Try Hard

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Self-Improvement
Every two weeks

Alex Sujong Laughlin has conversations with people about the ways they're redefining themselves, from major life changes to picking up new hobbies. Be a try hard. We double dog dare you. Created by Alex Sujong Laughlin and Defector Media.

13 hr ago

When your side project becomes your identity

Alex Sujong Laughlin interviews Hrishikesh Hirway of the podcasts Song Exploder, West Wing Weekly, and Home Cooking, about his music career right after the release of his new album, In The Last Hour of Light. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_JOiqmLY7dA12mVv0SmhJkiyKybpGZwashjgwhDnQC8/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: Hrishikesh Hirway, Song Exploder, Try Hard podcast, Alex Sujong Laughlin, Hrishikesh Hirway interview, Hrishikesh Hirway musician, In the Last Hour of Light, songwriting, creativity, creative process, perfectionism, writer's block, creative burnout, creative block, artistic identity, creative identity, making music, making an album, songwriting process, collaboration, letting go, fear of failure, trusting the process, creative confidence, artistic growth, finding your voice, musician, music podcast, creativity tips, overcoming perfectionism***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
24 Aug

The novel that took Alexander Chee 11 years to finish

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to LEGEND Alexander Chee about the process of writing, delivering, and taking back his novel, "The Queen of the Night." They talk about how he maintained confidence in his creative vision over the 11 years it took to finish the novel and not succumbing to scarcity while building a creative career. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WtsAKS23yZBVheavaMvsXbc6cV3YKEnmU38ygLiCA2k/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: Alexander Chee, The Queen of the Night, Edinburgh, How To Write An Autobiographical Novel, Iowa Writers Workshop, creative writing, writing careers, creativity, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
10 Aug

Morgan Jerkins on surviving New York without losing yourself

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to writer Morgan Jerkins about how she made the move to New York for her writing career, and how she's managed to protect her softness in the process. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gwFJDScys5QleFodC4byJ7X8ct7y_3awu7of_JdCj8M/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: , Morgan Jerkins, Wandering in Strange Lands, Caul Baby, moving to New York, writing careers, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
27 Jul

From baby trans to headlining the dance floor

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Jazmine Green, aka CMD+Jazmine about how queer raves were the site of both her gender transition and her evolution into a musician and DJ. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mRub5-XnAfjSye31rxa6lm-dniIumhCq4GM_tI6Tqrs/edit?usp=sharing 🏷️: , Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, CMD+Jazmine, Jazmine Green, raves, queerness, transition, transitioning in your 30s, djing, electronic musicians, nowadays brooklyn, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
13 Jul

Anna Sale on how motherhood redefined her ambition | Try Hard Podcast | Defector Media

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Death Sex & Money host Anna Sale about how becoming a parent affected her professional ambition.Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DaTLT55h4dNUsdkSrrDyXnAArDDml0Y1rDi1uLRY8GI/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: Anna Sale, Death Sex and Money, ambition, motherhood, parenthood, matresence, girlboss feminism, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6OAiTsWXSBt7KlW7unuJPGXad4P5x6va ***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
29 Jun

Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult?

Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Aaron Edwards about how he's learned to make friends as an adult. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GiG2tM-BxxQiE4mM4fDrtq7CWrTBaU3UBSHS4g_3j-8/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: making friends, making friends as an adult, cringe, meetups, rejection, ghosting, introversion, introverts, Aaron Edwards, Upstate Color, Kingston, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.comSubscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6OAiTsWXSBt7KlW7unuJPGXad4P5x6va ***Credits:This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
15 Jun

Why Ingrid Nilsen quit YouTube at 3M subscribers

Ingrid Nilsen was one of the most followed YouTubers ever, but in 2020, she walked away from her influencing career to try something new. In this episode, Alex Sujong Laughlin talks to Ingrid about her decision to quit influencing and how that led to the creation of her candle and fragrance company, The New Savant. Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16C3QO_2Dc0xCfLgoxnFD2XmcHU0hL0_4aylVf85oejk/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: Ingrid Nilsen, Erica Anderson, The New Savant, youtubers, youtube, lifestyle, creators, vlogmas, influencers, small business, starting a business, candles, candle company, early influencers, covergirl, Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, creative burnout ***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.com Subscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits: This show is produced by Haleema Shah and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.
Season 2, Episode 1 Trailer

We're making some changes...

