Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Michael Calvey (on being wrongfully imprisoned in Russia)

18 Jun 2025

Audio

Description

Michael Calvey (Odyssey Moscow: One American's Journey from Russia Optimist to Prisoner of the State) is an investor, businessman, and author. Michael joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how the Soviet Union existed when he climbed the the matterhorn but had fallen by the time he came down, learning that contact lenses freeze inside one’s eyes in Russian temperatures, and being an early tech investor in the Russian during its big recession. Michael and Dax talk about his apartment being deliberately set on fire by rivals, being raided and arrested by armed men in the middle of the night, and feeling betrayed by believing so much in a country that wrongly imprisoned him. Michael explains discovering he had a malignant tumor in his leg while behind bars, what the average Russian citizen thinks of Putin, and why writing this book was both cathartic and cheaper than therapy.Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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