Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald - 2023: My One Year No Beer with Andy Ramage

Episode Date: October 10, 2023

On this week's episode, we speak to the creator of One Year No Beer, Andy Ramage. Ramage, a casual drinker, woke up one day and wondered what life would be like if he stopped drinking for a year. And it did more for him than dieting, working out, or meditating. In fact, it changed the way he looked at life forever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm Raquel Willis. Join me on my new podcast, Queer Chronicles, a show where LGBTQ plus folks tell their own stories in their own words. This season, teens will share all about growing up in political battleground states. We will always exist and we will definitely not let them take away our joy, no matter how hard they try. Listen to Queer Chronicles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your most fabulous shows. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the On Purpose podcast. And I had the opportunity to talk to one of Hollywood's major icons, Michael B. Jordan. In our conversation, Michael shares the highs, the lows, and everything in between, offering a genuine glimpse into his world.

The closest to getting what you want is always the hardest. People give up right before they get what they've always wanted to get. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine you ask two people the same seven questions. I'm Minnie Driver, and this was the idea I set out to explore in my podcast, Minnie Questions.

This year, we bring a whole new group of guests to answer the same seven questions, including Courtney Cox, Rob Delaney, Liz Phair, and many, many more. Join me on season three of Minnie Questions on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Seven questions, limitless answers. Professional dancer Cheryl Burke has been part of Dancing with the Stars since the very beginning.

26 seasons of the samba, the rumba, and the cha-cha. 24 partners, six finals, and two mirrorball trophies. She knows all the secrets, the behind-the-scenes arguments, and the affairs, the flings, the flirting, and the fighting. Listen to Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. He's in that sweatshirt. Man, does he love that sweatshirt. It looks very cozy. I don't blame him.

I know. And it's Disney and I know you love Disney, but that dude rocks that sweatshirt almost every podcast, Joelle. At least three times a week I imagine he goes to that sweater. That is his go-to. If people saw a video of this podcast, Joelle, they would see that

we change our outfits. Yes. But Donald is almost always in a mickey mouse hoodie i'm gonna call it his podcasting sweater from now on yeah it has cute little ears on the top of it you know mr rogers changes into his outfit of each show donald grabs his mickey mouse hoodie with the hood and for the audience who's listening The hoodie has little ears on it Adorable It's very cute It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood Yeah, I wonder if he sings that

As he puts on his Mickey Mouse hoodie before each show It changes from his loafers to his inside shoes Yeah, he puts He takes off his Jordan 4s And puts on Some Uggs. Oh

my God. What are the things we are allowed to talk about now? I don't even know what to... There's so much. Are you recording? Yeah. I got so much to say to you, I don't even know where to begin. Yo, dude, like, what are we allowed to talk about? You can talk about... Well, you as just a SAG member can't really talk about jack shit.

I, as a Writers Guild member, can talk about how good the movie A Good Person is, and everyone should check it out if they haven't gone to see it. You motherfucker, dude. As you should. As you should. I've been meaning to tell people forever. I couldn't. It's on airplanes.

It's everywhere now. And please check it out if you happen to miss a good person. My lips have been duct taped as a good member of my guild. Right. But as the writer-director, I am now allowed to tell you to please check out a good person. You can rent it everywhere. It's really good. If you want a good cry on an airplane, which is the best place to cry to a movie, I highly recommend it.

Sorry, Donald. You're not allowed. Well, you can comment on the writing of it, Donald, I think. Right. I can say that it is well written and well directed. Thank you, sir. Thank you. I love you. I miss you. I miss you, too. I wish I could talk about some things.

You got a little scrappiness. Yeah, you know what? This weekend, I coached my son to a championship at Grassroots 365. Grassroots 365 championship in Anaheim. And I yelled a lot. I did a lot of yelling. But they won and you were so stoked and it was your dream come true. They won. He had a good championship game, which is great because the week started off a little iffity dippity, you know, for him and he played through it and it was hard to coach him as a dad

and get him to play through it because, you know, I want to be sensitive to it, but I also got to play coach as well. But you want to be too hard on him because my dad was a little too hard on my sister in swimming, and she eventually was like, fuck this, I'm out. Well, the great thing is that he loves it. Yeah, that's good. And so when I push him, it motivates him. What were his stats, Donald?

His stats weren't great this weekend. So here's the thing. He's been having really good basketball tournaments at this spot where we go because he goes there a lot. As of right now, they're the number one team in the West Coast region, and they're ranked like eight or something like that in the nation as far as his age group goes. They're the Inglewood Guard Dogs, right? But they didn't play this weekend. He played with his sports academy team, which is another team that's really good. It's an 11U team, and he's playing up with that one.

And they went down there, and they won the gold chip. But his stats were just all right. And he thought he was going to go down there and do like, you know, because it was his home turf. He thought he was going to go down there and shake and bake and everything like that. But it's a team game and he couldn't do that. And so, you know, it was just, it was a rough weekend for him,

but he still, he turned up in the finals and I'm proud of him. I'm proud of him. And I'm proud of the boys. I hope if I have a kid, there is into the thing I'm into as your son is with yours. Well, that'd be really awesome. If you had a kid who was in the musical theater.

Yeah. Oh my God. If I had a kid that loves going to musicals and he was like, dad, we got to see dad. We got to go see Merrily We Roll along on Broadway. It's fucking amazing. It's got,

you know, it's, you know, Jonathan Groff's in it. We got to go. I'd be like, I love you, son.

Dad, it's a Sondheim play, and the story actually goes backwards in time. Shut up, son. I really can't talk about anything else? You can't, as a SAG member, talk about, promote anything that you're enjoying watching. No. No. No! Sorry. It'll be over soon, I think.

Everyone seems to think it's going to end soon. I had the over on all of this. That's a sports betting term, everyone. I really thought. Very good. Thank you. I Googled it. I thought this was going to go to the new year.

And I'm so happy that the guild got everything they wanted and that they have a deal. And I think SAG is going to follow soon and Donald will be able to plug all his Star Wars shows you can talk about it aren't you allowed to talk about it I'm sure you want to talk about Ashoka but I don't watch it and I don't know anything about it

what'd you call it? what is it Ashoka? I can't say it but you can say the title what's it called? it's called Ahsoka I'm. I can't say it. But you can say the title. What's it called? It's called Ahsoka. Ahsoka. I'm sorry. I don't watch Ahsoka.

