Coming Out Pod

By Coming Out Pod

What's Coming Out Pod about?

Coming Out Pod is a weekly podcast hosted by Lauren Flans where queer folks from all walks of life tell the tales of how they came out to friends, family, and the world at large! Because who doesn't love a coming out story?

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Coming Out Pod episodes:

03.27.2024
Episode 292: Jenn Lee (Smith), REDUX!
Lauren couldn't put the podcast on hiatus without doing one of her favorite kinds of episodes: namely, a REDUX! When producer and writer Jenn Lee (formerly Jenn Lee Smith) was first on the pod in July of 2022, she was...
03.20.2024
Episode 291: Chloe Star
Pop-punk/alt-rock artist Chloe Star is so obviously comfortable in her own skin that you would never know she struggled fiercely with her sexuality throughout her adolescence. Chloe's mother is Native American, and so Chloe grew up going back and forth...
03.19.2024
The Pod Is Going To Be Taking A Hiatus...
Lauren gives a transparent, hilarious, and WAY the f@#k too long explanation of why she is putting the podcast on hiatus at the end of March!Info and resources mentioned:- The pod's website is comingoutpod.com. That's where you'll find a link...
03.13.2024
Episode 290: Leah Lax
Author and librettist Leah Lax ("Not From Here: The Song of America") shares a series of incredible stories in a truly one-of-a-kind episode of the podcast! Leah grew up as a Jewish genderqueer lesbian in Northern Texas, and struggled with...
03.06.2024
Episode 289: Arohi Kumar
Arohi Kumar has been a HERstories participant for the past several years, and in that time, Lauren has seen her confidence and happiness grow exponentially! Arohi (whose identifiers include transfemme, poly, and "bi enough") is a child of Indian immigrants,...
02.28.2024
Episode 288: Carmen Lagala
Lauren has a genuinely hilarious conversation with comedian and podcaster Carmen Lagala, who spills all the details of her recent coming out story! Carmen grew up in Vermont, which is arguably one of the very best states to be a...
02.21.2024
Episode 287: Maddy Kling
When 23-year-old grad student Maddy Kling asked if she could interview Lauren for her project on coming out stories, Lauren jumped at the chance to sit on the other side of the mic! But not only that; the work Maddy...
02.14.2024
Episode 286: Tina Horn
It's Valentine's Day, and the pod is serving up a hot 'n spicy episode with educatrix, writer, and former AVN-nominated director, Tina Horn! Regarding her sexuality, Tina says "as soon as I knew that I had a crush on Fox...
02.07.2024
Episode 285: Chris Tompkins
LGBTQ-affirming therapist Chris Tompkins clearly remembers knowing by the age of six that he was gay. So when he was told that his six-year-old nephew was "not old enough" to understand that he had a gay uncle, it started Chris...
01.31.2024
Episode 284: Tania De Rozario
The pod welcomes its first ever Singaporean guest, Tania De Rozario, whose memoir "Dinner on Monster Island" comes out next week! At the time that Tania was growing up in Singapore, positive representations of queer people were literally illegal on...
01.24.2024
Episode 283: Andie Main
Lauren gets into it with comedian Andie Main, who just released her aptly titled comedy album, "Rocky Mountain Bi!" Andie grew up in Portland's artsy district, and identifies as "classic '90s bi." She reveals the various cartoon characters who helped...
01.17.2024
Episode 282: Julie Delporte
Multidisciplinary author and artist Julie Delporte (they/she) was born in a village in the French countryside, and describes herself as "someone who is late in life." One of the ways in which this manifested was that Julie did not realize...
01.10.2024
Episode 281: Sara Mossman
Writer and filmmaker Sara Mossman grew up in Baltimore in the midst of a family dynamic that consisted of "a lot of dysfunction, a lot of chaos, a lot of people in the mix" (Sara is one of SIX children!)....
01.03.2024
Episode 280: Adario Mercadante
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The pod is kicking off 2024 in a big way with its first ever furry-identified guest! Comedian Adario Mercadante has been doing standup since the age of eighteen, and is truly one of the sweetest men alive....
12.20.2023
Lez Hang Out Episode 613: Missed Queer-nections with Elle Mills
It's POD SWAP day! Leigh and Ellie of Lez Hang Out thought Coming Out Pod's listeners might especially enjoy this episode of theirs from February 2023.Lez Hang Out Episode 613: Missed Queer-nections with Elle MillsYour eyes meet across the aisle...
12.13.2023
Episode 279: Listener Mailbag 2023 with special guest NICOLE!
Lauren and Nicole are reunited for the pod's *FIFTH* ANNUAL LISTENER MAILBAG!!! In this double-stuffed episode, we're taking on allllll of your burning questions with our usual #workwife candor! Hear our thoughts on if gaydar is real! Listen as we...
12.06.2023
Episode 278: Lindsay Hicks
