Closer

The final part of my 3-part conversation with Bill Blackburn. This week's episodes are: ● Touching ● Insightful ● Reassuring

Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Bill Blackburn. This week's episodes are: ● Touching ● Insightful ● Reassuring

Last summer, one of my daughters attended an overnight golf camp through Bill’s scholarship program for young golfers. Bill and I spoke briefly on the phone about it. I didn't know what he looked like and I hardly knew him. But I had the back-of-my-head feeling for months that I should invite Bill on the show. I’m glad I finally did. Because again, just like magic, a frank conversation with an almost stranger reaffirmed what truly matters in life - the people we love and the precious time we have with them.

The final part of my 3-part conversation with Jessica Bliss. This week's episodes are: ● Smart ● Stimulating ● Reflective

Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Jessica Bliss. This week's episodes are: ● Smart ● Stimulating ● Reflective [Jessica would like to clarify that Nathan Bedford Forrest killed hundreds of African Americans, not thousands and that he was a general, not a commander.]

I told a new friend about my show. She suggested I connect with Jessica, a good friend of hers and a journalist who elevates the stories of people in the community. Jessica and I started our conversation discussing journalism including what a privilege it is to be on such a wide-reaching platform and journalistic neutrality. But as it does so often, our chat about work lead to something perhaps even more meaningful - how acting on our passion can touch others and teach us about ourselves.

Dating, marriage and sex highlight reel, Part 3 || In the order of appearance: ○ Max Speyer ○ Jenny Yarbrough ○ Kiera Miller ○ Ron Crozier ○ Barbie Hessel ○ Virginia Richardson ○ Ed Augustine. This week’s episodes are: ● Touching ● “Aww”-inducing ● Heart-warming

Marriage, relationship and dating highlight reel, Part 2 || In the order of appearance: ○ Gaston Rivera ○ Lindsay Bertelli ○ Alex Strnad ○ Katie Dehner ○ Brent Fruin ○ Kim Baldwin ○ Brent Anderson. This week’s episodes are: ● Touching ● “Aww”-inducing ● Heart-warming

● Touching ● "Aww"-inducing ● Heart-warming ||

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● Honest ● Intimate ● Reassuring || Barbie found out about my show through Shannon Britt, my guest from episodes 31-33 and reached out to me. An articulate, sincere and disarming human being, Barbie also happens to be a therapist specializing in sexual trauma. Barbie offered what she’s learnt from her work. We freely shared our very personal feelings about sex, intimacy, #MeToo movement, feminism and much more. We didn't debate. We just talked and listened without judgement but with lots of laughter.

The final part of my 3-part conversation with Ron Crozier. This week’s episodes are: ● Sincere ● Easy ● Relatable

Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Ron Crozier. This week’s episodes are: ● Sincere ● Easy ● Relatable

● Sincere ● Easy ● Relatable || Ron, a parent at my children’s school, seemed easy-going and laidback. Whenever I sent out an email to parents about class parties or teacher gifts, he took the time to reply via phone call. He greeted everyone with an unassuming smile and always had something funny to say. He was humble. We met before the holidays and talked. Because I think nice people like that are the ones that deserve our attention. (P.S. Kansas, I do love you and can’t wait to visit you one day.)

The final part of my 3-part conversation with Kim Baldwin. This week’s episodes are: ● Witty ● Bold ● Honest || Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! ‘Closer’ will be back in the New Year with much more. Subscribe now so you won’t miss the fresh new episodes in 2020!

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The final part of my 3-part conversation with Shannon Britt. This week's episodes are: ● Fun ● Smart ● Relatable

Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Shannon Britt. This week’s episodes are: ● Fun ● Smart ● Relatable

● Fun ● Smart ● Relatable || One of my guests, Katie Dehner (Episode 8) mentioned during her recording there was a men’s group formed by someone called Shannon Britt. I was instantly intrigued. “What kind of a guy would form a men’s group?” After many months later, I finally got to ask Shannon on the show and we sat down to chat. Shannon was smart, fun and insightful. But what impressed me most was that while many talk about vulnerability, Shannon lives it.

Happy Thanksgiving! 'Closer' will return after a 2-week Thanksgiving break. I am thankful for each and every one of you for listening! The final part of my 3-part conversation with Kiera Miller. This week's episodes are: ● Provocative ● Candid ● Original

Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Kiera Miller. This week's episodes are: ● Provocative ● Candid ● Original

Provocative ● Candid ● Original | I wasn’t expecting a future guest when I stumbled onto Kiera’s podcast. But I didn’t have to listen long before I felt the urge to invite her on mine. I admired her sincere, humble curiosity. When Kiera entered my living room, she had a non-pretentious way that put me at ease. I had a feeling our conversation would be effortless. And in the end, our time together affirmed the many seemingly crazy random thoughts and ideas I had been keeping to myself.

