Episodes

  • Natal Conference 2025

    Natal Conference 2025
    Oct 25 2025

    In March 2025, 200 natalists and their closest friends assembled in Austin, Texas for the second gathering of NatalCon, a convention intended to discover the core causes of declining birthrates and come up with solutions to address those problems. This week, Josh and June watched videos recorded from that convention to see what they were cooking. Turns out that it was mostly fascism.

    ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com***

    EPISODE ART: Kevin Dolan, the founder of Natalcon. Dolan posts on X under the pseudonym "Bennett's Phylactery" and was fired from his position as a data scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton after being doxxed in 2021.

    FURTHER READING:

    • "Surprise! Even Tradwives Like to Share Nudes, Talk About Sex, and Be Single" by Erin Vanderhoof (Vanity Fair, October 21, 2025)

    AUDIO CLIPS:

    • 34:48 – Kevin Dolan in his opening remarks at NatalCon 2025
    • 44:02 – Jack Posobiec's speech at NatalCon 2025
    • 47:42 – Carl Benjamin (aka Sargon of Akkad)'s speech at NatalCon 2025
    • 57:45 – Indian Bronson's speech at NatalCon 2025
    • 1:08:56 – Peachy Keenan's speech at NatalCon 2025
    • 1:10:54 – Peachy Keenan's speech at NatalCon 2025, continued
    • 1:17:29 – Carl Benjamin's speech at NatalCon 2025, continued
    • 1:23:29 – Raw Egg Nationalist's speech at NatalCon 2025
    • 1:35:24 – Michael Seifert's speech at NatalCon 2025
    • 1:42:02 – Raw Egg Nationalist's speech at NatalCon 2025, continued
    • 1:48:13 – Carl Benjamin's speech at NatalCon 2025, continued

    SOURCES:

    • The Natal Conference YouTube channel – contains links to all of the speeches mentioned in this episode
    • “Giving entrepreneurs an 'EXIT' from cancel culture” by Matt Himes (The Blaze, June 7, 2024)
    • “#4: You're going to be doxxed.” by Kevin Dolan (July 20, 2021)
    • “The Eugenic Circus Comes to Town” by Brant Bingamon and Maggie Quinlan (The Austin Chronicle, November 2, 2023)
    • “Revealed: US pro-birth conference’s links to far-right eugenicists” by Jason Wilson (The Guardian, September 4, 2023)
    • “Tech bros and tradwives are unlikely allies in a little-known movement that’s gaining momentum” by Catherine E. Shoichet, Deborah Brunswick and Meena Duerson (CNN, April 10, 2025)
    • “Eugenics Controversy Looms Over Natal Conference at UT’s AT&T Center” by Lucciana Choueiry (The Austin Chronicle, March 20, 2025)
    • “Reflections on Natal-Con” by Bryan Caplan (March 31, 2025)
    • “They say they want Americans to have more babies. What's beneath the surface?” by Lisa Hagen (NPR, April 25, 2025)
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    1 hr and 55 mins
  • The Good, the Bad and the Mailbag

    The Good, the Bad and the Mailbag
    Oct 17 2025

    Next week we're recording our first in-person episode together and Josh is still prepping, so it's time for another mailbag episode. This week's topics include Elon Musk's super-sperm, Warhammer 40K, adoption as a tool of natalism, the pitfalls of accelerated home learning, and how we've discovered the flow and format of the podcast as we've gone along.

    ***COME SEE JOSH IN CHICAGO THIS MONDAY... Josh will be performing as part of Genius Night: A Night For Geniuses on Monday, October 20 at 7pm... This free event (with a $5 suggested donation) will be at Cafe Mustache, located at 2313 N Milwaukee Avenue... SEE YOU THERE????***

    ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com***

    EPISODE ART: The cover for the movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly except it's been edited to say The Good, the Bad and The Mailbag

    FURTHER READING:

    • Law Banning Child Sex Offenders From Homeschooling Stalled After Nine Child Sex Offenders Testify Against It by Tony Delvecchio and Fennick Nym (The Spoon, Belt & Rod, October 9, 2025)

    FOLLOW THE SHOW:

    • Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
    • Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
    • Tumblr: @illconceivedpod

    FOLLOW JOSH:

    • Website: joshboerman.com
    • Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
    • Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
    • Stream: Traditional Scrench