If you listened to last week's special episode about A Holiday I Do and found yourself thinking "gee, this is great, but I sure wish I knew Lindsay's coming out story..." then you're in luck, because this week Lindsay Hicks...
11.29.2023
Episode 277: "A Holiday I Do" with Lindsay Hicks and Rivkah Reyes!
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's officially holiday movie season, and if you follow Lauren on Twitter, then you know that she is absolutely *obsessed* with made-for-TV Christmas movies. As such, she jumped at the chance to talk to...
11.22.2023
Episode 276: Andrew McCaskill
Lauren has an eye-opening conversation with the VELVET-VOICED Andrew McCaskill, a LinkedIn Career Expert and 2023 brand ambassador for Nike's #BeTrue campaign! When LinkedIn conducted a study of LGBTQ+ professionals for Pride Month of last year, they were surprised to...
11.15.2023
Episode 275: Erin Hoover
Poet and professor Erin Hoover self-identifies as "the parent of a donor-conceived child," and if you're wondering how she came to use that specific terminology, the thread of its evolution runs all the way through her recently-released collection, "No Spare...
11.08.2023
Episode 274: Rich and Siobhan of The Poly (Pod)Cast
Lauren aims to do Nicole proud as she hosts Rich and Siobhan of The Poly (Pod)Cast, a British/Australian couple who absolutely charm the PANTS off of her! (Just kidding; Lauren never wears pants when she records the pod.) Siobhan fully...
11.01.2023
Episode 273: Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's Love and Connection Expert!
Over the next two months, Hinge's NFAQ (Not-so Frequently Asked Questions) will be highlighting the experiences of bisexual daters, and so we're having a bi-extravaganza this week on the pod with Hinge's new Love and Connection Expert, Moe Ari Brown!...
10.25.2023
Episode 272: Jahni Leggett
Tomorrow is Intersex Awareness Day 2023, and Lauren has a guest whom she's wanted to have on the podcast ever since she saw her do an Insta Live for Intersex Awareness Day 2022! Jahni Leggett has a number of intersecting...
10.18.2023
Episode 271: Elle Forbes
This week on the pod: Lauren sits down with L.A. LGBT Center facilitator *and* participant, Elle Forbes (they/them)! Elle identifies as bisexual, transfeminine non-binary, and aroace, so buckle up, everybody: we're talking three coming outs MINIMUM! Elle's journey contains its...
10.11.2023
Episode 270: Parisa Akhbari
Today, October 11th, is National Coming Out Day, and the pod is celebrating with a *truly* delightful conversation with mental health therapist and writer, Parisa Akhbari! Parisa had an abstract fear of lesbianism throughout her early adolescence; enough so that...
10.04.2023
Episode 269: Marshall John Blount
Netflix's Sex Education recently dropped its final season, and with it came a new asexual character who - while groundbreaking - has proven to be quite divisive within the ace community. To that end, it seemed like the perfect time...
09.27.2023
Episode 268: Irina Rivkin
Lauren has a beautiful conversation with singer-songwriter Irina Rivkin, who identifies as "a lesbian queer femme dyke with disabilities" as well as ambiamorous, which for her means "my heart is capable of loving more than one person...but also doesn't mean...
09.20.2023
Episode 267: Tera Wozniak Stortz
Tera Wozniak Stortz, founder of the Queer Divorce Club, remembers one fleeting moment in high school when it ever-so-briefly crossed her mind that she might be a lesbian. For the most part, though, Tera thought that her lack of attraction...
09.13.2023
Episode 266: Amanda Slawinski
"Long-time listener, first-time guest" Amanda Slawinski's coming out journey began with a covert kiss behind a purposefully-closed door at the tender age of five...but then didn't pick up again until eighteen years later. Amanda identifies as queer, demisexual, and a...
09.06.2023
Episode 265: Jupiter Zirkua
Musician Jupiter Zirkua (she/they) describes her story as "a lot of bleak stuff," but with "a bookend to it that's really sweet," and she delivers on both promises. Raised in rural Florida by a single mother, Jupiter's first introduction to...
08.30.2023
Episode 264: Sarah Ravenscroft
If you're an old school listener of the pod, then over the years you've probably heard Lauren and Nicole mention their SINGLE GREATEST SUCCESS STORY* as podcasters, which is the marriage of Episode 25 guest Vanessa Ravenscroft. Well, get ready...
08.23.2023
Episode 263: Jenn Levine
At sixteen years old, Jenn Levine sat in a room with her mother and was told by two doctors that she had an extra chromosome, and that because of that extra chromosome, she would never be able to have children....
08.16.2023
Episode 262: Dianna Conley
Lauren sits down with voice actor and romantic/erotic audio narrator Dianna Conley, who identifies as bi/pansexual ("I saw The Mummy, and my answer was 'yes'"), agender, and neurospicy! Dianna's first kiss with a girl was in high school, but since...
