BILFPOD

Soul and R&B singer-songwriter Nate James taught himself to sing in his bedroom, got signed to a major label with a boy band, and got dropped without releasing a single record. He tells Mara Dorne how he went from waiting tables to writing songs for other artists, why he turned down the labels to own his masters back in 2003, and the day he pulled over his car and cried after hearing “Set the Tone” on the radio.

Broadway actress and viral vocal coach Jodie Langel, the woman behind “Raise Your Ya Ya Ya”, tells the story of the cracked note that turned a simple technique into a worldwide sensation. She shares how a moment at the Texas Thespians conference took off overnight, why she believes anybody can sing, and how people from Mongolia to Cardiff, Wales now stop her on the street. Jodie looks back on going from an NYU biology class to playing Cosette in Les Misérables after her very first Broadway audition, touring as Grizabella in Cats, and interviewing more than 50 Broadway stars for her book “Making It on Broadway”, and why, in her words, a Tony Award doesn’t guarantee anything. She opens up about the rejection that made her fall out of love with auditioning, the $896-a-week tour she turned down, and the pivot to teaching that changed everything. Jodie and Mara Dorne get honest about failure as a building block, why rejection is never personal, handling hate online, and why, as Jodie puts it, you can raise your ya ya ya at any age.

PR founder, three-time author and former national TV personality Lauren Cobello opens up about the 20-year entrepreneurial journey behind Leverage with Media PR. She shares how a criminal justice graduate became a frugal-living couponing mom, a regular on Good Morning America, the Today Show, Dr. Oz and Rachael Ray, and the author of “The Recovering Spender”, and why, after reaching the success she’d dreamed of, she felt like a fraud. Lauren reveals how she sat her kids down, sold the house, the boat and the camper, moved into a 1,000-square-foot rental and set out to build a million-dollar company in a year. She talks about standing firm as a woman in business, why the people who got you here can’t always get you there, and the clients she turns away. Lauren also breaks down what PR really is (and isn’t), why AI now decides who gets recommended, how to build a funnel with free content, and why the podcast is the hub. As a single mom of four who just remarried, she and Mara Dorne get honest about work-life balance, the friendships that slip, and what it takes to be both a mom and a CEO.

Italian model and Bravo star Andrea Denver, known for “Winter House”, “Summer House” and “In the City”, opens up about the man behind the reality TV personality everyone thinks they know. He shares how he came to the United States to study for a master’s in communication and was scouted by Wilhelmina Miami instead, landing a Jennifer Lopez music video as his very first job, and how his friends back in Italy found out from paparazzi photos. Andrea talks about earning his green card through his own work, getting stuck in Italy when the borders closed in 2020 just before “Winter House”, and why reality TV is the one place he gets to be completely himself. He speaks honestly about the moment he walked out of a heated conversation on camera, watching close friends’ marriage fall apart in real time, and where he draws the line between fair criticism and online hate. Recorded just weeks before he and his wife Lexi welcomed their daughter, Andrea opens up about growing up an only child with parents who became his best friends, the life he’s building beyond modeling, from creative direction to a New York café and real estate, the streetwear line that didn’t make it, and the lesson from his doctor father he still lives by. After more than a decade in front of the camera, he reveals why fame was never the goal, and why he doesn’t mind walking out the door when it’s time.

Dr. Joy Kong is 55, triple board-certified, and has spent a decade in stem cell therapy. She explains what stem cells really are and which myths she hears most.

Before Love Island USA, Amaya Espinal spent four to five years as a registered nurse. Then one DM and one "why not?" changed everything.

Mauricio Umansky went bankrupt and got fired before 30. Then he became the No. 3 agent in the country and built The Agency to 170 offices in 17 countries.

Busta Rhymes explains why he refused to sell a single J Dilla beat for 20 years, and what finally changed his mind on Diligence 2.

Mara sits down with research microbiologist Kiran Krishnan to unpack why the gut drives aging, anxiety, joint pain, and chronic disease, and the five simple pillars that can rebuild it at any age.

An undrafted Division III walk-on went on to play pro basketball in 8 countries then built a media company on the belief that motivation is a myth.