Ira's Everything Bagel

Ira David Sternberg
  • 5.0 (2)
  • ARTS

Discover Ira’s Everything Bagel, a blend of US arts and culture. Schmeared with podcasts rich in ideas worth spreading, as well as captivating stories.

  1. 14H AGO

    75 First Dates Later: Finding Love Through Poetry

    Noshing With Zack Rogow, Author, The Kama Sutra for Senior Citizens and Other Poems on Aging This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with poet, playwright, and educator Zack Rogow, author of The Kama Sutra for Senior Citizens and Other Poems on Aging—a candid, funny, and deeply human exploration of love and intimacy later in life. Watch Full Podcast Video Zack opens up about an unexpected chapter: being single at 66—and what came next. From revisiting The Kama Sutra with fresh eyes to embarking on 75 first dates, he shares how connection, vulnerability, and even physical pleasure remain essential at any age. The conversation dives into the emotional core of his work—why intimacy is really about connection, not just chemistry—and how readers have embraced his poems as nothing short of “Viagra for the soul.” Zack also pulls back the curtain on his creative process, describing poetry as “waiting for lightning to strike,” and reflects on the eight-year journey to complete this book. Along the way, he talks about finding love again, taking leaps of faith, and why his partner—now his toughest critic—keeps him honest. It’s a warm, witty, and wise conversation about aging, art, and the enduring depth of human feeling. As Zack says, poetry reminds us just how much we’re capable of. ABOUT ZACK: Zack Rogow is the author, editor or translator of more than 20 books and plays. Nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize for Poetry, his previous nine collections of poetry include “Irreverent Litanies, “Talking with the Radio: poems inspired by jazz and popular music,” and “The Number Before Infinity.” His memoir, Hugging My Father’s Ghost, was released in 2024. Zack’s co-authored play, “Colette Uncensored,” had its first staged reading at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and later ran in London, Indonesia, Catalonia, San Francisco, and Portland. His blog, “Advice for Writers,” features more than 300 posts. He has received the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize, the Northern California Book Reviewers Award in Translation, and the Celestine Award for Poetry. He also edited the anthology The Face of Poetry (University of California Press). Zack Rogow               Website Zack Rogow               X Zack Rogow               LinkedIn                     Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CsCsJDUtb-Y?si=eLqawKvQI3u9mng0" title=" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    27 min

  2. MAR 5

    Noshing With Jeffrey Weiss – March 5, 2026

    Author, Racing Against Time: On Ironman, Ultramarathons, and the Quest for Transformation in Mid-Life What if “later” suddenly became “now”? Watch Full Podcast Video On this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Jeffrey Weiss, author of Racing Against Time: On Ironman, Ultramarathons, and the Quest for Transformation in Mid-Life, for a powerful conversation about aging, endurance, and the courage to reinvent yourself. Jeffrey didn’t begin his athletic journey as a lifelong competitor. He ran his first 10K at 48. What started as a simple health goal turned into marathons, two finishes at Ironman Arizona, and a 72-mile ultramarathon — all after most people start talking about slowing down. In this personal conversation, Jeffrey shares: How his father’s passing shifted his mindset from “someday” to “now” The Vince Lombardi quote that fuels his discipline Why it’s a marathon, not a sprint — in sports and in life The truth about willpower (it only lasts about a month) Why “baby steps” matter more than heroic bursts of motivation How to fight the resistance of the mind Why exercise creates optimism — not just muscle The question he keeps asking himself: “Why am I doing this?” How endurance keeps him energized and relevant in the workforce And what kind of life he wants to be living at this age This isn’t just about racing. It’s about choosing your path. Taking ownership of your health. And deciding — intentionally — how you want to live the years ahead. Because maybe the real race isn’t against other competitors. Maybe it’s against time. ABOUT JEFFREY: Jeffrey Weiss is a successful business executive, an accomplished author of three books, and a two-time Ironman and an ultramarathoner. Racing Against Time: On Ironman, Ultramarathons, and the Quest for Transformation in Mid-Lifetells of his midlife adventures in extreme sports, including finishes at Ironman Arizona (twice) and the 72-mile ultramarathon Midnight Express between the ages of 57 and 61.  He is also the co-author of I Am My Brother’s Keeper which chronicles the American and Canadian volunteers who served in all branches of the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 War of Independence, and Fighting Back: Stan Andrews and the Birth of the Israeli Air Force Jeffrey is featured in Nancy Spielberg’s acclaimed 2014 documentary “Above and Beyond” (available on Amazon Prime), which tells the story of American pilots in Israel’s founding air force and earned 22 film festival awards. He also appears in the 2000 documentary “Israel’s Forgotten Heroes,” narrated by Hal Linden. Fluent in Hebrew, Jeffrey completed a year of law school at Bar Ilan University and holds a law degree along with master’s degrees in International Law (Georgetown University Law Center) and Biotechnology (Johns Hopkins University). In addition to his academic and writing accomplishments, Jeffrey is an experienced entrepreneur, having served for more than a decade as a C-suite executive at a startup that was recently acquired for $3 billion. Jeffrey lives in Tel Aviv, where in 2024 he founded Stickers of Meaning, a project that preserves and educates about the memorial stickers that have appeared throughout Israel since October 7, 2023—honoring the fallen and inspiring the living with messages of love, purpose, daring, and joy. Jeffrey Weiss              Website Jeffrey Weiss              Facebook Jeffrey Weiss              Instagram Jeffrey Weiss              LinkedIn Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LQ515_f1awY?si=sOxnSBEH6jel-fm6" title=" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    28 min

