Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

Today, we’re refining our BS reader with one the BEST in the biz - Jennifer Welch - from “I’ve Had It”! 

Together, JVN and Jennifer dive into how to hold people accountable, discern the news we’re watching,  and call out hypocrisy in both everyday life and in U.S. politics. Jennifer leads by example how we can practice accountability at home, in friendships, on social media, and with our elected leaders — without losing our joy or our sense of humor.

Jennifer Welch is a designer and cohost of the hit podcast “I’ve Had It” and “IHIP News,” where she and her best friend Angie “Pumps” Sullivan say what so many of us are thinking about politics, culture, and everyday nonsense. I’ve Had It has turned into a viral space where elected officials get pressed on their choices, not their talking points. Jen has marched for justice — including the No Kings Rally this past June in Oklahoma City where she and JVN marched together.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Jennifer Welch on Instagram @mizzwelch

Follow I’ve Had It on Instagram @ivehaditpodcast 

Follow Getting Better on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support: Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we're talking: visits to Drew Afualo & Suzanne Lambert’s podcasts, the Finlandia Trophy, Thanksgiving prep, Paul Revere, JVN’s upcoming European tour, Carmen Sandiego, “Where In The World Is JVN,” horses in the stable, Mikayla Noguiera’s haircut, Zara Larsson, the return of the salmon chunks, the death of Tierra Walker and abortion access in America, the release of the Epstein files, Chris’ Wicked: For Good, algorithm resets, 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

New video episodes Getting Better on YouTube every Wednesday. 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.
Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Travel nightmares, cocktail jazz, & laughing gas…oh my! 

This week, JVN is joined by comedian and certified delight, Heather McMahan (host, Absolutely Not) They’re talking: baths vs. showers, jazz scatting, preferred quesadilla orders, comedy in 2025, mid-flight medical emergencies, eyelashes, meeting people where they’re at, finding rituals that ground you, healthcare in the UK, The Golden Bachelor, and much much more! 

Heather McMahan is an actress, comedian, and podcaster whose sharp humor and self-deprecating storytelling have made her one of the most beloved voices in comedy today. Her Netflix special Son I Never Had! debuted in 2023 to widespread acclaim, holding a Top 10 position for a full week. Known for her candor, relatability, and ability to find humor in chaos, Heather has toured internationally, selling out iconic venues including Radio City Music Hall during her Comeback Tour. She’s been called “an auditory David Sedaris for the millennial set” by The Hollywood Reporter and continues to connect with fans across stand-up, television, and her hit podcast: Absolutely Not Catch her in The Bamboozled Tour continuing this spring. 

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Heather McMahan on Instagram @heatherkmcmahan

Follow Getting Better on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support: Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re talking: JVN’s return to yoga, which comedian makes JVN pull an oblique & an intercostal muscle, the process of becoming a U.S. Citizen, the perils of ankles being in weird positions, “Going Up on A Tuesday,” chickens in the Philippines, shark attacks, Cynthia Erivo’s reflexes, Megyn Kelly’s grift, The Devil Wears Prada 2 Trailer, Vulture’s article on Ziwe, reframing your view of self care, the trauma behind “Don’t Be Tardy,” the last penny, JVN bidding at auctions incorrectly as a kid, and Jack Schlossberg. 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

New video episodes Getting Better on YouTube every Wednesday. 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.
Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Woke Mind Virus? How about the Whiteness Mindset!

JVN welcomes psychologist and author Dr. Jonathan Mathias Lassiter to dig into his new book, How I Know White People Are Crazy and Other Stories, and explore how a “whiteness mindset” shows up in everyday life. We talk about what it is, who exhibits it, how it drives control and denial, feeds our collective stress, and why naming it is the first step toward healing.

From suppressing emotions to the lack of representation in mental health, Dr. Lassiter offers practical ways to care for ourselves and each other. We get into news hygiene (don’t doomscroll first thing!), how celebrity culture can hijack important conversations, and what living under chronic threat does to the body and brain. 

