Best Stephen Janis Podcasts (2025)

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True Spies - Brief Histories: Double Agents 28:31

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5d ago28:31

28:31

From ancient Babylon to the darkest depths of the Cold War, Double Agents have fascinated us for centuries. In Brief Histories, the monthly special from True Spies, series producer Joe Foley is your guide to this secret world - alongside a treasure-trove of stories and expert knowledge from our archive. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills…

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The Wireless Operator, Part One: The Trouble With Hyman | Historical 53:30

7d ago53:30

53:30

When Dr David Tuch started investigating his family tree, he found much more than he bargained for. A distant cousin. A sailor. A man who led a life of adventure - and changed the world of crime forever. In Part One of this True Spies story, you'll meet him too - and discover the first steps on a dark, dangerous and fascinating journey. Dr. David T…

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The Long Drive Into Darkness: New Clues in the Death of federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna 25:09

9d ago25:09

25:09

More than twenty years after federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna was found dead in a Pennsylvania creek with more than 30 stab wounds, new evidence is finally shedding light on one of the most baffling unsolved cases in the region. Luna, a rising attorney in Baltimore’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, disappeared after a late-night departure from a downtown p…

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True Spies Classic: The Money Spy | FSB 33:36

14d ago33:36

33:36

How do you flee your country and join the other side? In this classic episode of True Spies, a former Russian intelligence agent gives Vanessa Kirby a rare masterclass in international tradecraft. Janosh Neumann fled Moscow armed only with his wits, a suitcase and the names of Russia's most influential money launderers, to begin a dangerous journey…

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True Spies Debriefs: Dr Amy Zegart on Entertainment, Policy and AI 37:07

21d ago37:07

37:07

Dr Amy Zegart works to bridge the divide between the worlds of policy and tech. In this Debrief, True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins Dr. Zegart To hear her thoughts on spy entertainment, espionage in the age of AI, and the future of American intelligence policy. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: J…

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Media & Self-Harm: What Helps, What Harms?, with Dr. Nicholas Westers 53:58

25d ago53:58

53:58

In this episode, host and producer of The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast, Dr. Nicholas Westers, shares his own thoughts about how media portray nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) as well as suicide and mass shootings. He walks us through media guidelines for responsibly reporting and depicting each in the news, including the first ever NSSI media gu…

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The Drunk in Department V | KGB 46:30

28d ago46:30

46:30

Author and filmmaker Richard Kerbaj tells the story of Oleg Lyalin - the hard-living, womanising KGB officer whose defection changed the course of the Cold War, and shaped the future of intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bo…

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True Spies - Brief Histories: Spychology 29:15

1M ago29:15

29:15

From the writing of Sun Tzu to the modern era, spies and spymasters have had insights into the mind that most of us don't. Now it's time to put espionage itself on the analysts' couch. In Brief Histories, the new monthly special from True Spies, series producer Joe Foley is your guide to this secret world - alongside a treasure-trove of stories and…

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True Spies Classic: The Limping Lady | WW2 43:54

1M ago43:54

43:54

In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby goes behind enemy lines with Virginia Hall, one of the bravest Allied heroines of WWII. As part of ‘Churchill's Secret Army’, Virginia was sent into occupied France to organize resistance efforts and disrupt Nazi plans ‘by any means necessary’. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. Featu…

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True Spies Debriefs: David McCloskey On His Life After Espionage 31:55

1M ago31:55

31:55

True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins former CIA analyst, author and podcast host David McCloskey for a deep dive into his post-Agency career, and what he's learned along the way. David McCloskey's latest novel, The Persian, is out now. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan…

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Trauma and Self-Injury, with Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz 50:13

2M ago50:13

50:13

In this episode, Dr. Rachel Zelkowitz defines trauma and its prevalence among individuals who self-injure, delineates posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and discusses common treatments for addressing trauma, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Prolonge…

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The Age of Choice: Disha Karnad Jani Interviews Sophia Rosenfeld 1:04:38

2M ago1:04:38

1:04:38

In this most recent episode of In Theory, Disha Karnad Jani interviews Sophia Rosenfeld about her new book The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life (Princeton University Press, 2025). Her book explores how the idea of making a choice from a menu of options arranged by someone else became synonymous with what it meant to be free betwee…