    FOLLOW JUNE:

    • Bluesky: @junlper.beer
    • Other podcast: Kill The Computer
    • Writing: June's Substack
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Elon Musk

    Elon Musk
    Oct 10 2025
    Elon Musk was once hailed as one of the brightest wealthy Americans who was standing up for progressive causes like climate change. Then he threw away that reputation as he rapidly shifted rightward and publicly embraced white nationalist conspiracy theories. This week, June and Josh explore Elon Musk’s under-discussed but high-priority views on birth rates, natalism, the Great Replacement theory, and sexy chatbots. ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Elon Musk, the current wealthiest man in the world and by some metrics the wealthiest man to ever live, wearing a black hat that says DOGE on it. Musk's current net worth is estimated around a half trillion dollars based on his equity positions in Tesla and SpaceX. He also owns X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter. AUDIO CLIPS: 24:38 – Elon Musk in an interview with WELT Documentary36:09 – Bob Page, the primary antagonist of the 2000 video game Deus Ex, in one of the game's three endings58:20 – Elon Musk in an interview with Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister of Italy1:12:09 – Luke Priddy, a YouTube content creator who teaches American English, reviewing Grok's "Ani" persona as a teaching tool1:18:07 – A demonstration video of "Ani" posted by Elon Musk to his X account on July 18, 2025 SOURCES: Elon Musk All but Endorses the Great Replacement Conspiracy TheoryAll About Elon Musk's Kids: Meet His 14 Children and Their 4 MomsElon Musk’s Breeding Spree Is So Much Wilder Than You ThoughtThe Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their MothersElon Musk Says Shrinking Birth Rates Keep Him Up at NightElon Musk thinks the population will collapse. Demographers say it’s not happeningVivian Jenna Wilson on Being Elon Musk’s Estranged Daughter, Protecting Trans Youth and Taking on the Right OnlineElon Musk rescues Babylon BeeElon Musk Says Everyone Should Have 'At Least 3 Children' To Save The Human Race — But Studies Show It Costs Up $430,928 To Raise A KidHow the 'replacement' theory went mainstream on the political rightThe father of ‘great replacement’: an ex-socialist French writerThe immigrants you fear are just like your ancestors. Don’t fall for political scare tactics.How Elon Musk Is Bringing Sexy A.I. Chatbots to the MainstreamLoneliness is Driving adoption of AI CompanionsAI Companions Reduce Loneliness FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Homeschooling

    Homeschooling
    Oct 4 2025
    It's no secret that large families tend to homeschool their children. But why is this their approach of choice, and how does it work? This week, Josh and June take a look at the origin of homeschooling and discover how the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), an advocacy organization founded by homeschool parents, has effectively created a parallel education system in the United States with almost no oversight or accountability. ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Monica Swanson, a Christian homeschool advocate and author of the books Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You; Raising Amazing: Bringing Up Kids Who Love God, Like Their Family, and Do The Dishes; and Becoming Homeschoolers: Give Your Kids a Great Education, A Strong Family, and a Life They'll Thank You For Later. Swanson also has hosted podcasts about homeschooling and has four sons. AUDIO CLIPS: 42:30 – Monica Swanson, a homeschooling advocate and author of Becoming Homeschoolers, in conversation with Jim Daly on Focus on the Family Radio1:03:58 – Tiffany Jefferson, a homeschool mom, in a HSLDA promotional video entitled "What Is Freedom For?"1:20:07 – A promotional video for HSLDA's online academy on their website FURTHER READING: "Mechanisms of cultural diversity in urban populations" by Harin Lee, Noric Jacoby, Romain Hennequin & Manuel Moussalam (Nature Communications, 2025) "Implicit racial biases are lower in more populous more diverse and less segregated US cities" by Andrew J. Stier, Sina Sajjadi, Fariba Karimi, Luís M. A. Bettencourt & Marc G. Berman (Nature Communications, 2024) SOURCES: "A look at homeschooling in the US" by Isabelle Pula (Pew Research Foundation, February 20, 2025)US National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts on HomeschoolingBecoming Homeschoolers: Give Your Kids a Great Education, a Strong Family, and a Life They'll Thank You for Later by Monica Swanson (Zondervan, 2024)"The Dangers of Early Schooling: The Need to Reexamine our Motives and Methods" by Raymond Moore (1973)Homeschooling: The History and Philosophy of a Controversial Practice by James G. Dwyer and Shawn F. Peters (UChicago Press, 2019)The Homeschool Choice: Parents and the Privatization of Education by Kate Henley Everett (NYU Press, 2021)Biography of Michael Farris on the Alliance Defending Freedom websiteGeneration Joshua websiteHomeschool Legal Defense Association website Archived copy of HSLDA statement on same-sex marriageCurrent HSLDA statement opposing the Make Homeschool Safe Act Center for Responsible Home Education website FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack
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    1 hr and 49 mins
  • Moms for Liberty

