The Junto Podcast

E52: AI vs Mid-Management: Who Will Survive the Great Flattening?

Edgar Mills examines how AI is accelerating change across industries, threatening mid-level managerial roles while creating new demands for AI-literate leaders.

He highlights sectors likely to be disrupted, jobs that remain human‑centric, and urges leaders to adapt by mastering AI tools and doubling down on empathy, mentorship, and ethical decision‑making.

E51: 2TG - Building Formidable Leaders and Indispensable Teammates

Hello, America. Edgar Mills introduces 2 Team Guys (2TG) hands-on, scenario-based courses that build individual resilience, leadership skills, and team cohesion through immersive, time-tested training.

From land navigation and search-and-rescue mountaineering to situational awareness, long-range evasion, small-unit missions, and surviving captivity, each course emphasizes accountability, clear communication, decision-making under pressure, and practical application of John C. Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership principles.

Courses are customizable, affordable, and designed for nonprofits, missionaries, journalists, corporations, and teams seeking meaningful team development. Contact Edgar to schedule a tailored session. 2teamguys.com

E50: When Compassion Becomes Control - Canada's MAiD and the Slippery Slope

Host Edgar Mills examines Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) program, tracing its expansion from terminal cases to chronic conditions and potential inclusion of mental illness.

He argues that state involvement in death risks coercion, devalues human life, and creates a dangerous precedent for governmental control, urging listeners to defend individual autonomy.

Abortion Sources:

Consensus on Biological Life Beginning at Fertilization

PubMed article on "The Scientific Consensus on When a Human's Life Begins" by Steven A. Jacobs (2021), detailing a survey where 96% of over 5,500 biologists affirmed that human life begins at fertilization: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36629778

SSRN paper "Biologists' Consensus on 'When Life Begins'" by Steven A. Jacobs (2018), reporting 95% affirmation from biologists on life beginning at fertilization: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3211703

Article in Issues in Law and Medicine by Steven A. Jacobs (2021), expanding on the survey and noting the 96% consensus among biologists: https://issuesinlawandmedicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Jacobs_36n2.pdf

Daily Citizen article "Life Begins at Fertilization: 96% of Liberal, Pro-Choice and Non-Religious Biologists Agree" (2019), summarizing Jacobs' findings: https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/life-begins-at-fertilization-96-of-liberal-pro-choice-and-non-religious-biologists-agree

Philosophical, Legal, or Ethical Interpretations and Lack of Universal Agreement

Public Discourse article "Can Science Tell Us When Life Begins?" (2014), arguing that while science provides facts, the question involves metaphysical and philosophical elements: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2014/06/13254

The Conversation article "Defining when human life begins is not a question science can answer – it's a question of politics and ethical values" (2022), emphasizing that biology describes development but values determine the meaning of "life": https://theconversation.com/defining-when-human-life-begins-is-not-a-question-science-can-answer-its-a-question-of-politics-and-ethical-values-165514

PMC article "THE FACTS AND DOUBTS ABOUT BEGINNING OF THE HUMAN LIFE AND PERSONALITY" by Asim Kurjak (2004), exploring scientific facts alongside philosophical doubts on when true life begins: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7245522

The "Zinc Spark" Phenomenon at Fertilization

Northwestern Magazine article "The Zinc Spark" (2016), describing the zinc release as a flash observed at the moment of fertilization: https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/winter2016/feature/woodruff-sidebar/the-zinc-spark.html 

Scientific Reports article "The zinc spark is an inorganic signature of human egg activation" (2016), a Northwestern University study on the zinc bursts in human eggs: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep24737

PubMed article "The fertilization-induced zinc spark is a novel biomarker of mouse embryo quality and early development" (2016), linking the spark to embryo health (building toward human findings): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26987302. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Science Alert article "The Biological Fireworks Sparked by Fertilization Are at Least 300 Million Years Old" (2021), discussing the zinc spark's role and evolutionary context: https://www.sciencealert.com/the-biological-fireworks-sparked-by-fertilization-are-at-least-300-million-years-old. sciencealert.com

 

 

E49: Climb On - The Goodness Of Rock Climbing

Host Edgar Mills explores rock climbing as both a sport and a lifestyle, covering disciplines like bouldering, sport climbing, trad, and ice climbing. He highlights the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits, the basics of gear and safety, and the strong, supportive climbing community.

The episode also emphasizes indoor climbing gyms as welcoming community hubs or "third spaces," their appeal to college students, veterans, and everyday people, and encourages listeners to try climbing and get involved in outdoor stewardship.

Check out https://www.mountainproject.com/ to find routes and resources near you.

E48: Who Decides What Art Is? Taxpayer Funding, NEA, and Free Expression

This episode, Edgar Mills explores the role of government funding for the arts, tracing constitutional roots, controversies (like Mapplethorpe and "Piss Christ"), and arguments for and against National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) subsidies from a libertarian perspective.

Edgar weighs economic, educational, and community benefits against coercion, censorship risks, and market alternatives, and explores voluntary, private support for artistic freedom.

E47: Shoresy, Grit, and Glory - Hockey Lessons in Leadership

Edgar Mills welcomes listeners reflect on Team USA's recent Olympic hockey triumphs and the surge of national pride they inspired.

He then dives into the Canadian series "Shoresy," showing how its crude humor conceals deep themes of loyalty, accountability, mentorship, and authentic masculinity that build strong teams.

Mills pulls leadership lessons from the show, strongly recommends Season 5, Episode 1 (“Keep It Simple”), and invites listeners to visit thejuntopodcast.com for more on leadership. 

E46: 'The Law' vs. Big Government - Legal Plunder

Host Edgar Mills compares Frederick Bastiat’s 1850 pamphlet 'The Law' to modern U.S. politics, arguing that government coercion and endless spending have turned modern law into "legal plunder." He explains Bastiat’s principles on natural rights, critiques federal overreach (taxes, the Fed, Social Security, public schooling), and proposes "clean bill" reforms like voluntary taxation, audits, and restoring enumerated powers. He encourages every listener to read 'The Law'. Find it here 'The Law' website or purchase your own copy.

E45: When Booze Breaks the Family - Confronting Alcohol’s Damage

Edgar Mills tackles the realities of alcoholism—its causes, its effects on young families and first responders, and his own experiences with alcohol-related harm.

He outlines how to spot problems, practical steps for intervention, and why honesty, empathy, and asking for help are essential to recovery.

The episode urges listeners to protect their families, set boundaries, and pursue freedom from addiction through support and commitment.