Podcast appearances and mentions of Sara Benincasa

une 1, 2024 at the Hudson Théâtre, Hollywood Fringe Festival, you can see Heather Fink star in Her debut Creation. started performing standup comedy in NYC in 2005 and continued making funny videos, doing improv, and sketch comedy. Day jobs included PR for a gay company, Senator Kennedy Intern, and Content Strategy for Digital Media. In 2009 she began NYU's Grad Film program as Writer/Director. She currently pays the bills as a Sound Person for film and tv, including Marvel's “Daredevil” and Hulu's “The Dropout.” She also participated in the Sony Pictures Television Diverse Directors Program and shadowed Emmy nominated Director Kate Dennis on an episode of "The Tick." Fink's written more than 35 short films and directed even more, including “The Focus Group” by Sara Benincasa, comedy shorts for College Humor, “Sosi” for UCB's Mark Sarian & Ari Voukydis, the branded content comedy webseries "Banfield After Party,” the indie TV pilot "Urban Teach Now," and wrote and directed the feature film “Inside You.” In 2020 she wrote and directed original monologues for the live stage show “Dream Role” at Lyric Hyperion which highlighted custom written roles that each actor has always dreamed of playing. In 2022, she wrote and directed the short film “Quiche.” She's written 6 feature films and 3 tv pilots that she continues to develop.

Sara talks about perfectionism getting in the way of doing the stuff you love to do! Plus, some stuff about living in a haunted house filled with paint-by-numbers paintings. Also, things about artists Christopher Wallace (RIP), Maya Erdelyi-Perez, Alex Stapleton and Francesco Marciuliano. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa and subscribe to SaraJBenincasa.Substack.com.

Sara talks drugs, sobriety, anxiety and partying with artist, producer, and woman of business Sabrina Cognata, and blows out the mic multiple times in the process, but whatever, you'll love it. Support this podcast and more at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa

This episode is about the joy of lifelong learning and also: Redwood trees! Why it's okay to not be "over" your mental health issues yet, or ever! Something about soccer! Encouragement! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara Benincasa's (@sarajbenincasa ) loves non fiction read beautifully with nice production. And she LEARNS. We all get a nice list of great books to listen to on audio. Or you could read them. She's not insistent. AD: FactorMeals.com/dork50 code dork50 for 50% off your first box! Donate to The Dork Forest if you like the show. The paypal is my email jackie@jackiekashian.com and venmo is jackiekashian. Links to everything is at www.dorkforest.com or www.jackiekashian.com. Merch: New album and Special, TDF tshirts, standup shirts and other CDs/DVDs. Touring Info. All the things. www.jackiekashian.com. Premium eps of TDF are taped live and available here: https://thedorkforest.bandcamp.com/ Youtube has everything too. It's @jackiekashian on all the social mediaz. Audio and Video by Patrick Brady Music is by Mike Ruekberg Website design by Vilmos #applepodcasts #spotify #amazon #youtube #tiktok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, The Watchers are recapping and reviewing season 2, episode 5 of the Showtime series Yellowjackets, "Two Truths and a Lie."This is a meaty one, folks! In 1996, we cover everything from Lottie's morning mindfulness group to Misty and Crystal's little spat, to Shauna's impending arrival. In 2021, we're playing road trip games with Walter and Misty, going on a stakeout with the finest law enforcement New Jersey has to offer, and hanging with our favorite video store owner. We also cover a couple of our individual pet theories about what Shauna might be delivering into the world. The short story we reference and highly recommend in this episode is "It Worked for Jonah," by the thoughtful and hilarious Sara Benincasa. As discussed in the episode, Yellowjackets is off next week, but The Watchers will be here. We're going to be talking about Rosemary's Baby. You can stream it from a few different places.If you're reading this, that means you've probably got your podcatcher of choice open right now. It would be SO helpful if you gave our little new show a follow. If you like what you hear, you could even leave us a review. ☺️Follow:The Watchers on Twitter and Instagram (@WatchersPodNJ)Andrea on Twitter an Instagram (@AQAndreaQ)Jodie on Twitter (@jodiemim) and Instagram (@jodie_mim)Our sister show, New Jersey Is the World, on Twitter (@njistheworld) and Instagram (@newjerseyistheworld)Thanks to Kitzy (@heykitzy) for the use of our theme song, "No Book Club."

For our penultimate episode of Season 3, we welcome author, actress, comedian, and mental health advocate, Sara Benincasa. She's the author of four books, "Agorafabulous!: Dispatches From My Bedroom," which explores her journey with anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia. You may also have seen her on the hit drama “Law & Order: SVU.” Sara and I sit down to talk about the importance of therapy and all the different ways we heal. Plush, we explore generational trauma, substance abuse, and watching your parents do their own work. We end this episode with a great little exercise led by Sara.

An introduction to meditation & its benefits, including a brief meditation exercise. Support this podcast: Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa. Weekly SARATONIN newsletter: Patreon & SaraJBenincasa.Substack.com.

Saluton, Feliĉan Kristnaskon, Feliĉa Ĥanuko, and if you are listening to this between or after December 26th 2022 to January 1st 2023, Feliĉa Kwanzaa! Welcome to Episode #335 of Succotash that is the last episode before Christmas of 2022. I am Tyson Saner, and I will be your host for the duration. If you listened to last week's Epi334, then you know that it was hosted by show creator and executive producer Marc Hershon, with whom I share hosting duties with for alternating episodes. In that episode you were no doubt delighted to enjoy the content that he brought you in the form of a show titled Season's Clippings!, which featured five, count 'em, FIVE clips from other peoples' soundcasts, namely the shows known as Hey, Riddle, Riddle; Jordan Klepper Fingers the Conspiracy; Man Thinkers; The Salty Language Podcast AND Fandom!. Also, there was no spot from our longtime FAKE sponsor "Henderson's Pants" to be heard in that episode. There was, instead, a brand-new spot from Bill Heywatt offering his Master Class…on running master classes. It's a well-stuffed stocking of an episode, and I urge you to check it out whenever you can. It is still available to listen to thru the listening platforms Apple & Google Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Audible, iHeart Radio, YouTube, Amazon Music, PodBay, Podchaser, and at our homesite SuccotashShow.com, where we have that episodes and all of the other ones dating back almost 12 years in the Succotash archives. But that was last week, and this is this week, and for this week I've got 3 clips for you from the soundcasts known as Hollywood Palms Podcast, The Besties, and The Viral Podcast. I've also decided to include a classic Holiday Season Henderson's Pants ad because…'tis the season. I can't think of any reason to delay the proceedings any further, so let's get to it. CLIPS Hollywood Palms Podcast Genius Royale presents the Hollywood Palms Podcasts, wherein each week they interview a guest and then give them a palm reading and talk about their past, present and future. Our clip is snipped from recent Episode 4 from November, 2022, and features guest Sara Benincasa, host of the Well, This Isn't Normal soundcast and author of "Real Artists Have Day Jobs", "Agorafabulous!" and more! The Besties As the show's description goes, "It's 'Game of the Year' meets 'King of the Hill' as four of Earth's best friends – Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Chris Plante, and Russ Frushtick – rank and review their favorite video games. Because shouldn't the world's best friends pick the world's best games?" Our selected snippet is from November 17th, 2022, an episode netitled "Boldly Going Where No Hedgehog's Gone Before in Sonic Frontiers", and in this clip is the end of the conversation about the game "Somerville", which leads into a conversation about the game "Pentiment" on Xbox Game Pass. The Viral Podcast I read that hosts Chelcie Lynn and Paige Ginn are comedians — not therapists — but they have a soundcast which is pretty much the same thing. We sample that in this clip from Epi60 from earlier this month, when the hosts talked about terrible roommates, human tables, goals, salt baths, self help, jokes, would-you-rathers, Oh Do Me, and much more! And that brings us more or less neatly to the end portion of Epi335. I do hope you find something in this episode that was enjoyable, and perhaps you will go in search of one or all of the soundcasts you heard to listen to more of their content. If you do, tell 'em Succotash sent you. You'd be doing us a huge favor and we appreciate you for it. We also appreciate your listening to the end of this episode so you can hear me tell you how much you are appreciated. In the spirit of the season and of the idea itself, be sure to remember to tell those that you appreciate that you do, as often as you can. I feel like that might help foster a social environment that will be more beneficial to the overall psyche of society…if that's a thing. I believe it can be. So, until after Christmas, I've been Tyson Saner wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons that could ever be possible. Thank you Marc Hershon, Joe Paulino, Bill Heywatt, Kenny Durgess, and Scott Carvey for more than a decade of the feeling that I belong somewhere. Enjoy Episode 336, see you again in Episode 337…probably…Be decent to each other and, If you wouldn't mind, please…pass the Succotash. — Marc Hershon

