🎉 It’s Shabnam Mogharabi week on the podcast!

❤️ Before I share more about our guest, ⁠consider supporting us on Patreon⁠! We need your help to make this podcast happen. Thanks, friends.

👉🏽 Shabnam Mogharabi is an entertainment executive, producer, and New York Times bestselling author with 20 years of experience in mission-driven media. She currently runs The Joy Brigade, a boutique film and media production company. Prior to that, Shabnam was an EVP at film company Participant and also co-founded the uplifting content studio SoulPancake with actor Rainn Wilson, which she ran as CEO for nearly a decade, amassing 1B video views and dozens of awards. She and Rainn are still collaborating today on Rainn's Soul Boom platform, which seeks to unlock a modern spiritual revolution through playful, practical, and profound media. Shabnam is a Henry Crown Fellow, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and serves on a number of private and non-profit boards. She also got a certification in positive psychology in her spare time and is a frequent keynote speaker on the power of joy and storytelling. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and young children.

✅ We spend quite a bit of time talking about the book she co-wrote with Rainn Wilson,  the Soul Boom Workbook. Get a copy today!

✅ Follow Shabnam on Instagram and LinkedIn.

✅ Follow Soul Boom on Instagram and YouTube.

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✊🏽 ⁠Support Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠!

👕 ⁠⁠Buy some of our merch⁠⁠!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠UpScrolled⁠, and ⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠.

✉️ ⁠Sign up for our weekly ⁠Substack newsl⁠etter⁠.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

🎉 It’s Saja Kilani week on the podcast!

❤️ Before I share more about our guest, ⁠consider supporting us on Patreon⁠! We need your help to make this podcast happen. Thanks, friends.

👉🏽 Saja Kilani is a Jordanian/Palestinian/Canadian actress and spoken word poet. Her first film performance, Simsim, earned her the Best First Time Lead Actress Award at the Amman International Film Festival. She starred in her debut international Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, where she received the Best Actress Award at the 36th edition of the Carthage Film Festival. When she’s not acting, Saja shares her original spoken word poetry in live performances as part of her storytelling practice.

🎥 The Voice of Hind Rajab is a must see January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab. Find this film in a theatre close to you and go see it as soon as you possibly can.

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✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠Patreon⁠!

👕 ⁠Buy some of our merch⁠!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠Instagram⁠, UpScrolled, and ⁠Youtube⁠.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly ⁠Substack newsl⁠etter.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

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📷 photo used in artwork by Misan Harriman

🎉 It’s Noam Shuster-Eliassi & Amber Fares week on the podcast!

❤️ Before I share more about my guest, ⁠consider supporting us on Patreon⁠! We need your help to make this podcast happen. Thanks, friends.

👉🏽 Noam is an Israeli activist and comedian who writes and performs in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, frequently touching upon her experience growing up in “Oasis of Peace” (Neve Shalom / Wahat al-Salam), a mixed community where Palestinians and Jews live together by choice.

👉🏽 Amber is an award-winning documentary filmmaker best known for her directorial debut Speed Sisters, which aired internationally on Netflix, Al Jazeera and RAI. Her directing credits include We Are Agenda (Amazon, 2023), Gutsy Ep5 (Apple TV, 2022), Reckoning With Laughter (Al Jazeera’s “Witness" 2021), Convergence: Courage Under Crisis (Netflix, 2021). Amber also served as cinematographer and co-producer of the Peabody Award-winning The Judge (PBS, 2017), was the cinematographer on Life After (Sundance, 2025) and both produced and shot the short film The Devil Is Busy (HBO, 2025).

Coexistence, My Ass! follows Noam as she creates a comedy show by the same name. Shot over five tumultuous years, the film traces Noam’s personal, professional, and political journey in tandem with the region’s steady deterioration. This is a film that began as something completely different. Because of Covid and escalated settler violence in the West Bank and ultimately because of the genocide which began several years into making this film. It’s stunning and I can’t wait for you to hear more about it in this conversation.   

✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠Patreon⁠!

👕 ⁠Buy some of our merch⁠!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, and ⁠Youtube⁠.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly ⁠Substack⁠.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

​​❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

🎉 It’s Brian Recker Week on the podcast! 