By the way, I got to say something. You don't watch Black Mirror, right? You don't watch anything I send you, do you? So frustrating. I only watch Star Wars. Listen, man. Listen, what frustrates me so much amongst the many things of you being my best friend is that when there's things I know that you will love like oh my god this is

so donald he will love this like the boys the show for example dude you're so geeked right now hold on cut the bullshit because this is where we're going with it did you watch the black mirror thing no did you watch the boys thing no the gen b thing the one where they drugged me yeah motherfucker i know where this is going i know where this is going joel did you see it uh no it's my on my next to watch list. I'm so excited. I've heard nothing but great things. You can't say it's on your next to watch list, Joelle.

I'm not a member of SAG. She's not a member of SAG. Oh my God, you guys are killing me right now. So you guys, you got to watch. If you love the boys, you got to watch Gen G. It's really good. It's kind of like X-Men-ish to the boys. It's about the young kids that are trained to be the new superheroes.

Yeah, so anyway, I'm watching this show, Gen V, and they, like, give me this shout-out. This girl's like, yeah, I got a part in a new show. It's in Marvel. It's basically like a Marvel. It's like a, what's that show about the sitcoms, the Marvel show? WandaVision. Yeah, it's like a shout-out to WandaVision kind of show. And she's like, yeah, Zach Braff is directing.

We're friends. And I'm just sitting here like, wait, what? What did she say? It was the weirdest thing. Very surreal. That is nuts. That feels good though. But anyway, the show is very good.

Maybe you should be directing some boys. I know. Listen, if anyone from the boys is listening, I love the show. I love Gen V. Please think of me. I love it. It's so well-written.

Their directing slate might even be full this year or close to full this year. I imagine they're done or they got to be done. It's a new season. But anyway, it's so good. Check out the boys. The other thing I watched, I was going to say about the Black Mirror thing. Donald, there's this episode, right?

It's Anthony Mackie. Joel, did you see this one with the guys who are going to the VR street fighting game and start hooking up? No. Oh, my God. The guy, actor from Moonlight, who's genius, and Anthony Mackie, right, Donald? They're best friends, right? One's a bad, it's like you and me.

That's why he's going to make you laugh. Because they're like best friends. One's married and has kids. And he's, his life is a little bit like, he's a bit bored in his life. The other is a bachelor still, but he's sort of dissatisfied in his life. And it's like in the future, right?

So they get like this street fighter game. Remember like the like Tekken, right? But it's a VR. So when you play, you are the person and you feel the punches, right? And one decides to be like this ripped Asian guy, right? And one decides to be like super hot Asian chick. Like she's so beautiful, right?

And they go, let's play, dude. This is the newest thing. Like we used to, like when we were at college, we got to play, but it's full on VR. You feel the punches, you feel every sensation, right? They go into the world of the VR game, right? And they start like fighting and like, this is so crazy. And you see them when they're in their VR state, they're like, like the matrix, they're like shifting because they can feel the punches and everything. And then they just look at each other and they just start hooking up. They start making out because they're both so hot, right?

Like the one's like 10, they're both 10 out of 10 looks, you know, sexy. Yeah, yeah, Abdul Mateen. Oh my gosh. Yes, he's incredible. And they just start like hooking up because they're both so attracted to the avatar. That's amazing.

But they're feeling the feelings on their couches, in their houses. Oh my God. So who's the bottom? So then they start realizing like, oh my God, is this cheating? houses so so who's the bottom so then they start realizing like oh my god is this cheating and the guy who's married he's like i can't do this to my wife the actress oh my god she was so good i gotta give her a shout out she's incredible i never saw this this woman before but um when you just look up who it is definitely cheating if you're having sex in vr with someone if it's cheating, if you're texting someone, it's definitely cheating.

If you are having sex in VR, they feel all the feelings. And the dude's like, finally, he's like, this is fucked up. I got it. I can't do this to my wife.

And they're like bros. And then finally they, they meet up. Sorry. These are spoilers, I guess, but they meet up. Cause they're like,

dude, we got to see if we're gay or not, because I, I need to know. So like, they're like, we should probably kiss and see if it's like real life or it's just vr world and so they so they kiss and there's like not anything he's like no he's like you no he's like fuck it's just in the vr world that they

because that's for the characters right but then he's like what does it feel like because one of them's a guy and he's like what does it feel like when i'm like basically when i'm fucking you and he's like dude it's like so much more intense than being a man being a man and having an orgasm is like a guitar solo having as a woman is like an orchestra this is amazing for this cast is incredible so we already mentioned anthony mackie and yaya abdul-matin the second nicole bahari who is yes incredible palm clementi plays rock rock set who i think is the woman no no the woman i'm talking about is the African-American wife. Oh, Nicole Beharie.

Oh, she is fantastic. I love her. Do you know who she is, Donald? No. She's a wonderful actress. I haven't seen her before. Who is she in? What else has she been in, Joelle?

One second. Nicole has been in, what would you know her from? Shame. She was in The Last Fall. She was in, did you see Miss Juneteenth? She's so great in that. That was like a- Donald's not going to know unless she was in Marvel or Star she was in did you see miss juneteenth that she's so great in that that was like i was not gonna know she was unless she was in marvel or star wars so this is the lead in sleepy hollow oh anyway she's a wonderful actress and she she did such a good job in this and anthony mackie's always good and what's the other he plays falcon from falcon and the wonder soldier

i know there you go donald knows he is there we go yeah this guy is because he was in um um what's that show donald didn't say it but the watcher what's it called john joel the watchers or um watchman watchman watchman he was in that right he's a blue guy yeah yeah he played uh yeah you saw his blue penis professor manhattan yeah dr manhattan he's a really wonderful actor was it was his penis bigger than the white guy's penis? Well, in Black Mirror, they don't show penis. But it was so- No, in Dr. Manhattan, if you saw his penis. Well, we do see his penis, don't we?

I don't remember its size, but I remember that it was blue. Because in the movie, he had a pretty big penis too, man. He's walking around. And then they, you know what they did in the movie? I can't talk about it, can I? No, you can't. You really can't. I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry. You're a sag. Fran Drescher will knock on your door. I don't mind that. I love her. Fran, come kick it. We can totally kick it, Fran. Come have tea.

