Season Two, Episode 20: In today's episode I get to hang with Gae Polisner, the widely acclaimed children/young adult author about the lack of pants we wear during the pandemic. We also discuss her book about 9/11, The Memory of Things, and how books like hers can help us to comfort our children during this pandemic. 

See, I know that this, too, shall pass, because I remember that day that changed everything. I remember a day when we didn't have to take off our shoes and measure out our shampoo in order to board a plane. And because I remember the before so vividly, I know that one day we will have an after. That is what I tell my kids. That is what I tell myself.

During the pandemic Gae released two new books, Jack Kerouac Is Dead To Me -- which I adored, and Seven Clues To Finding Home -- which my daughter raves about. Make sure to check out her website, gaepolisner.com, and follow her on FB @gaepolisnerauthor, and on Instagram and Twitter @gaepol

Season Two, Episode 19: It's Fun To Fuck!

Rachel Klechevsky, Sex Therapist, blogger, and the co-host of the podcast Sexistential U, joins me to discuss what a Sex Therapist does -- and does not do (keep your pics to yourself, please -- and how she went from a conservative upbringing to a fairly unconservative profession. Rachel often works with a more religious, Orthodox Jewish population, and has found away to bring the Torah and Talmud into her discussions, rather than having her clients fight against discussions of sexuality. 

You can -- and should -- stalk Rachel on her website and blog RachelSexTherapy.com, on her podcast Sexistential U, and if you are interested in finding out more about Rachel you can email her at [email protected]

Season Two, Episode 18: James Morrow is the opinion editor of Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper and host of the weekly current affairs show OUTSIDERS on Sky News Australia. James is a political junkie, a history buff, and a keen home cook who once one the Viewers Choice Award on Come Dine With Me. 

Oh, and twenty years ago, James introduced me to the beauty of the dirty vodka martini -- a fact that I am hugely grateful of to this day. I could only love him more if he had introduced me to single malt whiskey.

In this episode James and I discuss racism, Corona paranoia, quarantine anger, and why protests aren't effective right now.

Season Two, Episode 17: The Coronapocalypse is starting to get to me, and unlike many of you, I have more fear of the world re-opening than excitement. I started to feel really disconnected and last night after a few glasses (bottles) of wine (whiskey) I posted on FB asking any friends who would be willing to podcast with me to come hang for an hour. 

This episode is the first of several to come, and in it I talk to Jessica. I have not had an actual conversation with Jessica in probably close to eight years, but she had a whole lot to say about relationship anarchy, polyamory, and an underground world of Long Island that I am apparently the last to know about!

Season Two, Episode 16: Happy One Year Anniversary!

My favorite co-host and bad-ass nutritionist Sharone Sapir returns for a look back on this first year. We review the top ten best moments of the pod and fawn over all the amazing people we have met along the way. Hope you enjoy!

Also, apologies in advance for the massively bad editing I attempted. Cringe your way through it. 

Season 2, Episode 15: I recorded this episode with Dr. Alisa Hurwitz, or as she is better known by her fans, Dr. Drama. We discussed microagressions and the subjectivity of them. This morning I woke up to a lovely, rageful, non-sensical debate on my neighborhood facebook group. 

It. Was. Harsh. 

Those who commented seemed to dance around the ideas of racism and anti-semitism and bigotry -- psst, there is a word that means to judge someone by their religion, and it is bigotry. Your welcome.

Microaggressions are perceived slights against a marginalized group. My issue with this definition is that in psychology, much research has been done to examine the Fundamental Attribution Error. Essentially, if you are mean to me, I assume that you are a mean person. If I am mean to you, I expect you to intuit that I am having a bad day. 

Alisa and I ended up failing to come to an agreement other than the fact that few people intend on knowingly hurting someone by committing a microaggression, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to be more sensitive with our words and actions. 

Season 2, Episode 14: In this episode, my son and I get to hang out with Liv Albert of Let's Talk About Myths, Baby. 

Liv is super-bright, super-educated, and an all-around bad-ass progressive woman. Liv has a degree in English Literature & Classical Civilizations from Concordia University in Montreal.

In this episode Liv and I -- along with a special guest appearance by my starstruck son -- discuss how her #SmashThePatriarchy podcast came to be, and her thoughts about having children: It's a decision not to be taken lightly, and a path that Liv has decided not to go down. 

I found this conversation fascinating, and thought-provoking -- especially since speaking for myself, and most of my generation, I don't think the thought of not having children ever really occurred to us. 

As most of us wade through the confusion and chaos of Covid-19, there are men, women, and children out there who are saddled with an additional struggle. From February to March reports of domestic violence increased 20% and Google searches for those looking for help dealing with domestic violence increased 75%.

This episode was recorded many months ago, but there seems no better time to share my conversation with Josie Naikoi about how she managed to get the courage and the means to leave an abusive relationship and find her way to a better life. Josie is a licensed nutritionist and Instagram fitspo, as well as the host of the podcast, You Can Do Better, Bitch!

Follow Josie on instagram @JosieQuitsCake

Season 2, Episode 13: Josie Naikoi is a certified nutritionist, an instagram fitspo, the host of the You Can Do Better Bitch Podcast, and a bad-ass woman who managed to break free from an abusive relationship. She also, by the way, happens to have the most bizarre, interesting, surprising backstory of any guest I have ever interviewed. 

Josie's experience seems particularly important now, in the middle of the pandemic, when domestic violence rates keep rising and the number of available first responders keeps falling. 

We don't talk about domestic violence enough. We should. 

Season 2, Episode 12: I begged, pleaded, and stalked the fantastically beautiful, brilliant, and neurotic host of The Alarmist, Rebecca Delgado Smith,  into coming on the podcast in an attempt to destigmatize mental health. (Trust me, my stalking made this episode kinda awkward...) 

Rebecca uses her own anxiety, or catastrophizing, as fuel for her podcast as she examines past tragedies and who is to blame. 

That was over a month ago. And now...well, what a long, strange trip it has been. I suggest you listen to this episode, and to The Alarmist Podcast, and keep in mind that we have been through worse in the past, and there will be worse in the future. Today's insanity will eventually lead to a new normal for tomorrow. 

Follow Rebecca Delgado Smith on Instagram @thealarmistpodcast