Meahgan McCready, Aerial Performer and Instructor and Adjunct Psychology Professor

Meaghan McCready spends half her life suspended in the air and the other half at the front of a psychology classroom — and on this episode she makes the case that the two aren't as far apart as they seem.

Host Jordan Mattox talks with Meaghan about her path into aerial arts, from a spur-of-the-moment sign-up at Fulton 55 to a decade of teaching silks, sling, and lyra at her downtown studio. They dig into the mechanics and myths of the "art sport": just how much you can trust a strip of nylon, why the muscles that matter most aren't the ones you'd guess, the burns and bruises that come with the territory, and how social media and body-type expectations have reshaped the craft. Meaghan also opens up about how aerial — and the trust it demands — helped carry her through her own struggles with depression.

On the psychology side, they get into the messy state of the field today: wellness influencers, self-diagnosis, ChatGPT as a stand-in therapist, and the grind of adjunct life across three Valley colleges. Plus a round of Overrated or Underrated, a detour through downtown Fresno and the Tower District, and a couple of closing book recommendations.

Curious about trying aerial yourself? Meaghan teaches at the Sun Stereo Warehouse in downtown Fresno and performs with Central Valley Cirque.

Books mentioned:

• The Science of Revenge by James Kimmel Jr.
• The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why by Amanda Ripley