This is our 40th episode and the end of Season One! This first year of the podcast has flown by. I'm so grateful to everyone who has tuned in, shared episodes, rated us, reviewed us... it's all meant so much to me. For this final episode of the season we thought it would be fun to go back in time and celebrate some of my favorite moments from this first year, so that's what we're gonna do!

Today we have Natalie Naudus on the show. Natalie is a brilliant Audie-Award winning narrator of over 400 books. We get into that a little in this interview. But mostly we talk about her writing and celebrate the release of her debut novel. It's called "Gay the Pray Away" and it is the #1 Best Seller in Coming of Age Fiction for Teens on Amazon this week. I loved talking shop with Natalie and getting to hear all about her process of bringing this book to life.

Today we have my friend Eliza Bent on the show. Eliza and I go way back. She is a playwright and a performer whose Bentertainments include solo works, plays, adaptations, and hybrid affairs. She makes short films. She speaks Italian. She has degrees in philosophy and playwriting and she's on faculty at Northwestern University’s Radio TV & Film department. She's a cool as hell person with a lot of weirdness and wisdom to share.

Today we have my friend Amy Staats on the show. Amy is an actor, writer, producer, director... you name it, she does it. This conversation was so much fun for me. We talk about Van Halen, understudying on Broadway, writing plays, developing projects for TV and film, and overcoming perfectionism. Amy's currently doing an experiment where she shares a piece of brand new writing every single day on social media. It was really cool talking about how this practice is affecting her as an artist. Be sure to hang with us until the end because Amy even busts out some artistic wisdom inspired by bird mating dances that blew my mind. Yup, you heard that right.

Today we have NY Times Bestselling Author Jodi Lipper on the show. Jodi is a Collaborative Writer, also known as a Ghostwriter. I've always been interested in how this process works but I thought it was super secretive and I didn't want to pry. Well Jodi let me pry for this podcast episode and I'm so happy she did. I'm amazed at how many skills it takes to be successful in this career. I already had a lot of respect for ghostwriters, but this conversation with Jodi has sent my admiration through the roof.

Today our guest is my dear friend Thérèse Plummer. If you are an audiobook listener there is a very strong chance you've had this lady's voice in your ears. She's a beautiful storyteller, a kind soul and a hella strong human being. Almost three years ago she was in ahead-on car collision with a drunk driver and she's been on a relentless journey to recovery. We talk about that process in this interview as well as how she got her start in audiobooks and where her creative brain is at now. I love her so much and every chance I get to spend time with her is a gift. FYI, I had some technical difficulties on my side of the recording for this episode, so you'll notice my voice isn't as clear as it could be (sorry about that!). Good new is, Therese's glorious voice is clear and beautiful as a bell, and that's who this episode is all about.

Today our guest is Charlie Pollock. Charlie is an incredible singer and actor. He's worked with the likes of Dolly Parton, David Bowie, John Mellencamp... the list goes on. Every time I see him onstage whether in a Broadway show or playing in his awesome band, I'm so jazzed by how he operates. Charlie is just one of those magnetic artists you can't take your eyes off of when he performs. This conversation is such a fun peek behind the curtain on the journey of a musical theater actor. I'm thrilled I got to spend this time with him and hear his stories.

I am so excited for today's episode. If you've ever talked with me about TV, you know my absolute favorite show of all time is This is Us. It's one of those shows that's so deep in my bones I have to hold myself back from referencing it on a daily basis to my friends and family. Well today I got to take a deep dive and talk about it as much as I want, because Siddhartha Khosla, This is Us' amazing composer is on the show. Siddhartha Khosla is a 6 time Emmy-nominated film and television composer, singer/songwriter, and producer of the critically acclaimed band, Goldspot. His 3 Primetime Emmy nominations in 2022 were for "Outstanding Music Composition for a Series" and "Outstanding Main Title Theme" for "Only Murders in the Building," and "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics" for his original song and #1 iTunes single "Forever Now" (which he co-wrote with Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith). I was so thrilled he joined me for this conversation and let me pelt him with questions about my favorite show and how he creates his particular brand of musical magic.