Happy Pride! To kick off their Pride Month celebration, Into the Mud sits down with Hitesh Tolani and Matt Atkins from the viral social movement @GaysOfNationalParks — a community where queer folks are finding friendship, healing, and love in nature. From loneliness and late bloomers to sweaty mountaintop revelations, this convo is everything listeners didn’t know they needed. Grab your boots, ditch the apps, and take a hike — literally.

Gays of National Parks (GONP) is a grassroots storytelling collective and outdoor community dedicated to creating safe, joyful, and inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ individuals in nature. Originally launched as an Instagram page for queer hikers to share their personal stories, the platform has grown into a vibrant, real-world movement—hosting group trips to national parks, collaborating with queer artists, and building lasting connections across identities and geographies. With a focus on vulnerability, visibility, and belonging, GONP helps reclaim the outdoors as a third space for queer joy, healing, and community.

Social Media: @GaysOfNationalParks, www.GaysOfNationalParks.com

Personal Social Media: @HiteshTolani and @MattB.Atkins

Trips: In addition to sharing powerful community stories online, Gays of National Parks also organizes real-life group trips to national parks across the U.S. — including Yosemite, Big Bend, and Joshua Tree. These trips are open to LGBTQ+ participants from all walks of life and are designed to foster deep connection, self-exploration, and queer joy in the wild. Some spots are paid, while others are stipend-funded for those in need. Upcoming trips and applications are available at gaysnationalparks.com (or their IG bio!).

Merch: The stunning GONP T-shirts (featured in this episode!) are designed by a queer California-based artist named Ross, who brings LGBTQ+ history to life through wearable art. Each design reflects the spirit and story of historic queer spaces — like Marshall’s Beach, a famously gay site in San Francisco that helped inspire the rainbow flag. Proceeds from merch support both the artist and grants for trip participants. Shop the collection at gaysnationalparks.com/merch.

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Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Don’t worry—we didn’t ghost you. We're just stuck in a chaotic love triangle with corrupted audio files and a cursed laptop. So this week, instead of our usual muddy deep dive, you’re getting a quick little check-in from the swamp. Updates, teasers, a dash of chaos, and a gentle plea to show us some love on socials while we get our mud together. Stay strong, #MuddyBuddies!

Bio: Alex is a New York based comedian by way of Chicago and Boston whose bold and whip smart standup delights crowds across the US. Credits: The Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club, NBC’s "That Clip Show: Holiday Edition”, 2021 season of Comedy Central Standup Featuring.
 
Bio: Originally from Massachusetts, Drew is a Broadway dancer, actor and writer living in New York City. Credits: Broadway’s “Tootsie” and “On the 20th Century”, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote VS The Swans”, The Tony Awards, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, and the 2021 Met Gala.

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Broadway star, Olivier Award winner and Drama Desk nominee Lesli Margherita joins Into the Mud for a hilarious and heartfelt conversation about rejection—and how she’s turned it into a superpower. With her signature wit and unfiltered honesty, Lesli shares how comedy has helped her survive (and thrive) in one of the most brutal industries out there. It’s a masterclass in resilience, delivered with a wink, a stunning Italian smile, and a perfectly timed punchline.

Bio: Lesli Margherita is an Olivier Award winner for her West End debut as Inez in Zorro the Musical. She made her Broadway debut originating the role of Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda the Musical, performing over 1,000 shows before returning to close out its Broadway run. She also starred as diva Mona Kent in Dames at Sea at the Helen Hayes.

Off-Broadway, Lesli earned critical acclaim for her performances in Emojiland and the one-woman holiday comedy Who’s Holiday, which earned her Drama Desk, Lortel, and Off-Broadway Alliance nominations.

On screen, she has appeared in “Homeland” (Showtime), “Transparent” (Amazon), “Seven Seconds” (Netflix), “Instinct” (CBS), and “The Crew” (Netflix), as well as the film The Many Saints of Newark and Opening Night. Her voice work includes Cinderella III (Disney) and “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon).

Her regional theater credits span Guys & Dolls, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Kiss Me Kate, Spamalot, Little Shop of Horrors, and Show Boat, among others.