❤️ Before I share more about my guest, consider supporting us on Patreon! We need your help to make this podcast happen. Thanks, friends.

👉🏽 Brian Recker is a public theologian, speaker, and writer on Christian spirituality without exclusionary dogma. 

In October, Brian released his first book, Hell Bent. In this taboo-shattering book, Brian takes an honest look at the Bible and reveals what has been true all along: Hell isn’t a real place, and God’s universal love is radically inclusive, in this life and the next. By removing punishment from Christianity’s center, Recker boldly reimagines the core questions of faith, such as why Jesus lived and died, and what it means to be “saved.” 

In the conversation, we talk about who God is, radical inclusivity, why we’re still Christians, why getting people to not believe in hell is so important for them and for society as a whole, and so much more. 

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✅ Follow Brian Recker on Instagram.

✅ Subscribe to Brian’s Substack.

✅ Order Hell Bent now!

✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon!👕 Buy some of our merch!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly Substack.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

​​❤️ Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

It’s Mohsen Mahdawi Day on the podcast! 

Mohsen Mahdawi is a Palestinian organizer, human rights activist, co-founder of the Columbia Palestinian Student Union, and a damn good human.

Mahdawi was a leading voice during the 2024 protests and the encampments at Columbia University. His leadership during those months and his support for a Free Palestine and an end to the Israeli occupation led to him being arrested in April of 2025 by ICE during a citizen interview in Vermont. Keep in mind that Mohsen is a lawful permanent U.S. resident and was arrested because he participated in peaceful protests. Thankfully, he was released two weeks later and gave a very clear statement as he walked out of jail: “I am saying it clear and loud to President Trump and his cabinet, I am not afraid of you.”

Mahdawi’s fight for justice is not over. He could face arrest again in the future. Please follow him and support him in any way that you can. I know for a fact that Mohsen won’t stop—and we cannot stop—until Palestine is free.

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✅ Follow Mohsen Mahdawi on Instagram.

✊🏽 Support Let’s Give A Damn on Patreon!

👕 Buy some of our merch!

🔥 Follow Let’s Give A Damn on Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.

✉️ Sign up for our weekly Substack.

📱 Reach out anytime: [email protected].

​​Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y’all!

🎉 It’s ‪Arian Moayed week on the podcast!

👉🏽 Ben Cohen is a philanthropist, an antiwar activist, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and the founder of Up In Arms — a movement that is taking on war profiteers and weapons manufacturers and is demanding that the Pentagon slash out outrageous defense budget by...a lot.

👉🏽 In this conversation, Arian and I talk about his immigrant story, moving to the US at a young age from Iran, how he became an artist, the importance of making art in the midst of all the fucked up things around us, and so much more.

❤️ If you love this show and want to support us, ⁠⁠please consider joining our Patreon⁠⁠.

🔔 And while you're at it, hit that subscribe button!

NEXT STEPS:

✅ Follow Arian on Instagram.

✅ Check out Waterwell's important work.

✅ Purchase "Shell" (starring Arian Moayed, Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson) on Digital Now!

✅ Watch Arian in Season 2 of "Nobody Wants This" (starring Adam Brody, Kristen Bell) in a couple of weeks!

CONNECT WITH LGAD:

✅ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

✅ ⁠⁠Website⁠⁠

✅ ⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠

✅ ⁠Buy some of our merch⁠

CONNECT WITH NICK LAPARRA:

✅ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

🎉 It’s ‪Ben Cohen week on the podcast!

👉🏽 Ben Cohen is a philanthropist, an antiwar activist, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and the founder of Up In Arms — a movement that is taking on war profiteers and weapons manufacturers and is demanding that the Pentagon slash out outrageous defense budget by...a lot.

👉🏽 In this conversation, Ben and I discuss his Zionist upbringing, his decades of service to so many people, how Ben & Jerry’s became the iconic brand that it is, how he is trying to #FreeBenAndJerrys, his newest initiative called Up In Arms, and so much more.

❤️ If you love this show and want to support us, ⁠please consider joining our Patreon⁠.

🔔 And while you're at it, hit that subscribe button!

NEXT STEPS:

✅ Follow Ben Cohen on Instagram.

