Dave Manheim (host of the Dopey Podcast) comes back on the show to drop some Dopey wisdom. We talk about ego, ambition, control issues, slowing down and how to be of service, self-servingly. Plus, what I learned from losing my wallet and why Dave hates the movie Inside Out.

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As the publicist for some of the most controversial people in media, including Candace Owens, Clavicular and Adam Friedland, Mitchell Jackson runs toward chaos. I wanted to have him on the show to talk about his own sobriety and how he balances a professional life that’s full of drama with a private life that’s “drama-free.” We talk about Mitchell’s definition of cancellation, his dream clients (Madonna) and the wealthy clients he’s happily turned down. Plus, the best time of year to admit wrongdoing, playing the hand you're dealt and how to capitalize on the worst day of your life.

New episodes release every Wednesday.

How do you begin to laugh again after experiencing unimaginable grief? Comedian Blair Socci has been trying to answer this question since the sudden death of her brother, but the answer isn’t obvious. I wanted to have her on the show to hear how she’s doing and learn what her recent experience has taught her about vulnerability and healing. Blair’s loss is still fresh and this is a pretty raw conversation— so I brought sour candy to help us get through it.

Michael Strassner makes sure to watch the first scene of his film The Baltimorons at every screening, because he knows that if the events of that scene went differently, he wouldn't be around to watch them. He and I sit down for a frank and funny conversation about depression, getting sober by the skin of your teeth and finding unexpected laughter in recovery rooms. Plus, learning to love the birds at 4am.

My friend Jeremy Luke did something you’re not supposed to do— two months after getting sober, he got a dog. That dog became his “No. 1 Sidekick” and suddenly Jeremy was a “dog guy,” trading in his bar friends for dog friends. When his dog Boogie died, Jeremy didn’t want to be sober anymore. In this conversation, we talk through the particular grief of losing an animal, especially one that has witnessed a major transformation in your life. If a dog has been part of your recovery, then this episode is for you.

New episodes release every Wednesday.

Every week, Alex Winter and I have a standing date at the House of Pies in LA. I like what he has to say about creativity, fame, sobriety— you know, all the stuff I’m interested in. Alex was on Broadway as a kid and then blew up when he starred in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. In this conversation, we talk about how child stardom messes with your sense of self and why he had to quit the business to figure out who he was. Since that time, he’s become a prolific documentary and narrative film director and earlier this year, he returned to Broadway, starring with his old friend Keanu Reeves in Waiting for Godot. We discuss the rigors of stage acting, his definition of joy and where political activism fits into his recovery. Alex is no guru, but he’s a smart dude. Grab a slice of pie, why don't ya?

Chris Witaske has "golden retriever" energy and he knows it, but there’s a bullied kid under that fun-loving guy. You probably know Chris as Pete on The Bear, or from those Progressive commercials. We talk about how he grew up drinking cheap beer in cornfields and dreaming of Animal House, only to crash out after a life-altering trip at a Phish concert. We reflect on the rockstars who made it out alive (Trey Anastasio) and those who didn’t (Chris Farley) and the role psychedelics have played in Chris’s recovery. Plus, phones, gambling and how to sit in your own skin.

When Elizabeth Gilbert wrote Eat Pray Love, she described her disordered relationship history using the language of addiction. It wasn’t until years later that she realized that for her, addiction wasn’t only a metaphor. In her new memoir All the Way to the River, Gilbert chronicles the chaos and degradation of her own sex and love addiction and how she finally got clean. The book is messy, and so is Liz. No easy answers here. We talk about the strangeness of entering recovery rooms as the author of a book that “changed peoples’ lives” and how the spiritual technology of recovery has changed hers. Plus, creative ambition and sobriety, delighting in your anger and geeking out about two way prayer.

My friend Jerry O’Connell says he’s a simple guy. I wholeheartedly disagree. I was frankly surprised that he agreed to come on the show and discuss his recovery, a topic he has never spoken about publicly before, but I’m glad he was willing to get "serious" with me. We also discuss how he’s processing (or not processing) the shock of losing Stand By Me director Rob Reiner, a man who “changed his whole life.” Plus, why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and recovery go together, my ongoing feud with Sha Na Na drummer Screamin’ Scott Simon and Jerry’s trick for when he finds himself jealous of Wes Bentley, again.

When I found out my old colleague Cord Jefferson was writing a TV show about our time together at Gawker, I got pissed. I think I called him an "a**face." I don't feel resentful toward Cord anymore, but I wanted to have him on the show to talk about why that got under my skin. Plus, I wanted to hear how his recent success winning the Oscar for writing American Fiction had impacted his creative life. Together, we inventory our petty resentments and discuss how anger can be both a motivating force and a distracting nuisance. This one's for anyone who ever held a grudge.