2017 marks a critical juncture where I am paying attention to what I consume and create. For starters, I strive to shed new light as a writer. I also want to share conversations with exceptional people who devote their careers to not only distilling life’s greater truths AND help others hone their own voices. I also have found that as vital as it is to engage in society, some days the news makes me worry that my head might explode. It’s why I am particularly thankful to kick off 2017 bringing you a live interview with Sarah Kay, an extraordinary writer, performer, and teacher.

For those who don’t know Sarah Kay, as she is quickly becoming a global sensation. She made her television debut when she was 18, on yogi and music scion Russell Simmons’s Def Jam on HBO. Shortly after graduating from Brown, she then performed her poem "B" as a TED Talk, which garnered over 9 million hits on Youtube. The half-Jewish, half-Japanese, New York Native was twenty-two years old.

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As a 6’2, 300-pound offensive guard for the Citadel, Morris Robinson scored first team All-Southern Conference, first team Kodak All-American, and second team Sports Network All-American. He wanted to play pro. Sports Illustrated profiled Robinson because the powerhouse also possessed a one-of-a-kind musical talent. At the South Carolina military academy, he’d sing the National Anthem. His deep voice was electric, and otherwise stoic boys would line up for autographs after Robinson’s concerts like fan girls.

The beloved son of a minister, Morris had performed music at his family’s church since he was a kid. He later joined the Atlanta Boys’ Choir and continued to play drums and piano. The Georgia native was a stand out on and off the field. Then he faced a brutal blow. College football teams worried he was too slow. Robinson felt crushed.

After dabbling as a bouncer, he worked in sales at 3m, where his huge smile and charm paid off. But Robinson was miserable. Luckily, his wife intervened.

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Turturro, who is best known as one of the most pliable, memorable actors of our time, spoke about needing to laugh post the election of Donald Trump. We certainly did a lot, as the Brooklyn native shared hilarious stories about working with Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorcese on Raging Bull to shooting a threesome with Bobby Cannavale and Audrey Tatou for his latest project GOING PLACES. He also shared some never released before photos from the set, as Turturro is currently editing the film. In it, Turturro revisits the sleazy, former pedophile, and die hard bowler Jesus Quintana, which became one of the many stand out characters in the cult classic THE BIG LEBOWSKI.

Most folks became aware of John Turturro in Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING, but he cemented his street cred as the Coen Brothers, who famously cast the Italian-American human sponge.

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JON GLASER talks about Second City and whether SNL grabbed his joke.

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MARTHA WAINWRIGHT is touring in Australia, the UK, Ireland, and Canada, just released her fourth solo studio album, GOODNIGHT CITIZEN. The bilingual, dual citizen has lived betwixt and between worlds, and when you hear her sing, you'll feel how her music deftly embodies the cacophony of emotions simultaneously. Now a mother, who grew up with parents, Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright, Martha talks about raising a child as an artist and touring. We also spoke about how hard it is for musicians to make a living and that all musicians need to compose music and tour if they want to try to do so. Leonard Cohen saw her talent from the get go, and once you hear our interview and her sing, you'll know why. Go buy GOODNIGHT CITY. Makes a wonderful Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa gift for you or someone you love, lust, or like like a lot a lot.

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"Get comfortable with people hating you," Sarah Treem, who created THE AFFAIR, which is in the midst of its third season on SHOWTIME, says about what it takes to be a boss. Her keen awareness about the messiness of real life is palpable in this epic series. Of course, it helps having actors like Dominic West , Maura Tierney, Joshua Jackson, and Ruth Wilson depict what the cost of prison, murder, infidelity, children, death, mental illness play on even the strongest relationships. This season continues to shed light on how people use, abuse, and find refuge in sex, lust, and love, but also delves into what it takes to live with baggage and the limits of resilience. Everyone and every relationship has a breaking point, and this season looks at what role mental illness, custody battles, prison, infidelity, children, death of parents, work play.

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The extraordinarily talented musician Mitski Miyawaki composed two albums before she had graduated from college. Her latest album Puberty 2 led her to her first live TV performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Most importantly, it gave her momentary reprieve from that awful feeling "impostor syndrome" which is not to be confused with a Napoleon complex. Mitski is hilarious, smart, and such a fantastic performer. It was a delight to discuss her punk background, touring, Twitter, and hear why you must catch her live performing and grab PUBERTY 2 at a record store near you (or online).

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Donald Trump's legacy is already underway. Instead of calling for higher standards and ethics when it comes to how journalism treats privacy issues, a Florida judge awarded Hulk Hogan millions of dollars for recording his affair with his best friend's wife and bankrupted Gawker Media, as well as journalist AJ Daulerio and founder Nick Denton. There are other lawsuits which remain.

Of course, Gawker is not innocent and Nick Denton spoke about his own desire to be profitable, which lead to recklessness. A former journalist and serial entrepreneur, Denton talks about the good, bad and ugly of Gawker Media, which included Jezebel and Gizmodo.

The lawsuits were spearheaded by Peter Thiel, an immigrant who is a staunch advocate of Donald Trump, and was on a mission to shut down media. A Facebook board member and co-founder of PayPal, Thiel could afford to do whatever he wants, but the result is that TMZ, New York Post, British Tabloids still infringe on privacy.

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Nate Silver the leading political pollster in history, and is as deft with sports and social issues. Silver explores all three arenas as the Founder and Editor-in-Chief at 538, which he sold to ESPN, after a stint at The New York Times.

In our interview, which was recorded live at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, Nate and I spoke about how this 2016 election is unprecedented, who gets polled and why, and what set Silver, a wunderkind, apart as a kid. Nate also spoke about managing his staff at ESPN's 538, why he failed to predict that Donald Trump would win the GOP nod, sexual assault, aka Donald Trump's "pussy tape," Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and how email hacking is the scariest political weapon.

It was a pleasure and privilege to have Nate Silver back on Employee of the Month. I highly recommend our first interview as well. He is a lot of fun, brilliant, and runs an addictive website in panic inducing times.

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Jessica Bennett is a columnist at the New York Times Style section and wrote about Monica Lewinsky and online shaming to Hillary Clinton's closest confidantes to sororities and feminism. Her work has also appeared in Newsweek, Time, and was the cofounder and curator of the Lean In Collection – a partnership betwen LeanIn.Org and Getty Images, to change the way women are depicted in stock photography. We spoke about her first book, Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual (for a Sexist Workplace), which was published by HarperCollins in September and offers suggestions for women to take when facing sexism.

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