Know What You See with Brian Lowery
Brian S. Lowery 52 episodes Oct 20, 2026
Know What You See with Brian Lowery explores how the fundamental human need for connection shapes our experience of life. Through conversations with experts and everyday people, Brian Lowery examines the surprises, confusions, and moments of transcendence that emerge from our relationships with others. The show asks and raises questions about how we understand ourselves and the lives we create together.
Episodes
Who Are You When "Us" Ends? with Nikki Parkinson
Nikki Parkinson is a divorce doula or separation strategist with a long background in family law, as well as personal experience navigating her own painful divorce. She joins Brian to explore what happens to our sense of self when a marriage ends, and how separation changes our relationships with family, friends, and community. They also discuss why divorce is so often framed as failure,
Loud and Proud in Business and BDSM with Kim Pham
What does it take to let go of who you’re supposed to be and embrace more of who you are? Kim Pham, co-founder of the Asian food brand Omsom, joins Brian Lowery to discuss how celebrating her cultural identity opened the door not only to starting a new business but also to exploring her sexuality. On this episode, they examine shame, self-discovery, and the risks and rewards of living ope
Changing the Game with Benjamin Patch
What happens when the thing that defines you begins to limit who you can be? Former professional volleyball player Benjamin Patch joins Brian to reflect on leaving the sport and entering the creative world, a change that helped him discover more about who he is beyond his achievements on the court.For more on Brian Lowery and Know What You See, visit brianloweryphd.com/podcast.
The Things the Scale Can’t Measure with Brianne Cail
This season on Know What You See, host Brian Lowery explores transformation as the human condition. Through conversations with people from all walks of life, we'll look at how we're changed by love and loss, or luck and choice, and the experiences that make us who we are.Writer Brianne Cail expected GLP-1 medications to change her health and her body. But she was surprised at how they alt
The Art of Kintsugi Ceramics: Naoko Fukumaru on Making What’s Broken Beautiful
Sometimes healing doesn't mean trying to erase the past, but honoring it — cracks and all. In this episode, artist Naoko Fukumaru shares her deeply personal story of transformation through kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery or ceramics with lacquer and gold or silver powder to highlight the fractures and seams. She and host Brian Lowery explore what it means to mend —
From Medieval Love Songs to Modern Hip-Hop: Marisa Galvez on the Power of Poetry
What do medieval troubadours and modern rappers have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, Stanford professor of French and Italian, Marisa Galvez joins Brian Lowery to explore how poetry—whether in 12th-century love songs or hip-hop lyrics—has long been a way to express love, power, or identity. Together they discuss how lyrical traditions from the past continue to shape
From Lipstick to Loons: Jennifer Sullivan’s Journey into Birding
Host Brian Lowery talks with journalist Jennifer Sullivan about the parallels between beauty and birding. As someone who has spent years writing about appearance and self-perception, Jenn discovered that watching birds offered a different kind of reflection—one that quiets the mind and expands our sense of place in the world. She and Brian discuss how stepping into nature can shift the wa
Flight of the Monarchs: Jaime Rojo on Beauty and Conservation
National Geographic photographer and conservationist Jaime Rojo has spent decades capturing the beauty and fragility of the monarch butterfly. Their epic migration is one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles, but their survival is under threat. In this episode, Jaime shares how his passion for photography and conservation led him to document the monarchs’ journey. He and host Brian Lo
Spilling the Tea on Cross Culture Comedy: Jesse Appell’s Journey in China
In this episode, comedian and tea enthusiast Jesse Appell of Jesse's Teahouse takes us on a journey from studying Chinese comedy to building an online tea business. He shares how navigating different cultures shaped his perspective on laughter, authenticity, and community. From mastering traditional Chinese cross-talk comedy to reinventing himself after a life-changing move, Jesse and hos
Music, Movement, and Meaning: Hanging Out with DJ Cosmo
In this episode of Know What You See, Brian Lowery talks with DJ Colleen "Cosmo" Murphy, an acclaimed broadcaster, DJ, and founder of Classic Album Sundays. Colleen shares her journey from a high school radio station to becoming a global curator of transformative musical experiences. Whether it's finding community through the airwaves, or the shared euphoria of the dance floor, or the rel
Bonus: "Wisdom and Practice" with Simran Jeet Singh
Here’s another podcast we think you’ll like. It's called "Wisdom and Practice" and it’s hosted by one of Brian Lowry's guests this season, Simran Jeet Singh. Wisdom & Practice uncovers what insights we can gain from our ancient and modern traditions. Simran explores the different means of practice his guests have taken to discover new awareness of themselves, and how we can all cultiv
Wine and Chocolate: Stories and Craft with Chris Gaither and Todd Masonis
Wine and chocolate may seem like simple pleasures, but for people like master sommelier Chris Gaither and Dandelion Chocolates co-founder Todd Masonis, they’re so much more. Chris sees wine as a way to bring people together to share stories and get in touch with the land and culture. Todd’s approach to chocolate focuses on traditional origins and fostering relationships with small farms.