The final part of my 3-part conversation with Matt Rotondo. This week's episodes are: ● Thought-provoking ● Refreshing ● Informative

Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Matt Rotondo. This week's episodes are: ○ Thought-provoking ○ Refreshing ○ Informative

● Thought-provoking ● Refreshing ● Informative ● Matt’s and my children used to go to the same school. I knew that he used to work in marketing and that he and his family moved to Nashville from California. I had hardly spoken to Matt before but I did remember reading Matt’s emails about starting, running and later folding his startup. Matt was honest about the challenges he faced and the disappointment he felt. His emails were refreshingly heartfelt. That was a sign that I should invite him on the show.

The final part of my 3-part conversation with Jamie Heard. This week’s episodes are: ● Heart-wrenching ● Awe-inspiring ● Life-affirming

This episode is the Part 2 of my 3-part conversation with Jamie Heard. This week's episodes are: ● Heart-wrenching ● Awe-inspiring ● Life-affirming

Heart-wrenching ● Awe-inspiring ● Life-affirming I had heard of Faithfully Restored, a Christian non-profit that Jamie Heard and three friends founded to support women going through difficult times by building community. I had also read about Jamie losing her father and her 2-year-old son, William. But it was not her life story that made me feel compelled to ask her to be on the show. It was her apparent courage to be vulnerable that drew me to her.

This week, a note of gratitude for you from Mina and a quick update on the show. And a special request.

By popular demand, this week’s episode is a conversation with my husband, Johann. We have three children together and he is a physician. We sat down in our living room one evening and started chatting about his singing voice which caused me to be curious about the whereabouts of a distant relative who sang at our wedding almost 20 years ago. Johann shared his personal reflection on a significant event he experienced, which made me appreciate even more how he empathizes with people.

Gaston was the volunteer parent coach of my son’s soccer team for several years. He did get pretty intense during games and it was clear he wanted to win. Let’s just say you don’t want to be the referee that makes a wrong call when Gaston is one of the coaches. But I always felt he really cared about the young players he was coaching. He was friendly to me and Johann as well. I knew Gaston traveled a lot for work so I was excited when he made time to sit down and chat with me.

“Until you step into your truth, you never fully blossom into who you’re supposed to be.” After getting into the light-weight topics like end-of-life and afterlife, Virginia and I now drift into talking about life - about how people judge who and what is good or bad, realities of married life and Nashville, the city we love and which we both think is just a tiny bit cliquey. Virginia shares her desire to be authentic in her work and what Instagram has taught her about how the world works.

It turns out Virginia and I live literally within walking distance from each other. But we connected only via Instagram. Initially, a photo of Virginia's face on an Instagram account of a spa stopped me mid-scroll. But it was her own heartfelt posts that hinted that Virginia was not afraid to be vulnerable. On part 1 of this 2-part episode, we talk about end-of-life, forgiveness, faith, afterlife and Instagram - you know, the usual garden variety topics you talk about with a stranger you literally just met.

I used to run into Brent while chauffeuring my children around. I didn’t know him well, just that he was a cardiologist and really good at sports. We finally sat down in 30A, Florida where our families were vacationing at at the same time. We talked about everything from teaching our children it's okay to fail and failing to remember our respective recent wedding anniversaries to having an intimate circle of friends and knowing how to apologize to people we love and more. We even talked about Hemingway.

Many men can tell good stories but only a few among them are brave enough to be vulnerable. Ed has been brave throughout his life in more ways than one. A recently retired director of compliance at my husband’s work, I had met Ed briefly at work holiday parties, so briefly that I had forgotten what he looks like. After hearing that Ed likes to tell stories of living in Germany and his time in the military, I had this thought that Ed would make a great guest on the show. There was only one way to find out.

After exchanging introductory pleasantries at a chili cook-off, Jenny and I met again and talked. I've been thinking about life and the meaning of it all recently and what do you know, the topic of faith and religion came up during our conversation. I talked about myself more than usual and I cringed at the possibility of having taken attention away from my guest. But I decided to get over myself as I realized it was the connection between Jenny and I that made both of us feel comfortable enough to open up.

If the one who tells the best story wins, Richard will surely come out on top. Richard is a married father of three I met through my children’s school. He seemed like someone who could hold a great conversation with just about anyone so I invited him on the show. And I was not disappointed. Richard and I each shared stories about the families we grew up in. Richard told me about his personal, unique and ongoing challenge he faces as a parent, how that shaped his family and influenced his marriage.