A Classic RISK! episode from our early years! In the eighth episode of our third season, Lili Taylor, Sara Benincasa and Curtis Gwinn share about their nearest, dearest and weirdest. Support RISK! on Patreon at Patreon.com/RISKMake a one-time donation to RISK! at PayPal.me/RISKshowGet tickets to RISK! live shows at RISK-show.com/tourGet the RISK! book at TheRISKBook.comTake our storytelling classes at TheStoryStudio.orgHire Kevin Allison to make a personalized video at Cameo.com/TheKevinAllisonHire Kevin Allison as a coach at KevinAllison.com

As a young writer and performer, Sara Benincasa found her voice doing stand-up comedy. For years, it seemed better than therapy. But slowly, doubts surfaced. While the external validation she received made her feel successful and even loved, something was missing. In this episode of Meditative Story, Sara shares how she came to look inward, instead of outward, for richer feelings of worth. Sara Benincasa's monthly podcast, "Well, This Isn't Normal," is about mental health and stress relief. Find it on Apple, Spotify, and Stitcher.More about Sara Benincasa: Her website: SaraBenincasa.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/SaraJBenincasaFind her weekly newsletter, Saratonin: SaraJBenincasa.Substack.comShe writes essays here: SaraJBenincasa.Medium.comSara's Patreon includes the newsletter, access to private essays, and an exclusive weekly podcast: Patreon.com/SaraBenincasaEach episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com/sarabenincasaSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gyDGgDSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sara discusses anger and "How to Fight" by Thich Nhat Hanh. Support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara learns how Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) got himself out of post-retirement depression, and how we all can benefit from joyful work. A little breathing exercise is also included. Thanks to patrons at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara tries to figure out how to go on vacation, talks about why you shouldn't ask strangers when they're gonna start an Only Fans, and offers some ideas on how to relax. Support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa

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Sara Benincasa of Well, This Isn't Normal Podcast joins Jessica to talk about chronic loneliness. They go deep into the gifts of Neptune transits and the power of knowing oneself. This week's horoscope features some hard Pluto transits, but don't worry — there are plenty of supportive transits at the start and end of the week to help us all through.

How do you go about your day? Where do work, art, rest, family, and other elements come into play? We do some relaxing breathwork, consider social media and its role in one's daily schedule, and get a glimpse of the work lives of artists Alma Thomas, Alice Neel, and Lorraine Hansberry. We conclude with a brief self-reflection exercise. Also, Sara sits on a bag of frozen cauliflower puree. Thanks to all the supporters at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Have you gone through a friendship breakup? Have you met an amazing new friend in the past few years? Are you in the mood to relax and do some breathwork? Do you just want to hear a random writer actress woman in New York City say words on air? Cool, then this episode is for you. The podcast returns thanks to the generosity of patrons at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa. 

Ways to pamper and soothe yourself: meditation, candles, houseplants, floral arrangements, writing, skincare with bizarre French names, body oil from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Buncombe County, North Carolina, therapy, baths, exercise, riding an expensive bicycle to nowhere, and other stuff. We conclude with some guided breathwork. You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa. Thank you to patrons past, present and future.

In lieu of resolutions, Sara offers two simple methods for getting stuff done: a weekly chore chart, and a list of ten small, achievable goals for the year. You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa. Thanks to current patrons!

Sara answers a message from a listener whose spouse is suffering from agoraphobia due to fears around COVID-19 and gun violence. This episode includes resources for mental health assistance, and it tackles some tough topics, including anxiety, suicide, maternal mortality, violence, and more. Hopefully it's also uplifting, interesting, and helpful to you. It concludes with a simple breathing exercise. You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa. Thank you so much to all patrons.

I hope you're ready cause BOOM, we've passed 200 episodes! We're celebrating with part 2 of our LA collaboration show with Sex Nerd Sandra. This week's ‘Sex Geek Secrets' include comedian & author Sara Benincasa's alien lovemaking, Reid Mihalko's party foul at a queer pornstar orgy, plus a sweet-yet-dirty cover song that's the perfect complement to Sex Nerd Sandra's femme-centric pile-on. Wondering how the story turns out? Stick around to the very end for an update. #ProbablyProbed #SaferSexConversation #BYOP #StandingOvations #FckHerGently   Episode Links Quip: The quip Electric Toothbrush is loved by over 7 million mouths! quip makes dental care easy, because they deliver all the oral care essentials you need to care for your mouth. And beyond the brush, quip has everything you need to build a complete routine: quip also delivers fresh floss, toothpaste, mouthwash, and gum refills every three months from FIVE dollars. Shipping is FREE, so you can save money and skip the hustle and bustle of in-store shopping. So check out quip, the good habits company, and tell em I sent ya by going to https://www.getquip.com/Dixie to get your first refill FREE. Uberlube: Uberlube is a luxurious, high-grade silicone lubricant made from clean, body-friendly ingredients; it's just silicone with a little Vitamin E. Uberlube is Dixie's favorite lube, and they're offering Bawdy Storytelling listeners a special offer – 10% off and free shipping when you use my code “Dixie” at UberLube.com. That's 10% off and free shipping!  Just use code “Dixie” at https://www.uberlube.com/   Patreon: Become a member of our Patreon community & You can get free livestream tickets, get access to all the livestream replays, be connected to other Bawdy fans, and so much more. Sign up for The Hookup ($10/month) or higher means that you receive free tickets to special events, Free tickets to our Livestream shows, access to the livestream replay, ad-free episodes of the podcast & more. Our Patreon has new patron tiers like the Confidante, the Concierge & more. Our Patrons have kept Bawdy going during COVID and as we struggle with re-entry, we're saying Thank you to all of you with Insider Info and exclusive access. While other events have gone away, Patreon (and you) are allowing us to continue to produce the Bawdy podcast, livestreams and live shows. We're offering great rewards on Patreon,  so become a Member Now at https://www.patreon.com/Bawdy   You can also Support Bawdy by sending your one-time donation to: Venmo: Venmo.com/BawdyStorytelling Paypal: BawdyStorytelling@gmail.com Zelle: BawdyStorytelling@gmail.com (& Thank You in advance!)   Want the perfect gift for your favorite Bawdy podcast fan? Dixie has created her own fragrance: You'll love #BawdyGotMeLaid perfume, scented with amber, ylang ylang, warm vanilla and golden honey. There's also our (scented or unscented) creamy Bawdy Butter, Hair & Bawdy Oil, & more. Bawdy Merchandise means you can deliver your own great smelling Motorboats while supporting Dixie and Bawdy. Get yours today at https://bawdystorytelling.com/merchandise Cameo/Custom Dixie video: Need the perfect gift? Need some Applause Tiddies?  I've been having so much fun making customized videos, and they make such a great Holiday present. Send your friends and lovers a custom ‘Cameo' video from Dixie (with or without applause tiddies), it's a great way to send love from far away to a Bawdy fan… For just $69, you and I can have a short zoom call, you can tell me all about the recipient, and I'll make a custom video from you for their special day. Find out more by emailing dixie@BawdyStorytelling.com #CustomVideo #Gift   Ready to tell your story, and change your life? I'm now offering Storytelling for Self-Discovery to help you customize your stories. Anxious about navigating what's next? Are you writing a book, or working on your brand storytelling for your business?  No matter what you're up against, I can help you communicate with calmness & clarity - and I'd love to help you find your story. Email me at dixie@BawdyStorytelling.com for more info - we can book a short discovery call, and I'm happy to answer any questions.   Check out our Bawdy Storytelling Fiends and Fans group on Facebook - it's a place to discuss the podcast's stories with the storytellers, share thoughts with your fellow listeners, & help Dixie make the podcast even better. Just answer 3 simple questions and you're IN! https://www.facebook.com/groups/360169851578316/ Subscribe to our email list & you'll be notified of all upcoming Livestreams, Podcasts and Special Events first - it's at  https://bawdystorytelling.com/subscribe   Thank you to the Team that makes this podcast possible   Team Bawdy is:   Podcast Producers: Zoomkeeper Joseph & Marty Garcia Sound Engineer: David Grosof Archivist / Video: Joe Moore Bawdy Livestream pre-show video by Donal Mooney Storytelling support by Mosa Maxwell-Smith & Bawdy Creator & Podcast Host Dixie De La Tour & Thank you to Pleasure Podcasts. Bawdy Storytelling is proud to be part of your sex-positive podcast collective! 