08.09.2023
Episode 261: Lane Willis
Lauren is joined by her friend and co-facilitator, Maggie Tielker (Episode 165), for an in-depth conversation with Lane Willis, whom Lauren and Maggie both know from the L.A. LGBT Center's HERstories group! Lane (they/them) is a *phenomenal* kindergarten teacher, who...
08.02.2023
Episode 260: Lauren's College BFF!
For her first episode all by her lonesome, Lauren wanted to bring on "a guest who felt like home." Enter Brooke Berry, Lauren's BFF from college, whose incredible life experiences run the gamut from starting an AIDS coalition with a...
08.01.2023
BONUS MINI-EPISODE!
So, okay; here's the deal: we talked SO much when we recorded Nicole's farewell episode that we ended up cutting almost half an hour from the version that we released last week (classic #workwives!). We ultimately decided that this particular...
07.26.2023
Nicole's Final Episode: The End Of An Era (But Not The Podcast!)
The moment is here, y'all: it's our final episode as Lauren & Nicole. So grab a glass of red wine and/or bottle of sparkling mineral water, and strap in as we take an equally hilarious and tearful stroll down memory...
07.19.2023
Episode 258: Reverend Mark Montgomery
This is Nicole's penultimate episode of the podcast, so we knew our guest had to be someone extra-special! For over a decade, this incredible human being has been extremely close to Nicole and her family; so much so that he...
07.12.2023
Episode 257: Pallavi Gunalan
We laugh our goddamned asses off with standup, writer, and biomedical engineer (yes, really!), Pallavi Gunalan, who wins Lauren over in the first sixty seconds by stating that she "would die for Pierro." Pallavi grew up in an Indian family...
07.05.2023
Episode 256: Tembe Denton-Hurst
When Tembe Denton-Hurst's fiancée gifted her a writing class, Tembe had no idea that the short story she turned in would eventually become "Homebodies," her debut novel that was published in May! A consummate writer, Tembe shares a hilarious rollercoaster...
06.28.2023
Episode 255: Rain Valdez
We're closing out Pride Month in a big way with Emmy-nominated actress, writer, and producer, Rain Valdez (Razor Tongue; Transparent)! Rain, who describes herself as a heterosexual transgender woman, was born in the Philippines, and initially raised by her incredibly...
06.21.2023
Episode 254: Gender Without Identity with Avgi Saketopoulou and Ann Pellegrini
Holy hell, do we have a PIPING HOT EPISODE for you! When previous guest Avgi Saketopoulou and her partner Ann Pellegrini (both practicing psychoanalysts and faculty members at NYU) received an award for an academic article they co-authored, they were...
06.14.2023
Episode 253: Briana Mills
Therapist and advocate Briana Mills was born with an extremely rare form of muscular dystrophy, and from a very early age, everyone but her mother reinforced the ableist idea that the world would never expect much from her. Throughout her...
06.07.2023
Episode 252: Carolyn Bergier, REDUX!
WE MADE IT TO PRIDE MONTH, Y'ALL! For our first episode of the *actual* happiest season (sorry, KStew), we're rejoined by comedian and podcaster extraordinaire, Carolyn Bergier, who was first on the pod all the way back in Pride of...
05.31.2023
Episode 251: Cat Alvarado
Hot on the heels of her newly-released debut comedy album "Off-White," we talked to Nicaraguan-American comedian and writer, Cat Alvarado! Growing up in a mostly Spanish-speaking household, Cat always felt more Latina...and yet more often than not, she was perceived...
05.24.2023
Episode 250: Holly Cinnamon
Actor/singer-songwriter Holly Cinnamon (Succession, Daredevil) recently released the single "Small Town Queer," and in a true case of impeccable timing, we just so happened to catch her while she's briefly back in her rural Canadian hometown! Holly (she/they) weaves a...
05.17.2023
Episode 249: Shenuque Tissera
Lauren talks to her CHARMING AND HILARIOUS friend Shenuque Tissera, a New York-based actor and standup who identifies as a genderqueer pansexual! Shenuque (he/they) grew up in a Sri Lankan Catholic family on Staten Island, and remembers the concept of...
05.10.2023
Episode 248: Martha Marion, REDUX!
At long last, Episode 40 guest Martha Marion is back to talk about her all *new* set of identifiers, which include "solo-poly-my-way" and "Everybody from Ted Lasso can get it!" Martha discusses the excitement she experienced getting to be "a...
05.03.2023
Episode 247: Nicole's Dad!
If you're a longtime listener of the pod, then you probably remember alllllll the way back in Episode 17 when Nicole's mom joined us to tell Nicole's coming out story from her own point of view as a parent. Well,...
04.26.2023
Episode 246: Burak Yilmaz
Burak Yilmaz grew up in a very small town in Turkey and was best friends with his beautiful, glamorous mother: she taught him fashion, makeup, and hair, and would dress him in outfits to match her. But when he was...