A Guiding Light: Simran Jeet Singh on Faith and Practice
In this episode of Know What You See, Brian Lowery talks with with Simran Jeet Singh, professor, author, and host of the podcast, Wisdom and Practice, to explore the intersection of faith, purpose, and daily life. Simran shares how his Sikh faith guides his journey toward self-improvement, happiness, and meaningful community connections. Together, he and Brian discuss the role of religion
BONUS: What's Ray Saying?
On a recent episode of Know What You See, Brian had a conversation with master storyteller, Dr. Ray Christian. Ray’s stories have appeared on The Moth, RISK!, and Snap Judgment but he’s not just a storyteller. Ray is also a historian, father, and combat veteran from the rural South, who finds himself floating between life in academia, public speaking, parenting, and tending to the goats i
From the Frontlines to Behind the Mic: Dr. Ray Christian on Storytelling
What do the stories we tell say about who we are? In this episode of Know What You See, host Brian Lowery sits down with Dr. Ray Christian—storyteller, educator, ten-time Moth Story Slam champion, and host of the award-winning podcast What's Ray Saying? —to explore how the narratives we share, and the ones we leave out, shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.Join Bri
Know What You See Season 4 Trailer
On Know What You See, host Brian Lowery dives into a single, sweeping question: "What's the point?" Why do people dedicate so much of themselves to pursuits like music, wine, comedy, or storytelling? Through engaging conversations with enthusiasts from diverse fields, this season explores the reasons behind our passions and what they reveal about us. Tune in for new episodes starting Nove
KWYS Short: What's the point of having kids?
In this Know What You See short, Brian probes the real reasons for having kids and why biological family is so important to us.
KWYS Short: What's the point of picking teams?
In this Know What You See short, Brian reflects on how the strategy of selection determines our sense of self worth .
KWYS Short: What's the point of travel?
In this Know What You See short, Brian considers why being thoughtful about travel can help us get the most out of it.Why do you travel? Leave a message with your thoughts at brianloweryphd.com/contact. Stay tuned for new episodes of Know What You See coming this fall and follow @knowwhatyouseepod on Instagram.
Transforming Life Through Death
We’ve been looking at the forces in our lives that shape who we are and who we can be: our relationships, our social identities, our ability to choose. But all of this exists in the shadow of the knowledge that we will all die. This is so terrifying that most of us try to avoid thinking or talking about it. But what would change if we were better prepared for death and dying? How would it
Awe: a Pathway to Meaning
In the day-to-day of our lives, how often do we feel truly moved? Many of us think we have to get away from our daily reality to experience awe--the feeling that something is so wondrous and mysterious it's a little scary. It can feel like only extraordinary encounters with say art or majestic experiences of nature evoke awe, and we are left with too little of it. But maybe we can learn t
Is Free Will Real?
We like to believe that we are masters of our own fate, that we are the cause of our choices and actions. But what if that's not true? Imagine that all of our choices and actions are simply the product of history—whether that goes back one minute or 1000 years—and biological and environmental forces that we often don’t even understand. In this episode we're exploring the question of wheth
Blurring the Boundaries of Race
Race and gender are thought by many to be immutable features of our biology. In some places and spaces, we see significant challenges to this way of thinking about gender, but the biological view of race has proved more durable. How do we understand racial identity from individual and community perspectives? What’s changing about how we define race and how that shapes our interactions wit
Society Self and Gender
For many of us, gender is an important part of how we understand ourselves. It affects everything, from the way we present ourselves physically, to how we make sense of others' interactions with us. But what determines our gender? The answer to this question is more complicated than we might think. The way we understand gender can reveal a lot about who we are and who we can be.
