Remember the story where Jesus enters the Temple and overturns the tables?

It’s the one that asks uncomfortable questions about money, power, and what doesn’t belong in sacred spaces. When Reverend Billy Talen began preaching in the heart of Times Square against the Disney corporation and Mickey Mouse in the late 90s, many thought he was doing the same thing.
But he insists, he wasn’t. More than 25 years later, he’s become America’s leading anti-consumerist pastor, preaching a different kind of end times with a focus on profits and rising seas.

On this episode of It Is Your Birthday, we’re joined by the leader of the Church of Stop Shopping for a conversation on consumer culture and the meaning of Christmas amidst a warming planet that keeps trying to get our attention.
Come listen.
LINK HERE
Show Notes:

• Reverend Billy's early work
• Hollywood Bowl performance
• What Would Jesus Buy
• See more about the Church of Stop Shopping here

Having a birthday on November 22 means you know that is the day John F. Kennedy was shot. It also means having a few lonely birthdays, at least if you live in the U.S., because it sometimes falls on Thanksgiving. In this episode of It Is Your Birthday, Sayre Quevedo talks about the unique experience of trying to celebrate yourself while the rest of the country is focused on giving thanks, talking about the traffic, and pretending to like certain relatives.

As a Sagittarius sitting right on the Scorpio cusp, Sayre talks about the weird math of wins and losses, the personal relationship with failure and time, and comes prepared for this conversation with a reading of a special poem.

Give this episode a listen and join me in wishing Sayre a happy birthday.
Editor’s Note: Sayre and I also share the same birthday. :)

Listen to some of Sayre's work here:

The Quevedos

Re:Construcción

Weekend World

One of the more memorable cards I’ve received was shortly after a mishap. A timing issue. A misalignment in travel plans—it was the worst (relax, I’m exaggerating). And while the whole experience felt trivial in that moment, the memory stands grand in part because of this card.

Admittedly, I don’t remember exactly what the card said, but it was something along the lines of “Sorry, it didn’t work out.” A little humor/humour can go a long way.

Had I taken Ashley Cleek’s advice, I would’ve saved this card so I could reminisce in great detail at a whim’s notice. Ashley saves her cards, birthday cards especially, nestled away like treasures, each one a tiny fragment of memory, placed in a small red suitcase, ready to be opened like a time capsule at a moment’s notice. Imagine flipping open a clasp, sifting through years of celebrations, apologies, inside jokes, and love, each card a miniature relic of a moment that would otherwise be lost.

Ashley is our guest in this month’s episode, and her story is about more than keepsakes. It’s about memory, family, and what it means to share a birthday not just with the world, but with her own son.

Summer is over, and good riddance.

Well, no, not really, who doesn’t like summer? And technically, despite what the fashion police wants you to think, the season doesn’t come to an end for another two-and-a-half weeks. So, wear those white pants. 

But as fall lurks right around the corner, how was this summer? Top five or barely a contender?

A friend of mine, who probably won’t read this, has a theory that no one is truly thriving right now. When pressed for economic indicators, charts, and graphs, the friend will instead point to a vibe index. It just feels like everyone is going through something.

And when I spoke to Jess Shane, audio creator and host of the show, Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative, she, too, was wrestling with this expectation of thriving. In this economy? Get out of town. Jess celebrated her birthday back in June and has achieved some pretty significant milestones. Still, she, like many, is trying to make sense of what that actually means.

Granted, this interview took place in June, and this episode is now out in September. In a way, this show, too, is hardly thriving.

But maybe that’s the point. To thrive is so 2010s, back when people were leaning in, moving fast, and breaking things.

Let’s just all slow down instead. (and listen to this episode) It’s so much better.

Show Notes:

1. Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative

2. 'Perfect Woman'

3. Céline Dion

Carmen Cusido is turning 42. According to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this year should answer a lot.
But for the past few years, having her birthday hover around Mother’s Day hasn’t been the easiest, given that it hasn’t been long since her mother passed away.

In our conversation, Carmen shares what it’s like to lose both parents, learning to handle the grief and recover in the wake of all that loss.

We also talk about:

• Deep-frying cookies for mom

• Grief and guilt, even on your Birthday

• Whether we should ban “How are you?” from society

If you’ve ever lost someone, felt pressure to be okay, or wondered whether turning 42 is supposed to feel like this, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now. It’s cheaper than therapy and comes with more cake, figuratively speaking.

This April, Violet is turning six years old.
It’s been a minute (and a half) since I was six, but interviewing Violet about her special day was a treat in itself.
Have a listen and you’ll see why.

Avery Trufelman had 33 to look forward to because it was her Jesus year.

But 34? What happens at 34? There is no Taylor Swift album for that, sadly, if you’re into that kind of music, I guess?

In our conversation, we touched on fashion, the New Testament, and the existential dread that comes with creation.

Have a listen and subscribe to Avery’s podcast on the culture of fashion and clothing called Articles of Interest. You’re gonna like the stories you hear, I guarantee it.

This episode is a few days late, but thankfully, we’re still in Pisces season, which, if you embody, means you might be empathetic and compassionate.

Siddhartha Mahanta is a Pisces. He was kind enough to come on the show to talk about his late February birthday and entering his middle age, life on the other side of 40. Mahanta has spent the last several years working as a journalist in places like Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, Business Insider, and The New York Times.

But not once has he worked on a story about birthdays. As an editor, he’ll concede that, yes, the reader is often transfixed by beginnings and endings, but Mahanta’s approach to the middle is somewhat cosmic.

Have a listen at your leisure, and let him know that you listened!

Mia Lobel has some relatives who have lived up to 109, so her latest birthday, the big 5-0, isn’t all that big in the grand scheme of things.
She says it's more of a halfway point—partly because she’s still actively trying to figure out some big life questions, notably what to do about “work.”

She’s no stranger to it, she’s built a career in podcasting well before the industry was cool, lucrative and/or established. She’s helped bring shows like Revisionist History and Broken Record. She became one of the bigwigs at Pushkin Industries, only to leave in true 2023-style, with a substack post.
Lobel now covers the audio industry, hoping to challenge fellow colleagues and executives to chase sustainability rather than profit.
She joined me in talking about her mid-January birthday in December 2024, the angst of celebrating and reflecting and why she could never become a school teacher.

The average life expectancy for someone born in the United States is slightly more than 77. But that was decades ago for Sylvia Manheim.

During the late summer of 2024, the former switchboard operator turned educator, turned hospital administrator, turned college administrator, turned 99. And while she’s just shy of celebrating her centennial, she’s in good company, one of 1.9 million Americans who have made it past 90.

To say that she’s lived a life is an understatement. Listen to this week’s podcast episode to hear about Sylvia’s advice on relationships, regret, and hope.

And please remember, if you like what you hear, please help spread the word!