Yes, the intro and outro material–as well as the entire format and feel of the show–is consciously modeled on EconTalk. In the first epidode of SFC I explain that. The reason is simple: EconTalk is wildly successful and we want to emulate the best. Russ has been very kind to me sharing me everything he's learned making EconTalk and you can say he's my podcast mentor. So to answer your relationship, Russ is a Mercatus scholar, he's advised me on the new podcast, and I'm consciously modeling it on EconTalk. Thanks for listening! -JB

It is also interesting that the introduction or prefatory material to the podcast is nearly identical to that of EconTalk by Russ Roberts. Just substitute the title of the series and use a different person's voice and it's the same thing. “Where you can subscribe, comment on this podcast and find links and other . . . <snip> . . .Our email address is <snip>. . . we'd love to hear from you.”

I'm not complaining, I'd just like to know what the relationship is between Surprisingly Free and Econ Talk.