In this short episode, Sara talks about getting anxious about parties, and not beating yourself up for it. Thank you to all Patreon supporters at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Model, video creator, makeup artist and private investigator Gia Cognata, Sara's probable biological cousin, joins the program to talk about a new income stream she's created during the pandemic. They also discuss alcoholism, Sara's alter ego in Long Beach (GHOST GIRL), and Gia's long-term plans to cryogenically freeze the heads of the people she loves. Plus, HALLOWEEN! You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara talks to the stylish & saucy Jessica Lanyadoo, who is an astrologer, animal communicator, host of GHOST OF A PODCAST, and author. Jessica is funny, thoughtful, hardworking, and compelling. She's lived in Oakland for many years and she's got a great FREE app called Tiny Spark and a subscription-based app for astrology students called ASTROLOGY FOR DAYS. Sara's cat Polly tells Jessica some stuff to tell Sara, and Sara takes the note! You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa. And please donate to MirysList.org! 

Right before their huge scandal broke,Tammy Faye Bakker, wife of the controversial televangelist Jim Bakker, released an album. This is the story of Tammy Faye's Enough is Enough, from 1986. Thanks to Sara Benincasa! Check out her podcast, Well, This Isn't Normal. Support the show: patreon.com/bizarrealbums Follow the show on Twitter & Instagram: @bizarrealbums Follow Tony on Twitter & Instagram: @tonythaxton --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our inaugural BOOK REPORT episode, Sara loses her mind over the wonderful LEONARDO DA VINCI by Walter Isaacson, narrated by Alfred Molina. Based on this bonkers Twitter thread, Sara breaks down her favorite moments in a brilliant biography that truly deserves your attention. Also, sobriety, romance, friendship and mental health are discussed. Get two audiobooks for the price of one when you sign up for a Libro.fm membership using offer code SARA. You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara reads a recent essay and talks about some mental health resources. Thanks to subscribers at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara is mildly overwhelmed but mostly coherent in this episode, and shares a few simple breathing exercises with you. These techniques are meant to be done for a brief period of time only. Don't push yourself! Remember to only do extended or advanced breathwork when you're in a safe spot (i.e., not while driving or operating heavy machinery, honey!) Thanks to the patrons at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa for their support.

Welcome to Staretown Lovelust Part Deux w/Sara Benincasa (Actor/Writer/Host of "Well This Isn't Normal" Podcast) iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-adventures-of-danny-and-mike/id701676914 LPN: lastpodnetwork.com/shows Megaphone: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/dannyandmike Stitcher: stitcher.com/podcast/starburns-audio/the-adventures-of-danny-and-mike Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13jjLynWtqt8TaQVud4OpG Podbay: podbay.fm/show/701676914 Castbox: castbox.fm/channel/The-Adventures-Of-Danny-and-Mike-id36890 Podcast Republic: podcastrepublic.net/podcast/701676914 Starring: Danny Tamberelli (@dtamberelli) (@dannytamberelli) Michael C. Maronna (@michaelcmaronna) Jeremy Balon (@remybalon) (@jeremybalon) Guest: Sara Benincasa ( @sarajbenincasa )   Produced by: Jeremy Balon (@remybalon) at Seltzer Kings Studios (@seltzerkings) (@seltzerkingspodcasts) Network: Last Podcast Network (@lastpodnetwork) (@lastpodcast) lastpodcastnetwork.com Website: dannyandmike.com Tour: dannyandmike.com/events Patreon: patreon.com/dannyandmike iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-adventures-of-danny-and-mike/id701676914 Instagram: @dannyandmikepodcast Twitter: @dannyandmike Twitch: @dannyandmike Voicemail: (347) 470-8150 Full Episode Theme Song by Miracle Legion Minisode Theme Song by UTD (Zac & Al) Want to Advertise on the Show? https://www.advertisecast.com/DannyandMikePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a few months off, Sara Benincasa and your favorite stress relief podcast are back with an update, some inspiring words, some stories, random laughter, recommendations for great books and nonprofits, and a preview of what's to come. Thanks to all the supporters at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa, many of whom get shout outs on this episode. Please join us, subscribe, rate, review, and have a great day.

