E183 Human Russ Woody‘s book Tuesdays With Ted is the true account of his father Woody’s battle with the deadly disease ALS, while Russ was writing for the hit show Becker (starring Ted Danson). Russ also authored Effed! and The Wheel of Nuldoid, AND he’s an Emmy- and Golden Globe-award-winning television writer (Murphy Brown and […]

E182 Childhood cancer survivor Matt Purzycki was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) when he was just four years old. In another room, at the hospital where young Matt was being treated, another little girl, Emily, was also in the battle of and for her life. Thirty years later, Matt is working on a documentary […]

E181 Undocumented, immigrant humans Jesus and Maria are from Durango, Mexico and live in the United States. They share their story of how they arrived, their day-to-day minutiae and how they navigate a sometimes hostile environment where deportation looms. For more information and links, please visit: HeyHumanpodcast.com

E180 Formerly morbidly obese human Jim Trick weighed over 400 lbs. by the time he was in his early 20s. He struggled over the years with his weight, even after undergoing a gastric bypass operation, until a documentary (Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead) and a fateful encounter with a woman named Gina changed the trajectory […]

E179 human Layng Martine, Jr. wrote an essay for the NY Times Modern Love section about life with his wife after a tragic accident left her paralyzed. That essay blossomed into his book, Permission to Fly. In it, the hit songwriter (Elvis, Reba, Trisha Yearwood, among others) writes of his childhood misadventures, including a (possibly) […]

E178 American Red Cross specialist human Jermaine Jackson saves lives. He’s a CPR and bloodborne pathogen instructor, as well as a disaster relief specialist. There are a lot of misconceptions about what to do in an emergency situation, but Jermaine is here to clear things up (turns out that scene from The Office was on […]

E177 human Meghan Cockram has Down Syndrome. Her sister Erin and mom Cheryl, along with Meghan, sit down to chat about life, love and the pursuit of happiness (spoiler alert: it might be French fries). This is an interesting and lively conversation with a family full up of love and understanding, teaching the world at […]

E176 Paleontologist, fossil preparator and fossil mitigation field technician human Trevor Valle has been the featured expert on numerous television specials, including Mammoths Unearthed on the National Geographic Channel and the documentary Titans of the Ice Age.  Trevor began his career at Los Angeles’ Natural History Museum. He has worked fossil locality sites all over the […]

E175 human Pam has spent all of her seventy-four years in Los Angeles. She’s seen a lot of changes. Raised by her grandparents, because her parents were “doing other things,” Pam’s upbringing was slightly unconventional. She’s a contractor, a building manager, a mom, a community volunteer and a non-nonsense woman navigating the world with her […]

E174 former bassist for the punk rock band Babes in Toyland human Maureen Herman is a writer and musician who is no stranger to showing you her scars. She’s candid about where she’s been, where she’s heading and how hard she tries to stay in the moment. Funny and engaging, Maureen has managed to channel […]