem so scary and gross? And how do these two trends affect men in particular, who are...
-
How Danish fashion brands Ganni and (di)vision made sustainability cool
When it comes to sustainability, something is popping in the state of Denmark. In this bonus episode, recorded in the offices of Ganni during Copenhagen Fashion Week, we talk with former Ganni CEO Nicolaj Reffstrup and (di)vision Creative Director Simon Wick about how Denmark has positioned…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
From the manosphere to the atmosphere, Non-Toxic is devoted to understanding the intersections between the crisis of masculinity and the climate crisis. Join us for conversations with experts, journalists, and regular guys on topics ranging from how to blow up a pipeline to why incels are obsessed with the idea of alphas to why meatfluencers may not have your best interests at heart.Hosted by critic and journalist Daniel Waite Penny.
nontoxicpodcast.substack.com
HOSTED BY
Daniel Penny
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Non-Toxic have?
Non-Toxic currently has 60 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Non-Toxic about?
From the manosphere to the atmosphere, Non-Toxic is devoted to understanding the intersections between the crisis of masculinity and the climate crisis. Join us for conversations with experts, journalists, and regular guys on topics ranging from how to blow up a pipeline to why incels are obsessed...
How often does Non-Toxic release new episodes?
Non-Toxic has 60 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Non-Toxic?
You can listen to Non-Toxic on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Non-Toxic?
Non-Toxic is created and hosted by Daniel Penny.
URL copied to clipboard!