Parker Molloy: So, I was on your podcast, Well, This Isn't Normal, back in April of last year. And I think at the time I was still under this impression that this was all going to be somewhat temporary, in terms of pandemic-related stuff, that by the fall things would return to a sense of normalcy. And now more than a year later, it seems like we're just starting to get back to whatever normal is. So, I know that the pandemic hasn't exactly helped my mental health, but I'm doing my best to power through. It was wondering, how are you holding up these days?Sara Benincasa: I am doing pretty well, but so much of that is not of my own doing. It's of my own doing in the sense that I've gotten help, I've asked for help and gotten help. But what I mean by that, is that it's not internally generated. I haven't done it all on my own. I am a member of a 12 step program, and I am a person who goes to therapy every week, talk therapy with somebody who specializes in addiction, and also does a lot of stuff with mindfulness, she's also a mindfulness meditation teacher. And then I see a psychiatrist once a month. And all of this happens online, although I did go to an in-person 12 step meeting, which was very cool. For the first time in a long time, that was very special to get to do that.But I've also got family and friends who are engaged in their own self work, whether it's through the work of sobriety, through the work of talk therapy, through fitness for their mental health, whatever, and obviously physical health, too, whatever it may be. I've just started doing pilates, which is very helpful with breathing and just being in my body, which for a lot of people, I know it's hard if you were... Either if you're dealing with some difficult memories of trauma that caused you to disengage from being in the physical body, or if you simply are somebody who mostly has gotten positive feedback from stuff you do with your brain, which your body is your brain too, but you know what I mean. If you got all your pats, and love, and approval from say, getting good grades, maybe the physical aspect of health was not emphasized, or whatever. So what I'm saying is through teachers, facilitators, mentors, sponsors, things like that, that it is a village of humans who help me stay on point. But I also, Parker, cannot believe that was April of last year.That's the thing, I had to look it up, and I was like, oh no. It has been so long, it's been a year and three months, I guess. So, time flies when you're living through a once-in-a-generation pandemic, I guess.Time is different now. Time is absolutely, there's somebody who I met in person after talking to them for four months, and it was the first time we hung out, or maybe the second time we hung out. People said, "Oh, how long have you known each other?" And we said, "Oh, this is just our second time hanging out." And then we said, "Oh, but we talked to each other for four months online. We became friends," and then it made sense. And other people shared stories of the same. Emotional time is different from chronological, calendar time, isn't it?Yeah, that's an interesting way to think about it. Because yeah, I'm trying to rework pre-internet days, or where I would make friends in the physical space, where it would be like, yeah, you hang out with someone once a week and then over the course of several months, yeah, you get to know them. But online, you could talk to someone every single day. It's almost like you have a coworker sort of relationship, it's like oh, going into the office today, and by the office I mean Twitter.Yeah. And you have these almost old-fashioned, Victorian era, or pre-invention of the telephone, epistolary relationships. Like it's all going to be in a Ken Burns documentary in a sepia filter, but it's over emails and texts instead. So much of it is through words, where we don't get the visual cue. Right now, you and I are using video, which is great because I can see your visual cues and the movement of your face. But there are still some pieces of information that we could only pick up from each other by being in person. I don't know, like if there's a loud sound. To me, it's not going to sound the same as it does if I were in the room with you, and I could see how you react to that.And I wouldn't intellectually be parsing that, but I would notice, oh, okay. That sound really startled Parker, maybe Parker really just doesn't like that kind of sound. Or maybe it would startle me too, like oh yeah, a bomb exploded down the block, nobody was hurt, in this theoretical example. I'm just pulling real-world experiences from s**t the LAPD did recently, like blowing up a bunch of fireworks and horribly damaging things. But you know what I mean? There's some things, like what if I smell really bad to you? You don't know that right now, you could just think I'm great. And then in person you could be like, this is terrifying.Be like, “oh my God, I can't believe I've been friends with her. She smells so bad, I'm so embarrassed.”“I invited her to my wedding, or the baptism of my eighth child” or something. Or I told my family, "You're going to love her so much," and she smelled terrible.“She's so great, and I bet she smells nice.” That was a weird assumption to make.It is true though for dating, people have said to me multiple times, you have to see if you guys like the way the other person smells. Which I think that's so gross to say it like that, but I also think it's very true.Yeah, that's probably true. Because if someone or something smells, that kind of throws off the entire vibe.Yeah, and pheromones too. I think it might not even be... I might have a perfectly nice perfume or whatever, but there is something chemical that happens that we know about, where people just pick up on cues about each other, and you fit or you don't. And I think that can sort of, it's chemistry. You don't know if you have chemistry, chemistry of friendship, chemistry of romance. I have a friend with whom I have great creative chemistry, it's not a sexual chemistry. Although sexual chemistry is creative, but we get excited about pitching ideas back and forth. And it's fun, and it feels like, kids playing in a sandbox is what it feels like. Very pure delight.And on that note, in terms of pitching ideas and stuff, what have you been working on? You're always working on something cool and different, and it's, oh, she's comedy, writer, on Twitter, and writing books and stuff like that. What have you been up to lately?Thank you.Any cool professional things, or just kind of-Well, I did my buddy Chris Gethard's podcast, which is called New Jersey Is The World. And Chris was saying... First of all, I wish I had Chris's career. Chris's career is above and beyond what I have done in my opinion creatively, which I know we're not supposed to compare, but I'm just prefacing this. Chris said in the podcast, he was like, "I feel like you are a person who has a career that's really similar to mine, in that people are like, 'Are you a writer, a comedian, you act once in while? What do you do?'" We both are very, I think he would probably agree that we are very fortunate to have gotten to have careers like the respective ones that we've had.And Chris is an incredible performer. I am much more of a writer, but I do enjoy performing once in a while. I have a day job, one of my books is called Real Artists Have Day Jobs. So I work in nonprofit digital marketing, which is really fun. And as a sober person, oh my God, what a change. It helped influence me to get sober, just because oh, suddenly my job wasn't showing up to make jokes at 10:00 PM in a club, And then getting wasted and getting paid with booze. It was like, oh, your job is to be on the phone at a very specific time of day, and figure out how to help out people in a certain way that they really need. That's real important. The nighttime stuff is cool too, but if you're hung over at 7:00 AM on that call, that call's not going to go great, and people will suffer. The people we serve through the nonprofit will suffer.So, that was one of the... I still didn't get sober for another year and a half, but it was one of the things that made me go, maybe puking and having hangover diarrhea is not the best move, when I'm having a pretty important phone call. So that was very helpful. But also, a paycheck is great and health insurance. And also I find a lot of meaning in that work. And then I wrote on a couple of episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which is super fun and exciting. Just joke, joke, joke, joke, joke, pitching. Like, oh wow, just being on Zoom for hours with 10 hilarious people, just pitching jokes for robot puppets and a human to say, so that was super duper fun.And juggling that with a day job was obviously something else. But there is a benefit to being based on the East coast when you're interested in Hollywood type stuff, which is that if you can do it remotely, if you've got a normal times job on the East coast, chances are you can do your West coast work after hours. You know what I mean? Because of the time difference, sometimes it works out.Yeah, sure. And see, then there's me in the middle in the Central time zone.You're in the middle.I'm just in the middle of everything. I'm close to nothing, but not too far from anything, if that makes any sense. It's like I can actually out West for two hours.Yes, it's perfect And Gethard and I were talking about this on his podcast, New Jersey Is The World, on this most recent episode. Which I don't know when this podcast episode will come out, but this episode of his podcast dropped in, I guess July 17th, something like that, 2021. Anyway, we were talking about things that are Jersey-ish, because we're both from New Jersey and so are the other hosts, Mike and Nick on the show. And I said, Chicago is not the New Jersey of the Midwest. It's like the Manhattan, or the Paris, or the something. But there is an affinity that I often feel for people, this goes from Minneapolis too, but it's more for Chicago, because I think people from Chicago, or who have spent a significant amount of time there, tend to have a little more directness. They still have Midwest nice, but it's not Minnesota nice. You know what I mean?Yeah, that makes sense.It's a little more direct. And for whatever reason, I just tend to vibe with people who are from Chicagoland area or have spent a significant chunk of adult time there. They don't have to live there. And Chris was saying the same, and the other guys on the podcast seem to agree. I don't know what it is, there's something down to earth maybe? I don't know.Yeah. I think a lot of it comes down to this not being New York, but still being a big city, that kind of attitude. Where it's just like, yeah, Chicago, it's gigantic and there are a few million people here, but we're not the big city that everyone talks about all the time. We don't appear in Marvel movies. That's how I judge things.We don't get all of the attention that the other guys get, so we get to develop our own thing. Not in contrast to what is considered the standard, but in and of ourselves. And Jersey obviously is so much closer to New York, so Jersey is always the weird stepbrother to Philly, and then the definitely not as cool at all younger sibling to New York City somehow, like the forgotten one. And so, Jersey is full of people who have something to prove all the time, but then also are just really happy to be from Jersey. When where you're from gets s**t on a lot, you probably defensively get some pride around it. But also Jersey, it's the most densely populated state, it is the third smallest state, it is so diverse. So diverse, so many