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The Many Lives of Agent Zo | WW2 1:01:48

2M ago1:01:48

1:01:48

Author Clare Mulley has built her formidable reputation on finding the remarkable stories that have been left out of the history books. This is one of them - the remarkable, heartstopping story of Elzbieta Zawacka, AKA Agent Zo, legend of the Polish resistance. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Fo…

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True Spies - Brief Histories: Counterintelligence 25:48

2M ago25:48

25:48

From the lagoon of Venice to revolutionary Russia, counterintelligence has always been an important aspect of statecraft. In Brief Histories, the new monthly special from True Spies, series producer Joe Foley is your guide to this secret world - alongside a treasure-trove of stories and expert knowledge from our archive. From SPYSCAPE, the home of …

1
True Spies Classic: The Spy In The Cornfield | FBI 46:40

2M ago46:40

46:40

In the golden cornfields of rural Iowa, mysterious men are stealing seeds. Corn is big business - and the secret of growing good corn is priceless intellectual property. But is this a simple case of corporate theft, or foreign espionage in a vital strategic battle between nations? Vanessa Kirby joins Special Agent Mark Betten, FBI, on his mission t…

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True Spies Debriefs: Brett Janis on Economic Intelligence 29:39

2M ago29:39

29:39

This time on the Debrief, Morgan Childs joins former CIA economic analyst Brett Janis to discuss the Agency's role in monitoring global financial trends, Ukraine, and the future of the USA's place at the heart of the world economy. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs…

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Chasing Chi, Part Two: One Man's Trash... | FBI 40:59

2M ago40:59

40:59

By SPYSCAPE

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True Spies - Brief Histories: Women in Espionage 28:12

3M ago28:12

28:12

NEW from True Spies: Brief Histories. From 7th Century China to Nazi-occupied France, discover a selection of stories from the long history of female spies. In Brief Histories, the new monthly special from True Spies, series producer Joe Foley is your guide to this secret world - alongside a treasure-trove of expert knowledge from our archive. From…

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Chasing Chi, Part One: The Engineer | FBI 44:38

3M ago44:38

44:38

By 2004, FBI Special Agent Jim Gaylord has seen a lot of counterintelligence operations go right. But he's also seen plenty go wrong, especially when it comes to the People's Republic of China. But now, he has a chance to take down one of China's most prolific collectors of US military tech - and he's determined to take it. In Part One, Jim sets ou…

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Parenting with Lived Experience of Self-Injury, with Dr. Janis Whitlock 53:13

3M ago53:13

53:13

Two topics are covered in this episode: (1) how parents with lived experience of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) can navigate conversations with their children about their own scarring and wounds, and (2) how parents (with or without lived experience) can navigate conversations about self-injury with their young adult children when they turn 18. Dr.…

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True Spies Classic: Blood on the Waterside | MI5 48:04

3M ago48:04

48:04

In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby meets a spy who infiltrated the political wing of the Irish Republican movement. Willie Carlin risked his life in Derry, Northern Ireland, on a daily basis to provide the UK with intelligence. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby…

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The Secret Policeman | MI6 1:08:49

3M ago1:08:49

1:08:49

Lawyer and intelligence historian David Burke reveals a shadowy chapter in the story of Anglo-Irish relations in the 20th century. Irish police intelligence analyst Patrick Crinnion was a man of rare intelligence. He had also been groomed from a young age to spy for the United Kingdom. When the Troubles in Northern Ireland broke out, he was feeding…

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Liberty as Independence: Disha Karnad Jani Interviews Quentin Skinner 43:07

3M ago43:07

43:07

Disha Karnad Jani interviews Quentin Skinner on his new book Liberty as Independence: The Making and Unmaking of a Political Ideal (Cambridge University Press, 2025). In this book, Skinner traces how liberty as a political ideal became tied to independence and the absence of coercion through the political upheavals of early modern England, debates …

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True Spies Debriefs - Andy Greenberg on Sandworm 34:23