Let's drink. Fran sees like, you know, like the bat signal? Fran sees like that sag comedy and tragedy signal. And she's like, I got to go to Donald's house. If that's what it takes to get her over here. All right, listen, we've been trying to do fun things, smart things, educational things. We hoped you liked our vagina episode. Joelle, was it well received, our vagina episode?

We got a lot of funny comments on the social media about how much people are loving the vagina specialist. I thought that was a really good episode. We should have the vagina specialist and the penis specialist on at the same time. Yes. And then imagine they fall in love and they start dating. That would be so dope if they could just fuck. He's like, I love the way you talk about pussy. And she's like, I love the way you talk

about dick. Where do you live? What do you mean doctors don't talk that way? Joelle, you think when doctors get off of work, they're like, you're erect organ. You think they're talking to freaking doctors? Yeah, they know how to talk dirtier than anyone, Joelle. They're like, I want to see your labia minora. They're not talking like that.

Do you think when doctors talk dirty, they're like, they use the specifics? Hell no. Come on, girl. Please, God, no. You got the nicest menorah. She's like, you mean my Hanukkah candelabra? My Hanukkah menorah. No, girl.

Your labia menorah. That's for all you young Jewish men out there. You want a good pickup line? Uncle Zach just gave it to you. I saw the funniest pickup line on on an instagram just real this guy goes i mean you have to be so cheesy to do this but it was funny he goes the guy he goes the guy over there thinks you're cute and then he ran over there and like leaned on the counter and smiled back at her oh my god you liked it joelle you rolled your eyes joelle you would laugh if somebody did that to you it's hard to ignore a dad a dad joke is can be pretty no but like it

was so cheesy but funny like the guy who did it made it funny it was good that's how you at least get a drink that's how at least somebody she's gonna laugh just because it's so stupid. Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And it makes you seem harmless. Right. Like, that guy is probably chill. Yeah. All right. Listen, guys.

Today, we talked about vaginas last week. We're going to talk about alcohol today. Because this guy, Andy Ramage, I heard on a podcast. And he is so smart and speaks so interestingly about alcohol. And we are fake doctors. And we thought we should have an interesting episode, since we can no longer talk about scrubs for now, about alcohol. So is he here, Joelle? Yeah.

All right, Donald, count us in. Five, six, seven, eight. We made about a bunch of docs and nurses and a janitor who loved me. I said, here's a story that we all should know. So gather round to hear our, gather round to hear our Scrubs Rewatch Show with Zach and Donald. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Andy Robbins! How are you doing? That's your thunderous applause, Andy. That is a cool intro. Thank you very much.

Oh, look, Andy's got all the professional gear and everything, too. Well, you're going to get a great recording out of him. I'm so excited. Andy, welcome to the podcast. That's my co-host, Donald Faison. Right on. Welcome. I want to just give the audience a little context. I, you guys know I've spoken about Rich Roll on the podcast. I think he is just such an incredible man, has a wonderful podcast, and I'm lucky enough to be friendly with him. And I've been playing with my own relationship to alcohol. I've been trying, drinking less and going on like two month breaks and three months breaks and just seeing how my body felt and how my mind felt. And when I told

Rich this, he said, oh my gosh, have you ever heard my podcast with Andy? You should hear it. And he sent it to me and it really was life-changing. I'm not blowing it up too big to say that to you, Andy. I really thought the way you spoke about alcohol and the way you talked about this sort of middle lane for people who are just curious about alcohol, people who are casual drinkers, people who maybe get drunk a few times a month or whatever, not necessarily speaking to people who would need a program like AA or something other than that, but that sort of middle lane of people who are kind of curious, what would my life be like without alcohol? And you just spoke so eloquently about it. And I'm just, I feel shy around you because you're so smart. And I wanted to have you on to share your knowledge with our audience. Thank you for such a wonderful intro. I'm super excited to be here.

Share the message of alcohol freeness with the world. That's what it's all about. Yeah. Now, when I first found you, you were a part of something called One Year No Beer. I believe you have a different project now, but can you talk a little bit about how you got into this and how your life changed from experimenting with no alcohol? Yeah. So originally I was a professional soccer player.

I guess you'd call it over there in my early 20s. And then I got injured, traveled the world, ended up in the world of broken, the guys in the bright jackets that scream and shout at one another, fast-paced, electric, high octane, high stress, awash with alcohol. That's how we entertained. That's what we did.

Fast forward 10 years, I'd reached a certain level of success, I guess, materially. And in my mind, I should have been blissfully happy. Only I wasn't. I was three stone, 42 pounds heavier than I am now. I'd just discovered I had early onset heart disease. I was starting to suffer from morning after anxiety. There was a bit of a dark cloud over my life. I didn't have the oomph to get up and go that I used to have. I actually thought in this weird space, it must be middle age. And then like lots of people, I started to experiment with different ideas and concepts. I started to try and run a bit more, only I was really inconsistent. I tried to eat a bit better, yet I was inconsistent in my

nutrition. I tried ice baths and meditation. I was too anxious to meditate. The last thing, which I think is so true of so many people, that I ever questioned was alcohol because it was a given, right? That's what you did as a broker and as an adult. We all drink. But I had this nagging feeling that maybe if I took a break, things might start to change. And I did. And it transformed my life. And I was a middle lane drinker. And I think that's really important to get that across to your listeners. So a middle lane drinker being someone that would drink averagely, someone that would drink heavily, someone that would drink not at all and moderately, which is probably about 70% of the adult population of the Western world. So there was no problem. There was no rock bottom. Was I drinking too much? Absolutely. But who isn't? So I removed

it and got these amazing results. I lost that weight. That 42 pounds came off me. My resting heart rate went from 68 down to 42. I paused early onset heart disease. My business, my broken business, and everyone said it would fail because you can't be a broker and not drink, grew seven times bigger in half the time. It was such a beautiful experience. I just wanted to share it. I didn't know how to share it. I wrote a little ebook, put the ebook into the world. It got picked up by one of the world's biggest publishers, Pam McMillan. So I wrote another book called the 28th Alcohol Free Challenge, which started the One You Know Beer movement, which collectively with all the

other initiatives that I've got involved in have inspired hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people to take a proactive break. And it's been that message I've been banging on for the last 10 years. Well, you do it so well. Yeah. First of all, as someone who still drinks alcohol and delves into his vices, you look amazing, first of all. We should tell the audience that he's ripped and handsome.

