Before We Cheers: Emotional Truths Before the Toast

Zach Miller
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Biweekly

Before We Cheers is a podcast about the moments before celebration—the breath before the toast, the text you almost sent, the version of you still deciding if it belongs. Join Zach Miller as he explores identity, memory, reinvention, taste, and emotional truth through solo episodes, guest interviews, and cultural commentary. It’s not about spiraling—it’s about noticing the quiet stuff before the loud moments. If you’ve ever cried in the Uber, reconsidered your aesthetic, or saved a voice memo you never sent, this is for you. Before the performance, there’s a pause. And Before we cheers.

  1. Sep 7

    SOLRWAVE: Fame, Belonging & Building His Own Pop Universe

    SOLRWAVE joins Zach to talk about building his own sound after becoming known for remixes, finding queer community in New York after years of feeling like he didn’t belong, and how famous he actually wants to become. They get into Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Carly Rae Jepsen, Chromatica, friendship, bullying, ambition, and why SOLRWAVE believes there’s still something missing in pop.

  2. Aug 28

    The Gay Kris Jenner on Monetizing Your Broken Heart · Matt Conrado

    Matt Conrado is the founder and CEO of The Alphabet Mafia Consultancy · the LGBTQ+ marketing and brand consultancy behind Deutsche Bank's NYC Pride TV spot · host of Thanks For Swiping Left · and in his own words, The Gay Kris Jenner. He spent 7.5 years at PepsiCo building queer marketing for Bubly (Adweek Pride Star, 2021) before launching Alphabet Mafia in January 2025. We get into · · monetizing your broken heart · the abundance argument for corporate Pride · the Deutsche Bank float everyone had opinions about · the Dylan Mulvaney moment everyone got wrong · why Kris Jenner is a legitimate business goal · legacy over ownership Follow Matt: @mattconrado · Alphabet Mafia: alphabetmafiaconsult.com · Podcast: Thanks For Swiping Left Before We Cheers · @beforewecheers · hosted by @iamzcm

  3. Aug 13

    Real Housewives Stopped Documenting the Culture and Started Making It

    20 years in, the show stopped documenting the culture and started making it. New Housewives enter the franchise already fluent in a language the old ones invented. Fights become vocabulary. Hot mics become canon. The experiment changed its subjects. Full essay on why dismissing this as trash TV doesn't cut it anymore. New drops on Instagram @iamzcm.

  4. Jul 28

    Britney Spears Is the Lesbian Daughter of Janet and Madonna (James Rodriguez)

    According to the gospel of James Rodriguez, Britney is the lesbian daughter of Janet and Madonna, the myth of Taylor's work ethic is doing a lot of heavy lifting, Olivia actually pulled off something on Sour, and modern pop has two moms and everybody else is downstream. James has spent 20 years inside the pop machine. This is the conversation. New episodes weekly. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Iamzcm TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@Iamzc92 #BeforeWeCheers #PopMusic #Podcasts #Original Doll #BritneySpears #JamesRodriguez

  5. Jul 14

    Stefan Doyno on Dos, Don'ts and Dot Cakes

    In ep 016 of Before We Cheers, Stefan Doyno is back for part 2. Two-time Emmy winner, twenty years in fashion media, Good Morning America, Women's Wear Daily, Harper's Bazaar. Part 1 was the cred. Part 2 is the opinions. We get into what actually counts as a New York institution, why New Yorkers are like snowflakes, the dating behaviors you are officially too old for, the loud subway dating call as a carbon footprint on strangers, and the moment we call cheers to New York City. If you missed part 1, listen to that first. New episodes weekly at 6 PM ET. Follow on Instagram @beforewecheersFollow on TikTok @beforewecheers In ep 016 of Before We Cheers, Stefan Doyno is back for part 2. Two-time Emmy winner, twenty years in fashion media, Good Morning America, Women's Wear Daily, Harper's Bazaar. Part 1 was the cred. Part 2 is the opinions. Stefan defines what actually counts as a New York institution and puts J.G. Melon, EJ's, and the diner on the list. He calls New Yorkers snowflakes as a compliment. He rules on the dating behaviors you are officially too old for: canceling day of, overstaying, splitting the bill uneven, voice memos over 60 seconds, and ghosting after three dates. He frames the loud subway dating call as a carbon footprint you leave on other people. We close with cheers to New York City and the Knicks watch parties keeping the West Village alive. Watch part 1 first if you have not yet. Then come back for the opinions. Chapters0:00 Cold open, institutions thesis0:15 Late arrival ad-lib0:34 Canal Street fake Vuitton, part 1 callback1:38 New Yorkers are snowflakes3:02 Brady's birthday party, SATC riff4:57 The Jane Hotel, part 1 callback6:06 Private members clubs deep cut13:00 Institutions defined14:41 Etiquette rapid fire17:04 Subway carbon footprint, loud dating call18:57 Too old for that, dating rules21:20 Business ghosting reveal22:48 Speed round24:36 Cheers to New York City25:13 Thesis loop close Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3OZIoSMsDb46cYCOT8RDuB?si=7b265c8701f64e5f New episodes weekly at 6 PM ET. Follow Before We CheersInstagram @beforewecheersTikTok @Iamzcm92 About Stefan DoynoInstagram @thewritestefan #beforewecheers #stefandoyno #nycdating #nycpodcast #interviewpodcast #newyorkinstitutions #dating #datingadvice #nyclife #podcast

