Unlicensed Therapist | Ali A. Rizvi

Mar 25 2024 25 ep. 91 mins 28

Unlicensed Therapist | Ali A. Rizvi Podcast artwork

Exploring the human experience in the twenty-first century — how we think, how we relate, and how we believe.

With author, musician, and physician Ali A. Rizvi

Society & Culture Comedy Religion & Spirituality

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E09 | Can Machines Master Creativity? George Carlin's Daughter Sues Over Fake AI Special

Mar 25 2024 51 mins

Kelly Carlin — daughter of the legendary late comedian George Carlin — joins me to talk about her lawsuit against the creators of a fake AI-generated "special" of her dad, the future of AI and human creativity, "manufactured humanity," what her father might have thought about the world today, and the experience of making the HBO Max documentary "George Carlin's American Dream"

E08 | Mark Zuckerberg Is Right About Social Media & Mental Health

Mar 25 2024 26 mins

Mark Zuckerberg outraged Senators and parents in a Judicial Committee hearing by claiming that there is "no causal link" between social media and mental health.The Senators also made Mark Zuckerberg apologize to the families of children who died or ended their lives because of experiences on social media.Here's the problem: Mark Zuckerberg is right. And this hearing is just another

E07 | Vishnu Vaka: The Indian Comedian Taking America by Storm

Mar 25 2024 54 mins

Vishnu Vaka is KILLING it. His clips have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram. Russell Peters (a fan) has taken him on tour. Bill Burr has shared his bits online. He has gotten "passed" at New York's elite Comedy Cellar, one of the world's toughest clubs to get into. If you're one of the few people who haven't heard Vishnu yet, trust me—you soon will.Vishnu came to the U.S. as a t

E06 | A Gaza War Survivor Tells Her Story

Mar 25 2024 58 mins

In this episode, I speak to May Salam from Gaza. Although she was able to leave, her family is still trapped in the war, living in a tent on a street in Southern Gaza after their home was leveled by Israeli bombing. Her brother is badly injured, with no access to medical treatment. May has had no contact with her family for three weeks. You will hear May tell her story as she has s

E05 | Ask an Israeli, Ask a Palestinian

Jan 12 2024 84 mins

The whole world is talking about Israel and Palestine — but what do people on the ground there really think?In this episode, I speak with Corey Gil-Shuster, who joins me from Tel Aviv, Israel. Corey has spent more than a decade taking a camcorder (and translators as needed) into the cities and towns in the West Bank and in Israel, asking questions to ordinary people on the street

E04 | Christian Nationalism: The Biggest Threat to America?

Jan 12 2024 75 mins

Is Christian Nationalism the biggest threat to America today? James Carville, political guru and strategist who got Bill Clinton elected president twice, thinks it’s "more dangerous than Al-Qaeda." Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has said the separation of church and state is a “misnomer.” Congresswoman Lauren Boebert thinks it’s “junk.” And the U

E03 | Did a Jewish Author and Muslim Illustrator Just Write the Best Christmas Book of the Year?

Jan 12 2024 66 mins

It isn't just a Christmas book — it's a raucous, fun, biting statement on our world at the end of 2023. Christmas Mubarak!Author Mookie Spitz (American Jew) and illustrator and artist Rusty Yunusoff (Russian Muslim) talk about their fantastic new book about Santa Claus (North Pole Christian).But that's not all there is to it. Listen and find out.Get Super Santa here: https://www.

E02 | Comedy in the Age of D.E.I.

Dec 13 2023 56 mins

After a killer first episode (thanks to all who watched/listened/shared), we’re on to Episode 2 of Unlicensed Therapist, featuring one of my favorite rising standup comedians, Noor Kidwai. You may have seen Noor in one of his viral Instagram sketches with fellow comics Andrew Oporto and Edworld Kim, all of who perform standup together on their Diversity Hires comedy tour — one

E01 | The Jew and the Muslim

Dec 03 2023 99 mins

Mookie Spitz is the Jewish-American son of Hungarian Holocaust survivors.I was born to a Pakistani Muslim family and grew up in Saudi Arabia.In North America, we're friends. Elsewhere, we may not have been.In the inaugural episode of Unlicensed Therapist, we'll do more than just talk to each other: we will listen.Join us as we get into how our backgrounds shaped our views on the Is

Kelly Carlin: Humor, Healing, and Hanging On

Oct 03 2021 61 mins

Kelly Carlin is the only daughter of legendary comedian George Carlin and author of "A Carlin Home Companion." Kelly is an inspirational public speaker, a writer of books and screenplays, radio host, podcaster, and a declared asker of big questions, with a graduate degree in Jungian psychology and a refreshingly unique perspective on life and living. In this episode, we talk about