Right. You said that you were a rugby player or a football player. Soccer player. Football player. When you stopped drinking alcohol, did that make it so that you went to the gym and that your diet changed because of that? Because, you know, there are people that say, you know, no, I lost weight. I just stopped drinking. And that's all they did. And I find that hard to believe because when I didn't drink, I didn't just lose weight. I had to go to the gym and stuff like that. Can you speak on how your physique and fitness came back to you? Because I've seen pictures of you when you were

at the height of your middle ground drinking. So true. And you're right. Well, some of the research, which is really interesting, says that for middle lane drinkers who take a 28 day break from alcohol, they on average lose about three kilograms, which is really interesting. But for me, you're right. The reason that the weight fell off wasn't just stopping drinking. It was actually then that I got consistent in the way that I was exercising. Because if we think about it, what is the number one thing that gets in the way of our consistency of exercise? I would say for most people, it's a hangover. All those few drinks at the weekend that means they can't quite be bothered to go to the gym

on a Monday or a Tuesday. What's the number one thing that destroys our nutrition? It's invariably that stodge food that we crave after those couple of drinks. Again, this is middle lane drinking. So when you remove that, suddenly my nutrition was much better. My exercise was more consistent. Plus I removed all those calories from alcohol. And you're right, the combination of those few things, the weight fell off on me. I got into the best shape of my life, mainly because the catalyst was alcohol, but then it was the combination of all those other things. Yeah. And how old are you? 49 tomorrow. 49. And how old are you? 49 tomorrow.

49. Happy birthday. Same age. Happy birthday. Same age as Donald Faison. I think also, too, when you do it, I've been just experimenting with not drinking for a while now, and you automatically feel proud of the quote-unquote health kick that you're on.

So I think another answer to Donald's question is it goes, oh, well, I don't, I do want to do that. I do want to get on the bike. I do want to go to that yoga class because I'm enjoying this health kick and there is no, there is no headache when you wake up. So you're more likely to go do the thing because you're not like the cloud and the fog of whether it's two drinks or too many drinks from the night before just isn't a part of your life. It's just saying it's so true. I think that's what happens to most people. They get on this lovely role of health because the foundation for me is remove alcohol tactically for a period of time. It doesn't have to be a forever thing, but I think in that space, as you say, people feel

better, they look better, which compounds in motivation to keep doing the things that they're getting results from, such as exercise and better nutrition. I've seen Zach on two sides. I've seen Zach on the side where it was like, oh boy, you are gone. And now I see him where he's always been kind of the life of the party, but he holds court and is very clear. And there's no inebriation to it. As a friend, it's something to admire. And then when he meets people and then they try to push things on him, as his friend, I find myself trying to step in the way like, yo, leave him alone. He's sober. this is and and

it's really really working for him you know what i mean i need to get on this kick too what is this 28 day challenge we're gonna get to all that but i just want to say like i actually for me the hardest part of experimenting with with sobriety is um the only challenging part for me personally and obviously everyone listening you have a different story. I'm never speaking for you. I'm only speaking for myself, is when I sit down to dinner and everyone orders a drink. It's that first drink at a dinner party,

a restaurant where everyone's like, ooh, I'll have this, ooh, I'll have that, ooh, I'll have that, that I feel like, ooh, that would be nice. A wine buzz right now at the end of this day would be great. But to sit like five minutes later, when their drinks arrive and they start, that has passed for me. I'm now present. I enjoy when people get buzzed. That doesn't bother me at all. Whereas I would have started getting buzzed and not as present,

I'm now way more present in the conversation and listening to people and contributing. And as someone who likes to make people laugh, quicker w witted and all of the things that I was trying to be by getting drunk I'm I'm actually truly more of sober yeah this is so powerful and and I discovered that myself it took me years to figure it out I would drink to overcome that initial social anxiety that uncomfortable feeling when people get together in a group recently we had a big boat party on the Thames called the No Booze Cruise. 250 people got together on a boat, no alcohol. And the first 15 minutes, there was that natural sense of uncomfortableness getting to know new people. And then it went away. And then it dawned on me that for all of those years, and how many people

are in this bracket, drink to overcome that social anxiety, when actually, if they just sat with it for 15 minutes, it goes. And then you're sharp, you've got the banter, you can be that life and soul, and then you feel incredible, you can drive home. Yeah. And you wake up at seven in the morning, and you're like, yes, I feel fucking awesome. How long does it take really for alcohol to set in too? Like about 15 minutes, right? Where you're like, oh shit, I'm drunk, right? And if you didn't drink

and you just let the party come to you, you'd still be in the same state. You just wouldn't be inebriated. What I find is that, and this is funny, you just reminded me, and this is a random, I wasn't planning on talking about this, but when we did the Garden State, the scene in the Garden State

where there's an ecstasy party scene, and it was the second day of filming. And I was so nervous. I was a young director. I was like, how am I going to get 30 people to act like they're on drugs and drunk and exing? And I had all these plans, like, oh, am I going to let them drink? What am I going to do? I go, no, that'll be a mess. And we just started acting it and being it. And within, within 15 minutes, everyone felt the feelings. If you had 25 people pretending to be on ecstasy and drunk and on their, they just manifesting it. And I feel like that's a bizarre way of putting it, but also that's true when you're, when you're sober in a party setting, if you just manifest, like I am present, I am interested,

I am silly. It just naturally happens., I am present, I am interested, I am silly, it just naturally happens. Yeah. And there's the placebo now, I think of the alcohol-free drinks that didn't exist. When I go into this 10 years ago, that wasn't an option. That wasn't unavailable really. So you have to stand there with a fizzy drink. A Coca-Cola. Yeah. And it was so obvious. It's like a beacon to say, I'm not drinking, pick on me, pressurize me to drink. Whereas now, everywhere. What are you not drinking, Andy?

What's going on with you, bud? Let's take a break. We'll be right back after these fine words. Hi, I'm Martha Stewart, and we're back with a new season of my podcast. This season will be even more revealing and more personal with more entrepreneurs, more trailblazers, more live events, more Martha, and more questions from you. I'm talking to my cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Dan Belkin, about the secrets behind my skincare. Walter Isaacson, about the geniuses who change the world. Encore Jane, about creating a billion-dollar startup.