languages, so many countries of origin, so many different areas.Also, it's a blue state, but I grew up in a very red pocket. So, there are parts of Jersey that are extraordinarily progressive and parts of Jersey that are super, super conservative. And then you've got everything in between, although the state as a whole tends to vote Democrat. In general elections anyway, for the presidency.Yeah. And it's kind of the same here in Illinois. I grew up in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, in an area that was super red, but it's like you go an hour North to Chicago and suddenly everything is super blue. It's just a total flip. But I like it here, so I've lived here my whole life, and my big reason for staying in the Midwest has always been, well, if climate change destroys the coasts, we will be kings.I think you're correct. I think that's what's going to happen. I think it's a hundred percent correct. I think California's worse, but New York's going to have its issues.Yeah. And then I read a New York Times article recently that was like, "Oh yeah, B-T-dubs, Lake Michigan is going to destroy Chicago," and I'm like, God dammit. My plans fall out the window. I guess I have to care about this stuff.Yeah. If you're near water, you're fucked, but if you're not near water you're also fucked. Part of my decision, I bought a place in Brooklyn, and part of my decision to do that, first of all had to do with the fact that I absolutely... There was no other time in my life where it would have been possible based on mortgage rates, and based on what homes were going for, also based on the fact that I have been sober for a few years now, so I started to make better decisions and undo some long-term damage and stuff. So I bought a tiny, tiny place compared to what somebody, honestly, from Chicago would be like, "Are you kidding?" And to me I'm like, it's a palace. I can reach out my hands on either side. This is glorious, and the person I bought it from-“I can twirl!”Yeah. And I think, I'm not sure, I don't want to speak for him, but I'm pretty sure the person I purchased from probably went to their other house, or their other, other house, or their other, other, other house. I don't know if this place was a rounding error, but they took an offer that was a lot lower than they needed to, and I'm very glad about that. But anyway, so I bought a place in part because fire season last year was so horrible, this year it's on track to be even worse. Between that, and having been so far from my family for a while, and a desire to see my nephews grow up, and to be closer to my family as my parents get older. I know that this place could very well be underwater, literally underwater, in 10 years. But it's probably not going to be on fire, knock on wood, at least from a wildfire. It could be on fire from something else.But I'm not somebody who's like, "F**k, get out of California. Everything else is better." But it was just like, all right, I love LA very, very much, but I'm waking up coughing and with my eyes swollen all the time, three months out of the year now, and I just don't like that. And my air filter is really good, but there's only so much it can do. So why don't I go home, buy a place that when I tell friends from other parts of the country what it costs, they have a heart attack, but when I tell other people in New York what it costs, they're like, "Oh my God, you're so lucky." Go into f*****g real long-term debt, more debt than I've ever been in, but have something that, God forbid I expire prematurely, I can leave it to my nephews. Or if I expire right on time, I can leave it to my nephews.And that was a real long discussion, I'm babbling a lot. But honestly, if I had tried to buy this place even a month later, I couldn't have done it. Because by then the mortgage rates were going up, and the housing values in this area were going up. I mean, New York lost one percent, not through death from COVID, they lost a lot of people death from COVID. But in the early months of the pandemic, they lost one percent of the population of people moving. And I don't even know how many more people left after. So, I feel very grateful, very fortunate, but also probably we should all move to Indiana.Indiana.I know that's an insane thing to say to somebody from Chicago.It is.Indiana is the New Jersey of Chicago.That is either being way too mean to New Jersey or way too kind to Indiana. One of those two, probably a little of both. But yeah, similarly Kayla and I just moved to a new place in Chicago. Our rent kept going up, and up, and up, and we got to that point where we were like, a mortgage is cheaper.Did you buy a place?We did!Don't tell me how much, because you wouldn't anyway, but how many square feet is it? So I can kill myself. Not really kill myself, jokes about suicide are not usually okay. I'm sorry.It's fine. I think it's like... It's pretty small, it's like 1,500 square feet. [Edit: looked it up after the podcast, and I overestimated. -pm]Excuse me, my place is 523 square feet.Are you kidding me? How, how?I am serious, 1,500 square feet! I'm screaming at the cat, the cat is asleep and doesn't care. God bless, that is so cool, oh my God.It's so exciting. We just moved in, what was it, like two weeks ago? We just moved into this new place two weeks ago, and it's so great. We're still getting unpacked, as you can see. This is my office, I have an office.You have an office? That's so amazing, I'm so happy for you guys. And you're in the city of Chicago?In the city.What an investment. That's awesome.It's kind of funny. It's in the city, but it's like way on the edge. It's like, oh cool, we have a Chicago mailing address and Chicago taxes.Yay. Still counts as Chicago.But when it comes to getting to anywhere in the city that is fun, it is not exactly an easy trip. But yeah, so we did that. And then I also just, was it in June? I left my full-time job.Wow.I've just been floating around.Bought a place, left the full-time job, living the dream. Not in a coastal city that either just had wild floods in some of the subways, or is on fire a lot of the year. You're making good choices.I hope so. We'll see.Look, if we're going to be indoors a lot of the time, which we still are sometimes where we want to have... Well, in Chicago first of all, of course you're going to be indoors. You will freeze for part of the year if you're outdoors.If you're fortunate enough to, through various circumstances, be able to have a place, whether you're renting it or purchasing it, and my mortgage is considerably less than what I would pay in rent on this place, which is nuts. And if you're in a position where that happens, and you can make that happen, or people help you, or however it happens. For anybody who's listening, however it happens, feel blessed and happy about it. And don't do what I did, which is feel guilty that you were able to do a nice thing for yourself, and then potentially your family in the midst of a terrible thing. Because you know what people really hate? I think what people hate more than somebody celebrating their privilege, is people being like, "I feel so bad. I'm so lucky, I feel so bad." That's the most obnoxious thing you can do as a human.Well, also when you remember that 20 years ago, houses were super, super cheap. So even if you got a great deal today, it's still not as good as it used to be. So, there is that.Even buying this place from somebody who I think had three other houses, I don't know. But if he's listening, sir, I don't know if you have three other houses. But even though this person did very well for themself, chose a career where people make lots of money, a.k.a. not a writer, and just unloaded this place for, if you adjust, not much more than they bought it for many, many years ago... I was going somewhere with that. What I will say, is that my family is like, "Wait, that's what you got?" They like it, they're like, "Oh, it's so lovely," but I can feel them trying not to say like, "This is like you got a..." There's midweek hotel suites in Vegas that are three times the size of this, probably.But it's also not just about that. It's like, are you in a place where you feel comfortable? I feel, one reason I wanted to move back to Brooklyn, I've lived in Brooklyn a few times over the past 15 years, and one of the reasons I wanted to move back was that I wanted to live in a neighborhood where when I go on the street, I see everybody from babies to grandmas. If it's a neighborhood where there are people starting families and where there are elders, where there are new people, where there are old people, people from... That sounds funny, it sounds like I'm saying young people are new people. But where you've got families that have been there for generations, you've got people who are starting families new there. I like that, where there's people putting time and energy into the community, that is a community that I would like to contribute to long-term.Yeah, definitely. That makes total sense. I'm happy with how things are, and I think we're in similar situations as far as our housing setups are.Yeah, we don't have the Delta variant yet, that we know of.Fingers crossed.Fingers crossed, knock on wood. It's really, and I know it's hitting the people who are hospitalized and dying from it are un-vaccinated overwhelmingly. I also know that some people who are vaccinated can get it, but they're suffering much, much less. And I feel fortunate that we're vaccinated, and I'm assuming both of us are vaxxed up?Yeah, yeah. Oh, definitely. As soon as that was a possibility for me, I was running to the Walgreens to get it.Jersey made it so easy. They were like, "Oh, do you smoke? Have you smoked?" Jersey was like, they made it the regulations so simple. The BMI is fucked up, it is grounded in not just fat shaming and fatphobia, but in racism and classism and so many different things. It doesn't make sense, it's not scientific, it's stupid. The one time I think anybody I know has benefited from the BMI's dumb ass existing, was that we all were like, "Oh, really? You ate a hamburger once? Time to go get that Rona shot." I was like, f**k it. Let's go. We were like, whatever we need to use as our quote unquote, excuse or reason. You looked at a cigarette once, come on, just go get it. And it makes life better. If you haven't gotten vaxxed up yet and you can, please go get that s**t. I'm sure most of the people who listen to this podcast have, but if you can, go get it.”Do it, just do it.” It's so funny to think about just a few months back, you'd see people constantly being like, "Oh, someone jumped in line, and they got a shot before they were supposed to." And now, you can't really give them away. You're like, please, please go get vaccinated. It's for your sake, and for all of our sakes. Because yeah, there's the Delta variant now, but then-There will be other s**t.If this s**t's bouncing around, what if there's a really scary one down the line that the unvaccinated help create? So, don't be part of the problem. Be part of the solution.My brother is in school, he used to be a nurse, he's in school to get his master's in public health. And I want to find, I'm going into the family group chat to find something he said, because I shared what's happening in Los Angeles County right now, which is really, really bad, with my family. Which is, "LA county hits 10,000 coronavirus cases in a week," this is from the LA Times newsletter. "LA county is now recording more than 10,000 coronavirus cases a week, a pace not seen since March, 2021, an alarming sign of the dangers the Delta variant poses to people who have not been vaccinated." Dot, dot, dot, "LA Times data analysis found LA