  3. FEB 26

    Noshing With Aaron Poochigian – February 26, 2026

    Translator, Meditations By Marcus Aurelius This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with acclaimed poet and translator Aaron Poochigian, whose bold new translation of “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius reintroduces one of history’s most influential works for the 21st century. Watch Full Podcast Video Why translate a classic that’s already been translated countless times? For Aaron, the answer is deeply personal. After revisiting “Meditations” in the wake of COVID and his own life challenges, he returned to the original Greek text—and found something startlingly alive. He wasn’t interested in a polite, distant rendering. He wanted to restore the bright colors of Marcus’s language. To make it intimate. Immediate. Emotionally charged and lucid. Aaron describes the experience as so personal that he sometimes felt like Marcus’s shrink—because “Meditations” was never meant for publication. The Roman emperor wrote it for himself, assuming no one would ever read it. That raw honesty, Aaron argues, is exactly why it still resonates today—from CEOs navigating high-stakes decisions to anyone wrestling with regret, distraction, or the relentless pace of technology. In this thoughtful and revealing conversation, Aaron and Ira explore the myths about Stoicism, the idea of “divine rationality,” Marcus’s influence on modern cognitive therapy, and why happiness, in Marcus’s view, comes from living in accordance with nature. They also examine why this ancient voice feels especially urgent in a hyper-digital world that constantly pulls us away from the present moment. Aaron’s goal? Not just to have readers understand Marcus Aurelius—but to feel him. Aaron Poochigian is a poet, classics scholar, and translator who lives and writes in New York City. His work has appeared in such newspapers and journals as The Financial Times, The New York Review of Books, and Poetry Magazine. He’s the author of Four Walks in Central Park: A Poetic Guide to the Park, and his translations include Stung with Love (Penguin UK). His new translation is Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations Aaron Poochigian       Website Aaron Poochigian       Facebook Aaron Poochigian       Instagram Aaron Poochigian       X Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-yyv5bZ9zI?si=keCSLOGvc-pdTWB6" title=" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    28 min

  4. FEB 19

    Noshing With Monte Schulz – February 19, 2026

    Author, Undercity What does it mean to grow up as the son of one of the most beloved cartoonists in history — and then find your own creative voice? Watch Full Podcast Video This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Monte Schulz, author of the genre-blending fantasy/sci-fi thriller Undercity. The son of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, Monte shares an intimate look at his upbringing, his artistic evolution, and the lessons in storytelling that shaped him. Monte reflects on coming of age just as his father’s fame exploded — and how Charles Schulz recognized in his teenage son an ear for lyrical language. Encouraged to read deeply and widely, Monte’s creative path shifted from music to poetry, and ultimately to prose. Inspired early on by science fiction and history, raised on a sprawling 20-acre property that instilled in him a love of rural landscapes, Monte says he eventually “bloomed outward” as a writer. He discusses how popular novels taught him pacing and storytelling momentum, while literary writers shaped his command of language. The poetry of Carl Sandburg continues to inspire him — “When I read Sandburg, it reminds me why I write,” Monte says. “Literature is endless. It doesn’t die.” Monte also opens up about wanting to write about war, his writing technique, and the memorable advice his father gave him about overcoming writer’s block. This is a thoughtful, revealing conversation about creativity, legacy, and why great literature — like great storytelling — never fades. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video) ABOUT MONTE: Monte Schulz received his M.A. in American Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara. He published his first novel, Down by the River, in 1990, and spent the next twelve years writing a novel about the Jazz Age. His most recent novel, award winning Metropolis, was published in 2022. His father is the late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. He lives in Santa Barbara, California. Monte Schulz    Website Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/znRugroIK4A?si=Ectizx1BvnZT16Pv" title=" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    28 min