Our gues
Watching Work…from Home
With so many of us now working at home or on a hybrid schedule, the line between our employment and our personal lives has been blurring. What does work/life balance mean when the boundaries keep shifting? What does our nostalgia for pre-pandemic workplace comedies like The Office say about who we are and who we used to be? And is the dystopian drama series Severance a warning, or a kind
Finding Home
What goes into making a home? For many, it means a physical space, that’s true, and the useful objects we collect within. But it’s also a repository for our memories and aspirations. How we build or decorate our homes signals who we are, our tastes and values, and the signs of our success. It’s where we feel safe and connected, and where we welcome others we trust. But does a home need to
The Endless Swipe For Love
A spouse, a soul-mate, a life partner - however you define “the one”, the search for that person is often confusing and fraught with challenges and doubt. And in a world with so much choice, is it better to enlist the opinions of those who know you best, like your family and friends? Or can more “objective” support like matchmakers and algorithms narrow down the field and yield true love?
Different Friends at Different Times
This season Brian explores some of the topics from his book “Selfless: The Social Construction of You”. Specifically, how we see ourselves, and how our relationships and social interactions shape the way we live. Even before the pandemic, there was evidence our social lives were fraying. Engagement in social clubs, civic organizations, churches have been in decline and the traditional way
Bonus: How Others Define Us from Think Fast, Talk Smart
Here’s another podcast to add to your queue. Matt Abrahams is a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior here at Stanford, and in his podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart. he speaks with experts about the real world challenges of communicating effectively. From emails, to giving presentations or speaking at family functions, how can we best get our point across in business and in life? Brian Lowery
Bonus: Brian Lowery on the Talk Nerdy Podcast with Cara Santa Maria
Cara Santa Maria is the science correspondent on National Geographic's popular television series Brain Games and she hosts the weekly science podcast Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria.
In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara invited me to talk about my new book, "Selfless: The Social Creation of "You." Hope you enjoy our conversation and be sure to check out the other episodes of Talk Nerdy,
Worked to Death
Whether it's the economic after effects of the pandemic, the disruption of work/life balance, or the increasing use of new technology - many of us are feeling the pressure of change at our jobs. In this episode, Brian talks with Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab at New America and host of the podcast, American Karoshi. We delve into her research into work stress, the impact
Learning What’s Next
Today, it's still a fact that many employers require job applicants to have a traditional four year degree, and that finding work is often a combination of academic achievement, internships, and networking. But this isn’t the only formula for making a successful living. How can we change these mindsets to allow more workers to build satisfying careers and create a more diverse labor marke
Work on the Move
This week on Know What You See, we explore the growing category of remote workers known as “digital nomads”, people who not only work remote, they work from constantly changing locations. With more people transitioning from their jobs, reconsidering their work life balances and leaving urban areas, digital nomads working in the knowledge sector are searching for more freedom and flexibili
The Great (re-)Balance
The height of the pandemic lockdown caused widespread job losses, followed by a rise in the number of people quitting work, a sharp uptick the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. On this episode, Brian Lowery talks to Rakesh Kochhar and Julianna Horowitz of the Pew Research Center who conducted a study of what's been called The Great Resignation. Then, we hear from Julia Pollack, C
Bonus: Finding your self
This week, a special bonus episode from Know What You See: What is the self? What are we talking about when we say we know ourselves? Scientists believe the brain defines who we are, but Brian Lowery suggests that the self goes beyond our physical being, rooted in our relationships and interactions with other people.
Brian Lowery is The Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizatio
Minding the Generation Gap
In recent years, our idea of traditional office culture has been turned on its head by the pandemic, the rise of remote work, the explosion of the gig economy, real estate fluctuations and much more. Today's offices are a mix of work locations, communication styles and types of employment. Employees are at different stages of their lives and careers, and that diversity amplifies the compl
When The Side Hustle Becomes THE Hustle
In recent years, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of workers supplementing or replacing traditional 9 to 5 jobs with gig work of some kind. People like Joel Lantigua, whose gig work as a courier helps him maintain a certain work/life balance, and the flexibility to pursue other interests. But as more people flock to these types of jobs, what are the implications for workers and the e
How Do We Make "Work from Home" Work?
