Before We Cheers: Emotional Truths Before the Toast

Zach Miller

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. 1d ago

    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

    39 min

  2. Jun 6

    13. Dylan DiGi on getting fired from McKinsey, the Whiffenpoofs, and betting on being funny on the internet

    Dylan Forgione, aka Dylan DiGi, was a Yale junior transfer who soloed for the Whiffenpoofs, got the McKinsey offer in October of senior year, and walked into the consulting firm convinced he was going to be Jeff Bezos. 2 years later, he walked away from Mckinsey with his debt paid off, and started a fashion comedy account in Brooklyn. In this episode, Dylan and I talk about: - the Bozo cold open and the version of himself he thought he was going to be - soloing for the Whiffenpoofs at Yale - getting the McKinsey offer cold and what the firm actually does for a living - "experts at nothing but making money for corporations" - the PIP, the timing, and walking out elated - substitute teaching, fashion comedy on TikTok, and not being one thing - his mom announcing his sexuality to the family before he could - the toast: to the multifacetedness of human beings Follow Dylan: @dylan.digi Before We Cheers is a filmed podcast about people betting on themselves. New episodes drop Fridays. Follow the show: Instagram: @beforewecheers TikTok: @Iamzcm92 YouTube: @beforewecheers Host: Zach Miller, @iamzcm Producer and editor: Katie Sadler Recorded at WTF Media Studios, SoHo, May 19, 2026

    35 min

  3. May 29

    12. He decided who was famous for 20 years: Dan Wakeford

    Today's beer: Athletic Brewing. New to Athletic? 25% off plus free shipping on two six-packs from the best-sellers. Terms and conditions and certain limitations apply. https://athletic-brewing-co.sjv.io/c/7278555/3848473/12298 For 20 years Dan Wakeford ran the rooms that decided who America paid attention to. People Magazine. Us Weekly. Britney 2007. The Kardashians. Meghan and Harry. Every cover story you remember was either his call or the call of someone he hired. Earlier this year he walked away from all of it to start Celebrity Intelligence, his own newsletter, and bet on himself for the first time in his career. In this episode: 00:00 The line that lands on him 01:30 Running a newsroom of 300 07:45 The ethics shift in celebrity journalism 14:20 Why the Meghan and Harry story actually mattered 21:10 Britney 2007 as the inflection point 27:30 Leaving a giant title to start something new 34:00 The mistakes that made him better 37:45 What it costs to be the one the buck stops with 44:30 The toast Subscribe to Celebrity Intelligence: https://celebrity-intelligence.com Follow Dan: @danwakeford and @celebrity.intelligence Before We Cheers is a filmed podcast about people betting on themselves. New episodes drop Fridays. Instagram: @beforewecheers and @iamzcm TikTok: @iamzcm92 YouTube: @beforewecheers Host: Zach Miller Editor: Katie Sadler Recorded at WTF Media Studios, Midtown #DanWakeford #PeopleMagazine #UsWeekly #EditorInChief #CelebrityIntelligence #BeforeWeCheers #MediaPodcast