Dr. Elisa Pressman about the five basic strategies to help parents raise good humans. Florence Fabricant about the authenticity in the world of food writing. Be sure to tune in to Season 2 of the Martha Stewart Podcast. writing. Be sure to tune in to season two of the Martha Stewart podcast. Listen and subscribe to the Martha Stewart podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As important as choosing the right destination when traveling is choosing the right travel partner. Jean! Eugene Fodor! Jean, who's booted? Much of the joy you will find on the road comes from the person you share it with. So you write the books, Jean,

and the last hour on the business. I understand now. He's a wise man, Marie is a wiser woman. But be careful and choose your travel partner well, because the worst trips result when two partners have two different agendas.

Get down! I'm not stupid, Gene. Something is going on and it's high time you tell me the truth. Freeze, Americano! Gene, run! So travel before it's too late. Your money will return, your time won't, and we're all too quickly approaching that final destination.

Listen to Fodor's Guide to Espionage on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Truck stop brothels run by a web of ex-cons. A Commonwealth attorney wasted on whiskey and power. Protection exchanged for cash and flesh. This is Hooker Game, criminals and libertines in the South, and I am your host, Dr. Lindsay Byron. Three years ago, I came across a goldmine of news clippings detailing a scandal that rocked my small southern hometown. As I flipped through each page, this forgotten story came back to life. I was told that it was just supposed to be a massage parlor. The big shot in Dan Wolf's

Barker. He beats me continuously. If you print anything that you hear in that grand jury, you will be put in jail. I never gave any massages. Listen to Hooker Gay, Criminals and Libertines in the South on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, Andy, I want to talk about that. I want to go into that because another thing I loved about what you said is, and we're going to get into the challenge and stuff, but one of the things that I loved what you said is that you

love using the challenge for the societal pressures because you can say to people, oh, I'm doing this challenge. And especially men, it's such a masculine thing that just shifts people. They're like, oh, what's the challenge? What are you doing? And so it sort of takes the peer pressure out of it because people are curious of this challenge that you're on. Can you speak to that a bit? Yeah. And that was really important to me because as Donald just mentioned there, the social pressure, especially 10 years ago to drink was immense, especially if you've been that guy. And I was that guy. If you're going to come out with me, I was going to entertain you and it was going to involve alcohol. how I met my friends, met my wife.

It was just quite ubiquitous in the way that I would socialize. If you try and switch that off, it's really difficult because you meet the same friends or you meet your clients and they're like, well, hold on a minute, almost as if that's a slight on them. So you don't want to drink around me. And of course, my rubber arm would be twisted then really quickly, and I'd be called boring and all those things that would often trip me up so I couldn't get started so I had to come up with a bit of a plan so for me making it a challenge and telling people that I was on a challenge

bought me some time because I think in their mindset they were a bit like oh I'm going to get my buddy back in 28 days or 90 days so I'll let let you away with it. But secretly, I knew if I could get on a roll with this, which I did, I might never go back. And here I am pretty much 10 years later. Right. But didn't you say also that, I thought you said this, that sort of friends and men react differently to the concept of a challenge? Oh, completely. Because I think we're used to that, aren't we? From triathlons to lion men and marathons, it's a bit like raw challenge so they've got that oh we can do a challenge yeah i get that i'll let you do that as a friend but as long as you're gonna come back right and drink with me at the end of the challenge and i'll be like yeah yeah yeah sure sure and you're like and then after the 28 days

you're like you know what dude i gotta be honest with you bro yeah i don't want to go back, bro. I don't want to go back, man. Like, I just feel good about myself right now. And let's, let's, let's just, we've been kicking it anyway. Let's just be us. You know, one of the things I've been fascinated with, and I know this is obvious to everyone listening, but I've really been aware of it as I, as I play with sobriety that, aware of it as I play with sobriety that, gosh, and I said this to Andy in an email, we are sold from our entire lives that this is how you have fun. From high school to college to socializing as an adult, whether it's advertising, whether it's just our culture, whether it's our friends, it's our parents, it's our big brothers and sisters, the way that you have fun and the way that you date and hook up and be sexy and be free is alcohol. That was never questioned in my life. That was the rules of the culture. And I imagine it's

more intense in England, but I mean, in America, that's what we grew up with. I think it's the same. I mean, here's a great example. I've got a 17-year-old daughter who will soon be 18, and the drink limit or age of drinking in the UK is 18. Try and buy a birthday card for an 18-year-old that doesn't have a picture of alcohol on it. It's almost impossible. It's almost impossible to buy a birthday card for an 18-year-old that is not celebrating the fact that they can now drink alcohol. It's ubiquitous. We've got big alcohol pouring trillions into marketing, lobbying our governments. We're sold a story from a very young age that

alcohol is fun. It's cool. It's sexy. And marketing works. That's why we spend so much money on it. But where I come along is to try and wake people up a little bit and just say, that's why we spend so much money on it. But where I come along is to try and wake people up a little bit and just say, is it really? Is it really that fun for you? And I think a lot of people will flippantly say, of course it's fun and it's boring to not drink. And then I'll ask questions such as, well, have you ever not had fun whilst drinking? And I would probably argue that most people, some of the worst nights of their life have involved alcohol. Some of the things that they're shameful for and regretful about have involved alcohol. Many nights are very average, if not a bit shite after a few drinks. It spoils many great nights. And of course there's the odd one that's a great night,

but that can't be the alcohol, can it? Because if it was true, it was alcohol, then every night would be a great night. So I think it's when you start to bring a bit of awareness to it, you realize, actually, I've just been sold this dream that I keep playing. And actually, I don't think it's true for most people when they really pick it apart. Yeah, that's so well said. It's a habit. It's a habit that we were just, we're just so used to, and it's ingrained in the system. Like the idea of going, I'm sure a lot of people listening are like, yeah, I might try that. I could try a month, but like, oh my God, going on a date? Like, how would I even do that?

Like, that's how ingrained it is into our culture. But like, wait, you want me to go on a first date and not drink? What the hell are you talking about? That's almost weird. It would be like that. I remember, this is genuinely true. One of my biggest fears about stopping drinking, my biggest concerns was this. How the hell was I going to dance at a wedding?