County was recording 101 weekly coronavirus cases for every 100,000 residents, up from 12 per 100,000 residents for the same seven day period ending June 15th."So, that's pretty bananas. So I shared that with my family, and my brother who's in school getting his master's in public health, said, "Shows how contagious new virus variant is. The so-called Spanish flu went away because of herd immunity, and it weakened. This thing isn't getting more deadly, but it isn't weakening. Only more transmissible. Mask life forever."Well, because in LA they re-implemented the mask mandate, right?They did. And my friend Alex Winter, who's a documentarian and he's an actor, he posted something on Twitter where he was like, basically, I'm paraphrasing. He said, "The only person who's happy that we're working from home again," and it was his cat, his family's cat. Because I know he has a documentary filmmaking company, and they were able to be in the office, and that's really cool for a little while. And my buddy Sam out in Colorado was like, I forget what he does but it's like a tech, web thing. He's like, "Well, we got a full week back in the office before somebody tested positive. So, now we're back at home again.”It's so frustrating. Because at this point, at this point, so much of it is preventable. It's like, we can choose, if we collectively choose to not have it be this way, to not let the virus run free, we could get rid of it. But I guess we're all just doing the best we can, which is how I try to, in my mind, keep from having a rage blackout, thinking about people who make selfish decisions. It's like, well, they're trying the best they can.Yeah. When I think about people who are... I have a friend who is Latinx, was like, "Sara, it's not just," I was ragging on white, con spirituality people, people who think crystals will heal it, or people who are obviously super right wing or whatever. And this friend who's Latino was like, "Listen, it's not just that. There's hesitancy in the Latinx and Black communities." And I was like, "I fully get that, of course I understand. As a white lady, it's a lot..." I didn't say it in so many words, but I was basically like, "I can hold space and understanding for communities that have been directly impacted by medical racism, by experimentation, by the US government, by being treated like s**t at the doctor's office for a lot of different reasons."And I'm not trying to be a condescending, white liberal or whatever. I'm just saying like, if you have people in a room and I'm like, "Eat this peanut butter sandwich," and one person's like, "Somebody forced fed my grandma a peanut butter sandwich and traumatized her forever," and somebody else was like, "Every time I go to the peanut butter store, somebody tells me I'm stupid," and then another person was like, "Oh yeah, peanut butter has never done anything wrong to me. I'm going to eat that sandwich." I'm looking at the person eating the peanut butter sandwich and going, "Yeah, that's cool." And if their cousin is like, "I won't eat it, it's full of poison." I'll be like, "What? F**k you." Basically just white people being like, "Whatever, man. If we just all breathed..." Shut up, get out of here. Jesus is not going to help you with this.And that's what gets me, it's like if there was some... Because I understand not wanting to be the first people to get-Correct, I got that a hundred percent. See how it plays out over six months with these other people.That's the thing when it was like, oh, well here's phase one, phase whatever, and the vaccines. I'm like, well, I don't qualify yet, but that's not bad. That's okay, I'll just kind of watch. And then a couple months passed or whatever, and I was able to get it, and that was great. And now, we've gotten to the point where there have been, I looked it up the other day, something like three billion doses of vaccine that have been administered. I think it's safe to say that it is safe, probably, hopefully.Some people, you're going to always have with any kind of medication, you're always going to have some cases of bad reactions. I got the, back in the day they used to do the MMR, the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine for babies. I think it's called something else now. I got that, all the babies I know got it, all my baby friends.Got it. And if you look at a hundred thousand people taking anything, you're going to have a few who have a poor reaction, and unfortunately, sometimes it can result in death, but these are the risks we are taking. I know people who are allergic to penicillin.My mom is.Yeah, my dad's allergic to it. I know somebody who is allergic to latex. People have allergies that can be very inconvenient, and even life-threatening, nothing in life is a hundred percent safe. So, if the overwhelming chances are that you're going to be all right, go for it.Yeah, the one thing that depresses me about just the collective response to COVID overall, has been just realizing that there are some people that given, they're watching relatives die, and friends die from this preventable thing, and they're, they're still digging their heels in saying, "No, I will not do," whatever small thing, whether it's wearing a mask or distancing or whatever, they will not do it. And I'm thinking to myself, how do we come together to fight these other problems that aren't as fast, and direct, and obvious to us, like with climate change? That's a whole frustrating thing to think about, is just the fact that there are people who when confronted with this thing that is affecting them extremely directly, they're saying no. It's like, how are we going to get so many people on board to take whatever actions necessary, whatever sacrifices are necessary to successfully combat climate change?And that's why I have so much respect for people who work on climate change, or work in trying to find solutions to that. But it's hard to not just be really depressed thinking about it, thinking about how much of a challenge it is.There are people who... My friend's grandma died of COVID, and there are people who read her post about her grandma dying, about a wonderful young man at the hospital, a hospital volunteer who learned her favorite old Mexican songs, Mexican popular songs from the forties and fifties, and learned how to play them for her, saw a post about her saying how the family said goodbye, and who still don't think COVID is real because they are the most selfish people in the world. And there are a lot of people who are real pieces of s**t, who it could happen to their own Grandma, but what's more important to them is their ego. And so, I think that you can't cure selfish. That's what's hard, you can't cure selfish.You can just keep presenting as many... You can penalize selfish. You can say, "Okay, you can't work here." I'm so glad that for a limited time at least, Hollywood productions are banning anybody from set who is not vaccinated. That's very important, because those are hotspots, and there were a lot of productions that had to shut down over time because of COVID outbreaks, and then come back. And so, I think workplaces where you got to be vaccinated to be there, good. Yeah, you can pick what you put in your body, but that doesn't mean that I have to accept it. If you show up to work drunk, I can send you home. If you show up to work unvaccinated, might make people sick and take down the workplace, I can send you home.I think that there are things we can do with communication, with gentleness and compassion, but it doesn't have to mean tolerance always. Not tolerance of potentially harm. Yeah, you can go, "Oh, okay. I can see why you believe that way. You are a racist white person who was raised by racist, white people. You had a lot of early trauma in your life, and you're in pain, and you found a home on the internet among anti-vaxxers, and so that's what you're down for. Cool, cool. Still can't come to work. Go work on yourself, hope things turn out for you." I don't have to curse you out, I don't have to tell you you're dumb. I'll just go, "Oh, okay. See that in context, you're not welcome here."That's why those... There are a few states that are implementing these laws where it's like, oh, you can't force someone to... Come on. If I walk into a business, or for example in Florida, they did that. And the cruise industry which, one, I cannot imagine taking a cruise right now.It's gross.Yeah. So, I took a cruise in December, 2019. It was the first and only cruise I've ever been on. Because my parents were like, "Yeah, we want to take a big family vacation while everyone's still around." And I was like, "That's great, sure." Wasn't thrilled about the cruise, because I'm really weird about germs generally, which has made this whole thing a really interesting time for me.Yeah, because it's confirming all your fears, which is not always healthy.Yeah. But we went on the cruise and it was fun. And I was like, oh, that was a great time. That was fun. But now, I cannot imagine doing that. Just because first off, COVID's still going around. But also in Florida, they're trying to fight to make it so cruise ships can't require passengers to be vaccinated, if they want. I could understand if a cruise company wanted to be like, "Hey, we're just going to be the free for all cruise where you can be vaccinated or not. We don't care." That would be fine, if that's the choice they want to make.Oh, the sexy cruise, "We're the wild and sexy cruise."Yeah, "We're, the virus cruise."That's hot, let's do it. Hey, some people would be very into it for various reasons.Yeah, yeah.I just want to compliment you though. Parker. I know I'm moving around and making audio weird right now, but hey, guess what everybody? I'm plugging in a lamp, because my laptop was dying and now I'm reviving it. But I do want to just compliment you, as somebody with agoraphobia, for somebody who has, if you say weird about germs, I'm not making it a phobia. I'm just saying for somebody who has high anxiety around anything, to challenge that by doing something that's fun, is awesome, and I think you should be proud of yourself that you did that.It was so difficult. For weeks leading up to it, I was in therapy really trying to prepare myself. I was like, "I know this thing will be fun, and it will probably be fine, and I'll survive and we'll get home. And I'll be like, 'That wasn't so bad.'" Because that's how I approach everything in life. I freak out leading up to it, and then every single time I'm like, "Oh, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." That's what happens with any time I agree to do a speaking gig. I don't know if I want to go, I don't want to take an airplane by myself, and I don't want to have to stay in a hotel, and I don't want to have to be in front of a big group of people. But then I get there, and I do the thing and it's fine.And that's anticipatory anxiety. It's once you actually do it, you're fine. And I think that in some cases, not to endorse or recommend developing anticipatory anxiety, anybody, but... Not that you can really-I would choose not to, if possible.Yeah. You'd have to reverse A Clockwork Orange yourself, or something real weird and be like, "I'm going to make myself afraid of this." But I think sometimes there is more enjoyment as a result, because you're like, oh, I was so scared, and now this isn't so bad. And it helps you for the future. Every time you challenge, even a tiny bit challenge an anxiety thing…Talia Lavin writes a lot about how she deals with agoraphobia right now, and I'm always saying to her privately, I don't think she would care if I said this publicly, "Holy s**t, you're challenging it," because she posts