Everything & Anything...and a bit gay Podcast

By Zach Randles-Friedman

Queer-hosted and unapologetically curious. We cover everything and anything — and yes, it's a bit gay.... more

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How many episodes does Everything & Anything...and a bit gay Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 304 episodes available.

Everything & Anything...and a bit gay Podcast episodes:

June 12, 2026 Ep. 240: Are You Actually Happy — Or Just Busy? | The Gay Bit: Take 10
Are you actually happy — or just really good at staying distracted? In this week's Gay Bit, Zach gets real about the difference between being busy and being fulfilled, the noise we use to drown out our own thoughts, and why slowing down might be the most radical thing you can do right now.
Zach explores how full calendars, constant plans, and social media highlight reels can mask a deeper emptiness — and shares his own honest self-audit, from skipping concerts he bought tickets for months ago to his husband Andrew calling him "busy drag queen" for building a cat scratcher mid-episode of Euphoria.
In this episode:

The viral "are you happy?" TikTok format — and why the answers hit so hard
Why busyness is easy, and fulfillment takes actual intention
Social life in the LGBTQ+ community vs. straight couples with kids
The friend who can't sit in silence — and what she said that stuck with Zach
Andrew's "activity vs. dinner" divide and their new rule about buying local concert tickets
FOMO, overthinking, and the song that won't leave your head at 2am
Dr. Bradley Nelson's work on emotional energy and trauma
What it actually means to come back to yourself

Connect with Zach:
🌐 everythinganyanythingpodcast.com
📸 Instagram: @TheRealZachRe
Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay — new episodes weekly. Subscribe so you never miss a Gay Bit Friday.
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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24min
June 11, 2026 Ep. 239: He Talks to His Late Wife Every Day — And She Wrote a Book With Him
Tim Bair is the author of Ever Near, a memoir and spiritual account of his ongoing relationship with his late wife Marilyn, who passed away from gastric cancer in 2017. Beginning just one week after her death, Tim began hearing Marilyn's voice — first audibly during a walk, then through what became a practice of writing letters together. That collection of letters, now numbering over 400, forms the foundation of his book series.
In this episode, Tim talks about how their bond transcended physical life, how Marilyn helped him through years of chronic pain from a spinal injury, and what she has shared about her experience on the other side — including teaching classes in the spirit realm on how to communicate with living loved ones.
Tim also offers a gentle framework for anyone who has lost someone: starting with grief, moving toward nostalgia, and simply allowing the possibility that connection might continue.
Ever Near is available on Amazon. Tim is currently working on his second book in the series. https://a.co/d/08eLmOkq
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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45min
June 09, 2026 Ep. 238: Surviving My Mother's Cult: Peggy on Escape, Trauma & Finding Your Voice
Peggy is the author of Surviving the Family Kingdom: A Memoir of Growing Up in a Mom's Cult, Escaping and Reclaiming a Life, available now on Amazon. A psychotherapist of more than 20 years specializing in trauma, she sat down with Zach to talk through her extraordinary story — from the violent men and instability of her early childhood, to the gradual systematic indoctrination that began around age 11, to the "domino effect" that finally collapsed the kingdom when she walked away. We get into the four trauma responses (and why children most often "fawn"), the lasting toll of chronic cortisol stress on the body, deprogramming from beliefs about destiny and demons, radical acceptance, forgiveness, and what it meant for Peggy to raise her own children with a voice she was never allowed to have. If you've ever survived a controlling environment — a cult, an abusive relationship, a toxic family — this one is for you.
📖 Get the book: Surviving the Family Kingdom on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Family-Kingdom-Escaping-Reclaiming-ebook/dp/B0GMKLM4FW
💬 Leave a comment and tell us what you think — and please leave Peggy a review on Amazon.
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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51min
June 08, 2026Ep. 237: Grant Ginder: New Baby, New Book & Aging as a Gay Man | So Old, So Young
Grant Ginder is the author of six novels, including The People We Hate at Weddings (adapted into the 2024 film starring Kristen Bell and Ben Platt) and his latest, So Old, So Young — a story that drops in on six college friends across five parties over twenty years. A University of Pennsylvania grad and former Washington speechwriter, Grant now teaches in the MFA program at NYU.
In this episode:
Welcoming baby Celia via surrogacy — and the woman who made it possible

