The Crackin' Backs Podcast

Water we doing?? Erin Brockovich’s Call to Action

• Dr. Terry Weyman and Dr. Spencer Baron

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Erin Brockovich is back, and she’s bringing her unyielding passion for justice to tackle some of the most urgent issues facing our environment today. Known for her relentless advocacy and groundbreaking work exposing water contamination in Hinkley, California, Erin has proven time and again that one person can make a change.

In this episode, Erin shares her insights on whether the government is finally listening to the voices demanding clean water and highlights powerful grassroots strategies from her book, Superman’s Not Coming. Discover how communities across the country are taking matters into their own hands to combat water contamination and what you can do to replicate their success.

We also discuss her latest project, the critically acclaimed documentary Unearth, which delves into the devastating impacts of mining on Alaska’s Bristol Bay. Erin draws striking parallels between these battles and her previous advocacy work, offering lessons on resilience, community action, and the power of persistence.

With unregulated contaminants like PFAS invading our water supply, Erin provides actionable advice for protecting your health at home and on the go, from choosing the right water filters to smart travel tips. Plus, she shares unexpected insights into the Wizard of Oz, revealing what this classic tale can teach us about self-reliance and believing in your ability to create change.

Don’t miss this inspiring and informative conversation. Learn more about Erin Brockovich’s work, access her resources, and join the movement for cleaner water by visiting her official website. Get your copy of Superman’s Not Coming and watch Unearth to understand the stakes and solutions behind today’s water crisis. It’s time to take action—because Superman isn’t coming, but you can be the hero we need.

We are two sports chiropractors, seeking knowledge from some of the best resources in the world of health. From our perspective, health is more than just “Crackin Backs” but a deep dive into physical, mental, and nutritional well-being philosophies.

Join us as we talk to some of the greatest minds and discover some of the most incredible gems you can use to maintain a higher level of health. Crackin Backs Podcast

Dr. Spencer Baron:

This episode of The Kraken backs podcast is sponsored by Guardian grains, growing nutrition. You can see, welcome to the Kraken backs podcast, where today's guest needs no introduction, Erin Brockovich, the unstoppable force behind some of the most impactful environmental advocacy modern history, from her groundbreaking work exposing water contamination to her new documentary on Earth, Erin continues to shine a light on the issues that matter absolutely most in this episode we confront the big question is America finally ready to listen to the voices demanding cleaner water. How can communities protect themselves from unregulated contaminants like PFAs? And what lessons can we learn from Aaron's book Superman's not coming about, taking action and believing in our power to make change.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

All right, Erin, it's great to have you back for part two, and it's been a while, and there's been so much stuff happening since the last time we talked, but you're the epitome of this slogan, one person can make a change, and that's what I've always loved about you. People like to hide and let somebody else do shit, and you just jump right in and take take the reins. And so on air, I'm going to say that's what I've loved and respect about you since the day I met you over a decade ago. So thank you for being a charge of teaching people that one person can make a difference. So welcome back.

Erin Brockavich:

Well, it's good to be back. Nice to see you. Thanks. That was very nice of you to say, well,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

you know, every now and then I can right. So I want to get right to it. You know, since the last time you we talked, you were talking about all the regulations of water and and, and beer, crack this, and beer, crack that, and how different regulations happen and and how one hand doesn't talk to the left hand, we have a lot of changes, even at the government level, coming up, and I kind of want to get your insights, and are the voices being heard from the people out there? Do you think they'll be heard now when it comes to clean up our water systems? What's your take?

Erin Brockavich:

Um, okay, well, that requires some thoughts. So I think there's a lot of frustration out there because I'm on the ground, so in my water work, I'm in all states, you know, I'm down. I'm a foot soldier that way, if you will. So you know, I can hear a farmer's frustration, I can hear a mother's concern. And there's been an overarching theme that I've noticed for a while that they don't feel that they're being heard or seen and out of frustration. So we just had another election, and I think that they just kind of came out in whatever way to express themselves. I don't feel I'm being heard. And I'm going to make this change. I'm going to make this shift and see if that will happen if we go a different direction. So there's a general angst. The frustration is it's angry. And I think when people aren't set, when they don't feel they're being heard, they get angry, and they'll shift hard. They'll make that a shift and and we just watched it happen. And so it doesn't that something like that never upsets me. You know, I've learned to try not to catastrophize every situation that happens in life, but rather, at some way, lean into what we're watching, what we're missing, and maybe listen to what's going on with the people so and I've been listening, and there's, there's a lot of division. I think that the frustration is, if you're going to gage it, is definitely more people going one way. They're sending a message. I'm feeling frustrated. I need some kind of change, not necessarily knowing what's to come. We're going to have to wait and watch and see. But we expressed ourselves, you know, you opened up with one person can make a difference. And you know, that's what I try to teach. I'm not that one person to make a difference. For you look at the person in the mirror. That's who you have to see that who can make a change, and it may not be worldwide, but if you can make that change just within yourself, you're a step in the right direction. And I think that's kind of happening overall, across you, the US right now. So

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I. Absolutely believe that more people will listen to our concerns about what's going on that doesn't serve us in a healthy way. So, like in your book, Superman's not coming. You highlight, you know, the grassroots effort by local citizens, and you know what they can do to help, let's say with just, you know, contaminated water. You know, there's so many people that are more concerned now that want to make a difference in the way things have been run for so long. How would you suggest someone to to start, to just, just get started. I love being, you know, practical. And what would be like a first step, maybe, if someone you know, you know, if you remember back in the day, your first step, what sparked or ignited that thought?

