Pop Therapy (Formerly The Curious Life Podcast)

with Jana Firestone
  • 4.6 (21)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Pop Therapy (formerly The Curious Life Podcast) is where therapist, bestselling author and unapologetic pop-culture obsessive Jana Firestone dissects the worlds we binge. From Bravo scandals, celebrity culture to streaming sensations and the fandoms that fuel them. With a clinical lens and a die-hard viewer’s heart, Jana unpacks the psychology of conflict, fame, friendship fractures, redemption arcs and the storylines we can’t stop analysing, alongside candid conversations with the people living inside the pop-culture machine. Smart, incisive and highly entertaining.

  1. 3D AGO

    Captain Jason on Fatherhood, Fame and Finding His Footing in the BravoVerse

    Back home in Melbourne after an incredible trip to the US packed with events, meetings, podcast recordings and time right in the middle of Bravo central, I’m thrilled to share this long time coming conversation with Captain Jason Chambers from Below Deck Down Under. On screen, Jason is the calm, steady force at the helm, but in this episode we go well beyond the captain’s edit. We talk about how he’s grown as both a leader and a person, the profound influence of his daughter, and why being a present father has taken priority over romantic relationships for nearly a decade. Jason also opens up about navigating the Bravo world off camera - including pushing himself through stage fright and the intense FOMO of BravoCon without relying on alcohol, and what that experience taught him about confidence, self-awareness and showing up as himself in environments that can feel overwhelming. We also get into the realities of managing crew in a high-pressure industry, spending long stretches away from family, and the emotional weight of leadership when the cameras are rolling. It’s a thoughtful, grounded conversation about fatherhood, growth, leadership and the human being behind the uniform. Support Captain Jason: IG: @captainjchambers YouTube: @captainjchambers Website: Captains Lounge Currents of Change Support the show: IG: jana.firestone Website: www.janafirestone.com YouTube: @poptherapypodcast TikTok: @janafirestone Filmed and recorded by Angus O'Loughlin at Session in Progress Studio in Melbourne. Audio engineering as always by the brilliant Sam Talbot. Work with him yourself at www.samtalbot.com.au

    59 min

  2. MAR 3

    Reza Jackson: Moonwalks and the Motherland

    This week on Pop Therapy, I’m joined in person in LA, by Reza Jackson - and this one moves. We go back to his Iranian-Canadian upbringing and what it’s meant to claim his culture proudly as an adult. From building a content career to relocating to LA, Reza shares how he’s stayed deeply connected to the Persian community while carving out his own lane. We dive into The Valley: Persian Style, the cast dynamics, and why authentic representation actually matters. And yes - we get into his Michael Jackson impersonation journey, the art-versus-artist debate, the upcoming biopic, and the ethics of supporting an icon with accusations against him. Reza talks ambition, growth, and what the next five years hold - not just for him, but for elevating Iranian culture on a global stage. Identity. Performance. Legacy. And a little moonwalk energy. Support Reza: IG: @reza_jax TikTok: @rezajackson Watch: The Valley: Persian Style on Bravo, Peacock and Hayu. Support the show: IG: @jana.firestone YouTube: @poptherapypodcast TikTok: @janafirestone Website: www.janafirestone.com This episode was filmed at Lazy Pickle Studios, in Los Angeles. Supported as always by the brilliant Sam Talbot. Work with him at www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 1m

  3. FEB 26

    In Real Life with Ryan Bailey

    This ep was recorded live in LA with my buddy Ryan Bailey, who is on the brink of his biggest plot twist yet: fatherhood. Baby Romy is dropping soon, and we get into how the preparations are going, what shifts when real life gets very real, and whether you can truly prep for a role like that. From there, it’s straight into music, pop culture and our shared Bravo brain. The shows we’re obsessed with, the cast members we love to hate (or hate to love), and what that says about us. Why do some people become villains in the cultural group chat while others get rehabilitated in real time? Ryan pulls back the curtain on the grind of daily podcasting and what happens behind the scenes when your job is to stay across everything. Fast, funny, self-aware and just the right amount of chaotic. Pop Therapy, live from LA. Support Ryan's incredible work at: IG: @sobaditsgoodwithryanbailey Podcast: So Bad It's Good with Ryan Bailey Patreon: www.patreon.com/sobaditsgood YouTube: So Bad It's Good With Ryan Bailey Support the show! IG: @jana.firestone YouTube: Pop Therapy Podcast Website: www.janafirestone.com Work with Sam! www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 24m

