Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

David Sedaris (The Land and Its People, Happy-Go-Lucky, Calypso) is a bestselling author, humorist, and celebrated storyteller. David joins Armchair Expert to discuss discovering his name in the Epstein files, crossing state lines after midnight to have a tumor removed, and feeding it to a snapping turtle. David and Dax talk about testing and rewriting his essays onstage, giving relatives veto power over his stories, and evolving from writing about life’s biggest moments to writing about almost nothing. David explains why talking to strangers creates real connection, how treating words as violence distorts actual harm, and why comedy should be as tasteless as possible.

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Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy extreme weather story.

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Marc Brackett (Dealing with Feeling, Permission to Feel, RULER) is a psychologist, professor, and founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Marc joins Armchair Expert to discuss the childhood trauma that shaped his life's work, the fallout from disclosing it on national television at 12, and the inspiring uncle whose simple compassion finally made him feel safe. Marc and Dax talk about turning ideas into a program reaching 10 million children, being called out by his mother-in-law for failing to regulate during lockdown, and discovering Yale students often mistake envy for stress. Marc explains why avoiding emotion is bad, how precisely naming a feeling changes what you can do with it, and why the best emotional allies listen instead of trying to fix.

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Taron Egerton (Apex, Rocketman, Kingsman) is a Golden Globe-winning actor and singer. Taron joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a Welsh village with a 59-letter name, being raised by a single mother, and finding acting after being bullied as an artistic kid. Taron and Dax talk about Colin Firth mentoring him during Kingsman, expressing himself through Elton John in Rocketman, and transforming himself into a sociopathic villain in Apex. Taron explains embracing his shadow, smashing his idealized self, and believing in a benevolent universe.

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Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy hotel story.

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Christopher Whitcomb (Broken Plea, Cold Zero, and Black) is a former FBI Hostage Rescue Team sniper, bestselling author, and national security analyst. Christopher joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in rural New Hampshire, the winding path from teacher and speechwriter to the FBI, and the unbelievable twists of fate that shaped his storied life and career. Christopher and Dax talk about serving on the FBI's elite hostage rescue team, being at the center of historic events like Ruby Ridge and Waco, and why he decided to revisit the Idaho murders after the suspect's guilty plea. Christopher explains the psychological mindset of elite operators, how life-or-death decisions are judged long after the fact, and why pursuing the truth matters even when the official case appears closed.

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Scott Eastwood (Lucky Strike, Fury, Fast X) is an actor, producer, and entrepreneur. Scott joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hawaii, getting expelled after raiding a pot farm, and bar-backing his way through college. Scott and Dax talk about swearing off war movies before Lucky Strike pulled him back in, nearly coming to blows with Shia LaBeouf on Fury, and defying his agents to star in Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” video. Scott explains why fame is more burden than prize, how film sets can force grief into a holding pattern, and why you should say what you feel before time runs out.

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Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us a crazy home intruder story.

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Eva Benefield (Ghost Girl: Surviving the Black Swan Murder) is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of Ghost Cowboy. Eva joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in the Charleston Lowcountry, finding her mother dead at 14, and losing her father in the notorious Black Swan case. Eva and Dax talk about reclaiming her story through darkly funny TikToks, building an apparel company one drawing at a time, and writing a memoir while still living through its aftermath. Eva explains why humor can be a survival mechanism, how creation became her answer to destruction, and why she couldn’t depend on a verdict to give her closure.

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Alan Ritchson (War Machine, Reacher, and Motor City) is an actor. Alan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a military family, the surprising path from ballet to action movies, and unpacking newly diagnosed ADHD and CPTSD. Alan and Dax talk about the exploitation he experienced as a young model, surviving childhood bullying, and learning to separate self-worth from success. Alan explains the power of EMDR therapy, the complicated role resentment plays in his life, and why he believes some people are called to carry the fight for others.

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