Erin Brockavich:

Well, it, it'll go all the way back to being a child, because I'm a dyslexic, so I was often not, often, very, very often not seen, not heard, judged, labeled, perceived, didn't fit the nice little niche, and stay inside that box of what I call standard of conformity. And so for most of my life, I've been very sensitive to that, and I think the first step for people to do is, you know, I talk about this, they're, they're looking for a hero to come save them, and they have to see themselves. And when you get like that step out of that box, and it's a journey of self discovery, yet we get so busy trying to make that journey to change somebody else, and it's just not going to work. And I had a conversation with my sister a few days ago about this, who's got her own well, she lives up on land, she worries about things, and she was asking, you know, which should come first? Am I going to run out of water, you know? And climate changes? Am I going to have an infrastructure issue? Could the grid collapse? Which should I do first? And I'm like, Well, probably the grid. Because she was asking, What can I do? Okay, well here you are, and you have well water, and you're concerned about water, and you're thinking for yourself, what if a grid went down? Well, you'll want solar power, right? And so that would be the first step. And she's like, You know what? You're right? And so if just every single one person who happen to be living on well water and farms and stuff. What if prepare yourself for that? And there could be hundreds of millions of us if we, as individuals, prepared for that, if it happened, we might be a little better off. And so that's what I you know, we try to conquer the world's problems, and we're not. I think the most complicated, hardest thing you're going to do is conquer yourself, if you could just start there we go a long way. So, true,

Unknown:

yeah, very true. And

Erin Brockavich:

I do. I tell people, stop looking for the hero. Be the hero. Stop beating yourself up. You know what we get in our head. You sometimes just got to get out of your own way. You want everybody else to get out of your way. Get out of your own way first. Yeah, and I've seen that work, especially with with my environmental work, whether it be Hinckley or whether it be Flint, Michigan. I mean, we could go all the way back to Love Canal, when a well, and it's generally going to be moms realize, hey, well, I may not have all these degrees, but I can still step up and protect my child. And then that one mother times 1000 they can create a movement, and they can start making some adjustments. So I've seen these communities help save themselves, but I just think we have become comfortable and complacent, and I don't know, bought an illusion that maybe the bubbles bursting that really isn't there for any of us. And so for me, when I'm in all of these positions, and it comes from being a dyslexic, I really do I turn it inward. And that could I learn from my mom that it could, it's going to always be somebody else's choice how it is they perceive you, and they may perceive you as stupid or a loser or this or that, but it never has to be your perception of how it is you see yourself. And from the beginning of my work, even out in Hinckley, everybody told me you're not a doctor, you're not a lawyer, you're not a scientist, you're not this. I'm like, Okay, well, you just ran down a whole lot of lists of things that I'm clearly. Well aware of that. I'm not. But let me tell you this. I don't have to be any of that to tell you green water and two headed frogs is fucked up. And on principle and value of protecting the land and water, I think it's problem. That's my position, Aaron,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

when you say, I think this is really important to decode this for some people, for people out there, oh, if you're gonna

Erin Brockavich:

try to decode a dyslexic

Dr. Spencer Baron:

choice at work, when you say, Get get out of one's way, get out of your your own way. You know what? I guess you explained it. You know when people try to label you maybe dyslexic or stupid or whatever it might be, you know is that what you mean by getting out of your way is just not to to adopt those, those insults, or those

Erin Brockavich:

we get stuck in a box, and, yeah, we think everyone else is putting us there when I actually feel sometimes we put ourselves and are stuck in there.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Agreed, absolutely agreed. Thanks. That was, that was an easy decoding.

Erin Brockavich:

That's a title for a book. Let me write

Dr. Terry Weyman:

that down before I forget, dyslexic. And then the first chapter is rules of engagement.

Erin Brockavich:

Hang on, let me I'm writing this down. You think I'm kidding? Decoding a dyslexic rule number one, rule of engagement,

Unknown:

by Spencer Baron. There are none.

Erin Brockavich:

This has been fabulous. That's gonna be coming. It's like decode the dyslexic. Good luck to

Dr. Spencer Baron:

you. That's great. So my mistake turned into something really good.

Unknown:

All right, so let me ask you about

Dr. Spencer Baron:

let me think of the words I want to use.

Unknown:

But bounce back at me. All right. No, dispenser, yeah, decode me. Actually, this is

Erin Brockavich:

a fabulous conversation. I'm so glad that didn't even bother to brush my teeth. But I'm on

Dr. Spencer Baron:

No, I gosh, I think, no, I think the idea of getting out of one's way. I mean, we tend to do we do that so often. We get in our own way. And I think that's so important to emphasize that, you know, and just plow through whatever people try to box you into. You know,

Erin Brockavich:

