This week I am talking to Ethan Siegel in the first of a two-parter where we talk about Ethan's career and origin start and begin our long conversation about mental health. Ethan Siegel is the world's greatest living science communicator. He has a PhD in cosmology, is a former professor of physics and astronomy, and left that career behind to work full time on communication under the banner Starts With A Bang! He now spends his days writing stories, articles, books, creating podcasts and videos and delivering talks to curious minds all across the world.

CW: We discuss suicide in this podcast, so please skip this one if it's not for you!

Find Ethan on Twitter for hilarity and education: @StartsWithABang

Reach out to AstronomerAnd:
Twitter: @astronomerand
Instagram: @astronomerandpod
Email: astronomerand@gmail.com

Show Notes:
You can find all of Ethan's material in his beautiful website: https://www.startswithabang.com/

Cover Art: iritmogilevsky.com, Instagram: irit.mog
Theme Tune: Omar Chakor - https://www.fiverr.com/ch6k0r

Land Acknowledgement:
This podcast was recorded in Hawai'i. I recognize that her majesty Queen Liliʻuokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom and these territories under duress and protest to the United States to avoid the bloodshed of her people. I further recognize that generations of indigenous Hawaiians and their knowledge systems shaped Hawaiʻi in a sustainable way that allows me to enjoy her gifts today.
This episode was funded by the Curb Center in Nashville and we recognize that this land belonged to the Indigenous People before it came to be known as the state of Tennessee, or as the United States of America. We recognize that that Indigenous Peoples were the first residents of what we now know as the State of Tennessee and that Nashville is built upon the homelands and villages of the Indigenous Peoples of this region including the Shawnee, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Yuchi tribal nations. Our ability to live and work in this state is the result of direct coercion, forced dispossession, and deliberate colonization. To ignore that is to perpetuate injustice to populations of people that continue to seek redistribution of land that was once theirs. We provide this land acknowledgement in recognition and respect of the indigenous people to whom this land truly belongs. We recognize that acknowledgment by itself is a small gesture, and that it becomes meaningful when coupled with authentic relationship and informed action.

Inclusivity Statement:
I wish for this podcast to be a safe space for those of every gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, race, religious group and age group. I am always trying to learn and improve on my unconscious bias. Any suggestions for improvement will be gratefully received at astronomerand@gmail.com.