The pandemic caused many companies to shut down and go remote, which affected many small businesses who cater to corporate office workers. On this episode, we'll hear from Kelly Fitzpatrick, owner of Blue Park Kitchen, whose main clientele practically disappeared in the shift to working from home. Then we’ll talk to Stanford professor Nick Bloom to get a bigger picture of the economic iss
Rediscovering Worker Power
From teachers to baristas, warehouse workers to nurses, the media has been filled with stories of strikes, walkouts and union votes. The National Labor Relations Board says that petitions for union representation are up more than 50 per cent from this time last year. What's behind this surge in labor organizing? On this episode, Brian talks to Rebecca Givan, Associate Professor in the Sch
Unrest at Work
Today, some workers are asking their companies for more than safe working conditions and fair pay—they are pushing for values-based behavior and decision-making. Employees are making their voices heard on issues like companies’ customers, hiring practices, and content creation. What role should employees play in such decisions? What staff input will companies need to allow to attract the
Season 2 of Know What You See
The people and institutions around us influence each aspect of life. In workplaces, at home with family, or even walking down the street, there are social forces that affect every part of ourselves. Join Brian Lowery for Season 2 of "Know What You See," a podcast where we uncover these hidden social forces.This season, Brian talks with a range of guests about the shifting world of work,
Race at Work
What’s the cost of “just being yourself” when you don’t look like the majority of workers or the powerful people in your organization? When society is rife with negative stereotypes about minorities, when power imbalances plague workplaces, trust can be eroded and people churn through doubt and fear. That costs us all. Brian's guests on this episode are Josh Grant, a community manager who
There's No Place like House
The early 1980s saw the sound of a new generation emerge from the loft parties and underground clubs of Chicago: House music. In spaces like the Warehouse and the Music Box, DJ's began to innovate around disco's four-on-the-floor beat, adding drum machines, deeper bass lines, and synths. At the time, Chicago had its first Black mayor, Harold Washington Jr., and there was optimism and ener
Who Do You Think You're Talking To?
Our voices are powerful tools. We can speak loudly or softly, with urgency or calm. We can make requests or issue commands. Whenever and however we speak, we reveal the way we see the world. But, it’s not just the words we use that people interpret, it’s the way we sound.
Our accents, our cadence tells people something about where we’re from in terms of location and group memberships. B
The Business of Food and Identity
Selling food that represents who you are and where you’ve been can be a tricky business. What does it mean to serve “authentic” food, and why should it matter? In this episode, we explore how ethnicity affects the experience of creating a food business. Brian Lowery talks to Toronto-based chef Eva Chin about how she is reclaiming her family history and cultural identity through her dishes
Who Owns Food?
What does it mean for food to be authentic? Who owns this or that recipe, ingredient, or flavor? Why do we care? This week Brian Lowery speaks with documentarian, writer, and professor of food studies, Von Diaz. She discusses the fusion of island culinary traditions with Southern-style cooking, and what she's been studying about food and authenticity. Plus, Brian looks back on a conversat
Identity-Driven Design
Design is about more than just what looks good. From what we choose to wear to what we bring into our homes, design tells us what matters and sometimes who matters. And, as is true for all of us, a designer’s identity and experiences affect their ideas in both subtle and not so subtle ways. This week on the podcast, Brian Lowery talks with two artists about how issues of identity and powe
The Blacker the Hero, the Darker the Truth
This week, host Brian Lowery delves into the world of BLACK with the comic’s co-creator Kwanza Osajyefo. The series raises the question: What if only Black people could have superpowers? How would they use these abilities, and at what cost? The conversation explores issues of representation in the themes, artwork, and characters in BLACK and comics today, as well as how the story of super
They Call Them Bruce
After a year and a half of the pandemic, ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’, Marvel's first blockbuster film to feature an Asian American superhero did big numbers at the box office. This is from the same country where politicians were calling the COVID-19 virus the "China Flu", and we had a spate of violent crimes targeting Asian-Americans. In this episode of Know What You See,
The Cost of Flying High
What does it cost to achieve the traditional measures of success? What if your racial identity, your cultural heritage, or your family history was an obstacle to getting ahead? In this episode, two highly accomplished people talk about what success required of them. We move beyond the obvious necessities of hard work, talent, and perseverance and explore what people sometimes hide or give
Coloring Public Spaces
Many of us grew up playing in our neighborhood parks, using those shared spaces for family picnics, going for a run or a game of softball. Over the last year or so of the pandemic, we’ve found a new appreciation for the value of these outdoor community areas. But with a number of racially charged incidents in places like New York’s Central Park and Oakland, CA, we’re also learning anew ho
Welcome to Know What You See with Brian Lowery
Whether we think about it or not, race is an ever present aspect of our lives. From our workplace, to our schools, as we walk down the street, race is embedded in our everyday experience. But what's really happening, what’s my role, and what does it mean for me? Those are questions Brian Lowery’s been asking for “Know What You See”, a podcast about the hidden social forces shaping our liv
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