I talk. I didn't mean to interrupt you, but, you know, I talk about this so much, and I really believe it. You know, one of my, my my programs is what I call a RAM. So stands for realization, assessment, accountability and motivation. And I like that. I love rams. My life is connected to the environment. If we would just stand still long enough to look at what's going on around you, it can say a lot. It already is saying a lot, but I'm fascinated with rams. You know, Terry knows that I used to be out at Lake Mead all the time, and I would love to just float in the water and wait to watch the Rams start to come down. And they fascinated me. I mean, they get in some precarious positions, and I'm thinking, how the hell are you going to get out of that? But they do, because rams are very confident. They know themselves as a ram, they know their terrain, they know their their way, and they exude that, and they come right on down. And so realization is about looking at that person in the mirror and realizing the strengths of who you are, and that's not always easy to do, but the Assessment and Accountability part is really important. You know, oftentimes we can't see ourselves because we're so afraid to be ourselves. And we're afraid to be that because we're vulnerable, we're imperfect, and it's hard to get past that. And so if you could just take an assessment of who you are, I think of it like real estate. So somebody's gonna come along and say, oh, you know, your house is valued at this. This, but that's what you thought. But it's not going to be valued at that. It's going to come in way lower than you expected. You start to kind of get that defeated feeling. But see, I like challenges, and so when you tell me something like that, what do you do? I don't know, go take the old carpet out and put in a new floor, you know, upgrade a bathroom, because with those types of little changes and assessment, value comes back and has gone up. You can do that for yourself. So we get so caught up and not realizing who we are out of our own fear and the fact that we're vulnerable and imperfect. Listen, I told my kids a long time ago, you know, well, why can't we be like this person or that person or that family? And they list off a bunch of stuff, and I said, well, listen, if you run into that normal person, I want you to run like hell, because I don't know what normal means. And we're all flawed, and so for me, I tried to always see that, and if there's something about myself I don't like, guess what, you have the you can choose differently, and you can choose to change something, and with that becomes a really self empowering cycle. And motivation is really important, and I think a lot of us are losing that we live in a crazy ass world, more and more stuff coming at us, and we have less and less time, and we all, I think, feel like we're spinning out of control, and this world's going to flip right off its axis, but I have learned that you can't keep motivation if you can't find self renewal. And this is my life in the environment when going back to a child with dyslexia, and I felt all of those things, I went to nature, because that's where I was embraced, that's where I felt not judged, but that's where I could stop breathe, be present, and hear myself think, feel my heartbeat, take that breath, where I could reconnect, and that gave me the strength to come out the next day and go at it again. So I encourage people try to try to be RAM.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

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Erin Brockavich:

Yeah, A is for assessment and accountability and motivation and you know, and accountability is very hard for a lot of us to do. You know, I've had people be so mad at me before. That's not a new concept. I'm very used to that, but an attorney was furious with me. I mean, I was getting one. Did you do that? And I'm like, I did. Is there a problem? And they were stunned. They're like, what am I supposed to do with that? I go, what they go. You just admitted you did. I'm like so you can't handle the truth, and they were stunned. And Ornette, we want to make an excuse if you made a mistake, if I made a mistake and I fucked up, I'm going to tell you that was wrong. I'm sorry. How can I help make this right? But we're terrified to do that. And so yeah, I did it. Made a mistake. I'm human, and can we get past that? But if we want to stay stuck in that, then it becomes a problem. And so again, we don't get anything done without motivation, and it's really difficult, and that to find that motivation is about self renewal is about that inward look. And we are so busy worrying about what we did yesterday, terrified of tomorrow, you forget the very moment that you have. Yeah, and here we are, yeah, be a ram. I love

Dr. Spencer Baron:

it. So let's, let's come back to we're on the cusp of a new year, and you're

Erin Brockavich:

on the cusp of decoding a Dyslexic mind. Dyslexics, don't forget,

Unknown:

yeah, we've blurred that. I see

Erin Brockavich:

book written before we're done.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

There we go. Love it.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

So, being that you're so immersed in the in the water, you know, in what goes on and and what we don't know, what would be, something that you feel is is urgent, something that you're maybe you're acting on right now that's that's so important that maybe, you know, we can get others to be participate in that,

Erin Brockavich:

oh, You opened Pandora's Box

Unknown:

gladly. So

Erin Brockavich:

it's hard. It's not hard for me, but every time I get on a water tangent, I'm going to get backed up to my dad and the lessons I I learned from him. So my dad was an engineer. He actually built and ran the pipelines for Texaco. And as a young child, knowing I was dyslexic, he often found little, creative ways to get into my mind, and I was always fascinated with water. Why wouldn't any of us be fascinated with water? After all, I think we are water. Is that about right? Yup, and water, you know, I always like, where's it going? What journey is it on? Why is the water really still today? Why is the water so water is really like us? Oh my gosh. You know what? I wished I had been better prepared. Is you never know where I'm gonna go. Okay, well, where's she gonna go? But okay, I had a water story for you, but I'll, I'll come back to that, because we are water, and I've always felt very connected to the water. My father always understood that, you know he, he told me as a child, water in my lifetime, would become a commodity more valuable than gold or oil, he's going to be right, but he'd sing these songs about water. So he really got into my, my soul, if you will, on my connection of stewardship, of protecting the water. And he said, air, my message for you is is incumbent. For all of us, we need to be stewards of our water and our land, because they are the most valuable gifts we will have. And so that's kind of when I get involved in all these water projects, and to answer your question, and the reason I thought of my dad is because it's not just water, it's the land. Is the chemical known as PFAs, the perfluoroctonoic acids, and it's known to most as forever chemicals. You would know it as Teflon. You would know it as Scotchgard. You would know it as firefighting foam. It's it's in our phones now, PFAs is Teflon coating was created in the Manhattan Project, so you don't burn up. So it's in your phone, because all this electricity, all of that, if you don't have this coating, catches fire. And it may have started out as something unique, but humankind. Took advantage of it, and now we have a massive problem with this. And it's not one chemical, so PFAs, PFAs that that's the head of the family's name, but underneath that is 10,000 other chemicals. There's PFOA, there's PFOs, there's PFAs, 10,000 of which, just now we've set maximum contaminant limits on six. We got a lot more to go. But the problem with this chemical is, if we go back to, you know, it started with Manhattan Project, we're talking decades ago, and its application got applied to Teflon. It got applied to Scotchgard. It's been applied and applied and applied. It's been going on for decades. And what we now know is that this got into the water system. Then the water system goes to waste management. They have all these bio solids, and we've applied it to our land mass. So from the East Coast to the West Coast, this chemical has been applied. So we now are watching the process of this group of chemicals known as PFAs, PFAs, PFOA. I mean, we could go on through 10,000 different acronyms, if you want, but we'd be here all day. It has contaminated the land that contaminated the water, that got into the food chain, and we're in some trouble in the state of Maine, it got into the food chain. It took the USDA about 15 months in a delay reporting to the state. So they had to kill all the cattle it's gotten into the eggs. So you can't eat the eggs. You can't sell the eggs. The states had to put on for all the well systems filtration. You can no longer hunt the deer and eat it. You can no longer fish and eat it. Same thing's happening in Michigan. It's happening in Georgia right now, where I've been, and this is we. There's no room here for politics and a political divide. This needs to be dealt with, because if we've gone from land application to destroying the farmland. You can't organically farm in Maine anymore. And that's supposed to happen to all of us, to the land, to the food chain, to our health. We need to take a look at it. And this is a moment where we can sit here and blame game and finger point all damn day long. Don't care it's happening. And, you know, I just, I researched this stuff all day long, and I just found out some of the research studies coming out the health impacts from this chemical they are estimating is costing 16 trillion a year in health repercussions from this chemical. And so I think it feels like a very urgent message to me that we see the big picture, and for the sake of everything, I think we need to work together. So if we're going to really talk about what Terry opened up with, what's just kind of happened politically, that everyone's uncertain, there's really a moment where we need to encourage and be hopeful and help try to create a cohesive let's work together, because the end result, you know, won't work for anybody. And so the PFAs is, is my is a huge project, and and I'm frustrated. It's gone on for decades, it's been covered up. It's been mishandled. And what concerns me is I started getting reports of a while back, all of our cows are sterile. Emails from Oklahoma, all of our donkeys are sterile. To seeing the health impacts when it finally, they finally completed their studies, and we learned in 2016 that we had a huge problem. Is infertility in people. There's a book out called Doctor us by Dr Shahana Swan that I've been fascinated with, and it's called count down. And. Yes, it feels pretty dark, but I think it's a message that maybe we should be looking at, but in some of her best estimates, and I believe by 2050, and, and I don't ever want to misstate anything out of the book, but she's looking at a best possible science estimate that a third of the population could be kind of infertile. So this is why it's called Countdown. And so just think one chemical, a group of chemicals, as huge family, and how we misused it. This is kind of where I'm going to go back to accountability. So here we are. And so it was misused. Where are we going now to correct so I think it's an assessment that I would like to see from a current administration. And this is, you know, you brought up RFK, where he's, you know, RFK started, you know, Waterkeepers. He's about water and the environment that he take a really long look at how, because there are solutions to this. You know, sometimes we don't want solutions, because I don't think there's a money grab in it, but I think we need to take a look at this situation and could be helpful. So here we are. There's a news, a new setting, right and and I would like to really emphasize and be able to share a message that I think this is something of that grand magnitude that any President, I hope, will look at and address, Aaron

Dr. Spencer Baron:

when you mentioned that that massive number of chemicals that come out from that pF,

Erin Brockavich:

forever chemicals, yeah, that's why they're called Forever chemicals.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

What? At what point do you feel? I mean, I imagine that some of our listeners and viewers are thinking, that's overwhelming. It's how, where would you start with something like that? How could you, how could you possibly, I mean, it's been going as you say, it's been going on so long. How do you not get overwhelmed by all that?

Erin Brockavich:

Um, it's hard. There's a lot of things that do happen, like when we started in Maine is, for me, it's the first email I get and And there you're saying outlandish things, and it's hard for us to not dismiss it, but see, I believe them, and is making that contact and getting out there, um, they're devastated in Maine right now, but one of the first things that happened was, and, yes, there's going to be lawsuits over this. 3m and DuPont in the best estimate, a lot of people are saying will be a trillion dollar hit to the company it. So you almost have to, I think of it like setting it up like the John Mansfield asbestos, remember how big that was? Yeah, and you're gonna have to set it up in a trust in that way. So Maine is devastated. The first step is getting out there, hearing them, there's a big lawsuit going on out there, and letting them know that, you know, they have certain rights to help recoup some of their losses, especially for the farmers. And so I think the is just listening, and when you get out there. So for me, I always see the big picture first, and then I'll come in and pick up every individual tree and that that's kind of the process. And then once they get informed, they start to organize, and they start to become very strong within their own state. They start becoming very informed. So they began to get the filtration on their wellheads. They began a litigation. The state began testing. They were identifying contaminated eggs before they ever sold them. So it's a bit of a process, but that's how it begins. And so now here Maine is they're well informed. They have litigation going. There are not farming right now, organically farming. They're checking the chickens now that there's filtration systems and the PFAs isn't in the water. The chicken eggs are clear. They can readdress their their dairy farms. This is a good thing. This is a good thing. But then I gotta go, oh, shit is happening in Maine. Oh shit is now in Michigan. Oh now it's in Georgia. I mean, we have it here in California. California. California is probably the second worst state with this. It's all over military bases, and so I don't know if there's just been this idea the solution to pollution is dilution. And this is something I learned from my dad. He goes and that is not true, that it's just kind of all caught up, but it's happening. It's probably a lot for people to absorb, but this is why I wrote Superman's not coming. Do not assume, under any circumstances, or get too comfortable that you think somebody's fixing this for you, yeah, and so especially farmers, they're testing their wealth. They're testing their soil. They're getting their information. I've learned from people on the ground, oh, they can handle the truth when they know they will act accordingly. It's lie they don't deal with and so that is the chemical and the water and land and food chain, the the food chain. And mind you, like fishing, first of all, the dolphins, they contain the highest PFAs numbers of any mammal on the planet. What are we doing? And so that will probably be the rest of my career's work will just be on this chemical alone, pretty overwhelming, but just, you know, be willing to open your mind up and learn, and not sit there and go, Oh, I don't believe this. I so for me, it's all about being your best critical thinker. We're all capable of that. And you know, moms in particular have a deep, guttural instinct, and they follow it. And that's not poo pooing. I mean your guts, your second brain, that intuition, that's there. And so there are things that we can do. So I know it feels very overwhelming, but don't assume somebody else is going to do it for you, because I'm learning that this P FOSS is coming to a theater near you, really say it's it's overwhelming, all right? Well, I want you to understand something. This is precisely the question you just asked me, that it doesn't matter what event or party I go to, will ask me that question, and it's the same downer. Don't ask me the question, because I'm going to tell you that nobody wants to invite me to parties anymore, you guys. Boom. It just went down.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

