Good People, Cool Things Joey Held

Being in a band is among the coolest experiences one can have in life. This episode's guest knows all about that — Todd Tucker is getting the hair metal band back together as the director and writer of Rockbottom, a new movie featuring SO MANY impressive musicians. We’re chatting about the inspiration for Rockbottom, his career as a makeup and special effects artist, and how he got hurt doing a very unathletic move during the making of The Passion of the Christ.

Back in my YouTube Z-list celebrity days, I had an ongoing series called 20 Pretty Bad Impressions in 1 Minute. Friends and I would go back and forth, quickly doing impressions. As the name suggests, the quality of said impressions was not good.
Luckily, my guest today is significantly better at impressions. Lauren LoGiudice is the author of Inside Melania: What I Know About Melania Trump By Impersonating Her. Beyond her spot-on impression, she’s done a ton of cool stuff in the sketch comedy world and also hosts the Misfits Makin’ It Podcast, which is just an absolute delight to listen to.
We’re chatting about what makes for a good character to perform, why asking for audience feedback is so helpful, and the best ways to get better sleep.

Marc Hartzman has an innate interest in the strange, unique stories from around the world. He’s written about ghosts, Mars, Oliver Cromwell's embalmed head, and weird things on eBay, just to name a few. His latest book, We Are Not Alone: The Extraordinary History of UFOs and Aliens Invading Our Hopes, Fears, and Fantasies, looks into the vast universe of aliens, extraterrestrials, and outer space.
We're chatting about where the term “flying saucer” came from, a few lesser-known stories, and his top alien movies and TV shows.

Did you know the average attention span is nine seconds? That’s less than the attention span of a goldfish! It can be super frustrating to read a lengthy article and feel like you haven’t gotten anything out of it or you’re more confused than when you started. It’s especially upsetting when we’ve already got busy days and our time to consume content is limited.
Priyanka Vazirani understands that frustration and is setting out to do something about it. She’s the co-founder of Volv, a platform that takes all the content out there on the internet and gives you the scoop in nine-second overviews. Volv is also working with creators to help them share their work with more people.
We’re chatting about how Volv got started, what surprised Priyanka after talking with her users, and her favorite adventurous activities.

Alysia Silberg is perhaps the biggest fan of AI out there — it's even in the name of her company, Unemployable AI. And she shares how AI has played a major impact for her in her book, "Unemployable: How AI Transformed My Work and Life."
Joey and Alysia are chatting about how a pair of rollerblades led to an entrepreneurial career, common mistakes companies make, and the three weird things she does every day.

Cori Myka is the founder of Calm Within Adult Swim, teaching adults not only how to swim but also how to develop habits and mindsets to overcome fear and build confidence. Those are great skills to have in any walk of life.
We’re discussing where the idea for an online swim instruction business came from, what Cori has learned from helping people transform their lives, and whether it’s better to jump into a body of water or walk in slowly and steadily.