I was like, that's impossible. A middle-aged ginger man. I'm not even sure if that's legal. Like, to be doing a wedding. A sober middle-aged ginger man dancing? What's that? And of course I did it. And it wasn't pretty, trust

me. But if you want alcohol, it would have been ugly. I'm going to keep it. Very true. And he talked about, um, one thing you said on riches podcast that I really responded to was this idea of, even if you're a casual drinker, you're having a few drinks two or three times a week. You may not feel the hangover, the effects of it, but you are always having some alcohol in your system and under some fog of alcohol. Just talk about that because I love the way you put it on Richard's podcast. You were saying that

most people don't know this. They think when the nausea is over or a hangover is over, or even if they just had two glasses of wine at dinner, that it's all good. But actually, if you're doing that at minimum two nights a week that alcohol is always in in your system and your brain is still under some fog of that yeah and it's so true that was my personal reflection i suddenly realized even though i was in that middle lane and i was maybe out with clients during the week and then i'd have a few more at the weekend. And I started to really think about the knock-on consequences and effect in terms of my psychology and physiology. I realized that I was never, ever out of its clutches in many ways. And then I started to broaden that and realized that probably 100% of the time I was underperforming in my job, as a parent, as a partner, because I'm

constantly a little bit tired, a little bit jaded. We know through all the research that it takes days, depending on how much you've drunk, to flush through your system. We know instantly that even those one or two drinks is going to destroy the quality of your sleep. And if you look at the research behind poor sleep and then performance and mental health, it's incredible. So alcohol is doing that to you. It destroys the quality of your sleep. You've obviously got this process where you're trying to maintain equilibrium. Your brain's trying to get back to balance. So when you start to think about it, you realize that even those couple of drinks in the week have got that slight knock-on effect for two or three days. But then if you drink again at the weekend and there's another two or three

days, you're never escaping that trap. Therefore, I believe alcohol is like kryptonite to your dreams, kryptonite to your performance. I think most people in the Western world are underperforming in everything across the board and they don't even realize it because of that middle lane drinking. Isn't it actually poison? Yeah, it's a carcinogenic. I mean, there's no two ways about it. It's the same as asbestos, same as radiation, the same as tobacco. It's a number one carcinogen when it

breaks down into the body is a product called acetaldehyde. It's nuts. And also it's just so frustrating that it's just so part of the culture and accepted. And I didn't really have this epiphany about it until I tried not drinking it. And then I was like, wow. It's just, and I didn't really have this epiphany about it until I, until I tried not drinking it. And then I was like, wow, it's just funny when you zoom out, like this is just something we do as a society. This is, this is so promoted. I know you said big alcohols behind it. I'd love to hear you talk more about that. We know that just from growing up on Africa. I literally, I was a teenager. And if you remember this, how brilliant the marketing was.

Absolute Vodka had this amazing campaign for years and years and years where they would work the bottle into different forms of art. And it was in all the magazines. I collected them all. Not all because they're resilience, but I collected them and I would put them on a wall

outside my bedroom. And my parents, you know, they were fine with it. It was like, oh, he's collecting cool art. I had like a wall of vodka ads on my wall because I was so successfully marketed to as a teenager that I was like, I didn't even know it. I was like, oh, this is just pretty art.

It's so cool what they do with how they work the bottle into each even advertisement. I had a collage of booze art on my wall. You know what would have been really awesome if that's what your drink of choice is. Vodka was. Really? Oh, I would drink vodka. Ginger beer was what we call the Moscow Mule. That was my go-to drink. Yeah. But it got you good. And I don't even like vodka, the taste of vodka. I don't, you know, when you think about drinks, what are we doing for the most part? I mean, I know I'm not speaking for everyone, but for myself, you're disguising the taste of the booze, right?

You're trying to give a delivery system to the booze so it can get into your bloodstream with a taste. So you mix it with something, right? For me, I like the taste of ginger beer. So I would mix the alcohol with ginger beer to hide how much I didn't like the taste of vodka. Yeah. And I think that's the story for so many people isn't it it's masked how do i get the delivery system into my blood i have to put orange juice with it i have to put cranberry juice with it i have to put you know whatever you know make it make it a margarita don't give me tequila are you crazy make it a margarita that

tastes with all that shit in it hey you want me to drink that shit straight right fuck i look like it's fucking turpentine you want me to drink that all right we'll put some sugar on the fucking rim yeah and then we bite to it and then it you know even our first you know drink of alcohol is awful isn't it it tastes horrible no one enjoys that but we train ourselves and we push ourselves through it to be like outgrown i remember as a teenager being like don't worry one day this beer will taste good one day you're gonna get past this hump I remember I remember thinking like that too like this will all one day be yeah just hold your nose just hold your nose bro because one day everyone says you get you get you start to like the taste just hold your nose one day you're gonna crave this one day you're gonna quit this this. One day you're going to quench,

this will quench your thirst one day. I remember thinking that shit, drinking 40s of old E with my friends like, this shit tastes nasty. We used to take grape soda and put grape soda in old English to make that shit taste good, yo.

I remember that shit. Old English 800. We're going to good, yo. I remember that shit. Oh, English 800. We're going to take a break. I'm sure a lot of people are asking, have questions. I have some of them. One is, okay, Andy, I'm interested. How do I even try this?

Help me. And I have another couple questions, too. So we'll be right back after these fine words. Hi, I'm Martha Stewart. And we're back with a new season of my podcast. This season will be even more revealing and more personal with more entrepreneurs, more trailblazers, more live events, more Martha, and more questions from you. I'm talking to my cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Dan Belkin, about the secrets behind my skincare. Walter Isaacson, about the geniuses who change the world. Encore Jane, about creating a billion

dollar startup. Dr. Elisa Pressman, about the five basic strategies to help parents raise good humans. Florence Fabricant, about the authenticity in the world of food writing. Be sure to tune in to season two of the Martha Stewart podcast. Listen and subscribe to the Martha Stewart podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you've been following the news,

you know that from healthcare access to safe schools, LGBTQ plus rights are under attack. And it's about time queer and trans youth get the microphone and tell their stories in their own words. We can kiss every woman's face goodbye. I'm Raquel Willis. Join me on my new podcast, Queer Chronicles, a show where LGBTQ plus folks tell their own stories in their own words. This season, teens will share all about growing up in political battleground states. I wish I could feel more comfortable in my own body here, but that's just not the case.

And follow along as they discover what queer and trans liberation means to them. This isn't running away from yourself. It's running into who you want to grow into. Listen to Queer Chronicles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your most fabulous shows. Truck stop brothels run by a web of ex-cons. A Commonwealth attorney wasted on whiskey and power. Protection exchanged for cash and flesh. This is Hooker Game, criminals and libertines in the South.