No, yeah, speaking of theater coming to you, you're now the executive producer of a documentary called on Earth and focusing on the mining impacts of Alaska's Bristol Bay. So what parallels? What parallels are you seeing between the challenges faced in these communities and stuff you've encountered like Maine and hatefully and all that

Erin Brockavich:

I I love on Earth, because it's exactly to my point. Look at the end, they won, those two women, those moms that they, they were stewards of that Bay. And they they will, will. You know, this is the power of stick to itiveness that my mom had taught me to have. And everyone just thinks that some made up slang word like catty Wampus was launch wise, which, ooh, by the way, I know what means. And I were in a meeting one day and somebody said, Well, it's kind of hard to understand because it's cattywampus, and it goes, Do you know what that means? And I'm like, Yes, I do. I'm from Kansas. I know what that means, but stick to deepness. That's great. I understand these things. So from my mom, I thought she'd made that word up, so she brought out the Webster's dictionary and and once I saw it, I'm very visual on paper. I'm like, Oh my God, this. This is fabulous. Definition. Is a propensity to follow through in a determined manner, dogged persistence born of obligation and stubbornness, like, Oh, that is me. And the women in unearthed. They had that, and they didn't care if it took five years, 10 years or 20 years. They would continue to move forward in protecting and being the stewards that Bay, that water and their land. And there's a moment in the film where you think it's just not going to happen. And even I still, I was like, oh my god, it just came in it. They did it, they did it. And so everything about unearthed resonates to me. It was factual. I don't know that we understand the impacts of mining, or what really goes on behind the scenes, or the battle that somebody is in, and the no hope to that power of stick to this and that follow through. They prevailed. Now that was one, and we got a lot of other places, but the message is this very small community, particularly these two women, they prevailed. It can happen. And I just throughout the whole film, feel their message that my father gave me. It is our obligations, all of us, to be the steward of the land. And why so size very empowered with on Earth. I

Dr. Spencer Baron:

that is that's exciting. Look forward to that. I Dr Terry, she would love listening to Dr Lindell podcast about healthy home. Yeah, because there was, there's so much that we don't know that goes on in the house, not just the water, but the, you know, the the drywall, the wood floors, the thing you know. So he went through all that. But what can people do? Regard, I know you're asked this 1000 billion times, but like water filters or home care, personal care, what could they do, and even when they travel, you know, what would you what do you do when you go somewhere? Because you travel, obviously, often enough, and what would you do when you

Erin Brockavich:

traveling? And I, like, you know, just came home with that wonderful flu that's going around, you know, listen, I am far from perfect. You know, far from perfect. I make plenty of mistakes, but I kind of know, when I travel, I just, it's kind of just what I do. There's some flus going on out there, paying attention. I kind of just take everything in. Kind of feel it. I'm a big fan of vitamin C, zinc, things like that. Dr Terry and I talk about this, I think it is about just daily care and things you can do from front and I have really, truly learned this from my prior practice care to acupuncture to alternative ideas of staying healthy, air filtration systems, water filtrations, and that's a big question, because you can have a plethora of low level chemicals in any water system if You want to get that out of your water, it would be really the only way is reverse osmosis. So okay, I'm just not going to come out of this podcast without talking about the Wizard of Oz. I got to do it. I got to do it because you're asking me a question that's that is about, we have got to become our own critical thinkers. Trust our own gut and feel and work with your heart. It, it's, it's true. And I'm going to tell you a story here about the Wizard of Oz that I've been obsessed with, not the movie, the books and the series of books The Wizard of Oz written by L Frank Baum. So the original Wizard of Oz was written at the pre height of the Industrial Revolution by L Frank Baum. And he wrote the book as a way to teach his children the power of individualism in a world that would increasingly begin to speak for you. I'm like, ooh, stop right there. I find that very fascinating. Wow. So it's the book that I became fascinated with, and the more research I did, and you can do the same research, because it's all online, that book has been highly studied. And if being a scholar is kind of a criteria for you, and believing something, it's been studied by scholars. But there's a. Fascinating political allegory to the Wizard of Oz. So Dorothy is every girl next door that wants to run away from home, because I know I wanted to, because I wanted to go out and live my dream. This is for me, where I chase the water. I wets my journey, and I'm excited to take it. And so Dorothy is the American girl who wants to find that dream. So, you know, in the film, she runs away from home and she goes out and runs into the snake oil guy, but there's a tornado coming. That tornado in the allegory is a representation of disruption in Washington, DC. I go, that's fascinating. So she runs back home. And as you know, in the film, I'm thinking a lot of people have seen it, the shutter hits her in the head, knocks her out, and she wakes up in the house that's landed in Oz, I wake up, you know what I have the environmental cases I work on. I'm like, what? Where the fuck am I? I mean, when I saw two headed frogs in green water, I'm like, Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore. What is this? So the Munchkins are a representation of mass citizens who are frustrated, and they think Dorothy landed on them to save them. Wow. So they told her to follow the yellow brick road. So the yellow brick road is a representation of the gold standard. Follow the path of the money to the wizard. Okay, I am so deep into this I'm telling you so off they she goes on the yellow brick road, and she runs into three people. She runs into the Scarecrow who has no brain. He's a representation of the American farmer who, at that time they were buying up all the land, and because of that, they thought the Scarecrow had no brain. I think about farmers today, not that they don't have a brain. That's not what I'm seeing here at all. Is the idea of what's happening with the land. Then she runs into the so there's two of them now, so we've got a representation of the girl next door and the American farmer who's losing their land. And then they run into the tin man, and the tin man represents industry worker who will lose his heart. Wow, fascinating. So here's a picture of America the girl next door are most importantly farmers and, you know, taking care of our land, to industry worker who now has felt beat up and lost and defeated. So we got three cast of characters, and then they run into the Cowardly Lion. The Cowardly Lion was a representation of L Frank Baum's best friend, William Bryan's ginning, or Brian Williams ginning, because I'm the Dyslexic in the group. Um, always known running for president for his fiery rhetoric, but had no courage. He is a representation of the American politician. So here we go, following the yellow brick road. Now y'all know the story, and a wicked witch comes along. She didn't want them finding out the truth. It was this Dorothy girl, and who's your little cast of friends here, because I'm going to put you to sleep. Think about this in the movie, they got put to sleep in the opiate fields, the poppy fields. So as you know, the good witch comes along and wakes him up. But here's the moral and the message of this story. See, they got to Oz, they got to the wizard, and they pulled back the curtain, and what did they find? Somebody in there full of hot air, just pushing and pulling a bunch of freaking levers. But this was the moral of the story that the wizard taught them. You always had a heart, you always had a brain, and you always had the courage to find your way home. I think that's where we are.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