  5. FEB 12

    Noshing With Peter H. Bailey – February 12, 2026

    Author, The Epic of You This week, Ira spoke with Peter H. Bailey, author of The Epic of You. In this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” It’s not if life will disrupt your plans—it’s when. Careers stall. Relationships shift. That little voice wakes you up at 5 a.m. and starts whispering doubt. And suddenly, you’re wondering whether you’re falling behind. Watch Full Podcast Video This week on Ira’s “Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Peter H. Bailey, author of The Epic of You, for a powerful conversation about reframing crisis, silencing the “disease of comparison,” and discovering the hero inside ordinary life. Peter draws on a 45-year career in leadership and coaching—and the timeless wisdom of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey—to explain why being heroic doesn’t mean climbing a mountain. It means staying with your challenges long enough to uncover the gift at the end. Every culture tells a version of the same story: someone leaves the village and returns transformed—or a stranger arrives and changes everything. Peter believes that story is a map for your life—past, present, and future. The “call to adventure” isn’t about drama. It’s about growth. And often, the hardest seasons produce the greatest expansion. When Peter couldn’t find a book to guide him through his own turning points, he wrote one. The Epic of You is both a personal processing tool and a leadership framework built on one simple formula: Experience + Reflection = Real Education. In this thoughtful and energizing episode, Peter shares why curiosity matters, why comparison shrinks your future, and why the word “epic” belongs to all of us. Because the chaos we fear may just be the doorway to the life we’re meant to live. ABOUT PETER: Peter H. Bailey is an author, global facilitator, and leadership strategist whose four decades of workhave taken him to more than 50 countries. As President of The Prouty Project, a leadingstrategic planning and leadership developmentfirm, he has guided executives and teams through organizational transformation with a rare blend ofinsight, empathy, and hands-on learning expertise. A TEDx speaker on “Developing Your Heroic Journey Mindset” and award-winning global educator, Peter has delivered leadership programs worldwide and previously ran a corporate training adventure center in Indonesia. He holds a Master’s in Experiential Education, serves on the Board of Voyageur Outward Bound School, and writes regularly on human performance and personal transformation. Fluent in Indonesian and conversational in German, Peter brings deep cultural awareness shaped by extensive travel, including multi-month overland expeditions across Asia, Europe, and Africa. His personal pursuits are as wide-ranging as his professional work—rock climbing, sailing, scuba diving, dog-sledding and fly-fishing. His attempt to learn the instruments of cultures around the world prompted him to learn the didgeridoo from Australia, playing the chanter from Scotland, and the low whistle from his time in Ireland are examples of his curiosity and love for life! Peter H. Bailey     Website Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPfM-JqATBQ?si=MStDu8f_NwuOD48z" title=" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    28 min

  6. FEB 5

    Noshing With Elizabeth Chamblee Burch – February 5, 2026

    Author, The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America’s Lawsuit Factory In this eye-opening episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Ira sits down with Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, author of The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America’s Lawsuit Factory, to expose a hidden industry operating in plain sight. Watch Full Podcast Video Elizabeth takes listeners inside the shadowy world of mass tort litigation—where legal cases are bought and sold like baseball cards, kickback provisions are quietly skirted, and enforcement of existing laws often falls through the cracks. Her investigation began with what she thought was routine research, but everything changed after attending a conference in Las Vegas—followed by a chilling call from a whistleblower who had been there too. At the center of The Pain Brokers are three women whose lives were upended by the system, including patients harmed by pelvic mesh surgeries. Elizabeth explains how failures in regulation—by both the legal and medical professions—allow abuses to continue, and why so much of the problem isn’t the absence of laws, but the lack of enforcement. This conversation is also a call to action. From educating yourself before consenting to surgery, to becoming your own best advocate, to understanding how loopholes could be closed, this episode arms listeners with the knowledge they need to protect themselves—and demand accountability. If you care about patient safety, justice, and how profit can quietly distort both, this is an episode you won’t forget. Elizabeth Chamblee Burch is the Fuller E. Callaway Chair of Law at the University of Georgia. Her groundbreaking work on mass torts and class actions won the American Law Institute’s Early Career Scholars Medal in 2015, the Fred C. Zacharias Memorial Prize for Professional Responsibility Scholarship in 2016, and the Mangano Dispute Resolution Advancement Award in 2019. The author of two academic books, she has published more than 40 articles and essays in legal journals and is a frequent commentator on NPR and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Economist, and USA Today. In addition to her law degree, she holds an MFA in narrative nonfiction. She lives in Athens, Georgia.  Elizabeth Chamblee Burch     Website Elizabeth Chamblee Burch     Facebook Elizabeth Chamblee Burch     Instagram Elizabeth Chamblee Burch     LinkedIn Elizabeth Chamblee Burch     X Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nmFwib8Mexk?si=12FCYRW6I7WmsUx6" title=" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    27 min

  7. JAN 29

    Noshing With Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett – January 29, 2026

