Grifty

About Grifty

Grifty is a late-stage capitalism podcast by and about false idols. Hosted by Azadeh Ghafari, Aaron McCall, Dr. Inna Kanevsky, and Julian Walker, Grifty dives into the strange, seductive overlap of politics, media, pop psychology, conspiracy culture, technology, celebrity, branding, and disinformation. We unpack how charismatic personalities, political movements, corporations, influencers, and institutions hijack the language of truth, freedom, justice, identity, and community to build audiences, sell certainty, and gain power. What starts as culture becomes content. What starts as belonging becomes a business model. And eventually, everything becomes something to monetize. Welcome to Grifty: a little snarky, a little scholarly, deeply historical, definitely political, and always asking the bigger questions. Follow us on all socials @Griftypod Join us on Substack for exclusive content & show notes: https://griftypodcast.substack.com/ For more info: www.grifty.org Email us: griftypod@gmail.com HOSTS Azadeh Ghafari @the.wellness.therapist Julian Walker @realityandmeaning Aaron McCall @mrneuropolitan Dr. Inna Kanevsky @_dr_inna

Publisher

Azadeh Ghafari

Category

health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

22 Feb 2023

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 51 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Long Con

   Hosts Azi Ghafari, Aaron McCall, Inna Kanevsky, and Julian Walker explore how reality TV, online culture, and political narratives erode public trust and create opportunities for exploitation in this interview.

2. 

   8 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   HOW AMERICA LOST ITS MIND, AND DO WE EVEN WANT IT BACK? Episode 1

   Hosts Azi, Aaron, Inna, and Julian explore how America lost its mind, examining conspiracy theories, radicalization, and the business of anger in this interview episode.

3. 

   14 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Beating A Dead Horse

   Grifty Pod Bonus Episode "Beating a Dead Horse" We're back because the group chat got out of control. This week we break down the Eric Swalwell allegations, Azi's firsthand experience as a whistleblower in the Eric Bauman scandal, and the bigger issue of power, patriarchy, and why "believe women" suddenly comes with exceptions. We also get into cult of personality politics and what happens when the left gets its own Joe Rogan with Hassan Piker. Messy, honest, and very online but with a real point. Stop worshipping individuals and start holding systems accountable. Listen, then log off and go do something useful.

Inside a recent episode

The Long Con

Published 15 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Researchers are warning about declines in literacy, numeracy, attention, memory, and reasoning among young people. You go on to most Reddit or Facebook threads run by teachers, and they're constantly talking about how people they're teaching now are struggling with basic reading skills. High school seniors are posting some of the lowest reading in math scores ever recorded in American history. So we've built a machine that interrupts people every 15 seconds and then act shocked that everyone has trouble paying attention. We've created a world where reflection gets interrupted and reaction actually gets constantly rewarded. […]

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

79 ratings

Spotify

4.2 / 5

38 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100

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

Quality

49

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

90

Contact Grifty

Guest appearances

Books guests

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

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