Lesli is the creator of Broadway.com’s “Looks Not Books” and “Ship Happens,” and the digital short series Sparklepuff. Her solo shows Rule, Broad, and This Broad’s Way continue to tour nationally, and her debut live album Rule Your Kingdom is available on all digital platforms.

Lesli’s Social Media: @QueenLesli and www.LesliMargherita.com

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For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Broadway actor, composer and playwright Douglas Lyons joins Drew and Alex for a conversation about breaking out of boxes—both the ones that life puts us in and the ones we create for ourselves. From actor to writer to full creative force, Douglas shares how career expansion starts with reclaiming autonomy, building your own voice, and refusing to wait for permission. If you've ever felt stuck, overlooked, or underestimated—this one’s for you.

Bio: Douglas is a multi-hyphenated Emmy and GLAAD nominated artist. His Broadway and Touring acting credits include:  The revival of Parade, Beautiful, The Book of Mormon, Dreamgirls and Rent. He made his Broadway playwriting debut in 2021 with Chicken and Biscuits and his most recent work, Table 17, will head to Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse this Fall - after winning two Audelco awards and earning multiple Lucille Lortel, Drama League and Outer Critics nominations for it's Off-Broadway premiere at MCC. His TV/film work includes two seasons as a writer on Apple TV’s Fraggle Rock. And he’s currently penning the film adaptation of the Broadway classic Big River. 

Douglas’ Social Media: Douglaslyons.net @Chocolatehipster.

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For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

Why do we glorify alcohol but demonize mushrooms? This week, Drew and Alex get muddy about psychedelics—sharing the highs, the lows, and the life-changing lessons learned from their groovy trips. From laughing fits to ego deaths, they explore how psilocybin has helped them heal, and why it’s time we rethink the stigma around this powerful, natural medicine. What if Nixon hadn’t shut it all down with the war on drugs? Where would the invaluable research on psychedelic mental health have taken us to today?

Bio: Alex is a New York based comedian by way of Chicago and Boston whose bold and whip smart standup delights crowds across the US. Credits: The Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club, NBC’s "That Clip Show: Holiday Edition”, 2021 season of Comedy Central Standup Featuring.

Bio: Originally from Massachusetts, Drew is a Broadway dancer, actor and writer living in New York City. Credits: Broadway’s “Tootsie” and “On the 20th Century”, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote VS The Swans”, The Tony Awards, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, and the 2021 Met Gala.

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

What happens when your hairline fades but your confidence levels rise? This week, Drew and Alex sit down with viral sensation and bald baddy Ben Russell Lynch to get muddy about vanity, aging, and self-image in a world obsessed with youth. Ben opens up about his journey with alopecia, the creation of his online persona, and how embracing his baldness turned into a movement. From pop songs to punchlines, Ben proves that being BALD—Baddie Addie Little Diva—isn’t a flaw, it’s a flex.

Bio: Ben Russell-Lynch, originally from Midland, MI moved to NYC with a B.A. in Musical Theatre, from Oakland University, to pursue his dream of being a performer.  While there he worked on National Tours, Cruise Ships, and Regional Theater stages.  Much like many performers, the pandemic shifted Ben's attention to TikTok as a new creative outlet. He soon realized that embracing his hair loss with humor—through silly, sassy, and playful content—could bring smiles to millions!  As @b.e.n_rl on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, he’s amassed over 5 million followers and garners 90 million views each month. These days, the show must go on in front of a ring light instead of a spotlight with hair transformations, role-play livestreams, and never ending hair flips!

Ben’s Social Media: @b.e.n_rl, www.BaldBRL.com

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

It’s getting steamy and political this week when Drew and Alex sit down with Rebecca Fasman, curator at the Kinsey Institute, to talk about sex, sexuality, and the decrepit state of sexual education in America. From the ongoing attacks on Planned Parenthood to the dismantling of the Department of Education, it’s a bleak time for reproductive rights and comprehensive sex ed—and the hosts aren't afraid to say so. But through shared stories, laughter, and a conversation with one of the most respected sex-positive institutions in the country, this episode offers both catharsis and clarity. Let’s talk about sex, baby!

