The Rob Burgess Show: December 2023

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Ep. 242 - Alexandrea J. Ravenelle

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this our 242nd episode our guest is Alexandrea J. Ravenelle.

Alexandrea J. Ravenelle is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a Faculty Fellow with the Center for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS), and a 2023-24 Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar. Her newest book, “Side Hustle Safety Net: How Vulnerable Workers Survive Precarious Times,” was released by the University of California Press on Oct. 24. Her first book, “Hustle and Gig: Struggling and Surviving in the Sharing Economy,” was released in March 2019. She is currently working on two mixed methods research projects: “Work in the Time of COVID-19,” previously funded by an NSF RAPID Response grant, currently funded by the Russell Sage Foundation, to study the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on precarious and gig workers in New York City, and “After the Hustle,” funded through a Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation inaugural Knowledge Challenge grant, examining the impact of high-status gig work and sudden platform closings on gig economy entrepreneurs.

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The Rob Burgess Show · Ep. 242 - Alexandrea J. Ravenelle

Ep. 241 - Dr. Bella DePaulo

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this our 241st episode our guest is Bella DePaulo, PhD.

Bella DePaulo, PhD, is the “leading expert on single life” and has been described by The Atlantic as “America’s foremost thinker and writer on the single experience.” Dr. DePaulo coined the term “single at heart.” Her TEDx talk, “What no one ever told you about people who are single,” has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.

She is the author of “Singled Out” and “How We Live Now,” among other titles; has written the “Living Single” blog for Psychology Today since 2008; and has been published by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time magazine, The Atlantic and many other outlets. She has appeared on shows including The Today Show, CNN American Morning, CBS This Morning and Good Morning America. She has been interviewed on NPR many times, as well as on podcasts by CNN, The Atlantic and many others. Dr. DePaulo has a BA from Vassar College and a PhD from Harvard University. She has lectured nationally and internationally. After two decades as a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, Dr. DePaulo moved to the West Coast, where she is currently an academic affiliate in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She lives in Summerland, California. Her book, “Single At Heart: The Power, Freedom, and Heart-Filling Joy of Single Life,” was published Dec. 5.

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The Rob Burgess Show · Ep. 241 - Dr. Bella DePaulo

Friday, December 8, 2023

Ep. 240 - Staff Sergeant Aquilino Gonell

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this our 240th episode our guest is Staff Sergeant Aquilino Gonell.

Staff Sergeant Aquilino Gonell is a Dominican immigrant, former U.S. Army soldier and Iraq War veteran. For 17 years, he was a United States Capitol Police officer and was one of four police officers who testified before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. He’s been featured on ABC, CBS, CNN, Telemundo, Univision and NPR, and in The New York Times, The Washington Post and El Diario. He is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Citizens Medal.

The book he co-wrote with Susan Shapiro, “American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy,” was published Nov. 7 by Counterpoint Press.

A quick programming note: The interview section of this episode is about 40 minutes long, after which I'll come back to read a quick additional statement from Staff Sergeant Gonell. Then, for the last part of the episode, I'll be including Staff Sergeant Gonell's complete testimony before the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, which he delivered July 27, 2021.

After our conversation, I asked Staff Sergeant Gonell if he had any additional statements he wanted me to include in the episode. This is what he sent me:

“The book is not just about January 6. It’s about sacrifices and dedication to duty. I spent 23 years of my life as a public servant in the military and as a police officer, where I protected the country, at home and abroad, faithfully and honorably. I have overcome many obstacles, challenges and adversities. I thought I had it all figured out. Then January 6 happened. I lost my career, my health and my beliefs in American principles and values, creating a moral injury as well. I did what I signed up for and kept my oath. Yet, those same people I protected, the Republicans, tell me that what I lived through was not real or that it wasn't that bad.”

I want to quickly thank Staff Sergeant Gonell once more, along with the other United States Capitol Police officers who testified and continue to speak out.

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