That was,

Erin Brockavich:

it's a fascinating story.

Unknown:

I have never heard that. I've never heard that. No, in all my life, a while, that was outrageous, that was so cool.

Erin Brockavich:

Oh. You can go online and read it, and it's been pretty well studied. So there is a very fascinating political allegory, and for me, it kind of an interesting message. So

Dr. Spencer Baron:

needed. That's inspiring as hell.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

So would you, would you say the wicked West, because they put her in the puppy fields, would be like Big Pharma? And then what's who would the Good Witch represent?

Erin Brockavich:

Aaron? Well, I was gonna say yourself, okay,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

all right, wow, wow. That is

Erin Brockavich:

that political allegory. And it's been well studied,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

fascinated something so now that you, you you present it, that it's so obvious, right? I've never, in all my life, ever heard this

Erin Brockavich:

look at that was pre height, industrial revolution. We were post hype Industrial Revolution.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I'm blown away. I'm absolutely blown away that that Aaron, I love

Erin Brockavich:

it. But you know, l Frank Baum was a great storyteller and figured out a way through some fairy tales to possibly tell a story.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Well, you did a very good job. Well, I'm telling

Erin Brockavich:

you, it's been 10 years and I'm like, I don't know what it is. I get these like, wow, that just hit me. But here we are. And did we and have we been asleep? Yeah, did we get put to sleep? Did we get comfortable? Did we get complacent? Has there been an illusion and we, we could go through this all day long, but at the end of the day, it's the message that stuck with me, you got this right here, right here and right there.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

You need to, you need to take that global that was the everybody knows who the Wizard of Oz is,

Erin Brockavich:

yeah, and yes that. Think about it, he was visionary. If you think about it, he really was. We all know, if you go back in history, there's been plenty who have been visionary. Yeah. The problem is we don't listen to their fucking vision or take it in. We just go along our way. But I don't know, maybe it's our thing to learn. It's our time. I believe that, I think you just saw that shift. Yeah, that was, no matter how people do or don't feel about this election, that that shift is that

Dr. Spencer Baron:

quick question, quick question for you, what? What water purifier do you use? What do you do at home? So, because I know our list after that last conversation, after that whole storyline, people want to know just something basic they could start with right now, water wise at home.

Erin Brockavich:

Well, I generally don't drink the tap water, yeah, um, and, you know, I think tap water is important. We could do water 101, we won't go there, but we don't have enough time. No, but, you know, we do need the actual minerals in our water supply. And, you know, we add a lot of chemicals to it. So water, 101, so all water has organic matter in it, and organic matter is just basically dirt. So as it comes into the filtration system, we add chlorination because, you know, you can get bacteria and things, and it's really important. But what people don't know is, when organic matter and chlorination meet, they create a very toxic compound called trihalomethanes, which is highly regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, and so and thms are carcinogenic. So what happens when that occurs, the chlorination and organic matter and you get a trihalomethane problem, you're not controlling the dirt, so you need to change your filtration system. Now we don't like to do that, so what we started doing was adding ammonia to the system. So now we've got what's called chlorines. Chlorine and ammonia, well, that becomes an even bigger problem, because it becomes like a sugar feeding frenzy within the distribution system when chlorine and ammonia meet. So this is where we see fallouts of lead contamination, because the water is now angry. It's very corrosive. You've changed the PhD. You got all these little microbes in there that find this ammonium chlorine. It's like they're on crack. That's like they're. Candy, and they're just going at it, and they're multiplying everywhere, and then all the iron and the lead and the manganese out of the 18 million plus miles of lead pipe we have finds its way to your tap. So filtration is important, but it's important to know what is it you're filtrating. It's important to know that you get the report from your municipality of what is in the water, because there could be a plethora of things in there. So filtration is key, and so what happens? Look at what happens at a municipal level. If you're not controlling your dirt, you have to change your filtration system. And you there, there's not a filtration system, just one filtration system that removes all the chemicals. You have to have, like a carbon of coconut shell to remove chrome six, you have to have a completely different membrane to remove PFAs. So when you get reverse osmosis, you're getting those different layers of mill membranes and carbon filters and coconut shell to remove whatever low level of chemicals you have in your water. So I think what you have to do is understand water, get curious about water, ask some questions about water. What's in your municipal water, and find a filtration accordingly. So for me, you know, I just tried to know my water. Listen, I went to India, and I was definitely finding out about their water. And we all know that they have water issues. So, you know what? I brushed my teeth and beer and couldn't shower for 10 days, which I'm capable of doing, just so you know, I made certain that if I had bottled water, which is the only way I was going to go, that I had a good connection. A lot of times they're just taking their water back into a bottle. So know your surroundings. Stay tuned in, be informed. Don't think somebody else is going to do that for you. That just happens to be who I am, but it's very helpful. So know what you're getting into. Try to be prepared. But generally, I'm not a fan of tap water. I don't want to be that way, but I think I've just seen too much in my work. But that doesn't mean that tap water is unsafe. So I shower in my water here. I don't like, you know, hardness or chloramines, and, you know, can dry out your skin and things like that. So I've been looking at more and more shower filtrations that I'm kind of researching, that you can hook on. You can travel with one of those if you're going to and people know this, they're going into Africa or Indonesia or around the world. I don't want to not go. I just want to be prepared what I need to do. And so I think part of what I do is exactly what I just said with the Wizard of Oz. I'm not going to assume anything. So I make it my business to know what the weather's going to be, or is there something going on with the water, or do we have, you know, some vector disease outbreak, you know, maybe. So I don't want to go there right now. Just, just know your information. Yeah, and I find it a challenge to to do that for yourself, and then you'll be better prepared that. This is my pirp, which is planning, implementing realism and preparedness. You gotta plan, implement it. I hope you be realistic about what the fuck that implementation means to you and how long it's gonna take to get prepared. And if you haven't done any that get prepared. You know, I talked to the architectural and Engineers Association in Asheville three days before those floods. I've always felt climate change will be water disasters and water events, and this is going to be about infrastructure. Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. If we think we can continue to operate on infrastructures, and frankly, even ideologies from 200 years ago, I don't think it's going to work. We're a New World, and there's new circumstances that you get a plan implemented. And here's the thing, I think, for agencies, are you being realistic about your goals? Because implementing these infrastructure changes will take a decade or longer, and this is where you can hurt yourself or help yourself. If you're going to be some politician, just tell people the fucking truth. Don't tell them, Oh, you're gonna have lead free water tomorrow, because you're not, you're not. What are you going to do in the interim? Get prepared. So what's the worst case scenario, if it doesn't happen? Great, it didn't happen. What if it does and you were prepared? I think the municipalities had, they had a better plan of an Ashland that's not to blame anyone. But we have infrastructures. We're not taking it seriously. What changes are happening in the climate that it's water, water the source of life. It can give life, and it can take life.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I love when she gets fired up.

Erin Brockavich:

Thank you. I work off all these weird acronyms, p, i R, P, R, I m. I have my 4l that I learned in Hinckley, which is logic, leverage loyalty and love. Logic, your common sense leverages the power of a community. Logic, leverage loyalties. Your stick to itiveness and ultimately, love. That's your motivator. You ask yourself, Why the hell do we get involved in this? And I asked myself every day, why the hell am I going to Hinkley every day? I don't even know what I'm doing. After all, everybody's told me, You're not a doctor, you're not a lawyer, you're not a solid scientist, you're not a politician, you're not shit. Okay, that's fine. Gotcha, I just checked it all off my box. But what I learned out there was, Why am I here? Well, I love the environment. I fell in love with the people. I love the open land. I love the idea that I had a job and could feed my kids, and I just had this overwhelming moment that the motivating factor for me and why I was doing what I do, is because I love so I got 4l or RAM and some pi, RP, that stuff in my back pocket.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I love it. Well, let's see how well you do with our rapid fire questions, because we're coming to an end and I gotta ask five questions. Require quick

Unknown:

do this. No excuses. Come on. It really easy.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

You've always had a heart. You've always had a brain. That's right.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Courage, all right. Number one favorite book that you might have read this year, that you feel everybody should read, besides yourself, besides your book,

Erin Brockavich:

that's my answer. Superman's not coming.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Question number two,

Unknown:

no, go ahead. Go

Erin Brockavich:

ahead. Smell Robbins new book. Yeah. Then, yeah, oh, God, it just brain farted. Mel Robbins, yeah, it's about just lean into it. Yeah, sure, yeah. We always fight it, because it's kind of like everything we've talked about in that box and stuff. Here we are, and even I love that, lean into it. Let let him. I mean, when I got out, Tingley, just lean into it. So. But my favorite book, truly, because I'm proud of myself. Here we Superman's not coming. Everything that we've just talked about, I get it. Did I get to say my favorite film was Aaron Bracken itch. My favorite book, Superman's not coming. Our national water prices, but what you can do about it,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

she's fired up. Terry, oh yeah.

Unknown:

All right, ready. What's my other

Erin Brockavich:

second book? Dr Shawna Swan, countdown. Somebody asked me this years ago, what's your favorite book? I'm like, toxicology of the eye. They're like, What is wrong with you? I'm like, lots, but

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Okay, question number two, you ready? This could be really easy for you. What state, which? Which state in the country, in the United States, in your personal opinion, is doing the best when it comes to cleaning their water. New York, maybe

Erin Brockavich:

every state needs to improve on that.