about running and stuff, "You're [crosstalk 00:44:19]." When I was in my worst agoraphobia, I was afraid to leave my bedroom to go into the bathroom to pee. I was urinating in bowls. It's in my memoir, Agorafabulous! If that's your thing.I like that book!Thank you very much.It's very good.So I'm like, "Talia, you're running." Yes, at first it was just one route. She would show me the image of it, and it was just like back and forth across this block. Now it's expanding. Every single day that she runs outside her home, she's challenging a debilitating psychiatric disorder that she's also working on in other ways. And again, I would not share any of this if it wasn't stuff that was shared publicly already, of course. But even if she f*****g walks outside for five minutes, that's like a really big deal. So, the fact that you went on a cruise?I went on a cruise, stuck there for... See, I think the one benefit that I have in life, is that I'm married to an extremely amazing person, who completely understands and completely accepts all of my mental issues. And that's something that, I'm very lucky. Kayla is great, she is wonderful. And she helped me get through the issue with the cruise. She helped me the whole time, just making sure that things were okay. Didn't pressure me into doing the off the boat excursion type things, which was one of my fears. I stayed on the boat for a couple of those, which was still kind of fun. It's nice when everyone else is off the boat, and you're just like, "Ooh, I have the whole thing to myself."If I ever go on a cruise, I might do what you just described. Because I'm listening through it, instantly whenever I hear about a cruise, my agoraphobia brain kicks in. So, it's not making me anxious, it's just I start thinking about it through that disordered lens. But because I have so many years of cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness and stuff, and medication, it still flares up but you get back on the horse, so to speak. And when I hear, I listened to it through that, and then I think oh, well, how could I make modifications so that I could enjoy it? And I never thought about that, but that would be a Night At The Museum, like an empty, magical place. That would be kind of cool.It's like, I'm going to keep going to that soft serve ice cream machine, and no one's going to stop me. No one's going to be like, "You've had five."I'd be like, "Well, I've had a Prozac and now I'm going to have other Prozac, which is what I call that machine inside my head." That's awesome, whoa. But probably, you will never go on a cruise again at least until you're older, considering the concerns about the Rona, Miss COVID.It was a good time. By the end of it, I was actually so okay with the state of things that I just kind of like, "Maybe we should do this again." And then this hit.Immediately it was like, maybe not.Several steps backwards.But maybe one day you will, when it's safer. And it will be safer eventually, we'll just be old as hell by that point.Which those are the people who seem to have the cruises down the most, the elderly who end up on there. They're the ones with these little booklets, like, "This is my 20th cruise, that's all I do for my life now." Which that sounds awesome if that's what you're into, just traveling constantly.Yeah. And the fact that whatever they've dealt with in their life, whatever they've been through, that now they get to enjoy the open sea, and they get to have fun. I do think that, I'm a bit older than you, I'm 40.I'm 35.Okay, so you can run for president now, thank God. So this might apply even more for you. For my generation, which is the same as... Well, you're a full millennial and I'm like a Zennial, on the cusp. But I was in high school when the hit major motion picture Titanic came out, and I think that it definitely made some people I know for into our twenties, I remember a few friends being like, "Yo, my grandma wants to go on a cruise, but I think about Titanic." And I feel like for some of us, it was burned into our minds. Maybe people who tend to be anxious anyway, we were like, "Oh my God. But what if that happens?" And then people seem to have gotten over that, but the indelible performance of a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Ms. Kate Winslet, it really did something for me.It's still so awkward for me. I went and saw a Titanic with my mom, and I was like... I don't know.You were in middle school maybe, you were little.Yeah, like 12 when that came out. And it was just weird, because it was like, oh, and now he's going to sketch her naked. And I'm just like, this is fine, this is fine. Everything is cool.Everything's normal. And then there's the part where they have sex, and you just see the hand up, and you're like, what's happening there?Yeah, and I just have to just keep going, pretend nothing weird is happening on screen. As my mom is kind of, I could see her glancing at my brother and me, my brother was three years younger than me even. And I was just like, no, no, everything's cool.It's cool. My buddy Jenette is in that movie, Jenette Goldstein, she's an actress and she owns my favorite lingerie shop, Jenette Bras. Which you can visit, they've got more than bras, you can visit them in many places in Los Angeles, but also in Atlanta now. But Jenette is an actress, and she's been in a bunch of James Cameron movies. She was John Connor's step-mom in a Terminator deux. And she was Vasquez in aliens, Private Vasquez who was hot and butch. And she was in, in a bit part in Titanic. I think she plays, it wouldn't have been an elderly person because her age wasn't right. But she plays a mom to dying children, where they're like, I think she's the one who's like, "Okay, kids," and puts them to bed and reads them a story as they all die.Oh, God.Yeah. That part, obviously I didn't know her back in my teens, but that part stands out to me. And the old people holding each other. But anyway, we don't have to worry about that so much as we have to worry about coronavirus.Yeah, we just have to worry about the air that we breathe giving us an infection that kills us. Which is cool, that's cool that that's just floating around out there.Yeah, it's a real different kind of bananas. I've noticed in New York City right now, a lot of people wearing masks on the street. Some people don't, but when you go into stores, some stores right now have signs up that say, "You have to wear a mask," other stores don't. We have indoor dining, we have outdoor dining. Some restaurants will say, "Please put on your mask when you go to the restroom," others don't.I think it's going to get more restrictive, because I think that as with climate change, the first time around New York was the canary in the coal mine for this thing, that the rest of the country should have paid attention to and didn't. And LA got to horrific levels of suffering as a result, that were absolutely unnecessary. This time around as with climate change, I think California is the canary in the coal mine, because they got the Delta variant first, so they have gone back into... I think they still have indoor dining as of this recording, but you have to wear masks, and they have a stronger anti-mask contingent out there. They just do, and it's a problem. I don't know, I'm glad that we live in places also where it gets cold, because it's very comforting to have that mask on anyway, in the cold months.Yeah. That's something that in the winter it's like, oh well, that's a cool idea anyway. I am more than okay wearing a mask, especially in the winter. The summer, I get it. I get that masks can be annoying.Yeah, it can. You're schvitzing. I got one of those lighter ones, a restaurant that I went to in Manhattan, Balthazar, I ate outside and then I went in the bathroom, and they had all these free masks and free latex gloves, and anybody could take them and it was really cool. And they had the kind of mask that it looks a little bit like an accordion, and it's very lightweight, but it still does the job and it's not as heavy. And I took one, I wanted to take more, but I was like, no Sara, you can just buy them. Don't take them from the restaurant. And that one is so much more comfortable than the heavy cloth mask. Although I love a heavy cloth mask with a fashion moment for the wintertime, those light ones are really nice for the summer.Yeah, just leaving the restaurant with a handful of masks and some ketchup packets or something.“Hey, sorry, you're in the industry that arguably got hit the worst by this whole thing. Nice to see you surviving, let me steal your things.” People love that.Yeah, “What else can I get for free?”People really connect to that.Yeah, that's their jam. But on that delightful note-Don't steal masks.Don't steal masks, that's going to be the lesson from this podcast. But Sara, thank you so much for stopping by and chatting with me.Yeah, this was awesome. It's so rad to hang out with you.Yeah, of course. We should speak more than once every 15 months or so.On Twitter is cool, but it's also just nice to actually talk to you and see your face and stuff.Yeah, definitely. And that's why we're recording this. I have it set up where it records what we say, but not what we see. Because I just like to be able to see people when I talk to them.I like that too. And I think it helps with interviewing, and it also helps with our mental health. I haven't made a new episode of Well, This Isn't Normal in a few months, because I had to move and write jokes for robot puppets. But I could have made time, I just was very tired, but this is making me want to pick it up again. Because it is just so nice, and obviously it doesn't have, friendship talks should not be recorded most of the time. But it is really nice to just get to talk to your friends face to face through a screen.And also this is Star Trek s**t, I'm still impressed. My grandma told me she never got over, she passed away a few years ago, my grandma, Jean. And she always was still impressed by the technology that just automatically opens doors for you at the grocery store. And I therefore, still think it's cool. But I also think being able to talk to each other in real time through screen, it has absolutely, through my sober people meetings and stuff, that absolutely saved me. To be able to do that online is huge, and just to see friends and family was huge.Yeah, definitely. I think that both of us have this sort of... Because we both are part of that sort of era of people who growing up, we didn't always have the internet. And then when we did, it was super slow and dial up and all of that. And even thinking back then, thinking oh yeah, I'll be able to talk to someone and see them super clear, and there will be no lag and it'll be perfect. It's still amazing to me. I just love thinking about technology as it advances, and try to ignore the creepy aspects of it.Yeah. And sometimes, obviously, we can't. Because we get harassment and different things. But overall, I really like Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism. I don't abide by all its principles, but the idea that you don't have to kick it all out the door, you figure out how to maximize your enjoyment. You do a cost-benefit analysis in your own life, which is what I wish more people would do with vaccines. What is the risk here, and what is the reward for not just me, but potentially the humans with whom I interact? And then you make a call based on that. And so, something like this I think is really lovely. Well, thanks so much.Yeah, of course. Let's do it again sometime, without the recording for a podcast.Yay!Friendship! Get full access to The Present Age at www.readthepresentage.com/subscribe