Alex Sujong Laughlin launched the Try Hard podcast in 2025 and almost ended the show due to creative burnout, chronic health issues, and major life changes. In this episode, Alex breaks down what you can expect from the new season of Try Hard. Stay tuned for our new season launch date! Episode transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12s8f_Kz_L3z5bfEJkhJamHGJKpwGUtglVbM-tMRyV3Q/edit?usp=sharing🏷️: Alex Sujong Laughin, Try Hard podcast, starting over, navigating transition, trying new things, creative burnout, podcast hosting, chronic illness, work, self care, defector, creative work, new projects***Follow Alex Sujong Laughlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/Email Alex: alex[at]defector.com Subscribe to Defector Media: https://defector.com/Check out Try Hard in audio form: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/try-hard/id1824016771***Credits: This show is produced by Haleema Shah and me, Alex Sujong Laughlin. Mixing by Samantha Gattsek. Justin Ellis is Defector’s projects editor. Our show art is by Lille Allen. Our theme song is “Photo Booth,” by Avery Friedman. Jasper Wang is Defector’s business guy. Thank you to the Defector staff and to Sean Kuhn. Our merch store was created by Dan McQuade. Defector Media is a collectively owned, subscriber based media company. Try Hard is a proud member of Radiotopia.

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Only If You Get Caught is about how we can better understand sports and culture by appreciating the ways humans cheat in ways big and small. Hosted by Patrick Redford and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin, each episode will dive into the history and methodologies behind cheating scandals to explore what bending or breaking the rules tells us about ourselves. Created by Patrick Redford, Alex Sujong Laughlin, and Defector Media.

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History
Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode features an artist discussing a song of theirs, breaking down the sounds and ideas that went into the writing and recording. Hosted and produced by Hrishikesh Hirway.

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Music
Since 2014 this longstanding podcast favourite has been creating hard-hitting cinematic stories about love, bodies and all of the things between humans that we don’t know how to name. Creator Kaitlin Prest works with her friends, idols and all kinds of loved ones to bring you into an expansive sonic universe that challenges what we think we know about love.

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Society & Culture
Normal Gossip delivers juicy, strange, funny, and utterly banal gossip about people you’ll never know and never meet. Host Rachelle Hampton discusses reader-submitted comedic gossip with guests, diving into the lives and decisions of complete strangers. The second-hand truth really is stranger than fiction. Produced by Se'era Spragley Ricks and Jae Towle Vieira. Created by Kelsey McKinney and Alex Sujong Laughlin. Show art by Tara Jacoby. https://normalgossip.komi.io/

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Comedy
What really happens when stories about people’s lives are collected, edited, and consumed? Radiotopia Presents: Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative is a five-part non-fiction series created by Jess Shane, about the nuts and bolts of documentary storytelling, the power dynamics between makers and subjects, and rewriting unwritten rules of the documentary and non-fiction content industry.

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Documentary
Proxy investigates the emotional mysteries that run our lives and world — sometimes by finding someone who gets it, sometimes by reporting from the emotions beat. Hosted by Yowei Shaw, former co-host and editorial lead of Invisibilia. We’ll be back with new cases this fall — and we’ll be dropping a few treats in the feed this summer. Follow the show so you don’t miss the next case. Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com If you’re new, try: Bisexual Wife Guy, Yowei Can't Speak Bro, or Jane Doesn't Like Her Dogs.

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Personal Journals

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Alex Sujong Laughlin has conversations with people about the ways they're redefining themselves, from major life changes to picking up new hobbies. Be a try hard. We double dog dare you. Created by Alex Sujong Laughlin and Defector Media.