3M ago34:23

34:23

WIRED journalist Andy Greenberg has spent years reporting from the murky world of hackers, spies, and cyber warriors. His 2019 book Sandworm tells the true story of the Kremlin-backed cyber criminals that became one of the most destructive hacking groups in history. This week, True Spies producer Morgan Childs sits down with Andy to talk about the …

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True Spies - Brief Histories: Tradecraft 29:52

3M ago29:52

29:52

NEW from True Spies: Brief Histories. From Egyptian codebreaking, to USB sticks with the power to cripple nuclear facilities, this week hear the long evolution of tradecraft.In Brief Histories, the new monthly special from True Spies, series producer Joe Foley is your guide to the evolution of this secret world - alongside a treasure-trove of exper…

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True Spies Classic: The Sociopathic Spy | CIA 43:14

3M ago43:14

43:14

Jim Lawler is one of the CIA's most successful recruiters of foreign spies. But even he had to start somewhere. In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby joins Jim on his first foreign posting. His mission? To enlist a crucial intelligence asset for the USA. To do it, he'll stop at nothing to manipulate, subvert, and seduce his target. F…

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DSM Update: Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder, or a Clinical Specifier? 1:03:20

4M ago1:03:20

1:03:20

In this episode, four of the top experts in researching and treating nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) talk about the research behind NSSI Disorder, the evolution of how they now think about NSSI within the context of the DSM, and why they now advocate for an NSSI specifier rather than an NSSI Disorder in the DSM. They also delineate their proposed cr…

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True Spies Debriefs: John Taylor on the Psychology of Spies 42:43

4M ago42:43

42:43

John Taylor is an author, lecturer and advisor on handling human sources of secret intelligence. He joins True Spies producer Morgan Childs to discuss the psychology of those who play the espionage game - agent and handler alike. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. …

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The Great Illegals, Part Two: The Ambassador | NKVD 50:37

4M ago50:37

50:37

In this two-part True Spies story, author and journalist Shaun Walker unmasks the greatest generation of Russian spies - the Great Illegals. In Part Two, Shaun tells the story of Iosif Grigulevich - the Lithuanian Illegal who rose to the upper echelons of Italy's diplomatic community. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production.…

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True Spies - Brief Histories: Information Warfare 22:58

4M ago22:58

22:58

NEW from True Spies: Brief Histories. From Ancient Roman propaganda apparatus to burgeoning MI6 operations, hear how the very information we consume has throughout history been orchestrated. In Brief Histories, the new monthly special from True Spies, series producer Joe Foley is your guide to the evolution of this secret world - alongside a treasu…

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The Great Illegals, Part One: The Whistler | NKVD 58:15

4M ago58:15

58:15

In this two-part True Spies story, author and journalist Shaun Walker unmasks the greatest generation of Russian spies - the Great Illegals. In Part One, Shaun tells the story of Nikolai Khokhlov - the music-hall 'whistler' turned deep-cover spy in Nazi-occupied Belarus. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produc…

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True Spies Classic: Exit Strategy | CIA 46:02

4M ago46:02

46:02

In this classic episode of True Spies, CIA analyst Sarah Carlson drops Vanessa Kirby into the pressure-cooker of post-revolutionary Libya. In 2011, the Arab Spring swept Colonel Gaddafi from office, leaving a deadly power vacuum. Three years later, civil war engulfed the nation. Under a hail of rocket fire, Sarah had to figure out a way to extract …

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Introducing... True Spies: Brief Histories 3:15

5M ago3:15

3:15

The history of espionage is long and shrouded in mystery... Hear it chronicled in True Spies: Brief Histories, the new monthly episodes of True Spies. From the intricacies of Ancient Roman tradecraft and Medieval propaganda, all the way to the surveillance systems of the twenty-first century, you’ll discover the hidden figures, secret dealings and …

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True Spies Debriefs: Seth Thévoz on Espionage in London's Clubland 38:38

5M ago38:38

38:38

True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins researcher and author Seth Thévoz to discuss the origins of London's elite gentlemen's clubs - and the movers, shakers and spies who have called them a home-from-home. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Seth Thévoz is the aut…

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The Internal Colony: Disha Karnad Jani interviews Sam Klug 1:08:05