How Frankie the dog became the world's gentlest big… er, little-sister supervisor

The So Old, So Young structure: five parties, twenty years, six friends

Writing (and wanting to burn) his first novel at 23 after a brutal breakup

The millennial reckoning with homeownership, kids, and the markers of "real" adulthood

Sipping gin and tonics through a Watch What Happens Live taping with Erika Jayne and Elizabeth Perkins

The Long Island Railroad wine binge that birthed The People We Hate at Weddings

Meeting husband Mac (and the handshake that almost killed it)

Phones, performance culture, and why we were "so lucky" to grow up offline
📚 Grab So Old, So Young — https://www.grantginder.com 🏳️‍🌈 Catch Grant at East End Books in Provincetown this September, including an event with John Glenn for his queer Arthurian retelling The Lost Book of Lancelot.
Chapter Markers / Timestamps
00:00 Welcome — meet author Grant Ginder
00:30 Surprise! A brand-new baby (not a horse)
02:58 The surrogacy journey & their "hero" surrogate
05:31 So Old, So Young — the book
06:00 Getting tipsy on Watch What Happens Live
08:45 Five parties, twenty years: the book's structure
11:35 Laguna Beach to UPenn to speechwriting
13:00 Writing a novel at 23 after his first heartbreak
14:41 "How did I get to 40?" — the passage of time
17:50 Why millennials hit adulthood differently
20:36 The People We Hate at Weddings
21:55 Four bottles of wine & the train ride that started it all
23:48 The 2024 movie (Kristen Bell & Ben Platt)
24:08 Meeting husband Mac — and the dreaded handshake
29:11 Phones, performance & a Swedish Lapland digital detox
31:40 How Frankie the dog took to baby Celia
32:54 What's next: new book + a September in P-Town
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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42min
June 07, 2026 Ep. 236: Where Did the Rainbows Go? The Truth About Corporate Pride
The rainbow flags are missing this June — and the silence is telling. In this Pride Month episode, Zach goes deep on rainbow washing (a.k.a. rainbow capitalism): what it is, where it came from, how it took over Pride, and why corporations are now retreating in record numbers.
From the 1969 Stonewall riots to Subaru's coded 1990s lesbian marketing, from the Bud Light and Target blowups of 2023 to the six-figure sponsorship shortfalls hitting New York, San Francisco, and Seattle Pride right now — this is the honest conversation about what corporate Pride was really about, what we lose when it leaves, and why this painful moment might be the most clarifying one our community has had in decades.
Because Pride didn't start as a party. It started as a protest. And it's finding its way back.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Where did all the rainbow flags go?
02:00 Stonewall: Pride started as a riot, not a party
03:30 How corporate America got into Pride
07:00 What rainbow washing actually is
09:30 The 2023 turning point: Bud Light & Target
13:00 The 2026 numbers: a staggering corporate retreat
15:00 The community fights back: Twin Cities Pride
18:00 What real allyship actually looks like
19:00 Where this leaves us
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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21min
June 05, 2026Ep. 235: Is the LGBTQ+ Community Divided? A Pride Month Wake-Up Call | The Gay Bit
Are we losing LGBTQ+ unity — or do we just need to rebuild what it looks like?
In this Friday's Gay Bit, Zach digs into the division he's been watching play out inside the community: gay men turning on trans folks, bisexual and pansexual people getting invalidated, non-binary identities misunderstood, and comment sections full of people who'd rather criticize than get curious.
He reflects on the incredible bravery of the people he's interviewed — including a friend who came out at 52 to his wife and three sons, and trans women who transitioned later in life after decades of feeling something was missing. He gets real about why he struggles to ignore the trolls, what this podcast has taught him about respecting trans experiences, and the 650+ anti-trans bills moving through government right now.
The big idea: the world still sees us as one community. When we divide internally, we hand our opponents the cracks they're looking for. Unity in 2026 isn't about ignoring our differences — it's about choosing understanding, one conversation at a time.
This Pride Month, Zach's challenge is simple: you don't have to be best friends with everyone in the alphabet. Just respect them. Just be kind.
In this episode:
The bravery of coming out — and transitioning — later in life