  4. FEB 13

    Chef Stuart O'Keeffe: Private Chef, Public Life

    This week on Pop Therapy, I’m joined by the one and only Chef Stu - celebrity chef, cookbook author, podcaster and star of the Food Network’s Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. Stu takes us through his journey from Ireland to Los Angeles, what it really takes to build a career in the public eye, and how fame can blur the lines between your personal life and your public brand. We talk candidly about navigating a very public relationship and breakup, especially when that person lives a public life themselves.. The pressure of being watched in real time, and the boundaries you have to build to protect your peace. Of course, we also dive into the Bravosphere - from the new ick on Vanderpump Rules to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - and unpack what reality TV needs to bring back the magic. Plus, we touch on wellness trends like GLP-1s and NAD, energy culture, and the cultural obsession with optimisation. This one is funny, honest, and full of heart - with a little bit of cooking and a whole lot of Pop Therapy. Connect with the wonderful Chef Stu: IG: @chefstuartokeeffePodcast: Don't Let It Stu Connect with the show: Pop Therapy IG: ⁠⁠@jana.firestone⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠www.janafirestone.com⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠POP THERAPY PODCAST⁠ TikTok: ⁠@janafirestone⁠ Work with our brilliant audio engineer Sam Talbot at ⁠www.samtalbot.com.au⁠!

    59 min

  5. FEB 5

    Carina Mirabile: Behind the MAFS Cameras

    It's 2026 and a new seasons of MAFS is upon us! This episode was recorded last year, and I’ve been holding onto it ever since - because I knew the right moment would come. And with the new season of Married at First Sight airing this week, it feels like perfect timing. Today on Pop Therapy (The Curious Life Podcast when this was recorded), I’m joined by former MAFS bride Carina Mirabile, for a conversation that’s warm, honest, and far more reflective than you might expect from the world of reality TV. Carina opens up about who she was before the cameras, her love of travel and new experiences, and the deep family values that have shaped her. We talk about connection, relationships, and the quiet ways we grow in our twenties and thirties - especially when life takes an unexpected turn. We get into the Paul of it all - if you recall, it was a big moment on Australian TV and started a lot of conversations about family violence and red flags. This is a conversation about self-discovery, love, and stepping into a new chapter… even when you don’t know what the next page will hold. Follow Carina on IG at @carinamirabile Check out her biz at @by.mirab Follow the show at: Pop Therapy IG: ⁠@jana.firestone⁠ Website: ⁠www.janafirestone.com YouTube: ⁠POP THERAPY PODCAST TikTok: @janafirestone Work with our brilliant audio engineer Sam Talbot at www.samtalbot.com.au!

    59 min

  6. JAN 22

    Brand Breakups and Bravo Truths: Brooklyn Beckham, Amanda and Kyle and why The Valley: Persian Style works.

    In this episode of Pop Therapy, we are joined by one of our faves, Dana Regan The Bravo Investigator, for a sharp, fast-moving unpack of the biggest pop-culture moments right now. We dive into Brooklyn Beckham’s shock statement and the very public separation from his famous family - what it signals, what it exposes, and why it’s landed so loudly. We then turn to the Amanda and Kyle split on Summer House - the slowest relationship unraveling reality TV has ever normalised - and what Amanda’s honesty around mental health reveals about emotional labour in public relationships. We touch on The Traitors and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, before ending where Bravo is getting it right. The Valley: Persian Style gets its flowers as one of the most exciting new additions to the network - rich cultural context, real relational stakes, and dynamics that feel lived-in rather than produced. Pop culture, with the therapy lens firmly on. Follow Dana Regan / The Bravo InvestigatorPodcast: The Bravo Investigator PodcastInstagram: @thebravoinvestigatorPatreon: www.patreon.com/thebravoinvestigator Follow Pop TherapyInstagram: @jana.firestoneWebsite: www.janafirestone.com Listen & subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Thank you to the brilliant Sam Talbot for audio engineering and production support. Work with him too at www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 15m