    Moms for Liberty
    Sep 26 2025
    The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown created an online ecosystem ripe for misinformation and radicalization. One of the new right wing movements that got its start during this time was the "Parents' Rights" movement, and the group that has pushed this the hardest is Moms For Liberty, who portray themselves as moms standing up for freedom. This week, June and Josh dig into Moms For Liberty to unravel their true agenda and discover how they’ve managed to become an organizing base of the Republican Party in their goal of dismantling the public education system. ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of Moms for Liberty and current member of the school board in Sarasota County, Florida. In 2022, Ziegler accepted a director position at the Leadership Institute, a conservative training center in Arlington, VA, but was later forced to resign due to sexual assault allegations involving her, her husband, and an unnamed other woman. AUDIO CLIPS: 25:18 – Amber Schroeder, a Moms for Liberty chapter leader in Wisconsin, being interviewed for a segment on ABC's Good Morning America51:47 – Mia Hughes, a Canadian anti-trans advocate, in Moms for Liberty University's YouTube video "Gender 101: Gender Ideology"57:16 – January Littlejohn, a Florida mother, on the Moms for Liberty "Joyful Warriors" Podcast FURTHER READING: Josh interviews 404 Media's Jason Koebler about Facebook AI slop on The Worst of All Possible Worlds (YouTube / Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Pocket Casts) SOURCES: Moms for Liberty has turned ‘parental rights’ into a rallying cry for conservative parentsMoms for Liberty’s growth slows again this yearGarland asks FBI to address recent ‘disturbing spike’ in threats against educatorsMoms for Liberty candidates won less elections in 2023, but is winning the group’s goal?Moms for Liberty Has a ‘University.’ What Is It Teaching?Indiana chapter of Moms for Liberty apologizes for using Hitler quoteMichigan Lawmakers Are Attempting to Ban Porn EntirelyThe Roots of Moms for Liberty Run Deeper Than They ThinkWhat we know about the Ziegler sexual assault probe FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • Oh No! More Mailbag

    Oh No! More Mailbag
    Sep 20 2025

    We dug into the mailbag again for thoughts on how natalists pass that shit on, fulfilling or shirking your family’s desires for your life, TeenPact, being a T4T tradwife, the natural gendered division of labor, the impact of benevolent sexism, daddy/daughter dances vs. father/son camping trips, and handing your daughter off to her husband. Our programming will resume as usual next week with an episode on Moms for Liberty, and thank you as always for your continued support.

    ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com***

    EPISODE ART: The box art for the 1991 Amiga game Oh No! More Lemmings except it's been edited to say "Oh No! More Mailbag"

    FURTHER READING:

    • Sexism Without Hatred?- the psychology of ambivalent sexism
    • Benevolent Sexism: Psychology of the anti-choice movement (a pro-choice video)

    FOLLOW THE SHOW:

    • Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
    • Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
    • Tumblr: @illconceivedpod

    FOLLOW JOSH:

    • Website: joshboerman.com
    • Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
    • Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
    • Stream: Traditional Scrench

    FOLLOW JUNE:

    • Bluesky: @junlper.beer
    • Other podcast: Kill The Computer
    • Writing: June's Substack
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Quiverfull

