Question The Self

I met him at a coffee shop. We started talking and his story knocked me over. Oppressed for being a minority, oppressed for being queer, and trapped in a country waging war and drafting its young men... Zhargal knew he had to get out of Russia and fast. So he watched YouTube videos on how to smuggle himself into America. It was complicated and sneaky. And he did it. This is his absolutely wild story of how.

It was brave of him to say a lot of the things he says here, but you can hear that something compels him to keep sharing. I hope you'll honor his bravery by listening to his story.

And I hope this gives you fresh perspective on what it means to live here and what it means when people do everything they can to come here. 

*also, I say he snuck across the Rio Grande, which is wrong, it was the Colorado. Ok now go listen.*

What happens when you have deep disagreements with family? Rifts. Incompatible beliefs. Different political views. Faith or no faith. How do you stay in relationship? How do you love each other without pain? My mom and I have deep disagreements and we love each other. And in this episode, we try to get to the bottom of it all.

Why is it that when we die we leave a document that gives away all our stuff, but not our values, our beliefs, or our personality? Rabbi Steve Leder comes on the show to talk how to write an ethical will, why it should become a cultural tradition, and his new book 'For You When I Am Gone.'

She writes with Kanye, she navigates the wilds of the Los Angeles music and party scenes, she sings her face off, and she finally feels like she knows what she wants to say. This is Cailin Russo, and we talk about her upcoming Album, being the only girl in Kanye's writing sessions, and how to be *very* online without losing yourself.

This special episode is an interview I did with my agent Bryan Norman. He is a seasoned literary agent and knows every nook and crack of the book business. If you are a writer, or want to be, and wonder how to be noticed and get published, give this a listen. This audio is originally from an Instagram Live I did with him, so forgive the audio quality. I had to make this an episode because the content is just that helpful. It's required listening if you want to break into the world of authortown.

Jack Garratt tells me how the music industry works, how record deals work, how to survive the pressure of success and expectations, and why old people music doesn't sound good... to me.

What is a deconstructed Christian? If the church has hurt me, why shouldn't I just chuck it all out? What happens when we don't integrate our past into our future? I talk with pastor Brit Barron about faith and what remains when we outgrow old ways of thinking.

The title says it all. Griffin is an actor (you've seen him on The Flight Attendant, Dear White People, and Ballers), a playwright, a singer, an activist, a husband, a dad, and a life long friend. He's always been one step ahead of me, or ten. And he's always been my funniest teacher. He also basically tells me step-by-step how to foster a kid. Did you know it's free? Enjoy.

What if I don't get the love I want? When will it happen for me? What if I don't have time for a family? Am I making enough space for love? Can I raise a kid alone? Should I adopt? These juicy questions guide my conversation with Connie Britton, my reluctant life coach who I hate.

How does a secular person think about death? How do you grieve the loss of a parent when there’s no hope of seeing them again? How do you find meaning or beauty in a world without God? Author Sasha Sagan talks about losing her father, Carl Sagan, and what her parents taught her about grief and love and legacy.