  7. JAN 16

    Above Deck Pop Therapy Crossover

    This is an Above Deck x Pop Therapy mashup! The incredible team, Sarah Goldman and Kelli Busby invited me to be a guest aboard their brilliant pod, Above Deck, to chat all things Below Deck, Bravo and beyond. You can watch the ep in full on the Hurrdat Entertainment YouTube Channel or listen here or via Above Deck on Apple Pods or Spotify. Warning: This episode includes a frank discussion about suicide - please listen with care and reach out to The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) if you need help. In Australia, reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14) Sarah and Kelli talk to Jana Firestone from the Pop Therapy Podcast. Topics include: Favorite Bravo podcasters, BravoCon, her therapy background, what makes Below Deck a unique reality show, her trip to LA, her time with Joe Bradley, internet trolls, Rachel Zoe’s return to Bravo, RHOBH, It’s a Brad, Brad World, Juicy Scoop, her love of Craig Conover, how tall most Bravolebs are, Salley and Venita, the horrible episode of The Viall Files with Austen Kroll, The Valley: Persian Style, how to watch Heated Rivalry. A bonus episode of Above Deck is out now! Follow us on Instagram: @abovedeckpod   Get in touch: abovedeckpod@gmail.com  Get ya some Above Deck merch: https://shop.hurrdatmedia.com/collections/above-deck  If you’re struggling and think you’d benefit from a therapy session, go to betterhelp.com/Abovedeck or choose Above Deck during signup and get 10% off your first month of therapy. Please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and tell a friend! Resources: https://988lifeline.org/ instagram.com/jana.firestone/ Pop Therapy on Apple Podcasts Pop Therapy on YouTube So Bad It's Good With Ryan Bailey Reality Life with Kate Casey https://decider.com/2026/01/13/nick-viall-wife-natalie-joy-owe-austen-kroll-apology/ This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or the Hurrdat Media YouTube channel!

    57 min

  8. JAN 7

    Below Deck Med: Beneath the Mask with Joe Bradley

    Content warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide, suicidal ideation, mental health and homelessness. Please take care while listening. This week on Pop Therapy, we go below the surface with Joe Bradley from Below Deck Mediterranean - and it goes far deeper than the edit ever could. Behind the yachtie lifestyle and reality TV storyline is a life shaped by instability, survival mode and a fierce determination to do better. Joe opens up about his early life, the sacrifices his mother made for the family and the inconceivably dark days that followed the loss of his career and home. These were the moments that shaped him and he's not afraid to talk about it. Yachting for Joe became not just a job but a way out. We unpack what it’s really like to have your lowest moments, relationship mistakes and drunken nights out judged in real time by the internet. And yes, we go there. Joe answers the V and Kizzi questions that are probably burning inside of you too - with honesty, accountability and a lot more nuance than a reunion couch would allow. This is a conversation about resilience, self-reflection and what happens when you stop running from your past and start rewriting it. About public perception, private pain, and the quiet work of becoming someone you can live with - and eventually build a future with. This is Pop Therapy at its best: reality TV, minus the mask. Catch Joe on Season 10 of Below Deck Med airing now on Hayu, Bravo and Peacock. Follow him on IG at @joebradley_ Follow the show at @jana.firestone or get in touch online at www.janafirestone.com Watch this and all other episodes on YouTube at POP THERAPY PODCAST This episode was filmed and recorded by the brilliant Angus O'Loughlin at SESSION in PROGRESS Thank you to our wonderful sound engineer Sam Talbot for all of his incredible work and support. You can work with him too! www.samtalbot.com.au

    1h 9m
See All (127)

4.6
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Pop Therapy (formerly The Curious Life Podcast) is where therapist, bestselling author and unapologetic pop-culture obsessive Jana Firestone dissects the worlds we binge. From Bravo scandals, celebrity culture to streaming sensations and the fandoms that fuel them. With a clinical lens and a die-hard viewer’s heart, Jana unpacks the psychology of conflict, fame, friendship fractures, redemption arcs and the storylines we can’t stop analysing, alongside candid conversations with the people living inside the pop-culture machine. Smart, incisive and highly entertaining.

Information

You Might Also Like