✅ Follow Ben Cohen on Twitter. Yes, Twitter.

✅ Join the Up In Arms movement!

CONNECT WITH LGAD:

✅ ⁠Instagram⁠

✅ ⁠Website⁠

✅ ⁠Substack⁠

✅ Buy some of our merch

CONNECT WITH NICK LAPARRA:

✅ ⁠Instagram⁠

🎉 It’s ‪Max La Manna week on the podcast!

👉🏽 Max La Manna is an award-winning author, low-waste chef, and campaigner whose casual approach to cooking has attracted over 2 million followers and more than a billion video views. Drawing from his own life, he shares simple, affordable recipes that make the most of every ingredient and inspire people to waste less. His debut cookbook More Plants Less Waste won “Most Sustainable Cookbook” at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, and his follow-up was named “World’s Best Vegan Cookbook” in 2023. Max has been featured in Vogue, Vice, and The Guardian, and hosted the BBC Earth series Regeneration Food as well as appearing on major TV shows including BBC Saturday Kitchen Live and Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch. Recognized as Digital Creator of the Year at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards, he was also named one of top 30 chefs shaping the future of food.

👉🏽 In this conversation, we discuss his rise to internet fame, how he is using his platform for good, why he doesn't use the term 'vegan' to describe himself, the genocide in Gaza, hunger strikes, and so much more.

❤️ If you love the show and want to support us, please consider joining our Patreon.

🔔 And while you're at it, hit that subscribe button!

NEXT STEPS:

✅ Join Max's campaign to send aid to Gaza.✅ Cook with Max's recipes.✅ Order Max's cookbooks.✅ Follow Max on Instagram.

CONNECT WITH LGAD:

✅ Instagram

✅ Website

✅ Substack

CONNECT WITH NICK LAPARRA:

✅ Instagram

🎉 It’s ‪David Gate Day on the podcast!

👉🏽 It is a joy to have David on the show this week. David is from London and now lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, NC. His work centers around care for the individual (heart, mind, body & soul) and the nurture of community (culture, the earth & environment, the dignity of others and spiritual communities). AND he has a new book of poems and essays out now — A Rebellion Of Care. It's so damn good.

👉🏽 In this conversation, we discuss poetry as a supreme art form, David’s spiritual journey, collective liberation, the genocide in Gaza, his new book, obviously, and so much more.

❤️ If you love the show and want to support us, please consider joining our Patreon: https://patreon.com/letsgiveadamn

🔔 And while you're at it, hit that subscribe button!

NEXT STEPS:

✅ Buy a copy of A Rebellion Of Care: https://lgad.co/4lPwavP

✅ Buy David's stickers, prints, and more: https://www.davidgatepoet.com

✅ Follow David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidgatepoet/

CONNECT WITH LGAD:

✅ https://www.instagram.com/letsgiveadamn/

✅ https://x.com/LetsGiveADamn

✅ https://www.letsgiveadamn.com

CONNECT WITH NICK LAPARRA:

✅ https://www.instagram.com/nicklaparra/

✅ https://x.com/NickLaparra

🎉 It’s ‪Dr. Ibram X. Kendi day on the podcast!

👉🏽 It is a joy to have Dr. Kendi on the show this week. Read his full bio here: https://www.ibramxkendi.com/bio

👉🏽 In this conversation, we talk about his new book (Malcolm Lives!), collective liberation, the genocide in Gaza, the rise of fascism in the United States, and so much more.

❤️ If you love the show and want to support us, please consider joining our Patreon: http://lgad.co/patreon

🔔 And while you're at it, hit that subscribe button!

NEXT STEPS:

✅ Buy a copy of Malcolm Lives!: https://lgad.co/4kTw7y5

✅ Learn more about Dr. Kendi: https://www.ibramxkendi.com

✅ Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibramxk/

CONNECT WITH LGAD:

✅ https://www.instagram.com/letsgiveadamn

✅ https://x.com/LetsGiveADamn

✅ https://www.letsgiveadamn.com

CONNECT WITH NICK LAPARRA:

✅ https://www.instagram.com/nicklaparra

✅ https://x.com/NickLaparra