What's Normal with Gabriel Sanders

*Trigger warning.* Suicide, time in a mental health hospital, and illegal drug use are discussed in this episode. 

First of all, if you haven’t seen the photo of him on the Facebook page, please do. Tai has a great smile, and he talks about how smiling keeps him looking youthful. He thanks Samantha from “Sex and the City” for that. Tai Collins lives in a van, that is his normal, and he doesn’t feel weird about it. and we talk about why and how he got there in this episode, “The Call of the Void.” 

Tai listened to the call once and we learn what happened. I suggested to him once that he should write a book called “Tales From the Van”, and we get to hear about a few of those tales. Tai, admittedly, is a work in progress. We all are. He reveals that when he attempted suicide, he viewed himself as a “waste of carbon,” and thankfully, he is still with us. He speaks about his personal reality and how it affects others and vice versa, how he learned that he cannot change other people, and accountability versus the herd mentality. He says to be the best you can be, and prepare as much as you can, for the bridges you will cross on your path. He grew up in a camping family, so he knows how to live off the grid, and he has backpacked or “mailed himself” around the world. He shares his perspective of “the status quo” of living, his analysis of “nature versus nurture”, and the people he has met on his journeys. I learned, and you will learn, about “woodsies,” and what it means for someone to be “God’s punching bag.” 

Yes, Tai, every day is a gift. Thank you for letting us in to your world, and sharing your “normal,” that was your gift to us. Your other gift to us is your incredible singing that melts our hearts, and can be heard before and after our conversation. 

Please be sure to “grow your happiness flower,” and I hope you enjoy this talk with Tai Collins as much as I did. 

Thank you for listening. 

(Song: “An Die Musik”. Tai Collins, vocals. Jesse Pieper, pianist)

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

Welcome to this mini-episode of “What’s Normal with Gabriel Sanders.” 

This mini-ep is about the gifts we are born with, if we use them, if we know we have them, and how they are used... plus the child inside me still wants a drum set.... and I share a regret. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this topic or on other topics or issues that are mentioned in the show. 

You can send me a message on the show’s Facebook page, send an email to [email protected], or leave a voicemail via the main podcast page. 

Thank you for listening.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

I had just gotten bit by a red ant on my hand which inspired me to finally come out with the truth to my listening fans that I don’t like ants. 

I hate ants. 

But I am fascinated by them. They are wild, amazing, strong creatures. But I hate them. 

Listen to me freak out about them in the recording, I was surrounded! Ever since I was about 12 in sleep-away camp.... The horror. The mayhem. Ants all over me! I get more into that story... I hate ants. 

Thank you for listening!

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

I had a lovely time talking with my friend, Adrienne Allen. I honestly did not know much about her, accept that she was a joyful person when we worked together on a tv show. Her positive energy lured me in to want to know more, and I'm grateful that she welcomed my invite to come on the podcast.  Her life has been filled with positive support from her friends and family, and industry folk she met along the way. 

At age 12 she wrote a spec script for a sitcom. She speaks about her experiences through the system of Hollywood and journey of self-discovery and re-discovery. Her determination to accomplish her goal as a television writer, and her challenges as a woman of color along that path, are not only eye-opening but inspirational. 

You may find, as I did, morsels of wisdom to take home with you, such as: "Enjoy the flow." "Commit to and honor your normal." "Life is short, sometimes you have to embrace the way you're shaped." 

From pressuring herself to do better at a young age, to wanting to help others in the fight to fulfill their dreams, or feel they've been abused by employers in Hollywood, she both a joy to know and a force to reckon with. It was such a pleasure finding out who she is, how she reflects upon her own childhood, her views on the industry, the strength she gets from the higher power, and how she bravely took the challenge to go to a place where she "didn't feel unique but made it work" for her. 

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did, and find it equally inspiring. 

Thank you for listening. 

Mentions: "Tell Me A Story", a CBS All Access TV show. 

"#PayUpHollywood" is a service that protects assistants in Hollywood for better wages, health insurance, and working conditions.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

Welcome to this Mini-Episode of “What’s Normal with Gabriel Sanders.” What I would like to do with these mini-eps is to talk about something that’s on my mind, but also answer mail from my listeners. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts, and I might talk about them on the show. You can send me a message on the Facebook page, email me, or send me a voicemail and I’ll play it on the show. 

This episode is about my personal experience with cognitive tests, and how one test I took as a teenager, post major accident, reflects on the man in charge of the country now. 

Thank you for listening.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

Welcome to this Mini-Episode of “What’s Normal with Gabriel Sanders.” What I would like to do with these mini-eps is to talk about something that’s on my mind, but also answer mail from my listeners. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts, and I might talk about them on the show. You can send me a message on the Facebook page for the show, email me at [email protected], or send me a voicemail via the main podcast page and I’ll play it on the show. 

This episode is about panic attacks. They come in all flavors, shapes, and sizes. Do you get them? How do you manage them? How does it feel when you get them? I speak about some that would haunt me every night, and what I did to put a band-aid on them. 

Thank you for listening.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

Mini-Episode description: Welcome to this Mini-Episode of “What’s Normal with Gabriel Sanders.” What I would like to do with these mini-eps is to talk about something that’s on my mind, but also answer mail from my listeners. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts, and I might talk about them on the show. You can send me a message on the Facebook page for the show, email me at [email protected], or send me a voicemail via the main podcast page and I’ll play it on the show. 

This episode is about words. Good words. Bad words. Using your words. How words weigh on us. How words change our behaviors. How one word can alter someone’s life. 

Thank you for listening.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

This episode is titled “Warped Society,” and yes that could be a critique on the world today, but it was actually a college comedy tv show I produced back in the mid-late 90s. 

The person I’m talking with is Will Nunziata, who I met when I brought him on the show as a member of the cast and crew. The “troupe” if you will. We had a great conversation and had a great time reconnecting. I found him fascinating then as I do now, but for different reasons. Currently living alone and across the country from his wife and boy, he speaks of being oblivious to world while growing up, living in a bubble of comedy, forgetting about the time he caught a flying baby, not being able to process the emotion of anger, and a recent panic attack. I also dive into my own childhood history of accidents, and how we cope with trauma. We had a wonderful conversation. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I mention “New Dads Place,” my support group for dads on Facebook. Will plugs his podcast “God Ween Evan”. Also, check out “Sugar Frosted Crack Cereal” commercial here: https://youtu.be/tzfwJi0UWzk 

Thank you for listening.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

Welcome to the first mini-episode of “What’s Normal with Gabriel Sanders.” 

What I would like to do with these mini-eps is to talk about something that’s on my mind, but also answer mail from my listeners. 

Please feel free to share, and I might talk about it on the show. You can send me a message on the Facebook page for the show, email me at [email protected], or I believe there is a way to send me a voicemail via the main podcast page. 

This episode is about fear. We live in a scary world, these are scary times, and we all process fears differently, and our fears come in all shapes and sizes. 

Thank you for listening.

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.

This is my first episode, and hosting a podcast is new to me, not “normal,” but I did it, and this is the beginning of hopefully a long journey. I spoke with my good friend, Ben Berger. Ben is a smart and funny individual, professional sound mixer, and award-winning filmmaker. In his early 30s, he speaks eloquently about how "abnormal" things affected him in his life, what "weird" thing I did to him pretty soon after we met, and opens up about 9/11. We had a great talk, and I hope you enjoy!

+ Podcast artwork created by the amazing Dan Meth. On Instagram @danmeth.