Today's Question: Would you retire at the top of your game?

Lisa Lampanelli is one of my oldest friends in comedy. We got very personal in this conversation. I told her all about my fears and anxieties and she shared hers as well as her solutions and coping mechanisms. I think anyone who listens to our conversation will get a lot from it.

Lisa was one of the most successful names in comedy for years. In 2018 she announced her retirement from stand-up comedy on the Howard Stern show and is now dedicating her life to running transformational food and body-image workshops, performing in issue-oriented storytelling shows, and completing a rigorous life-coaching certification program.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, Lisa  has been a constant on the comedy scene. With numerous tours, Grammy nominations, and nation  TV guest appearances and specials under her belt, Lisa made national headlines in 2012 when she lost more than 100 pounds with the help of bariatric surgery. 

See her new storytelling show, LISA LAMPANELLI’S LOSIN’ IT!, a humorous and heartfelt show featuring herself and a group of storytellers, actors, and special guests coming clean about their food and body-image struggles.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We made it through 2019 without burning up. Well some of us did. The first episode of 2020 asks the question:

How do we recognize when we are living with an authoritarian leader?

My guest for episode 28 is Ruth Ben Ghiat  who is an internationally renowned historian, speaker, and political commentator on fascism, authoritarian leaders, and propaganda. She’s Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University and Advisor to Protect Democracy.

Follow her on Twitter @ruthbenghiat

I also mention that I have a pretty bad chest / head cold and mention there is no remedy for this no matter what people try to tell you. Watch Dr Aaron Carroll's episode of Health Care Triage   on this!

Today’s show is different from any other episode of the podcast. Most episodes welcome an expert of some sort where we open with one question and spend the conversation discussing it and all of the topics surrounding it. 

From time to time I'll depart from that premise and talk to artists, entertainers and other deep thinkers. My brother Brian lands in that last category and it was really cool to sit down and talk with him for almost 2 hours. 

Today's show is 2 brothers talking about a wide range of issues, ideas and experiences.

Mainly it's me interviewing my big brother who has always been a non conformist and radical thinker. 

He has written a Novella called Present as Prologue: A Gen Zero Novella 

We talk about the Catholic church we attended and why we hated it, then we discuss his very early introduction to drugs and alcohol and how he became an addict and got kicked out of our house.

We discuss how he was radicalized politically and how he came to so many of the moral views that he has and of course we talk about his ideas about revolution and how it starts in your home and work and why he has always wanted to see radical systemic change.

I hope you get something from it and I hope you get his book

Thanks for your support on Patreon.com/petedominick

Today's Question: How do you Deal with Anxiety and Depression? 

This is a question that I think I will be asking lots of my upcoming guests. There are so many different coping mechanisms to deal with adversity in your life. There are all kinds of different catalysts that can be the cause of anxiety and depression. My friend Wajahat Ali is a really smart and funny guy who I absolutely love. He is now a well known commentator and regular contributor on CNN and the NY Times. Watch his Amazing Ted Talk 

I was expecting to talk with him about his life, his daughters health as well as politics and the rise of hate in our country but somehow we ended up talking about my losing my job and the anxiety and depression that has come along with it.

We had a great conversation and I'm happy to have my issues out in the open and looking forward to being more honest, transparent and talking more about them as I navigate this difficult time in my life heading in to the new year

Follow @WajahatAli

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Today's question is: What’s the most cost-effective way to help people? How do you know your charitable giving will be spent most efficiently ?

GiveWell is a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities and publishing the full details of our analysis to help donors decide where to give.

It was co-founded by Ellie Hassenfeld who is my guest today. Ellie had a lucrative career in finance but wanted to figure out how he could be more charitable and make more informed decisions about giving.

Great article about Ellie and the org

I'm proud to partner with Give Well and we have created a link for podcast listeners.

First-time GiveWell donors will have their donation matched up to $1000.

To donate and get your first-time donor match, you need to visit and donate at www.givewell.org/standup.

Thanks so much for your donations!