What's Coming Out Pod about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Coming Out Pod episodes:

Episode 292: Jenn Lee (Smith), REDUX!

Episode 291: Chloe Star

The Pod Is Going To Be Taking A Hiatus...

Episode 290: Leah Lax

Episode 289: Arohi Kumar

Episode 288: Carmen Lagala

Episode 287: Maddy Kling

Episode 286: Tina Horn

Episode 285: Chris Tompkins

Episode 284: Tania De Rozario

Episode 283: Andie Main

Episode 282: Julie Delporte

Episode 281: Sara Mossman

Episode 280: Adario Mercadante

Lez Hang Out Episode 613: Missed Queer-nections with Elle Mills

Episode 279: Listener Mailbag 2023 with special guest NICOLE!

Episode 278: Lindsay Hicks

Episode 277: "A Holiday I Do" with Lindsay Hicks and Rivkah Reyes!

Episode 276: Andrew McCaskill

Episode 275: Erin Hoover

Episode 274: Rich and Siobhan of The Poly (Pod)Cast

Episode 273: Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's Love and Connection Expert!

Episode 272: Jahni Leggett

Episode 271: Elle Forbes

Episode 270: Parisa Akhbari

Episode 269: Marshall John Blount

Episode 268: Irina Rivkin

Episode 267: Tera Wozniak Stortz

Episode 266: Amanda Slawinski

Episode 265: Jupiter Zirkua

Episode 264: Sarah Ravenscroft

Episode 263: Jenn Levine

Episode 262: Dianna Conley

Episode 261: Lane Willis

Episode 260: Lauren's College BFF!

BONUS MINI-EPISODE!

Nicole's Final Episode: The End Of An Era (But Not The Podcast!)

Episode 258: Reverend Mark Montgomery

Episode 257: Pallavi Gunalan

Episode 256: Tembe Denton-Hurst

Episode 255: Rain Valdez

Episode 254: Gender Without Identity with Avgi Saketopoulou and Ann Pellegrini

Episode 253: Briana Mills

Episode 252: Carolyn Bergier, REDUX!

Episode 251: Cat Alvarado

Episode 250: Holly Cinnamon

Episode 249: Shenuque Tissera

Episode 248: Martha Marion, REDUX!

Episode 247: Nicole's Dad!

Episode 246: Burak Yilmaz

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