Whether you’re unpacking your own conditioning, supporting someone you love, or just trying to stay human in a loud news cycle, this episode gives you tools to regulate, relate, and repair.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Dr. Jonathan Matthias Lassiter on Instagram @lassiterhealth 

Follow Getting Better on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support: Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re talking: Elyse Myers making The NY Times Best Seller List, Unisex Bathrooms, our TikTok round up, scorned Trump supporter centrists, the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, taxing billionaires and corporations, and answering your listener question! 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

New video episodes Getting Better on YouTube every Wednesday. 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elyse Myers, (writer/creator) stopped by to talk to JVN all about her new book That's A Great Question, I'd Love To Tell You, living with ADHD, and navigating parenthood after being diagnosed with Autism as an adult. From masking and people-pleasing to boundaries and self-acceptance, Elyse shares the before/after of getting language following her diagnosis. Plus! We also dig into how she writes and why the Midwest is low-key the best.  

Elyse Myers is a writer and comedian who achieved mainstream recognition as a digital content creator. Deemed "The Internet's Best Friend," Myers continues to serve her audience of more than 10M+ with relatable stories, twisted Q&A's over coffee, and acts as an advocate for countless topics such as ADHD, imposter syndrome, body image and more by allowing herself to be seen, unfiltered in a genuine and hilarious way.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Elyse Myers on Instagram @elyse_myers and Tiktok @elysemyers

Follow Getting Better on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support: Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re talking: money confidence, JVN Hair Update: Air Dry Cream…in tubs!, lazy headlines around GLP-1s, the return of Chris’ bob, pig & cow content, whistling, Poot Lovato, attacks on Same-Sex marriage, cis-gendered nuance, "West End Girl," Thanksgiving advice, and our Hot Bitch of the Week. 

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive content, bonus episodes, and more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

New video episodes Getting Better on YouTube every Wednesday. 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Money isn’t just about math — it’s about mindset. This week, JVN welcomes back financial educator, Her First $100K founder, and Financial Feminist Podcast host Tori Dunlap to the pod to talk about how we can break free from money shame and finally feel confident with our cash! 

From debt and credit cards to saving, investing, and taxes, Tori breaks down the emotional and practical sides of money management — and why so many of us tie our self-worth to our bank accounts. They’re talking about how to build real financial confidence, stop saying “I’m bad with money,” and start making choices that align with your values.

Whether you’re paying off debt, dreaming about investing, or just trying to chill every time you check your balance — this episode will help you rethink what financial freedom really means. 

BIO: Tori Dunlap is a financial educator, author, and entrepreneur best known as the founder of Her First $100K, a multimillion-dollar company dedicated to financial feminism and helping women build money confidence. After saving $100,000 by age 25 and leaving her corporate marketing job, she grew her platform into a top podcast and New York Times bestselling book of the same name, Financial Feminist. Today, Tori reaches millions with practical tools for tackling debt, saving, and investing, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work reshaping how women talk about money.

Full Getting Better Video Episodes now available on YouTube. 

Follow Tori Dunlap on Instagram @herfirst100k 

Follow The Financial Feminist @financialfeministpodcast 

Follow Getting Better on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn 

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn

Check out the JVN Patreon for exclusive BTS content, extra interviews, and much much more - check it out here: www.patreon.com/jvn 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support: Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we’re talking: some big considerations following last week’s hypnosis episode, Halloween, money shame, soft-pitching “The Cancelistas,” speaking on panels, smoked fish, Ralph Lauren Christmas, the continued government shutdown, SNAP benefits, the White House Ballroom renovation, $230 Million from the Justice Department, Kristi Noem’s private jet, being a Patriot for Gymnastics, and the Louvre burglary. 

Check out the JVN Patreon for a BTS vlog and post-show debrief of The Drowsy Chaperone at Carnegie Hall starring JVN, Laverne Cox, Dylan Mulvaney, Betty Who, Alex Newell, Peppermint, and many many more! www.patreon.com/jvn 

Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Jonathan on Instagram @jvn and senior producer Chris @amomentlikechris 

New video episodes Getting Better on YouTube every Wednesday. 

Senior Producer, Chris McClure

Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure

Production support from Chad Hall

Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.

Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices