Hour 1: Candace Owens & the Military Firestorm | Michael J. Menard on Trauma’s Long Shadow
Podcasts > Shake It Off with Mert & Lucas Live
Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.
Monday, March 16, 2026
Episode 88 kicks off by tracing how conservative commentator Candace Owens went from a failed tech start‑up to a full‑time lightning rod, turning outrage, reinvention, and algorithm‑gaming into a career built on constant escalation. From there, the hosts dig into her March 2026 call for U.S. service members to quit the military — the moment her shock‑jock politics finally slammed into the hard reality of military law and national service, sparking rare pushback from both sides of the aisle. The hour ends with an interview featuring Michael J. Menard, author of Greater Than Gravity: How Childhood Trauma Is Pulling Down Humanity. Drawing on his own story and years of advocacy, Menard breaks down how early trauma shapes adult behavior, institutions, and the culture at large — and why understanding that shadow is essential if we want real change.