Unknown:

No,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

come on, there's got to be one, isn't there

Erin Brockavich:

one? No, every state needs to improve on that.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

All right, that's okay. All right. Is there anybody that's doing their, their

Erin Brockavich:

doing any every state needs to improve on

Unknown:

that? Okay, all right, there's your does

Erin Brockavich:

that mean all municipality water is bad? No, but we've already discussed, you know, we could go back to the chloramines, we could go back to the PFAs, we could go back to all of these chemicals just knowing your information, because they exist, and they can get through and they can get by. So every state's going to be impacted by PFAs. So it's pretty overwhelming, but I. Think all municipalities, you've got two systems here. You've got municipality, you've got people on well water, people on well water, that's oftentimes where we find some of the biggest disasters. Know your water. Know your well. They do. Farmers do test your well. They know exactly what to do. Municipalities, they could have an influx and a flow and a sludge hit them at any time, but they all have corrections they need to make, even if we go to chloramines, and we really feel that even removing fluoridation and chloramines adding ammonia to the system, if you just stopped adding ammonia to the systems, do you realize we could reduce Legionnaire outbreaks by what 60% Come on, every state needs to up their game and and take better care of their water source.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Just blows me away, how they push all these medications, like the vaccines and everything, and instead, if we remove certain chemicals that we would be healthier to begin with, but there's no money in that.

Erin Brockavich:

All right, every state has room for improvement, yeah.

Unknown:

All right,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

all right, all right. So we know the United States is pretty unhealthy, and compared to all the other countries, is there any country that's doing good with their clean water? That was too long a delay.

Erin Brockavich:

There's parts of Europe that I see okay are better with their water and have less contamination. Look even looking at Switzerland, you know that they value this pristine Alpine water, and you know they're often ahead of eradicating chemicals and things from the food chain, from how they farm, from the water. So I'm going to say parts

Dr. Terry Weyman:

of Europe. I'm heading to Switzerland three weeks, so I'll have some good water.

Erin Brockavich:

Every time I go to cry, I love it. You can breathe it in. So yes, there are all right, say parts of Europe.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Okay, these next three questions, or the last three questions, three.

Unknown:

Well, two and a half, two more. Come on. Aaron,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

what Ready? Ready? What is your what is your favorite, or go to karaoke song. Can you answer that? How

Unknown:

perfect

Dr. Terry Weyman:

was that? Is that highway to hell, a yellow brick road.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Yeah, that's right. Oh, my God, that's perfect. All right. Favorite TV

Erin Brockavich:

show. I'm a rockers girl. I'm a listen. I'm a late 70s, 80s, Kansas rocker. Look who's behind me. Come on.

Unknown:

That's David going, Oh, of

Erin Brockavich:

course, that was man in Indonesia. It's on 10.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

I've been wondering who that was. All the highway to hell. Oh,

Erin Brockavich:

yeah, there's a lot of Yeah, rock and roll. I love it. Rock and roll,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

you gotta go to TV show. Come on. Do

Erin Brockavich:

I have a favorite TV show, yeah, a Yellowstone. Oh yeah. God, I love Beth B now my favorite, I don't know if you started watching Billy Bob Thornton and landing. Oh, it's

Unknown:

such a great one.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

He is the best character. And, gosh, and the actress that plays his ex wife. Wife is hilarious.

Erin Brockavich:

I love land man. So Yellowstone has been land man, absolutely the one liners that that Billy Bob thorn has. I write him down. I'm like, Ooh, wait, pause, back. It Up. That was a good

Unknown:

one. Yeah,

Dr. Terry Weyman:

there you go. Me too.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

All right, aren't you glad I asked Karen, absolutely, yeah, no, now I got my last question for you. The last one is, if they do another movie on you. What actress would you want to play you?

Erin Brockavich:

I'd rather play myself. Thank you. There you go. Meaning I want to be myself. Yeah, of course. I know actresses. That's what they do. I thought Julia did a great job, I really do. But you know, Beth from Yellowstone, damn. Love her attitude. Oh, she's phenomenal. It's really weird having Julia play you. So if you ask about that, it because. Was it for me? It's hard to I it was me, and it's hard to see someone else do it. So I didn't say me from some egotistical perspective. I just, I just want to be me. And you know what? It's so hard for any of us in this world to just be fucking you, man, yeah,

Unknown:

it's true.

Erin Brockavich:

Be your own, leading lady, yeah,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

hey, I'm good, man, you answered all those rapid fire questions. Rapid fire, oh, boy. Oh, Aaron, thank you. This was well, I'm

Erin Brockavich:

so sorry I was late. It's been You

Dr. Terry Weyman:

were fine. And they this show is this show is going to kick off our next season in it's gonna be the first Monday of January. And so what a way to kick off our season with a way to kick off 2025 you know you're the best. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you. You know I love you, so thank you so much.

Erin Brockavich:

Today's Wednesday, right? Yeah,

Dr. Spencer Baron:

yes, Thursday, Thursday, and

Erin Brockavich:

I'm getting ready to call you because I need my freaking I

Dr. Terry Weyman:

will see you tomorrow. Today's Thursday.

Erin Brockavich:

You're right.

Unknown:

You slept through Wednesday. I love when Aaron gets fired up and I and your nails are beautiful, by the way. Oh,

Erin Brockavich:

you have to when you do

Dr. Spencer Baron:

that language, we gotta keep that in, man.

Dr. Terry Weyman:

Thank you. Thank you for your time.

Erin Brockavich:

It's been fun. Thank you. You got it all right, we'll see you again. You got it Bye. Be well.

Dr. Spencer Baron:

Thank you for listening to today's episode of The cracking backs podcast. We hope you enjoyed it. Make sure you follow us on Instagram at cracking backs podcast. Catch new episodes every Monday. See you next time you.