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PODCAST

Dear Stu Podcast

Stuart Wilson-Smith

An existential advice column by a priest on a break. This podcast offers audio versions of written posts, and follow-up episodes with a laid back vibe. Ask me anything: dearstu@protonmail.com swilsonsmith.substack.com

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

11:08

A Bedtime Story

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/10/16

Dear Stu, I am exhausted this week from work and dealing with a sinus infection that won’t seem to go away. Tired as I am, when I go to bed I can’t seem to really wind down and stop thinking. You’d think the meds I’m taking would help put me to sleep more, but instead my eyes are just heavy, but I’m still awake. I don’t know if this is a “big life question” but, you got any tips to help me out? When my kid is like this I can usually just get away with telling him a short story or something (he’ll

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1:10

Dear Stu is Also a Podcast Now?

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/10/06

Dear Fergus and Friends,I share with you the happy news that:(1) All Dear Stu posts will soon include voiceover audio at the top of each article.(2) These audio versions of posts will be available in podcast form to make for a smooth listening experience in the car, on a stroll, woodworking, etc… (3) In the near future, the podcast will also include follow-ups and reflections on popular post topics, as well as some guest appearances. Five posts already have audio up: Check out the Dear Stu Podcast

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10:55

A Cure for Meanness?

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/08/26

Dear Stu,I had a question come up and I thought about a conversation I had with you some years ago at the Wendy’s tomato protest in Columbus. I had a supervisor once who was nice and normal to me and my coworkers outside of the office—at lunch, drinks, whatever—but in the office, he was just terrible. Rude, impatient, belittling a lot of the new staff especially. He would tell people that he may be tough in the office but he’s super nice “in real life.”Talking to an old work friend I was reminded of

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10:40

When They Talk About Our Weight

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/08/20

Content Warning: discussion of body shaming, food consumption shaming. Dear Stu,I have lived on my own for almost 20 years now. My town is about 7 hours away from my mother’s house (which I grew up in) and with an income in the range of just getting by, it is hard for me to make trips home as regularly as my family, especially my mother, would like. Other siblings live closer so it’s not an issue for them.Visiting home can be a real challenge for me. I put in a lot of effort between money and time

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6:16

Descartes, Media Literacy, and You

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/08/19

Dear Fergus,(A reminder that letters addressed to Fergus are actually to everybody)Thanks for drawing my attention to that spurious article about the Dalai Lama and Paul McCartney serenading a terminally ill Phil Collins in his hospital bed while a 7 foot beekeeper looked on. I had my doubts as well. The advent of AI has made the perception of reality difficult. This a rare outcome among inventions. It was hard enough before AI to figure out what is and what isn’t. If you’ve had a chance to take an

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11:44

Summer Blues

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/08/09

Dear Stu,A friend of a friend of a friend told me you might be able to empathize with this. A lot of people seem to get down or depressed when winter arrives. I get it. It’s cold and the days start getting shorter. But most of my life I have been the opposite. I can handle winter, especially because there are more likely to be temperatures I can go for walks in with the right gear. But I feel trapped during these hot summers. It’s gets so hot and humid I feel it in my brain and body first thing in

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8:22

Work to Live or Live to Work

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/08/06

Dear Stu,I don’t hate my job, but I am unmotivated by it. I am less than 3 years out of college and I didn’t expect to feel as jaded as this already. I was looking forward to work life, having my own place, all that. I feel like I could feel better about my life if my work had any impact or meaning, but I am starting to see that it doesn’t. I’m just doing it to survive, and because I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know how to phrase my question, but I think there is one in here somewhere. -

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7:15

People make fun of how much I dote on my pets. Am I...

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/08/02

Dear Stu,I am not married and don’t have any children. I do, however, share my apartment with a dog named Angus and an elderly cat, Ferbie. I love these two creatures and as much work as they can be (they also like to dip their paws in when I’m baking) taking care of them makes me happy and gives me some fulfillment outside of my job. But over the years I’ve had pets, some friends and family have said I treat them like children, and give them too much. I’m a normal person in my opinion but sometimes

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6:20

Is writing an AI sermon ethical?

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/07/29

Dear Stu,I have been able to listen to a wide variety of sermons (homilies?) in my lifetime as a Catholic. Some are good, some are dry or difficult to follow. In either case, I appreciate it when the priest at least tries his best. I learned that a priest in our diocese now uses AI to write significant portions of his sermons. Even if the sermon turns out at least OK, this still feels…off to me. Do you think this practice is ethical? - KatherineDear Katherine,Thank you for the note, AI is certainly

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5:06

From Here

Dear Stu Podcast ·

2025/07/24

Welcome: Part IDear Reader,Welcome to Dear Stu, a place to reflect on life’s deepest questions with the facilitation of a man named Stu. That is me. Creating a Substack has been a dream of mine since I was 38, maybe 39. Now at my advanced age I see there is more to explore here than I could have imagined. The whole process of setting this up has been fun, but it has also made me a little nostalgic for the online publishing world of yesteryear. Things used to be so…weird. And, complicated. But there

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