And I am your host, Dr. Lindsay Byron. Three years ago, I came across a goldmine of news clippings detailing a scandal that rocked my small southern hometown. As I flipped through each page, this forgotten story came back to life. I was told that it was just supposed to be a massage parlor. The big shot in there was Barker. He beats me continuously. If you print anything that you hear in that grand jury, you will be put in jail. I never gave any massages.

Listen to Hooker Gay, Criminals and Libertines in the South on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I don't, let's just pick a person type A. Person type A says, I don't want to be necessarily sober forever. I'd like to have an occasional drink. I enjoy having a glass of wine here and there. But I am curious about your challenge and taking a break and seeing how I feel. How the hell do I do that, Andy? What is your advice? First and foremost, if you look at the calendar, that's what most people do.

They're like, I can't do it. I've got the wedding. I've got the birthday. I've got the leaving due. This is impossible. There's nowhere, there's no space for me to do this. So first and foremost, I think just start, begin. As long as it's safe to do so, you're a middle lane drinker. And there's a little caveat there that has to come in. This again, exposes alcohol at its worst. If someone is drinking too much, you can become physically dependent on alcohol. Therefore, to stop it too abruptly can be lethal. Right.

We should just clarify. We should clarify for safety here two things. One, you probably know if you're not what Andy's talking about and you need a program and you need AA or the like. And that's not really – obviously, listen to this message as well. But Andy's really speaking more to the casual drinker who, but by the way, this must enlighten a lot of people, because if you can't do it, that's also enlightening, isn't it? Exactly. It's almost an early warning system for many people. But we're talking to the middle lane, the average drinker, the moderate drinker, the sometimes not at all drinker, the sometimes heavy drinker is the middle lane. And I think the best thing to do

is start, start now. What are you waiting for? Why would you wait for an opportunity to be fitter, faster, healthier, to get your time back, your energy back, for your skin to glow, to get your motivation back, to discover what it's like to be a% again. Imagine that. That's my message is, what are we waiting for? So get started today. And equally, if you've got those big things in your diary, which you've always got in there between the birthdays, between the Christmases, between the holiday seasons or the holidays, they are very often the best time to start. Because when you come out the other side of the wedding and you've danced sober and you've ticked that box, or you've had that big weekend with your friends and actually you realize you were way sharper, you had a better time, you

felt amazing the next day and you look incredible the next day and people are starting to comment on how you look and how you are. They're some of the best motivational reasons to continue on your journey. So I think they're a great place to start. Join a community. I'm biased. We have an app called Dry with an extra Y. Dry is an app they can get, D-R-Y with an extra Y? Yeah, D-R-Y-Y. It's free to download. We have the most incredible, beautiful community that's global in there. I'm live in there most days. It's a live app of beautiful people just inspiring each other to take a break. Right.

And that's a community and there's challenges in there where you can do a month or three months or whatever, right? Yeah. It's a really beautiful space. And I think what's important about that is that when you decide to take a break, very often it's a solo mission, isn't it? Because we're all so beautifully different. Like my wife still drinks. Most of my best mates still drink most people i know still drink it was my personal

choice to take a break so i think what happens for a lot of people they decide to take a break and then none of their friends are doing the same and then it's much harder so i think that's the same for me i mean i i go out with all my buddies and again i don't i want to just clarify i don't know that i'm sober for life i don't want to be be posturing like i am i'm enjoying playing with this and really and do notice all the changes he's talking about feeling better less depression less anxiety people come up to me like you look great what's different the only thing that's different is i stopped drinking and um and feeling clarity not having any hangovers. Not having whiskey dick anymore.

I was about to say the Advil in my cupboard has dust on it. I'm so proud of the fact that Advil is not a regular part of my life anymore. And not having whiskey dick. That might be your issue, Donald Donald but my penis is so strong that it was able to I don't want to talk about my penis in front of Andy Donald he's a very important Andy was gonna talk

about that when I said that he was like that's true once I saw it in his face he was gonna be like once I stopped drinking my dick got hard he's an Englishman he's proper they don't talk about stuff like that he was gonna say my my dick got hard. He's an Englishman. He's proper. They don't talk about something like that. He was going to say, my pecker got hard.

All right, so dry the app. And I want to say, there's an app I used called I Am Sober that's just really a counter that's fun because you kind of, this is a Dr. Fader thing. I'm a cognitive behaviorist.

I work with Andy, who we had on the show, who's just very into the idea of a streak. And the I Am Sober app or other counter apps, or you can really just mark off days on a paper calendar if you want to do it the easiest way, is just sort of showing you like your streak. And you don't want to fuck up your streak. It's like anything. streak and you don't want to fuck up your streak. You know, it's like anything, you know, just like a little kid who's getting stickers on a calendar for, for using the toilet. You know, you want to, you want to keep your streak going. You want your sticker, you want your, you want your little, the little thing that happens on I am sober when you reach 30 days and it does a dance, you know, it's just very, um, you know, our, our brains love the affirmation and, uh, and, and that's

been helpful to me. Yeah, and what I'd also say about that, I think I recommend streaking with a twist, not to be confused with naked twister. That's a whole different game. Streaking with a twist. And what I mean by that is if it doesn't quite work out, mark it as a blip and keep. Yeah, don't stop. Don't stop.

Yeah, because that's snakes and ladders. Sometimes you go back to day one. We have chutes and ladders, not snakes and ladders in our country. But we do have a large English audience that will know, what do you call it? Snakes and ladders? Snakes and ladders, yes. That's a kid's board game, isn't it? Yes.

But in our country, Donald, you might know it as shoots and ladders. Oh, no, I remember shoots. Remember Candyland? Yes, but that's off topic, Donald. Okay. Stay on topic. Let's stay on topic. So what else can we do? Streak with a twist, join an alcohol-free community, and then I think immerse yourself in the wins, the benefits. This

has been my approach for 10 years. The message that I've been banging on about is celebrate the wins. There's nothing to give up and everything to gain. And I think if you keep that focus in mind, it's really important because there's periods throughout the year where people take a break from alcohol. And very often they do so begrudgingly and it's like, right, I'm going to do a month off and I'm going to knock myself away. I'm not going to see anyone. It's going to be shite. And I'm going to remind myself as to why I should be drinking because this month's been absolutely terrible. I'm the opposite. Go and celebrate all the benefits of being alcohol free. What does it feel like to be up a bit earlier what does it feel like to see your skin glow to be a little bit less grumpy to be more consistent

in your nutrition maybe you lose some weight maybe you perform a bit better keep your eyes on all those benefits that's unbelievably motivational for people i think incredibly important so that's my approach and then also the world has changed with the alcohol free alternatives yeah i think they're incredible for the middle lane drinker yeah you feel grown up That's my approach. And then also, the world has changed with the alcohol-free alternatives. I think they're incredible for the middle lane drinker. You feel grown up. They've got that placebo of taste. It's funny.

