If you’ve ever caught yourself missing the world before everything was “smart,” this one’s for you.

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So I pulled the plug. Before a hater could cancel me, I did it myself. This episode kicks off a new season where I talk about how the internet went from thrilling to trash, why I ditched social media, and how I’m clawing back focus and meaning without pretending likes equal connection.

If you think the web feels more like a trap than a tool these days, welcome!

https://acfischerpod.neocities.org

This episode explores the strange kind of mourning that comes when there's no clarity. It's about estranged siblings, unresolved childhoods, and the kind of silence that never really lifts.

I had a brother. Maybe I still do. Maybe I don’t.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The emotional cost of family estrangement
• The unreliability of closure
• How grief takes shape without confirmation

Contact and More:

📨 Email: callmetonypod@yahoo.com

🌐 Website: www.acfischer.com

In this episode of Call Me Tony, I talk about how getting sober without a program didn’t make me a danger to myself or anyone else—but it sure made me a problem in the eyes of recovery culture. I unpack how many popular treatment models quietly discourage real healing, push fear over freedom, and end up poisoning the very relationships they’re supposed to protect.

We’ve built a culture where constant struggle is celebrated, while actual wellness is treated with suspicion. I’m not interested in protecting dogma. I’m interested in telling the truth.

I don’t miss her. I don’t long for the relationship we had. But I do keep running into the version of myself I had to become when I was with her. The one who knew how to stay quiet. The one who filtered every emotion. The one who thought being easy to love meant making himself smaller.

Now that I’m in something different — something safe, honest, and mutual — I’m realising how many corners of myself I tucked away without even noticing. And just as I’m starting to feel whole again, life throws a little test: she’s coming back into my orbit for a moment. Not emotionally, just physically. But it’s enough to stir something I thought I’d outgrown.

This episode is about that version of me. The ghost.

Not to judge him, but to finally acknowledge what he had to do — and why he doesn’t get to drive anymore.

I also talk about my father—the difference between his mistakes and how he chose to make amends, even apologizing until his final moments. As I reflect on the contrast between my parents, I explore the lingering struggle of letting go of hope for a relationship that never quite felt safe.

If Mother’s Day is a tough time for you, if it’s a reminder of something you never really had, I want you to know you’re not alone. Join me for an honest, vulnerable conversation about family, forgiveness, and the painful search for closure.

This episode is softer than the last few. It’s about reflection, memory, and the quiet power of knowing we don’t have forever. I talk about the kind of father my dad became near the end, how grief has shaped me, and what I’m choosing to change as I get closer to the age he was when he passed.

This isn’t about sadness—it’s about clarity, intention, and living the kind of life we won’t regret.

In this episode, Tony speaks to every Canadian who’s tempted to sit this election out, convinced that protest, resistance, or performative outrage will somehow be enough. Looking at what’s unfolded south of the border, this episode is a wake-up call. The rise of authoritarianism didn’t come from a coup—it came from ballots cast by people who showed up while others stayed home or “voted their conscience.”

This episode is not about partisanship. It’s about power. Real, consequential, everyday power—wielded by ordinary citizens through a vote. The resistance may have good intentions, but intention without action is hollow.

Tony doesn’t just reflect on the American experience—he warns Canadians not to fall into the same trap. We’re not immune to backsliding into systems that serve the few and silence the rest. Democracy doesn’t erode overnight. It erodes one apathetic vote at a time.

Key Topics:

-Why resistance without participation is performative

-How conscience voting can inadvertently empower harmful systems

-The consequences of voter apathy, seen clearly in global trends

-Why Canada must not waste its moment to shape the future

The vote is not just a right. It’s the fight.

In this episode, Tony unpacks the hidden danger in some of the most common advice we give each other. He explains how these well-meaning catchphrases can silence necessary resistance, minimize grief, or even prevent real healing. With honesty and clarity, he offers more thoughtful ways to respond to pain—ways that honor the struggle instead of rushing past it.

If you’ve ever felt like someone tried to fix you with a quote, this episode might be the one you’ve been waiting for.

When people suggest that fighting cancer is wrong, they’re not offering a helpful alternative. They’re blaming the sick for their suffering and encouraging others to abandon medical care. This episode is a call to stay grounded in truth, science, and compassion — not hashtags and magical thinking.

I talk about what it feels like to watch a movement built on cruelty gain momentum, and why I no longer want to seek connection with people who openly threaten the rights and dignity of those I care about.

This isn’t about giving up on people. It’s about standing up for what matters.

Many atheists focus on the rare cases where hostility led to deconversion, using them as proof that aggression works. But what about the larger audience? What about those who might be open to questioning their beliefs but are turned off by hostility?

This episode isn’t about discrediting Dillahunty’s work—it’s about challenging the idea that aggressive debate is the best strategy. If we want to reach more people, we need to rethink how we engage.

Tune in for a discussion on what atheism could be if we moved beyond the need for conflict.

I’ve avoided inserting my strongest opinions into this podcast—not because I don’t have them, but because I didn’t want to push people away. I wanted to keep things relatable. But the truth is, my thoughts, my beliefs, and the way I express them are just as much a part of me as my stories.

In this episode, I talk about why I’m done filtering myself, what this means for the future of the show, and why embracing the risk of honesty is the only way forward.

If you’re here for real conversations, I appreciate you. Let’s see where this goes.

Chronic fatigue syndrome has drained me physically, but the mental exhaustion of watching bad arguments win, seeing religious beliefs justify harm, and feeling obligated to fight for reason in a world that rejects it—that’s something else entirely. I don’t know how to stop caring, but I also don’t know how to keep going.

In this episode, I share my journey of redefining meaning as an atheist. I talk about my visit to an interfaith space, my thoughts on the language of "God," and how I’ve come to see spirituality—if we must use that word—as something deeply personal, shaped by philosophy, science, personal experience, and emotion.

If you've ever wrestled with the idea of spirituality as a nonbeliever, or if you're just curious about how atheists approach meaning, this conversation is for you.

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When I was six, my dad made me try eel before I could say I hated it. That lesson stuck with me—because too many people form opinions without doing the work to earn them.

In this episode, I break down why confidence without knowledge is dangerous, how social media fuels ignorance, and why being wrong isn’t a failure—it’s a chance to learn.

🎧 Listen now. You might rethink what you think you know.

In this episode, I talk about the freedom that comes with transparency. I’ve spent years putting my past in the open—not to prove anything, but because I have nothing to hide. Living in truth means I don’t waste energy managing perceptions or fearing exposure. I also explore why I’m cautious of those who discourage questioning and how true growth comes from being open to change. It’s not about being perfect—it’s about being honest, with others and with ourselves.

Dedicated to J