Today’s question is: Can you learn how to be a better parent? 

I welcome two women who will help make us better parents. First I have Dr. Adelia Moore who is a psychologist and author of the book Being the Grownup: Love, Limits, and the Natural Authority of Parenthood.

She was once a guest on Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. Watch here . 

She also wrote about it in The Atlantic Magazine.

twitter.com/AdeliaMoorePhD

And after my conversation with Dr. Moore I’ll share my great chat with Angie Hanscom who is the author of  "Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children" 

Angie is also the creator and director of a program called TimberNook was designed as the vehicle to get children outdoors in sensory-rich experiences that inspire, restore, and challenge the mind and the body. 

twitter.com/Timbernook

Todays question is How much does diversity matter? In the workplace? In your industry and in your life? My guest is a really smart woman who has a whole bunch of answers

April Reign practiced law for nearly twenty years, honing her talent for public speaking, persuasive writing and effecting policy change, but it wasn’t until she walked away from her legal practice that she found her true passion.

 As the creator of the viral hashtag-turned-movement, #OscarsSoWhite, April has been challenging the lack of representation of marginalized communities in Hollywood and beyond since 2015. Reign sustains a movement that has resulted in the most permanent systemic change ever seen in the over 80-year history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her name continues to be synonymous with this historic change, the results of which are reverberating throughout the entertainment industry and will do so for decades to come.

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Episode 23 Question: Have you ever had an abortion ? Do you know a woman who has? 1 in 3 American women have terminated their pregnancy including my guest today.

While the abortion rate in the U.S. has hit a historic low, and for many years now Americans have been celebrating the decline in teenage pregnancy rates, Women's reproductive rights are under attack like no time since they got those rights after the Supreme Court decided on Roe v Wade

Lizz Winstead talks about it all and more. 

We’ll  also get Impeachment reaction from from Con Law Professor "The Legal Eagle" Eric Segall, Boston Globe columnist Michael Cohen, my new friend Bryan the trump supporter in Texas, Guns Down America's Igor Volsky and our old friend Bill B in DC

And as a bonus a will share a great reality check on Impeachment from CNN's John Avlon

Hi Friends

Today's question is "have you ever been targeted by a mob of any sort? Online or otherwise?"

I welcomed writer and commentator Molly Jong Fast who has been a target and interviewed women who have been targeted by Trump and what she calls the "#MAGA MeatGrinder."

This year Molly was called out by Marianne Williamson and Tucker Carlson and she has gained the trust of and interviewed several of the women who have been targeted by Trump like E Jean Carroll, Lisa page and more.

Molly also recently interviewed ex Congresswoman Katie Hill who was forced out of office by an organized campaign that includes her ex husband and other nefarious actors.

Check out her byline https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/molly-jong-fast

After reading Molly's article about Congresswoman Katie Hill I decided to go an watch her resignation speech I had heard so much about. I shared that whole 7 minutes and THEN I called the White House and talked to the President and host of "Making Podcasts Great Again"

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-podcasts-great-again/id1374959883

Have you ever built a Community of any kind?  My guest today has built many but none more amazing then the magical place called Serenbe just 30 minutes outside Atlanta. 

Combine Serenity and Being and you get "Serenbe"

Built around the 4 pillars of Art, Agriculture, Health and Education Serenbe is a community like no other I have ever been to. I have now visited 3 times and it has always been a really magical experience. 

I think you will like getting to hear about Steve's life and life's work. Also check out their podcast Serenbe Stories https://www.serenbestories.com/

And here is a great article about Steve and Serenbe

https://www.menshealth.com/uk/adventure/a29531552/welcome-to-serenbe-atlantas-wellness-utopia/

At about 53 minutes I wrap with Steve and play a call I recorded with some Trump supporter who was busting my chops on twitter. I asked him if he would tape a call with me and he agreed.

We talk for almost 40 minutes and it was both frustrating and enlightening. 

I want to continue to try to understand why these people believe what they do and this conversation went a long way to helping me do that. 

Let me know what you think