    44 min

  4. May 15

    11. Zusha Goldin: Cold DMing Every Celebrity He Wanted to Photograph

    Celebrity photographer Zusha Goldin grew up in Crown Heights as one of 11 kids in a Chabad family, left the yeshiva system at 17 with no diploma, and built his career by writing a cold DM script and sending it to every celebrity he wanted to shoot. He has now photographed Selena Gomez, Sydney Sweeney, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Austin Butler, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sharon Osbourne at her own house. This is the full cold DM script he used at 18, the wave of online hate that hit after he was in Jerusalem on October 7, and how he launched his nonprofit Artists for Unity. Filmed in New York City at WTF Media. Hosted by Zach Miller, edited by Katie Sadler. Chapters 0:00 Strangers in Washington Square 0:56 Brooklyn, Crown Heights, Barclays 3:27 Rejection vs reaction 7:28 When this stopped being a hobby 9:46 What yeshiva and Chabad actually mean 12:24 Leaving the system at 17 13:27 LA with nothing in his pocket. Then October 7 17:23 Pants on backwards, running to the shelter 19:08 Coming home to the comments 20:38 Artists Against Antisemitism 21:57 Launching his own nonprofit 23:20 The first yes. Sharon Osbourne's house. Meeting Ozzy 25:54 What that much rejection does to you 26:11 The DM script 27:50 Before we cheers 28:18 The Lana Del Rey CVS story 31:01 Selena, Sydney, Cranston 32:08 What he can't wait to make next Follow Zusha on Instagram: instagram.com/zushagoldin Follow the show: instagram.com/beforewecheers Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@beforewecheerspod Topics: celebrity photography, cold DM script, portrait photographer, New York photography, Crown Heights, leaving orthodox Judaism, Chabad, October 7 Jerusalem, Artists for Unity, NYC creative career

    33 min

  5. May 8

    10. Follow What You're Curious About: Liv Schreiber on the 1000 No's, Trusting the Process & Showing Up Anyway

    Liv Schreiber joins Before We Cheers in the NYC studio for episode 010. We get into following curiosity even when the path is unclear, the 1000 no's that come before any yes, what it actually takes to figure things out as you go, and why showing up for the people who showed up for you matters more than almost anything else. A note from Liv: she recorded this episode while what we thought was a kidney infection turned out to be appendicitis. She had already rescheduled once and refused to cancel again on her word. She is fully recovered now. We still cannot believe we captured this conversation. In this episode: How Liv ended up doing what she does The 1000 no's behind every visible yes Following curiosity as a working strategy, not a vibe What figuring it out actually looks like in real time Why integrity to your word compounds The toast Follow what you're curious about. It will figure itself out. Recorded at HOFF Studios, NYC. Host: Zach Miller Guest: Liv Schreiber Subscribe and follow Before We Cheers wherever you listen. Instagram: @beforewecheers Tiktok: Iamzcm92 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyJCgRExqhTRHy0ShZo9ptA New episodes every Friday.

    32 min

  6. May 1

    9. Spicy Dan: handmade jewelry, the spicy gospel, and building in NYC | Ep 009

    Danielle of Spicy Dan on handmade jewelry, the spicy gospel, and building a Brooklyn cult brand by hand. A 45-minute Before We Cheers conversation with Zach Miller. She started making jewelry by hand at age 9. Now Danielle runs Spicy Dan, the one-woman brand New Yorkers wear as everyday armor. Vintage materials. Small batch. Zero outsourcing. Built from an apartment, scaled through obsession. We get into: - The "spicy gospel" and why it's strategy not slogan - Dating while founding a one-woman jewelry brand - The night she almost shut the whole thing down - Why Austin rewired her but Brooklyn keeps her - What identity looks like when your inventory carries your name Forty-five minutes. No filler. Shop Spicy Dan: https://shopspicydan.com Spicy Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopspicydan Zach Miller on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamzcm Before We Cheers on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforewecheers Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rUImeCbFKHw New episodes every Friday.

    44 min

  7. Apr 17

    8. Keep Your Pilot Light On | Before We Cheers w/ Lina Bradford & Connie Fleming

    Emotional truths before the toast. Lina Bradford and Connie Fleming join Zach Miller for a conversation about keeping your pilot light on.Follow the guests:Lina Bradford: @thelinabradfordConnie Fleming: @therealconniegirlFollow Before We Cheers:IG: @beforewecheersHost: @iamzcmTikTok: @iamzcm92

    53 min

  8. Mar 27

    The Venn Diagram of What You Love with Nick Rizzo

    Nick Rizzo joins Before We Cheers to talk about work, identity, and what it feels like when everything you care about actually connects. We get into culture, creativity, and why the best work usually sits at the intersection of what you love.

    54 min
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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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