  6. Jun 30

    Your Sex Life Isn't the Problem | Dr. Lee Phillips on shame and sex therapy | Before We Cheers

    Dr. Lee Phillips is a queer sex therapist who has watched the conversation inside his therapy room shift across the last four years. In this Pride episode of Before We Cheers, we get into what his patients are bringing to him in 2026 that they weren't bringing in 2022, why affirming therapy isn't what most people think it is, and what it actually means to treat shame as something with its own diagnosis. Topics include sex therapy 101, shame and self compassion, what therapists get wrong about chronic illness and disability, non monogamy in 2026, the kink and fetish vocabulary every therapist should know, the Grindr nightmare conversation, and a 16-year practice built on the idea that intimacy is not a reward for being healthy or straight or simple. Lee is the author of Dating and Sex with Chronic Illness and a clinician who has built a career disarming patients with comedy and then teaching them something about themselves. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Lee on Instagram @drleephillips. Follow the show @beforewecheers and the host @iamzcm. Chapters: 0:00 Cold open 0:46 Sex therapy 101 9:30 Shame and self compassion 13:00 Porn, shame, and what therapists get wrong 22:00 Chronic illness and sex therapy 26:00 Non monogamy 32:00 Kink, fetish, and why a sex therapist matters 41:00 Dating apps and Grindr nightmares 49:00 Liberation, marriage, and Scruff 55:00 Acting, comedy, and identity 63:30 Toast

  7. Jun 22

    Stefan Doyno: 20 years inside fashion media // BWC 015

    In ep 015 of Before We Cheers, Stefan Doyno (two-time Emmy, Good Morning America, Harper's Bazaar) reframes the new private members clubs in New York, the glam squad era of reality TV, and what twenty years inside fashion media actually taught him. Stefan has watched every wave of New York taste from the inside. We get into why the new wave of private clubs is a hamster wheel sold as belonging, why the glam squad era hurt reality TV, why the hotel bar is the last honest room in the city, and the stories you never heard from twenty years inside the rooms most people only see from the outside. New episodes Sundays at 6 PM ET. Follow on Instagram @beforewecheersFollow on TikTok @iamzcm92 In ep 015 of Before We Cheers, Stefan Doyno (two-time Emmy, Good Morning America, Harper's Bazaar) reframes the new private members clubs in New York, the glam squad era of reality TV, and what twenty years inside fashion media actually taught him. Stefan started at Good Morning America. Then he led fashion content at Women's Wear Daily and Harper's Bazaar. He has watched every wave of New York taste from the inside. We get into why the new private members clubs are a hamster wheel sold as belonging, why the glam squad era hurt reality TV, why the hotel bar is the last honest room in the city, and the stories you never heard from twenty years inside the rooms most people only see from the outside. This is the episode about what New York taste actually rewards now, and what got broken along the way. Chapters0:00 Cold open0:35 Welcome3:00 Building a brand in ninth grade13:00 Private clubs and the hamster wheel18:00 Hotel bar thesis, Bemelmans and the Carlyle22:00 Glam squads and what reality TV gave up35:00 The cancel culture reframe42:00 Cheers Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/[add show id] Listen on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/[add show id] New episodes Sundays at 6 PM ET. Follow Before We CheersInstagram @beforewecheersTikTok @iamzcm92 About Stefan DoynoInstagram @thewritestefan #beforewecheers #stefandoyno #fashionmedia #goodmorningamerica #harpersbazaar #womenswear #privateclubs #nyc #podcast #interviewpodcast

  8. Jun 12

    Most dating advice is b******t, with dating coach Connell Barrett

    Connell Barrett has spent twelve years coaching men on dating. Psychology Today named him America's top dating coach for men. He's been on Today, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, in Cosmo, Playboy, and Maxim. He's coached for The League and Tinder. He's worked with thousands of men in 17 countries. On this episode of Before We Cheers, we talk about the worst dating advice on the internet, why a firefighter can run into a burning building but can't say hi to a woman, what most men get wrong about being themselves, and the date Connell blew up on purpose. Connell's book Dating Sucks But You Don't is published by Simon and Schuster. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing. 25% off plus free shipping for new customers. Terms and conditions and certain limitations apply. https://athletic-brewing-co.sjv.io/c/7278555/3848473/12298 Chapters: 00:00 Cold open 00:45 Welcome 02:30 Cuffing season and why most dating advice is wrong 06:45 The friend zone, Putin, and the year Connell spent there 10:13 The firefighter who can run into burning buildings but can't say hi to a woman 14:30 Mystery and The Game era 18:45 Interview mode and why men ask too many questions 22:00 The Obsession question 25:30 Brushstrokes of femininity and the false alpha paradigm 30:00 The first date Connell blew up on purpose 36:45 What he tells himself before every date now Follow Connell: Instagram: @datingtransformation Web: datingtransformation.com Book: Dating Sucks But You Don't (Simon and Schuster / Tiller Press) Before We Cheers is hosted by Zach Miller. Follow the show: @beforewecheers Host: @iamzcm

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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Before We Cheers is a podcast about the moments before celebration—the breath before the toast, the text you almost sent, the version of you still deciding if it belongs. Join Zach Miller as he explores identity, memory, reinvention, taste, and emotional truth through solo episodes, guest interviews, and cultural commentary. It’s not about spiraling—it’s about noticing the quiet stuff before the loud moments. If you’ve ever cried in the Uber, reconsidered your aesthetic, or saved a voice memo you never sent, this is for you. Before the performance, there’s a pause. And Before we cheers.

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