    Quiverfull
    Sep 12 2025
    Quiverfull is an evangelical Christian philosophy that takes the Biblical command to "be fruitful and multiply" extremely literally by refusing to use any contraception, including natural family planning. It rarely sees coverage in the mainstream media, so this week, Josh and June look into the principles and practical lifestyle of Quiverfull and discover why it holds such a strong appeal to a certain type of Christian. ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com*** EPISODE ART: Jim Bob Duggar, a realtor and politician from Arkansas. After serving as a member of the Arkansas State House of Representatives for four years, Duggar mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge for US Senate in 2002 and again for Arkansas State Senate in 2006. From 2008 to 2015, Jim Bob, his wife, and their children were featured on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting). AUDIO CLIPS: 33:03 – The introduction to the “Defining Manhood and Womanhood” episode of the CBMW podcast44:52 – A trailer for a Quiverfull advocacy documentary entitled Birth Control: Is It Up To Us?50:09 – Jennifer Flanders, a mother of 12, in an interview for Al Jazeera America Tonight1:06:56 – Olivia Shedd, a 12-year-old eldest daughter, in an interview for HDNet World Report1:10:23 – Jay Jusino, a quiverfull father and Christian schoolteacher, in an interview for a Quiverfull advocacy documentary FURTHER READING: “The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It?” by Emi Nietfield (Wired, September 3, 2025)"Why Are There So Many Mormon Influencers (A Theory)" by Alyssa GreenfieldUtah stats on intimate partner/domestic violence SOURCES: Saving Sex: Sexuality and Salvation in American Evangelicalism by Amy DeRogatis (Oxford UP, 2014)Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement by Kathryn Joyce (Beacon Press, 2009)“The Population Bust: An Opportunity” by David Crank (Unless The Lord… Magazine, Fall 2004)“Quiverfull of Shit: a Guide to the Duggars' Scary Brand of Christianity” by Jennifer C. Martin (Gawker, May 25, 2015)The Danvers Statement as posted on the CBMW website“The Unmaking of Biblical Womanhood” by Eliza Griswold (The New Yorker, July 25, 2021)“In Quiverfull Movement, Birth Control Is Shunned” by Barbara Bradley Hagert (NPR Morning Edition, March 25, 2009)Birth Control: Is It Up To Us? Trailer“Beyond Belief: Is Eight Enough?” (HDNet World Report, August 11, 2009)“Inside the home of one family living the ‘Quiverfull’ lifestyle” (Al Jazeera America Tonight, February 8, 2016)Quiver Full Documentary FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.comBluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.comTumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.comBluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.worldOther podcast: The Worst of All Possible WorldsStream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beerOther podcast: Kill The ComputerWriting: June's Substack
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Tradwives

    Tradwives
    Sep 5 2025

    Within the last few years, women portraying themselves online with a “trad wife” aesthetic have skyrocketed in popularity. This new trend embraces long dresses, traditional gender roles, cooking homemade meals, and raising massive families. Josh and June take a look into what the Trad Wife life experience is all about, what’s so appealing about it to some women, and the aspects that make it more than just a harmless apolitical lifestyle.

    ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKLY MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to illconceivedpod@gmail.com***

    EPISODE ART: Abby Shapiro Roth, a "traditional lifestyle" content creator who formerly published videos on YouTube as Classically Abby and now writes a newsletter called The First-Gen SAHM. She's also Ben Shapiro's sister.

    AUDIO CLIPS:

    • 21:54 – Nara Smith's homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch TikTok
    • 23:52 – Estee Williams prepares for her husband
    • 29:59 – Alena Kate Pettit in a podcast interview about being a #TradWife
    • 39:19 – Abby Shapiro on five lies the Left tells women from her YouTube channel, Classically Abby

    SOURCES:

    • A Trad Wife Tragedy
    • Why the resurgence of trad wives is more alarming than you think
    • The Rise and Fall of the Trad Wife
    • Tradwife life isn't as good as it looks on TikTok — just ask former tradwives
    • Meet the queen of the ‘trad wives’ (and her eight children)
    • Is the Tradwife just a kink? Don't underestimate the happy housewife's power
    • Florida Says It Plans to End All Vaccine Mandates
    • The #tradwife Movement and Christian Womanhood
    • Opinion: How Mormonism Churns Out the Most Influential #TradWives
    • The Four Levels Of Manliness
    • What it’s like to be a trad kid

    FOLLOW THE SHOW:

    • Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
    • Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
    • Tumblr: @illconceivedpod

    FOLLOW JOSH:

    • Website: joshboerman.com
    • Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
    • Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
    • Stream: Traditional Scrench

    FOLLOW JUNE:

    • Bluesky: @junlper.beer
    • Other podcast: Kill The Computer
    • Writing: June's Substack
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 34 mins