Why Zach can't stop reading (and fighting) the comments

Gay men vs. trans folks, and where the real division is coming from

Bisexual, pansexual, and non-binary identities under the same umbrella

The 650+ anti-trans bills and why "it doesn't affect me" doesn't fly

Hope on the horizon: Hungary, Stonewall, and the moments that prove we can come together
🎧 Listen to Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay wherever you get your podcasts 🌐 everythingandanythingpodcast.com
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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21min
June 04, 2026Ep. 234: The Hyphenated Life: Dr. Han on Intersectional Identity & Mental Health
Episode Title: The Hyphenated Life — Dr. Han on Intersectional Identity, Queer Mental Health, and Surviving the In-Between
Guest: Dr. Han (drhanren.com)
Zach sits down with Dr. Han — psychologist, author, and TikTok creator — who specializes in liberation psychology and anti-oppressive care for children of immigrants, queer people, and Asian Americans. Dr. Han grew up as a 1.5 generation immigrant, born in China and raised in Michigan, and came to her queerness later in life. That lived experience of never quite fitting in any one box is exactly what her upcoming book is about.
In this conversation, they get into:
What it means to be a "hyphenate" — someone who holds multiple marginalized identities and refuses to collapse into just one

The psychology behind queer and immigrant overachieving and perfectionism — and when ambition becomes burnout

How Trump 1.0 shaped the demand for specialized mental health care — and what Trump 2.0 is doing to the communities Dr. Han serves

The numbing out, dissociation, and nihilism she's seeing in clients right now

Trans and non-binary clients in Texas: the painful reality of going back into hiding or planning to leave the state

The DEI rollback and what the defunding of Pride events and corporate ERG programs actually costs marginalized communities

How Dr. Han built her TikTok presence during the pandemic — and the exhaustion of staying on that hamster wheel

Managing her own mental health while absorbing the weight of other people's trauma
Dr. Han's new book, The Hyphenated Life: Bridging the In-Between Spaces of Intersectional Identities, is out June 16th and available for pre-order now.
📖 Pre-order: drhanren.com 🛒 Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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42min
June 03, 2026Ep. 233: David Archuleta on Faith, Coming Out & Sexual Health Advocacy
Everything & Anything…and a Bit Gay David Archuleta: Devout, Coming Out, and Owning Your Sexual Health
Zach sits down with David Archuleta — the beloved American Idol runner-up, recording artist, and now New York Times bestselling author — for a conversation that is equal parts honest, hopeful, and necessary.
David opens up about his debut memoir Devout, the immediate bestseller that explores what it means to grow up queer inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, why he left the church, and what he hopes readers — especially those still inside religious communities — take away from his story.
They also get into David's work with Gilead as an HIV prevention advocate, why he's talking openly about PrEP, and what he'd say directly to a young Latino man who's never had that conversation with a doctor.
In this episode:
What it felt like the moment Devout hit the New York Times bestseller list

How coming out changed the way David makes music — and the creative relief that followed

Growing up in a Latino household where sex was never discussed, and why he's changing that

His partnership with Gilead and the healthysexuals.com resource for LGBTQ+ sexual health

Why HIV infection rates in the Latino community rising 12% makes this conversation urgent

The Shawn Mendes collaboration we are now officially manifesting

What keeps David grounded when faith, identity, art, and advocacy all pull at once
Links & Resources:
Devout by David Archuleta — available wherever books are sold https://a.co/d/0djdKJYr

David's music: davidarchuleta.com

Sexual health resources: healthysexuals.com (Gilead)

