Give and Take

About Give and Take

Someone once observed that if Howard Stern and Krista Tippett had a love child, it would be Scott Jones. Scott liked that. At "Give and Take,” Scott Jones talks with artists, authors, theologians, and political pundits about the lens through which they experience life. With empathy, humor, and a deep knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture, Scott engages his guests in a free-flowing conversation that's entertaining, unexpected, occasionally bizarre, and oftentimes enlightening. He likes people, and it shows. Past interviewees include Mark Oppenheimer, Melissa Febos, David French, Miroslav Volf, Dan Savage, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Rob Bell, and (yes) Krista Tippett. Scott is the former host and producer of the popular Mockingcast podcast (https://themockingcast.fireside.fm) and an in-demand consultant on all things “pod.” He’s also the co-host, with Bill Borror, of New Persuasive Words (https://npw.fireside.fm). Scott is also a prolific writer, a frequent conference speaker, a PhD candidate in Theology, and an ordained minister.

Publisher

Scott Jones

Category

arts · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Mar 2017

Latest episode

31 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

5 of 321 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   31 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 323: Strong For Life, with Mike Boyle

   Host Scott Jones interviews renowned strength coach Mike Boyle about the true purpose of strength, aging well, and the importance of intellectual humility.

2. 

   29 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 322: Emancipation After Hegel: Achieving a Contradictory Revolution, with Todd McGowan

   Host Scott Jones interviews philosopher Todd McGowan about achieving a contradictory revolution and Hegel's insights into freedom and political action.

3. 

   23 Mar 2026

   Episode 321: Will The Future Like You?...with Patricia Martin

   What does it mean to be a self in an age that won’t let you stay the same? In this episode of Give and Take, Scott Jones talks with Patricia Martin about her new book Will the Future Like You?—a probing exploration of identity in a world defined by constant disruption. As technology accelerates and the pressure to adapt intensifies, Martin argues that we’ve entered an era of “hyper-reinvention,” where stability is elusive and the self can begin to feel more like a project than a reality. Together, Scott and Patricia explore the psychological and cultural costs of this new landscape: the anxiety of endless self-optimization, the erosion of rootedness, and the quiet fear that we’re always one step behind who we’re supposed to become. But they also ask whether there’s another way—one that resists the demand to endlessly reinvent and instead recovers a deeper, more grounded sense of identity. This is a thoughtful, timely conversation about who we are, who we’re becoming, and whether the future is something we shape—or something that reshapes us. Special Guest: Patricia Martin .

Inside a recent episode

Episode 323: Strong For Life, with Mike Boyle

Published 31 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So, I mean, in some sense, right, I guess there's an urgency to the kind of stuff you do. Because quality of life, and this is going to get, this is going to increase, right? This trend where people are living longer and what is your decline? Like you're saying, what's your decline going to look like? Is it going to be, is the quality of life at the end? And strength matters a lot to that, right? Right. Strength matters. Strength is probably the most important variable in that. Truthfully, actually, power is the most important variable, actually, because we were talking about this today with another one of my clients. […]

Who has been a guest on Give and Take

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Mike Boyle
• Todd McGowan
• Lauren Jackson
• David Litt
• William Deresiewicz

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

105 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 67 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

95

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96

Contact Give and Take

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Give and Take