Podcast Episodes

Anya Marina

The Singer/Songwriter opens up about her lifelong battles with body image, weight and food, as well as the complicated and overwhelming experience of being a part of the Twilight franchise (she wrote and performed the song “Satellite Heart” on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack, and hosted a red carpet event). Anya’s songs have also appeared on Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl. She ends the interview with a performance of her song “Miss Halfway”. Paul reads a response from the Shame and Secrets survey written by a mild-mannered housewife who shares about the abuse she suffered as a child and the endless murderous fantasies that play in her mind while politely chatting at parties.

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Fred Stoller

Standup comedian, writer and actor Fred Stoller opens up about his childhood with a sensitive withdrawn father and a fear-filled overbearing mother who he describes as a “Rainman Savant of bad news stories”. He and Paul talk about the corrosive effect a joy-snuffing parent can have on a child’s ability to experience joy. People know Fred from appearances on Everybody Loves Raymond, Dumb and Dumber, orSeinfeld. Paul reads some polarizing emails about the Ted Lyde episode as well as a happy moment survey response from a German listener who recalls the moment her depression ran out of fuel.

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Listener Katie P.

Listener Katie was literally a red-headed stepchild. Though her blended family was large (7 kids), her stepfather was not Mr. Brady. He was, in her words Machiavelli. Attacked by a stranger at 15, something in her snapped. It would be years before she dealt with the pain, as she tried to numb herself with sex, drugs, shopping and men who treated her like, yep you guessed it, her stepfather. Topics include PTSD, Bipolar II, Attachment Disorder, divorce and mothering. Paul reads some listener emails that are critical of him and the show, as well as one from a girl who credits the Teresa Strasser episode as the beginning of her healing.

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Ted Lyde

Some find actor / comedian / filmmaker Ted Lyde’s honesty about being a parent refreshing, some find it off-putting. Ted talks about the sacrafices and compromise as a father and husband, that lead him to state, “I don’t recommend it and I wouldn’t do it again.” He also opens up about his disabled son who was born with Muscular Ataxia. Paul reads an email from a listener who found last week’s episode anything but inspiring.

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Coping & Trauma with Brenda Feehery

How do each of us cope with trauma? Brenda’s story is remarkable for many reasons. She is a former Div 1 softball player and hockey mom with two kids who endured a day most people only experience in their nightmares. She shares how she got through it, where she is at today and the role athletics played in honing her mental toughness. Paul also reads some very intense survey responses covering a variety of ways people cope with trauma. Not a light episode, but hopefully illuminating.

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DC Pierson

The author (The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep And Never Had To), comedian (DERRICK Comedy) and actor (“Mystery Team“) opens up about the loss of his mother to cancer when he was in junior high, overachieving, cynicism, and the terrifying prospect of intimacy. Paul also reads an email from a listener who sheds light on being an identical twin, and reads the survey responses of a college-educated professional who is addicted to huffing.

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Kathryn Hahn

Most people know her as Lily Lebowski on Crossing Jordan, or from recurring roles on Hung, and Girls. She has appeared in films such as Anchorman, Step Brothers, How Do You Know and A Lot Like Love. Funny, nice and self-deprecating, she opens up to Paul about her difficulty in saying what she means and asking for what she wants. Paul also reads a letter from a veteran having trouble adjusting after returning home, and one from a mother of four married to soldier currently in Afghanistan.

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Dave Holmes (Voted #8 Ep of 2012)

Most people know Dave from MTV’s Wanna Be a VJ contest where he was runner-up, from FX’sDVD on TV, his video podcast A Drink with Dave or dozens of appearances on various programs, but few know his calm exterior often masks panic and anxiety. He and Paul bond over being raised Irish Catholic, hosting interstitial t.v. shows and other similarities. Dave talks about the minefield of coming out to a family with mixed views on gays, his oddly easy time with it in high school and difficult time in college. Paul reads survey responses related to the LGBT community, highlighting where America is at in seeing them as equals and how it makes them feel.

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Cara Santa Maria

The neuroscientist and senior science writer at Huffington Post (Talk Nerdy to Me) talks with Paul about the roots of her depression, her parents divorce, her decision at 14 to leave the Mormon church and her father’s inability to accept it, her love of science, how she currently treats her depression and the toll it has taken on loved ones. Plus Paul reads some listener emails and surveys and a list of signs that might mean you’re a narcissist.

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