As John and I continue our conversation, we finish each other’s sentences while talking about John’s mom, our favorite movies, how we define ‘love’, 'privilege’, ’pet fish boyfriend’ and share the words we hate. We also try to come up with John’s pen name. And we both wonder if we'll ever be free of our hangups.

(Mild Adult Language) On the surface, John and I couldn’t be more different from each other. John is a 24-year-old single gay guy living in Chicago. I’m a church-going, married mom of 3 living in the south. John was a guide on the architecture tour our family took during our tip to Chicago. Within literally a minute of meeting him, I invited him on the show. I was nervous he may think I was strange for being so forthright but John said "yes". We met in the Langham Hotel the next day and talked and talked.

This conversation with Lindsay was one of the first few I recorded for the show. So when Lindsay agreed to be a guest, there was no episode for her to check out. But Lindsay said yes anyway. Lindsay shows up and steps up for people. And as you'll hear she's humble and generous. And a lot of fun, too. We sat down in her not-too-shabby downtown office and Lindsay told me what she considers success, what she wants to teach her daughter, the ever-present mom/parent-guilt and whether she’ll marry again.

Brent is a surgeon and was one of the first guests and the first complete stranger to record for the show. My earlier guest Alex Strnad had gotten Brent and me in contact via email but when Brent first walked into my living room we had never met or spoken before. It’s this, my conversation with Brent that convince me that just one engaging and honest conversation can connect people, even strangers. We begin our conversation by clarifying how Brent knew Alex and Brent showing me a photo of his son. Enjoy.

I first met Katie 5 years ago after we both had dropped off our daughters at the preschool. Since then, I made ‘small talks’ with Katie at kids’ birthday parties and their weekend soccer games. Katie always had a genuine smile on her face and seemed sincere and generous. But I realized that after 5 whole years had passed, I never really got to know Katie. So we finally sat down in my living room and talked. We had a wonderfully effortless conversation that day. I hope you’ll enjoy this, too.

Having a nasty day? Play this one. I promise, it’ll make you feel better. Alex is a stay-at-home dad of 2 and he told me about his marriage, challenges of raising a teenage girl, his religious evolution, a story involving a feral cat and another involving a dog placenta. Mina and Alex wonder why children don’t heed their parents’ advice no matter how simple or wise and Alex told me how people respond when he shares that he’s a stay-at-home dad. Alex and I had a blast with this. I think you will, too!

If you ever met Hannah in person, I think you’ll agree - she’s never met a stranger. I first met Hannah at a fundraiser concert in Nashville where Darius Rucker from 'Hootie & the Blowfish' was performing. Hannah is someone that instantly puts you at ease. She spoke with me with warmth and sincerity. She laughed easily. Hannah told me she wrote songs. I invited her to be a guest on the show and we met at her home. I didn’t know what we were going to talk about. Here’s how we got to know each other.

We all have a person like this - someone we see in and around places we frequent but don't get to know. Max's children and mine went to the same school. Max was always friendly, easy going and unassuming so I had wanted to invite him to be on the show. As it turns out Max and his wife, Karen had listen to one of the earlier episodes and she thought Max would make a great guest. She was right. Max and I met at his home and talked about a lot of things. Join me as I find out what Max is really like.

The delightful and captivating Garland was a mother that raised the ideal child. That all changed when her second son with special needs was born. But not in the way you might imagine. Having a child that was different, that she was different, it freed her. It's been tough, make no mistake. But she tells me “this is us and we press on.” Listen in. You’ll love her.

Do you know what it’s really like to live with a mental disorder? Korina has been struggling for most of her life with an illness that has pushed her to the brink of death, many times. She fought and fought and recently returned to college, back on path to realizing her dreams. But one unanswered question haunts her, "What if my son inherits my incurable disease?" Look for no sob stories here. Korina is a living embodiment of unflinching honesty and couragous defiance. I'd love to know what you thought.

Did you hate school growing up? Are you a teacher who’s been hurt by a parent’s actions? Have you ever thought your child’s teacher was being unfair? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you would love hearing from Braden. He's been all of the above. We sat down in his office at his school and he told me all about it and much more. Listen in and tell me what you think. And by the way, Braden really is as nice as he sounds.

Johns Hopkins and Harvard-trained psychiatrist Mina Brandes brings you a one-of-a-kind talk show where real people like you are the star of the show. Subscribe to 'Closer'.