Mentor Buffet

Joanne Molinaro, “the Korean Vegan," shares her journey from a 20-year legal career to becoming a food influencer and social media vegan extraordinaire. She discusses the discomfort of staying in an unfulfilling job and the pivotal role of two older women lawyers at her firm who mentored her into understanding her own self worth. Joanne also tells Alexi about the influence of the podcast host Rich Roll in her career transition. The ladies also talk about going to Disneyland as adults, the limits of perfectionism, and the importance of having a sense of humor. 

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Tommy Caldwell tells Alexi about his friendship with Alex Honnold. Tommy and Alexi talk about the transformative power of challenging situations. They reflect on spending time alone, the importance of trust and partnership in climbing, how we change before we realize it, and other things.

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In Mentor Buffet’s fourth episode, Alexi and Melissa Villaseñor talk about what it’s like to achieve your biggest dream—and then what happens next. Melissa always wanted to be on SNL. And then she made it happen. And after six years as part of the cast she left the show. Melissa tells Alexi the advice she got from her mentors, the comics Whitney Cummings, Maria Bamford, and Bill Burr. The girls also talk about instant fame, making yourself laugh, and building confidence. 

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In the third episode of Mentor Buffet, Diplo tells Alexi about a trip he took to India when he was 19 that changed his life forever. His friend Brent took him on an adventure all over the country, and Diplo learned how to be self-sufficient in the world, how to cultivate an independent spirit, and how to be disciplined—all foundational qualities to his successful music career. Diplo and Alexi also recount the time they ran the LA marathon together. They talk about why they love running. And Alexi tells Diplo a secret. 

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In the second episode of Mentor Buffet, Zach Braff shares with host Alexi Pappas about his relationship with his mentor Bill Lawrence, the creator of Scrubs and Ted Lasso. Bill is the first person to give Zach a big Hollywood chance and he cast him as the lead of his show Scrubs as the iconic J.D. Dorian. They also discuss what it means to be yourself, what Zach learned making his debut feature film Garden State, the importance of gratitude, and how to avoid shin splints. 

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Subscribe to Mentor Buffet for a new episode every Thursday, everywhere you listen to podcasts.

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In the premiere episode of Mentor Buffet, host Alexi Pappas talks to Rainn Wilson about his acting journey and how his mentors—three acting professors he met in school at NYU—taught him lessons that have stuck with him his entire career. Rainn shares about how Zelda Fichandler, the grande dame of American theater, shaped his definition of an actor, how Paul Walker taught him to assume he’s brilliant to build longstanding confidence, and how Ron Van Lieu helped him get out of his own way. Rainn and Alexi also discuss the importance of resilience, the value of being of service to others, and how to stay on your own team.

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Alexi Pappas's Mentor Buffet is a podcast about mentorship: Who influenced the people who influence us? Who helped them along their journey? Alexi is an Olympian, filmmaker, actress, and bestselling author, and she's leaned on mentors to help her level up faster than she could on her own. After losing her mom to suicide when she was four, she needed to find other people to lean on. Now, it's Alexi's turn to peel back the curtain on mentorship. In each episode of Mentor Buffet Alexi sits down with people who inspire her—athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, and beyond—to have conversations about chasing dreams and befriending pain, through the lens of those who have shaped them into who they are today.

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