5M ago1:08:05

1:08:05

In this latest episode of In Theory, Disha Karnad Jani interviews Sam Klug about his new book The Internal Colony: Race and the American Politics of Global Decolonization (University of Chicago Press, 2025). In this book, Klug explores how the process of decolonization in the 1940s–70s transformed US debates about the role of race in American life,…

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Help-Seeking for Self-Injury, with Nani Kim, RN 47:51

5M ago47:51

47:51

In this episode, Nani Kim, RN from the University of Texas at Austin talks all things help-seeking for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This includes common reasons people give for choosing to seek help for self-harm, common forms of help-seeking behavior for NSSI, how often individuals who self-injure seek help for their self-injury, why they choos…

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The Baltic Baron | MI6 1:02:13

5M ago1:02:13

1:02:13

Author, historian and former British Foreign Office official Tim Willasey-Wilsey tells the incredible story of Wilhelm Von De Ropp - the high-born chameleon who had Hitler's ear in the build-up to WW2. But unbeknownst to the Nazis, 'Bill' was MI6's man on the inside, passing on information that would help Britain to win the war... From SPYSCAPE, th…

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True Spies Classic: I Was Never Here | CSIS 36:44

5M ago36:44

36:44

Rediscover a classic from the vaults with Andrew Kirsch - a Special Operations officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. True Spies work in all sorts of far-flung locales - but some assignments are closer to home. For Andrew, the suburbs of Toronto hold as much intrigue as Moscow or Baghdad. Vanessa Kirby joins Andrew on a nail-bitin…

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True Spies Debriefs: Douglas Waller on Frank Wisner 43:11

5M ago43:11

43:11

Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide. True Spies producer Morgan Childs sits down with author and journalist Douglas Waller to discuss the complex and controversial legacy at the heart of his latest book, The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup A…

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Cover of Darkness | CSIS 34:18

6M ago34:18

34:18

Former Canadian Security Intelligence Service operative Neil Bisson delivers a compact masterclass in Human Intelligence gathering in this blow-by-blow account of a Mobile Debrief. Along the way, you'll discover how Canada's intelligence apparatus works - and how it could change in the years to come. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nu…

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Why Do People Self-Injure? Part 2, with Dr. Kirsty Hird 42:48

6M ago42:48

42:48

Dr. Kirsty Hird, a Research Officer in the Youth Mental Health team at The Kids Research Institute Australia, adds to Episode 1 of The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast by explaining in depth and in layman's terms why people self-injure according to the six most common/popular theoretical models. Connect with Dr. Hird on LinkedIn here, view her sta…

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Spaces of Anticolonialism: Disha Karnad Jani Interviews Stephen Legg 49:04

6M ago49:04

49:04

In this latest episode of In Theory, Disha Karnad Jani interviews Stephen Legg about his new book, "Spaces of Anticolonialism: Delhi’s Urban Governmentalities" (University of Georgia Press, 2025). In the book, Legg provides a study of Indian anti-colonialism in the decades before Independence that foregrounds the spatially-mediated and bottom-up po…

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True Spies Debriefs: Jane Bradley and Michael Schwirtz on Russia's Brazilian Illegals 31:19

6M ago31:19

31:19

Investigative New York Times journalists Jane Bradley and Michael Schwirtz speak to True Spies producer Frank Palmer about the discovery of a Russian 'spy factory' in Brazil. This is a free taster of the exclusive content you'll uncover with a Spyscape+ subscription. Sign up at plus.spyscape.com. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle…

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The Architects of Dignity: Disha Karnad Jani Interviews Kevin Pham 41:39

6M ago41:39

41:39

Disha Karnad Jani interviews Kevin Pham, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, about his recent book, The Architects of Dignity: Vietnamese Visions of Decolonization (Oxford University Press, 2024). In his book, Pham traces the evolution of Vietnamese political thought through six figures, Phan Bội Châu, Phan Chu …

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True Spies Debriefs: Stephen Davis on Flight 149 44:45

6M ago44:45

44:45

Journalist Stephen Davis has spent 30 years working to uncover the truth behind one of the most secretive chapters of the Gulf War.When British Airways Flight 149 landed in Kuwait on the 2nd of August, 1990, Saddam Hussein's invading army took the passengers hostage. Today, some of those passengers allege that they were subjected to horrific treatm…