    Author, I Wish I’d Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss What if the biggest career mistake isn’t staying too long in a bad job—but staying too long under a toxic boss? Watch Full Podcast Video This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett, organizational psychologist and author of I Wish I’d Quit Sooner: Practical Strategies for Navigating and Escaping a Toxic Boss. Drawing from her own painful experience in a toxic workplace, years of academic research, and hundreds of real-world stories, Dr. Laura breaks down what actually makes a boss toxic—and why the damage often escalates over time. She explains the critical difference between a difficult boss and a truly toxic one, why toxic bosses are not real leaders, and how overt and covert behaviors quietly erode confidence, health, and identity. In this episode, you’ll hear why so many people say “I wish I’d quit sooner,” the eight toxic boss personas (including the dishonest manipulator), and how childhood trauma often shows up in leadership in destructive ways. Dr. Laura also offers clear-eyed options—the pros and cons of staying, confronting, taking medical leave, or exiting—and why fear keeps so many people stuck. Most importantly, this conversation is practical, not academic. Dr. Laura shares actionable strategies: how to document toxic behavior safely, why exit interviews matter more than you think, how to build a network before you need it, and how to prepare an exit plan that protects both your career and your well-being. Because work isn’t just what we do—it’s who we are. And staying too long in a toxic environment comes at a cost. ABOUT: Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett is an organizational psychologist and thought leader sought-after internationally for her expertise on workplace culture, career development, toxic leadership, and burnout. Along with her 25 years of experience in her field, she holds a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Calgary, where she is currently an adjunct professor. A passionate entrepreneur, she has founded several psychology practices in Canada and hosts the widely followed podcast, “Where Work Meets Life.”  In addition to I Wish I’d Quit Sooner, she has published two psychological thrillers, Losing Cadence and Finding Sophie, aimed at both captivating readers and raising awareness on important topics around mental health and domestic violence, currently being adapted for a TV series. Dr. Laura is also co-founder of the WITH HER movement, focused on ending violence against women and girls.  She received a “Canadian Women of Inspiration” Award as a Global Influencer in 2018.         Dr. Laura     Website Dr. Laura      Facebook Dr. Laura      Instagram Dr. Laura      LinkedIn Dr. Laura      X Dr. Laura      YouTube    Watch the full Podcast Video iframe class="video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fpBxd6NZchw?si=BwcWtJw6aU5fbPRy" title="YouTube video player" title=" title="YouTube video player" title="YouTube video player

    29 min

  8. JAN 22

    Noshing With Dr. Craig Yorke – January 22, 2026

    Author, Steep: A Black Neurosurgeon’s Journey From a struggling Boston neighborhood to the operating rooms of Middle America, Dr. Craig Yorke has lived a life that’s as inspiring as it is revealing. Watch Full Podcast Video This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with the author of Steep: A Black Neurosurgeon’s Journey, for a deeply personal and thought-provoking conversation about ambition, identity, and the hidden emotional cost of success. Craig opens up about what first compelled him to write his book — a moment of “remedy” while browsing a bookstore shelf — and how his story reaches far beyond race. He reflects on growing up in the lower rungs of the Black middle class, shaped by parents wounded by racism in 1920s and ’30s Boston, and raised with the belief that rebellion was never an option. We hear about “the fork in the road” that took him to Topeka, Kansas, a choice rooted as much in ethics as in opportunity, and how success in the world’s eyes came with armor he carried for decades. After writing this book, Craig says, “the armor is finally off.” This isn’t simply a story about breaking barriers. It’s a moving exploration of resilience, healing, legacy, and what it truly means to chase — and redefine — the American Dream. ABOUT: Dr. Craig Yorke was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He received a BA from Harvard College in 1970 and an MD from Harvard Medical School in 1974. His parental directive insisted he avenge centuries of bigotry with a life of infinite success. After a neurosurgical residency at the University of California at San Francisco, he and his wife Mary found their way to an unlikely destination. He practiced in Topeka, Kansas, for 25 years, wrestling with his history and the armored identity, it had imposed. He and Mary raised two boys: Zack who lives in Brooklyn and Chris who calls Seattle home. Craig brews coffee for two each morning in the colonial home they’ve occupied for 33 years. He’s a credible violinist, having played the Bruch G Minor concerto with the Boston Pops at 17, and hits tennis balls with passion. Steep is his first book.  Craig Yorke Website Craig Yorke Facebook Watch the full Podcast Video

    27 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Discover Ira’s Everything Bagel, a blend of US arts and culture. Schmeared with podcasts rich in ideas worth spreading, as well as captivating stories.

Information

  • Creator
    Ira David Sternberg
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Copyright
    © COPYRIGHT 2012-2024 IDS CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Show Website
    Ira's Everything Bagel