Follow David: https://www.instagram.com/davidarchie/
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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23min
June 02, 2026Ep. 232: Kevin James Thornton on Big Baby, Coming Out Late & Finding Fame at 50
Episode Title: Kevin James Thornton on Big Baby, Coming Out Late & Finding Fame at 50
Episode Summary: Zach sits down with Kevin James Thornton — author, comedian, musician, and TikTok sensation — for a candid, warm, and hilarious conversation about his upcoming memoir Big Baby, out June 2, 2026. From growing up in Indiana and getting swept into a church youth group to spending two decades chasing a record deal in Nashville, Kevin's life story is equal parts heartbreaking and absurdly funny. He and Zach bond over shared experiences: the AIDS-era fear that shaped their coming-of-age, sneaky JCPenney catalog moments, sleeping with girls in high school, and the long, winding road to finally living as yourself.
Kevin gets candid about living in his car at 40, waiting tables to get back on his feet, an abusive relationship he kept secret for years, the unexpected viral TikTok fame that changed everything around age 50, touring 10 cities across Europe, going through a gay divorce after a decade-long relationship, and recording an audiobook that brought him to tears in a New York recording studio.
Episode Notes:
Kevin grew up in Indiana and joined a church youth group in high school — not from a religious family, but because it was the only thing to do in his small town

He knew he was gay but had deeply partitioned it off, coming out gradually through college

His parents' reaction when he finally told them: "We know this already, but thanks for telling us"

He spent roughly two decades in Nashville trying to get a record deal — bands from his scene included Kings of Leon and Kacey Musgraves

When the band fell apart, he moved to LA on a whim to become a standup comedian with zero experience

He toured a one-man comedy show about growing up religious and coming out at fringe festivals for four years

After burning out and returning to Nashville, he was briefly living in his 1997 Chevy Beretta — at age 40

He rebuilt his life waitressing, saved money, moved in with a friend, and eventually entered a 10-year relationship

During the pandemic, his TikTok blew up — nearly a million followers in six months, people recognizing him at the grocery store

He went back on the road with actual support and audiences: 200 people in Helsinki, Finland, had no idea who he was

A literary agency approached him after his TikTok success; Big Baby is the result — a full memoir divided into three parts

The book includes: a pregnancy scandal from his teenage years, an abusive relationship in LA, and living in his car — all told with humor alongside the pain

Kevin recorded the audiobook himself and got choked up multiple times in the recording booth — he describes it as unexpectedly healing

He recently went through a gay divorce after 10+ years together; the breakup is woven into the third section of the book

He and Zach connect over the Gen X / 50-ish life reset — both left stable careers to pursue creative work full-time
Buy the Book: Big Baby by Kevin James Thornton — available for pre-order now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and everywhere books are sold. Audiobook available same day, June 2, 2026. 👉 https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kevin-james-thornton/big-baby/9780306836763/
Amazon: https://a.co/d/0arD5BXd

Follow Kevin:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinjamesthornton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinjamesthornton/

Website: https://www.kevinjamesthornton.com/
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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44min
June 01, 2026Ep. 231: This is Everything - Pride Month Special
Episode Summary
It's Pride Month, and Zach is getting into all of it — the joy, the history, the politics, and the very real threats facing the LGBTQ+ community in 2026. This isn't just a celebration episode; it's a call to remember why Pride exists in the first place.
In This Episode
The magic of NYC Pride and what makes it unlike anything else

Why Pride started — the Stonewall riots, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and the raw resistance that launched a movement

Why Pride still matters: 650+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in 2026, trans people targeted despite being less than 1% of the population, and rising visibility bans

The corporate retreat from DEI and Pride sponsorships — and what it means for community funding

Counter-pride events: straight pride nights, "traditional family" campaigns, and what's happening in Tennessee

Why the answer to "why do you still need a Pride month?" is: visibility, community, and protection

Where Pride goes from here — and why returning to its grassroots roots might be exactly what's needed

Zach's best (and most memorable) NYC Pride stories
Resources & References Mentioned
Listen Up Girl podcast — daily LGBTQ+ news in 10 minutes or less

Marsha P. Johnson & Sylvia Rivera — Stonewall-era activists and trans rights pioneers

Stonewall Riots, 1969
Share This Episode If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs a reminder of why Pride matters. And please leave a review on your favorite podcast platform — it helps more people find the show.
Podcast song by SIXFOOT 5: https://www.sixfoot5prod.com
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sixfoot-5/1551774977
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rHMzoU0G0fLhaBsrQiOOY?si=laSZ5hiKTYubJJyhrzf2JQ

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
23min

FAQs about Everything & Anything...and a bit gay Podcast:

How many episodes does Everything & Anything...and a bit gay Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 304 episodes available.

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