Bio: Rebecca Fasman is the Curator for the Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington. She holds an MA in Museum Studies from New York University and a BA in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rebecca has spent the last 20 years working in museums and art institutions, including but not limited to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City), the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC),

Deutsche Bank (New York City), and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Her curatorial practice views art, creativity, sex, and sexuality as lenses through which we can understand more about the nature of humanity, with the ultimate goal of wanting everyone to live the happiest, healthiest, most connected, and opportunity-filled lives they can.

Rebecca’s Social Media: @RFasman, www.KinseyInstitute.org

Crash Course: @CrashCourse (YouTube), www.TheCrashCourse.com

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

This week, Drew and Alex get messy with a topic stirring up muddy waters all across the art world: AI-generated art. Their guest, Turkish-American artist Sarp Kerem Yavuz, helps unpack the fear, fascination, and controversy surrounding this new medium. The hosts come in skeptical—concerned about creativity, ethics, and artistic integrity—but Sarp brings some wildly compelling analogies that start to shift their perspective. Is AI art a threat, or just another tool in the artist’s ever-evolving toolkit?

Bio: The works of Sarp Kerem Yavuz reclaim Orientalist imagery and bring the visual legacy of the Middle East into the present. Through photography, sculpture, and digital art, he creates visually provocative works of art in pursuit of peaceful coexistence.

Born in Paris in 1991 and raised in Istanbul, his works explore gender, politics, religion, and violence. In 2013, he became the youngest artist to exhibit and be included in the permanent collection of the Istanbul Modern Museum. His artworks are published in Turkey: Istanbul CODEX, and the Boys! book benefitting the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

His works are also included in The Luciano Benetton Collection as part of Imago Mundi, the permanent collections of the CICA Museum in South Korea, the Norton Museum in Florida, the Allen Memorial Art Museum and the Transformer Station in Ohio, the Polaroid (Impossible Project) Collection in Berlin, the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art in New York, and the Soho House Collection. He lives and works in New York.

Sarp’s Social Media: @SarpKeremYavuz and www.Sarp.info

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

There’s a moment in every go-getter’s life when the spark dims, the path forward feels foggy, and everything feels stale. As Steven Pressfield says, “Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate… it will assume any form.” But, try not to give in!

This week on Into the Mud, Alex sits in the thick of her career plateau—frustrated, questioning, but still searching. What does it look like to stay open when everything feels stagnant? And how do you keep going when you’re not sure what “going” even means?

Bio: Alex is a New York based comedian by way of Chicago and Boston whose bold and whip smart standup delights crowds across the US. Credits: The Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club, NBC’s "That Clip Show: Holiday Edition”, 2021 season of Comedy Central Standup Featuring.

Bio: Originally from Massachusetts, Drew is a Broadway dancer, actor and writer living in New York City. Credits: Broadway’s “Tootsie” and “On the 20th Century”, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote VS The Swans”, The Tony Awards, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, and the 2021 Met Gala.

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com

The heels are high and the stakes are higher. On this week of Into the Mud, we're joined by drag queen and activist Cacophony Daniels (also known as Broadway performer, Courter Simmons) to talk about drag bans, rising anti-LGBTQ legislation, and the fight to stay visible and vocal in a shifting political climate. From challenging toxic masculinity to pushing back against the new wave of Trump-era censorship, Cacophony gets loud, proud, and unapologetically muddy.

Bio: Cacophony Daniels (aka Courter Simmons) performs internationally as an actor, singer, and drag queen. Broadway credits include Jersey Boys (Bob Crewe, Frankie Valli Standby Final Company)). Off-Broadway credits include Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli). Television credits include Last Week Tonight and Mysteries of Laura, and film credits include The Producers. His live-singing drag alter-ego, Cacophony Daniels, has been seen in Provincetown, Fire Island, New York, and all over the world with Atlantis Cruises. Drag is not a crime! 

Cacophony’s Social Media: @cacophonydaniels

Courter’s Social Media: @courtersimmons, www.CourterSimmons.com.

Follow along at @IntoTheMudPodcast on all platforms!
For the visual version, follow along on YouTube!

Your Hosts: Alex Kumin (@Alex.Kumin) and Drew King (@DrewKingNYC). 

Contributing Editors: Manthan Baldha, Sarah Webb (@SWAudioPost) and Drew King.

Filmed and recorded at @TheMalin in New York City.

www.IntoTheMudPodcast.com