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In this follow-up episode of Kyle Talks, Kyle reflects on his recent conversation with Adam Swart, CEO of Crowds on Demand. After sitting with the discussion on paid protesting, ethics, and influence, Kyle breaks down what challenged him, what surprised him, and what questions still don’t have easy answers.

This episode isn’t about conclusions, it’s about processing, nuance, and learning how to hold complicated ideas without shutting down conversation.

What This Episode Covers:

• What I didn’t expect going into the conversation
• Moments that challenged my own assumptions about protesting and influence
• The moral gray areas of paid demonstrations
• Where free speech, money, and power begin to blur
• Why discomfort doesn’t mean a conversation shouldn’t happen
• What I’m still wrestling with after the interview
• How we talk about controversial systems without dehumanizing people

Key Reflections

• Not everything is black and white, especially when money enters social movements
• Intent vs. impact matters more than slogans
• Listening doesn’t equal endorsement, but it does equal maturity
• If we can’t talk about uncomfortable topics, someone else will, poorly

Why This Episode Exists:

This podcast exists to create space for thoughtful, respectful conversations, especially when topics feel uncomfortable or emotionally charged. Reflection episodes like this one are about slowing down, thinking critically, and inviting listeners into the process — not just the final opinion.

Continue the Conversation:

• Listen to the original episode with Adam Swart
• Share your thoughts respectfully in the comments
• Disagreement is welcome — disrespect is not

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

Tiktok: KyleTalkss

Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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Kyle Talks with Adam Swart, CEO of Crowds on Demand

In this episode of Kyle Talks, I sit down with Adam Swart, the founder and CEO of Crowds on Demand, a company that organizes and manages demonstrations, rallies, and public advocacy campaigns.

This is a conversation I went into without a fixed conclusion — and that’s intentional.

Adam’s work exists at the intersection of belief, optics, influence, and ethics. Some people see it as strategic messaging. Others see it as manipulation. Rather than tell you what to think, this episode is about slowing down and actually talking through the discomfort.

In this conversation, we explore:

• How modern protests and public movements are organized
• The difference between organic expression and coordinated messaging
• Why being paid to advocate feels morally complicated to many people
• Where Adam personally draws ethical lines in his work
• Whether compensation invalidates belief or participation
• How media optics shape what the public perceives as “authentic”
• What this industry reveals about human motivation and persuasion
• How listeners can stay curious without becoming cynical

This episode isn’t about defending or condemning an industry.
It’s about understanding how influence works and what it means for all of us trying to navigate public conversations honestly.

If you’ve ever found yourself unsure how to feel about modern activism, messaging, or protest culture — this conversation is for you.

About the Guest

Adam Swart is the founder and CEO of Crowds on Demand, a firm that specializes in organizing advocacy campaigns, demonstrations, and public engagement efforts across a wide range of issues.

His work has been featured by major media outlets, and he brings firsthand insight into how modern public movements are built, funded, and presented to the world.

Why This Episode Matters

Kyle Talks exists to bring back the art of conversation — especially around topics that are uncomfortable, polarizing, or misunderstood.

This episode asks a simple but difficult question:

If a message is true, but engineered, does it change how you feel about it?

If this conversation challenged you, intrigued you, or made you pause — that’s the point.

Let’s talk.

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

Tiktok: KyleTalkss

Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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This is the first episode of 2026 — and it sets the tone for everything that comes next.

In this solo episode of Kyle Talks, Kyle lays out a simple but ambitious goal for the year ahead: bring back the art of conversation.

Not perfect conversations.
Not easy conversations.
Real conversations.

Whether your goal this year is personal growth, rebuilding confidence, learning discipline, or simply connecting better with people around you, this episode is an invitation to step forward — together.

In this episode, Kyle reflects on:

• Why goals mean nothing without action
• How having better conversations is a form of discipline
• Why understanding does not require agreement
• The role of emotion in disagreement — and how to handle it
• When it’s healthy to walk away from a conversation
• Why casual conversations matter just as much as serious ones
• How self-control changes the tone of dialogue
• What it means to listen in a culture that rewards shouting
• Why Kyle Talks exists — and where it’s headed in 2026

This episode isn’t about being right.
It’s about being present, curious, and human.

Kyle challenges listeners to take responsibility for the conversations they’re part of — at home, online, at work, and in the world — and reminds us that changing culture doesn’t start with institutions. It starts with people choosing to talk.

A question for listeners:

What’s one conversation you’ve been avoiding — and what would it look like to approach it with honesty and self-control?

The Mission for 2026

Kyle Talks is about talking to people again.
Agreeing. Disagreeing. Laughing. Listening.
Building connection without dehumanization.

This year is about showing up imperfectly and continuing anyway.

If this episode resonated with you, consider leaving a review or sharing it with someone you’d like to have a better conversation with. Invite them to the table.

Let’s talk.

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

Tiktok: KyleTalkss

Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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Last episode of 2025 ends with a bang and NOT a whimper.

In this episode, Kyle goes over year-end numbers for the podcast as well as what conversations stuck out the most to him and where the podcast is headed in 2026!

What episode this year affected and made you think the most?