Fellow comedian/writer/Jersey die hard Sara J. Benincasa joins the show to discuss things that are JERSEYISH - from other places that remind us of Jersey, to people with a Jersey spirit, to anything else that encapsulates the hard to define chip on the shoulder that makes Jersey so great. Get bonus content on Patreon Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaking in the context of the national news around police brutality this week, Sara leads you through the square breath technique. Support the podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa and rate, review, etc. on your podcast platform of choice. Please support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other antiracist organizations in your community.

Our friend, the hilarious author, comedian, public speaker, multi-hyphenate, power-house SARA BENINCASA joins us to talk Mortal Kombat. We talk about the new movie and do a deep dive into the 1995 classic. Plus we talk Ghostbusters and do easily one million bits because Sara is a delight. Follow her on social media @SarajBenincasa and buy her books! (we highly recommend Real Artists Have Day Jobs"

In the first of a series of mini-episodes on breathwork, Sara teaches the belly breath and talks about snake oil salespeople in the world of wellness. You can support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa - thanks to current patrons!

Writer and comedian Sara Benincasa travels the world speaking about her struggle with agoraphobia -- which is funny, since her condition often gives her an intense fear of traveling. Her story also touches on family, addiction and why having a terrible day doesn't mean life will always be terrible. Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org. Host: Vic Vela Lead producer: Luis Antonio Perez Editor: Dennis Funk Producers: Rebekah Romberg, Jo Erickson Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner Executive producers: Brad Turner, Rachel Estabrook Thanks also to Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Kim Nguyen, Francie Swidler. BackFromBroken.org On Twitter: @VicVela1

Sara pays tribute to the late, great Neil Mahoney. Topics include: mourning, friendship, heartburn, love, and weeping. Support this podcast at Patreon.com/SaraBenincasa.

Sara Benincasa

I love Sara Benincasa. We met once for coffee a few years back after connecting on Facebook. She is something else. A ballsy brassy broad could be one way to describe her. Check her out on instagram @sarajbenincasa  where you may see her voluptuous breast and where I am not sure if she is ever wearing pants.  Sara is a stand-up comedian, actress, college speaker on mental health awareness, and the author of "Real Artists Have Day Jobs"  "DC Trip" "Great" ; and "Agorafabulous!: Dispatches From My Bedroom". She also wrote a very silly joke book called "Tim Kaine Is Your Nice Dad."  She hosts the podcast "Where Ya From?" and has interviewed Ben Stiller, Adam Pally, Jenny Yang and others about their origin stories (geographic and otherwise.) In 2017, she adapted "DC Trip" as a screenplay with Bona Fide, Gunpowder & Sky, and Adaptive Studios. She also adapted "Agorafabulous" as a pilot for TV with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody. Recent roles include "Corporate" on Comedy Central (2018), "Bill Nye Saves The World"" on Netflix (2017), "The Jim Gaffigan Show" on TVLand (2016) and the critically acclaimed short film "The Focus Group" (2016), which she also wrote. I do love her! 

We get deep with Sara Benincasa about mental health battles and then get very shallow by talking about sexy ghosts! Also, thoughts on Liam Neeson because WTF!

REALITY BYTES is a show about sex, love, relationships & dating in the digital age, hosted by Courtney Kocak & produced in partnership with JASH. The 6th episode of season 2 features author/#neilcake activist Sara Benincasa & Internet singleton/co-host of the Best of Friends podcast Erin Mallory Long on sorta kinda pretending to not be married, our IG personas, consciously uncouping with one's perp & other boozy discourse. Please rate & review to tell us what you love!

Sara Benincasa, the author of the new book Real Artists Have Day Jobs (And Other Awesome Things They Don't Teach You in School) is our guest on The Blaze with Lizzie and Kat podcast this week, to dive deep into a very special Thanksgiving episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Sara is also the author of DC Trip, Great, and Agorafabulous! Dispatches From My Bedroom. What we were drinking: Coney Island Brewing Company hard root beerWhat we were eating: pumpkin pie with bourbon pecan ice cream

Alice and Deanna get in a room with healthy snacks and, more importantly, comedian/author Sara Benincasa! Together they work out whether LA or NYC is better for mental health, how you can be depressed even if you're privileged, what it's like to go public with your mental illnesses, and why we should all cultivate radical overconfidence. In a word: delicious.

Making it as a writer means dealing with a lot of rejection — and learning how to persevere through pretty tough times. Novelist and memoirist Sara Benincasa (Agorafabulous, DC Trip) opens up about how her struggles with mental illness gave her the resiliency she needed for a career in writing, and shares the best advice she ever got from Diablo Cody.

Who really checks bestselling author Roxane Gay's email? And what's the best piece of advice comedian Sara Benincasa ever got from Diablo Cody? Welcome to The BinderCast, the only podcast exclusively devoted to women and gender non-conforming writers and their careers. Co-hosted by Lux Alptraum and Leigh Stein, each episode tackles the essential questions of making it as a writer. Our first episode debuts November 7, 2015.  

My buddy and author Sara Benincasa chats with me about growing up fascinated with magic, spells, and the associations of evil with dark magic. Sara tells me about "mean" magic and how trying to control another person through the use of magic can have unintended consequences. How can magic be used in a positive way and what role does intention play in the outcome? What a fun talk and Sara is an endless well of interesting stories and information. Check out her new book DC Trip that comes out in November. www.meandparanormalyou.comwww.ryansingercomedy.comwww.society6.com/mapy - Virtual Store is OPEN818-839-0593 Mindline

Sara Benincasa is an author, comedian, writer, and outspoken advocate of LGBTQ youth, among many other hats she's worn. She is an expert impressionist and parodist of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. Sara is the author of the novel Great and the memoir/confessional, Agorafabulous!: Dispatches From My Bedroom, and her third book, the novel Believers, is due out in early 2016, while a fourth book is already underway. She's interviewed Reggie Watts and Amanda Palmer in her bathtub, and posed as a nun with adult performer Stoya. We spoke in person in Seattle when she was visiting during This Tour Is So Gay, recently funded on Kickstarter. Sponsors and patrons This podcast is made possible through the support of sponsors and patrons. 99designs: Have dozens of designers from the over 310,000 that are part of 99designs's network submit ideas for your logo, Web site, T-shirt, car wrap, or other design project, then pick the best and have a finished, professional result in a week or less for a flat price. Our listeners can visit this special destination page to get $99 Power Pack of services for free! Thanks also to our Patreon backers Ben Werdmuller, Bryan Clark, and GravityFish for supporting us directly. Show notes This interview was conducted at The Office, a co-working space above Ada's Technical Books and Café; the owner, Danielle Hulton, was a previous guest of the show.

Agoraphobia! Held hostage in a grocery store! Tracking sexual predators for the FBI! The movie FREAKS and more! Sara Benincasa, Barry Crimmins, John Ennis, Stephen Tobolowski.

On today's show we talk to writer and performer Sara Benincasa. While now based in LA, Sara got her start in New York, where she did everything from host a show on Sirius to make videos for the Huffington Post. She writes for Jane and Vice.com, and last year, her book Agorafabulous!, based on her-one woman show about her struggles with agoraphobia, was published by William Morrow.Right before Christmas, we sat down with Sara at The PIT, hours before her stand-up show, and talked about everything from comedy in the wake of national tragedies, to income and privilege, to the time Andy bombed opening for Jonah Ray. Subscribe on iTunes and see us on Saturday at the NYC Podfest with Halley Feiffer (The Squid and the Whale, Bored to Death), Julieanne Smolinski (Rolling Stone's 25 Funniest People on Twitter) and musical guest Mike Pace (Oxford Collapse, Worst Gig Ever podcast)!