Welcome to the first episode of Project Book Club, where hosts Bryce Zabel and Chrissy Newton launch a fresh kind of conversation around the books that shape the UFO and consciousness landscape. This isn’t your typical late-night podcast. It’s a morning-show-style book club made for readers who want to explore the unknown with a hot drink in hand and curiosity on full blast.
In this episode, Bryce and Chrissy dive into The Believer by Ralph Blumenthal, the biography of Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John Mack. Mack rose to prominence for his Pulitzer Prize-winning work, but his legacy shifted dramatically when he began studying alien abduction phenomena. Bryce and Chrissy unpack the book’s layered portrait of Mack, exploring his courage, contradictions, and the firestorm he faced from Harvard when he chose to publicly validate the experiences of abductees.
The discussion touches on the emotional depth of Mack’s journey, including his personal flaws, academic brilliance, and the spiritual and philosophical questions that guided his work. They examine how Mack challenged the limits of Western scientific thought, his interest in consciousness, and how his openness to Eastern philosophies influenced both his worldview and research methods.
Bryce and Chrissy also reflect on some of the major events in Mack’s life, like his involvement in the Ariel School incident in Zimbabwe, and his controversial interviews on national television. They take time to discuss his critics, his supporters, and the legacy he left behind when he died unexpectedly in 2004.
Through thoughtful insights and a bit of morning humor, this episode sets the stage for what Project Book Club is all about: digging deep into powerful stories, asking big questions, and creating a community where readers can explore the unknown together.
ProjectBookClub.net
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1:17:25
Immaculate Revelations
In this revealing episode, Ross Coulthart and Bryce Zabel tackle a wave of breaking developments in the UFO/UAP landscape. They begin with the extraordinary final testimony of Dr. Harold Malmgren, a former U.S. official who, shortly before his death, disclosed direct knowledge of downed non-human craft, recovered biologics, and the controversial existence of Majestic 12. The hosts analyze his statement’s implications, exploring how nuclear technology may have been used to down UFOs and the possibility that world powers are actively racing to reverse-engineer this non-human technology.
They also break down the recent public appearance of Matthew Brown, the anonymous source behind the Immaculate Constellation document, featured on Weaponized. Ross and Bryce weigh the credibility of his claims, the alleged black triangle over a Russian vessel, and whether aerospace contractors and private corporations have become the modern-day vaults for UFO secrets.
With growing international interest in non-human intelligence, the episode also explores the broader landscape of secrecy, disclosure, and media manipulation. Ross provides fresh intel about ongoing investigations and how other nations are now taking steps toward greater transparency. They also reflect on the role of pop culture, censorship on Wikipedia, and how history is being actively written—or erased—before our eyes.
The episode ends with a light preview of their upcoming appearance at Contact in the Desert and a humorous yet insightful short video from Will, capturing how everyday conversations around UFOs are changing in living rooms across the country.
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1:13:45
Watch the Skies
In this wide-ranging episode of Need to Know, Ross Coulthart and Bryce Zabel explore some of the most urgent and complex developments in the UAP world, politics, and history. They begin with a take on the recent Signal security scandal in the U.S. government, comparing it to their own use of encrypted messaging. This segues into a deep dive on the continuing UAP drone saga over U.S. airspace. Ross goes so far as to say these objects are likely anomalous and potentially connected to non-human intelligence. They express frustration over official government explanations that no longer hold up and a media landscape that fails to ask the right questions.
The duo also covers the growing importance of independent projects like Skywatcher, which claims to have repeatedly summoned and filmed UAPs, including jellyfish-like aerial entities, with advanced equipment. They highlight the risk of foreign powers like Russia or China beating the U.S. to disclosure and discuss the lack of action from the new presidential administration despite previous promises. Other key topics include David Grusch joining Congress, the failure of government institutions to act transparently, and the newly released JFK documents, where Ross shares jaw-dropping claims about potential links between JFK and a secret UAP retrieval operation. They close by emphasizing the need for real evidence and discernment in the age of misinformation.
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1:09:19
Gimme Some Truth
In this episode of Need to Know, Ross Coulthart and Bryce Zabel discuss the latest developments in the UAP conversation, particularly the lack of action from the new U.S. administration despite previous campaign promises. They highlight the role of key figures like John Ratcliffe, the new CIA director, and Marco Rubio, the new Secretary of State, both of whom have previously acknowledged the reality of unexplained aerial phenomena. The conversation also delves into Elon Musk’s recent claims that he would know about secret UAP programs if they existed—claims that Ross and Bryce find naive, given the compartmentalized nature of classified government projects.
The episode also explores the broader implications of disclosure, touching on government secrecy, potential geopolitical ramifications, and the upcoming documentary The Age of Disclosure, which promises to feature high-level insiders speaking out about UAPs. Additionally, the hosts discuss Richard Dolan’s new book on USOs (Unidentified Submerged Objects) and the historical significance of cases like Kecksburg and the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. The ongoing mystery of military drone incursions and their potential ties to UAP phenomena is another major talking point, with Ross expressing frustration over media and government responses. They close by considering the possibility that foreign powers like Russia or China might take the lead on disclosure, potentially forcing the U.S. to respond.
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57:07
Roswell Revealed - (N2K Extra)
In this episode of Need to Know: Extra, Bryce Zabel dives deep into the enduring mystery of Roswell, emphasizing its significance in the broader UAP discussion. He explores recent congressional interest in crash wreckage, particularly Rep. Ana Paulina Luna's investigative efforts and Ross Coulthart's reporting on Jake Barber’s claims regarding helicopter retrieval of crash materials. The discussion revisits the historical context of Roswell, highlighting how it became marginalized despite continued revelations from key figures like Lue Elizondo and David Grusch, who both reaffirm that it was, in fact, a crash event involving non-human biological samples.
Bryce is joined by Roswell researcher Don Schmitt, who provides an in-depth look at the case, recounting decades of investigation and first-hand witness testimonies. The conversation explores how the U.S. government has repeatedly changed its explanation for Roswell, from flying saucer claims to weather balloons, Project Mogul, and crash test dummies. They discuss the challenges of proving the case today, the missing Roswell files, and the extreme lengths taken to suppress witness accounts. Schmitt emphasizes the significance of deathbed confessions and ongoing efforts to uncover physical wreckage, believing that Roswell remains the key to unraveling the UFO mystery once and for all.
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The Need-to-Know podcast deals with the now acknowledged reality of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAP. Its hosts are award-winning broadcasters and investigative journalists Ross Coulthart and Bryce Zabel. Every episode, they’ll look at what’s happened in the UAP/UFO world. Coulthart and Zabel discuss their current investigations, give each other advice, and seek to answer the big questions: who are they and what do they want?
Ross Coulthart’s work has been featured on Australia’s version of “60 Minutes.” And his documentary for Channel Seven Australia covering his UFO findings has been seen by more than ten million viewers. He is the author of In Plain Sight, in which he concludes that, while publicly dismissing the phenomenon for decades, governments have been seriously studying it all along and take it very seriously. Coulthart continues to report on the subject for Australian network television while working on investigations spawned by his book.
Bryce Zabel is an award-winning writer who has created or developed five primetime television drama series and worked on a dozen writing staffs. His feature credits include Mortal Kombat and Atlantis. His World War II film, The Last Battle, will shoot in the summer of 2024. Zabel was an original correspondent for CNN, and an award-winning investigative reporter for PBS. Zabel has authored his own UFO book, A.D. After Disclosure. He writes and edits the publication Trail of the Saucers that is read by more than 80,000 readers each month.