Solace and the City

This week, I took a 45 minute break from social distancing to sit down with my incredibly smart, kind, and beautiful friend Rienna Russo!  In addition to sharing my Johns Hopkins social experience, Rienna studied Public Health and Cognitive Science and got her Masters Degree in Infectious Diseases.  It's safe to say that now is a very crazy time for her!  I wanted to bring Rienna onto the podcast to explain what exactly is going on in the world and how it is affecting our mental health.  With the help of Rienna, I used this episode as a way to separate fact from fiction, provide some advice, and hopefully qualm some fears.  This is a terrifying and unprecedented time for our society, and I can barely wrap my head around my own current situation.  That being said, I created this podcast to shed light on a shared loneliness.  I thus wanted this episode to shed light on the fear we are all feeling, and I hope it brings some sort of comfort knowing we are together in our uncertainty.

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brandon Berman, the host of the popular New York City dating show UpDating!  He explains what UpDating is, the qualities he looks for in guests, and some crazy first date stories that were witnessed by live audiences!  As Brandon is also a stand-up comedian, we also explore the relationship between mental health and comedy and talk about why using any platform to talk about therapy is beneficial.  Finally, Brandon gives advice for men on how to open up and what questions to ask on a first date!  I had so much fun with Brandon and am excited to see an @updatingshow soon!  If you are single and believe you would be the perfect charismatic guest, send me a DM and I'll pass along your info!

This week I sat down with the incredibly talented singer and songwriter, Noah Kahan!  Not only does Noah have the voice of an absolute angel (queue Hurt Somebody on Spotify) but he also had myself and @ali.puccio in hysteric bits of laughter for the entire hour of recording.  Noah walked through his rise to stardom, from emo talent shows as an eight year old to LA record deals with Drake's agent at age seventeen.  Despite this launch into fame, Noah is still the most humble person who also fights battles with his mental health.  However, Noah is able to share his struggles through his music, connecting with listeners all across the globe.  Recording this episode with Noah will absolutely go down as one of the best days of my life.  Make sure to listen to its entirety, because there is an EXCLUSIVE SURPRISE at the end!  

I cannot believe this is real life right now, because I was lucky enough to have Lindsey Metselaar as my guest on Solace and the City this week!  Not only is she a millennial dating expert, but Lindsey is also the host of the first podcast that got me hooked, We Met At Acme.  I was able to ask her all of the burning questions I had about the creation of her podcast, her support for mental health, and, of course, any advice she has on dating.  I even got to hear Lindsey's thoughts on the polls she posts on her Instagram stories as we answered them in real time.  Finally, you get to hear me talk about how much cooler and wiser my sister Eleni is than I am!  For this reason and many more, I would advise everyone to listen to not only this episode but also every single episode of We Met At Acme.  You can also follow Lindsey and her podcast at @lindsmetz and @wemetatacme on Instagram or go to wemetatacme.com/tour to see the dates of her upcoming live shows!!

This week I was able to sit down with film writer and director Jonah Feingold!   A lover of "Harry Met Sally" types of movies, Jonah creates romantic comedies that depict the millennial dating culture.    In addition to learning more about the inspiration behind some of Jonah's films, we talk about the effect that modern romance has on mental health and why the person who cares the least in a relationship has the most control.  Finally, Jonah shares a not-so-fun fact (but crazy story) about himself and gives his opinion on Instagram crying selfies.  Despite being one of the LEAST self-critical people I have had on the podcast, Jonah really helped shed light on what it's like being an eternal optimist and how we can all start loving ourselves more!

P.S. Keep your eyes out for Jonah's upcoming feature film @datingthemovie !

This week I sat down with comedian and fellow podcaster Dylan Palladino!  Although Dylan was a bit short on time, we were able to touch on a variety of topics including the struggle of being tall and good-looking, the anxiety that comes with being hyper-aware, and the keys to having a successful meditation practice.  (I'm still working on incorporating his suggestions for my own daily practice.)  Towards the end of the episode, Dylan gives advice on how to start an honest conversation about mental health and why making yourself vulnerable makes you a stronger person.  I really loved speaking to Dylan and am so grateful for his recommendations on podcast equipment!  You can find Dylan on Instagram at @dylanjpalladino and listen to his podcast "We're All Psychos" on any podcast platform!