What episode was your favorite?

Thank you for the conversations, shares, listens, & follows.

2025 was a BIG year for us - 2026 will be even bigger.

Be safe and look forward to continuing the conversation next year :)

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

Tiktok: KyleTalkss

Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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What happens when conviction meets compensation?

In this episode of Kyle Talks, Kyle sits with a question that doesn’t have an easy answer. Is it wrong to be paid to spread a message if you genuinely believe in it? And why does the idea make so many of us uncomfortable?

Rather than taking a side, this episode explores the gray space between belief, influence, transparency, and trust. From lobbying and brand partnerships to political messaging and online influence, Kyle examines why money attached to belief feels different than money attached to work and why that discomfort matters.

This is not an episode about outrage or exposure. It’s about curiosity, ethics, and learning how to think more carefully about the messages we consume and the people who deliver them.

In this episode, Kyle explores:

• Why being paid to advocate feels different than being paid to work
• How belief becomes personal, emotional, and tied to identity
• The difference between paid messaging and paid belief
• Whether transparency changes how we perceive influence
• Where persuasion ends and manipulation begins
• Why discomfort can be a sign that a conversation is worth having

Kyle doesn’t offer a clean conclusion. Instead, he invites listeners into the uncertainty and asks them to wrestle with the question alongside him.

Links:

Harvard Study on Comp/Trust

Lobbying/Paid Advocacy Study

Paid Political Messaging

Pysch of Persuasion

Transparency in Media

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

Tiktok: KyleTalkss

Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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In today’s episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on something we all feel but rarely talk about:

Why does so much of what we see online — protests, trends, “viral” moments, political messages — feel engineered?

And more importantly…
Where’s the line between honest persuasion and outright manipulation?

Kyle breaks down the gray area between influence and orchestration, exploring questions like:

What we cover in this episode:

• Why most public messaging (left, right, corporate, activist) is coordinated
• How “organic” viral moments often aren’t organic at all
• The blurry boundary between influence, strategy, and manipulation
• How social media algorithms amplify emotion — not truth
• Why transparency matters more than ever
• The ethics of engineering a message, even if the message itself is true
• How orchestrated narratives shape our culture without us realizing it

Kyle also shares:

• Research on political communication
• Studies on influencer persuasion
• Data on media trust and social media virality
• Real examples of modern messaging tactics (without naming groups or pointing fingers)

The big question we leave you with:

“If a message is true… but engineered… does it change how you feel about it?”

This episode is all about curiosity, not conclusions — and invites listeners to think deeply about the media ecosystem we live in, and how it shapes what we believe.

Links:

MIT Sloan research on misinformation spreading faster than truth

Study: Shares without clicks on Facebook and social platforms

UNESCO influencer fact checking study

KFF misinformation poll snapshot

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

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Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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In today’s episode, we’re jumping into three real listener questions and each one hits a core part of what this podcast is all about: conversation, courage, and growth.

We talk about:

“Do people actually change their minds?”

I break down why yes, minds can change but not through debate, dunking, or proving someone wrong. Minds change through relationship, respect, and the slow work of understanding.

“Why am I so scared to share what I really think?”

We go deep into the fear of judgment and how cancel-culture thinking makes honest conversation feel dangerous. I share practical steps to speak with courage while still protecting your peace.

“How do I rebuild after a massive failure?”

This one gets personal. We talk about confidence after collapse, the difference between shame and reflection, and what starting over actually looks like financially and emotionally.

Why this episode matters

Because these questions are the everyday struggles that shape how we treat people, how we talk to each other, and how we grow. If you’ve ever wanted better conversations, less fear, or a clearer path forward after messing up this episode is for you.

Listen if you want to learn:

• How to talk to people you disagree with
• How to be honest without being terrified
• How to rebuild your confidence after failure
• Why human conversation still matters in 2025
• What real emotional maturity looks like

Social Media:

Insta/X: kyleTHEhorton

Youtube: Kyletalkss

Tiktok: KyleTalkss

Intro: Head In The Clouds by Matthew Morelock

Outro: Surfaces Type Beat - Jellyfish Beats

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This week, I’m doing something different.

After my conversation with Doug Kaplan pollster, public perception expert, and someone who’s spent years studying how Americans think. I walked away with more than just answers. I walked away with perspective.

In today’s episode, I’m unpacking the biggest lessons I took from our conversation:

• Why people often believe what they feel, not what they know

and how that shapes everything from politics to everyday disagreements.

• The real reason it’s so hard to change someone’s mind

(and why evidence alone almost never does it).

• How to talk to people you disagree with—without losing yourself

Doug gave me one line that genuinely shifted how I see conflict and communication.

• Why conversations matter now more than ever

and what our dialogue actually says about us as a society.

• The hopeful part

Yes, there is something hopeful here. And Doug gave me a new way to look at the future of human conversation.

This is a personal, reflective episode, more focused on the “conversation beneath the conversation.”
My goal? To make sure every listener walks away with something they can actually use in their own life.

If you heard the interview, this will deepen it.
If you didn’t, this will give you the heart of it.

Either way, I hope it encourages you to talk with people, not at them.

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