My go-to is always just getting a ginger beer because I genuinely like ginger beer. I like the taste of it. Most bars have it. It feels like you're kind of having a drink. I save it for those times when I'm going out with people and it's like, oh, that's my go-to. And then in LA especially, there's just so many people sober that they have now they have these whole drink menus that are like, someone, a waiter to me was like, you sure you want a ginger beer? You don't want this concoction? And I was like, oh shit. Yeah. Give me that. And it came and it

was amazing. And it felt like a drink. I mean, it was like had a honey in it and had all these ingredients in it. Cause that, you know, I, again, we live in LA and, and, or New York where, where the, where there's a lot of that. But watch the sugar too because that also has a lot to do with the concoctions that are made aren't like freaking fruit punch and orange juice and you know right but i'm saying if you're having one you're giving yourself like i think you can be proud enough that you're not not uh abusing that you can enjoy a little bit of sugar in your drink hell i treated myself to a pint of ben and jerry's yesterday because that was my reward that's a whole different alcohol is the dumbest use of calories let's just be honest it is you know it is so stupid calories it is weightless it is just

it's just drinking poison and putting calories on your body. It is the dumbest use of lots of calories. We have pints in the UK, so a strong pint of beer is the equivalent to a hot dog and fries. Yeah. And Guinness, too. I remember I was in a phase where I was drinking Guinness. Guinness has so many fucking calories. It's mega calories.

It's like a milkshake. You might as well have a milkshake. I fucking do want a milkshake right now. I'm not going to lie about that. You're allowed to have a milkshake you might as well have a milkshake i fucking do want a milkshake right now i'm not gonna lie about that i don't have a milkshake that's the thing wouldn't you rather have a milkshake than a guinness some people are like fuck no um now andy um i one thing uh the hubberman uh had on his uh podcast this whole thing um for those you don't know he's like the top health kind of uh pod these days. And he had a thing that finally put to rest any of this notion that there was any health benefits at all to alcohol. Because for a while, people were like, oh, no, on the web

and in research, it says that a glass of red wine is fine a day. That's been disproven, correct? Completely. So The World Health Organization has come out clearly and said there is no safe limit. There can't be. It's a carcinogen. What you can imagine, and we've seen it with climate change, we've seen it with nutrition, we saw it with tobacco most definitely, it would be in the interest to promote certain studies designed to confuse people. You see it all the time. People are confused. When they're confused, they continue to do what they've always done, which in this instance is drink. So you'll see something like a red wine study or a whiskey a day or whatever it is, or one drink a day.

But if you peel back the layers of those studies, the World Health Organization is very clear. So you'll see the sleight of hand and it will be less risky drinking because they can't say anymore that it is safe at these levels. Red wine is a brilliant example of that. And the way I look at it, it's this type of an analogy. There might be some benefits from the antioxidants in the grapes, but just drink grape juice. Like why dance with the devil? It's a little bit like saying there's a swimming pool. And if you swim to the end of that swimming pool, it's good for you, right? Aerobic exercise. Oh, but by the way, in that swimming pool are loads of ravenous sharks. It's the same thing. You just wouldn't swim in it, would you? And that I think is similar with the red wine being good

for you or alcohol at a certain level being good for you. Why would you ever get in that pool full of ravenous sharks just exercise without it? You know that sharks can't live in a pool. Well, he was talking about a non... He was talking about a salinated pool, Donald. It was a pool for sharks. It wasn't a car.

Oh. Very true. Let's take a break. We'll be right back after these fine words. Hi, I'm Martha Stewart, and we're back with a new season

of my podcast. This season will be even more revealing and more personal with more entrepreneurs, more trailblazers, more live events, more Martha, and more questions from you. I'm talking to my cosmetic dermatologist, Dr. Dan Belkin, about the secrets behind my skincare. Walter Isaacson about the geniuses who change the world. Encore Jane about creating a billion-dollar startup. Dr. Elisa Pressman about the five basic strategies to help parents raise good humans. Florence Fabrikant about the authenticity

in the world of food writing. Be sure to tune in to season two of the Martha Stewart podcast. Listen and subscribe to the Martha Stewart podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I used to have so many men. How this beguiling woman in her 50s. She looked like a million bucks. With zero qualifications. She had a Harvard plaque.

Tricks her way past a wall of lawyers and agents. She's got all of these Maseratis and Bentleys all in the driveway. Is it like a mansion? Yes, it's a mansion. That this queen of the con uses to scam some of the biggest names in professional sports out of untold fortunes. About six million. Approximately 11 million dollars. Nearly 10 million dollars was all gone. Employing whatever means necessary to bleed her victims dry. She would probably have sex with one of her clients. Hide your money in your old rich man because she is on the prowl.

Listen to Queen of the Con, Season 5, The Athlete Whisperer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. iHeart Podcast Update, this week on your free iHeartRadio app. In retrospect, revisit pop culture moments from the 80s and 90s and try to understand what it taught us about the world and a woman's place in it. Crying in public. Two 20-something college women living in NYC dive into growing up at a time when there was no distinction between what's public and what's private.

Best of both worlds. A discussion on work-life balance, career development, parenting, time management, productivity, and making time for fun. Hear these podcasts and more on your free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Jewel, do you have any questions while I'm thinking of any other good ones for him? Yeah, my questions were, so after you made this big change and it's changed your whole life and now you're not just bringing it to people but you're training other people on how to like dispense this information you're doing like life coach training right how did you get into that and then like

what to me i think i do a lot i run a mentorship program at iheart and it's been like one of the most fulfilling things of my life has completely changed how I craft my projects. I find myself giving them lessons where I'm like, I need to document that for myself and do it for myself. And I was just wondering like teaching people how to life coach, how has that impacted your life? Yeah. And that's a lovely question because a big part of what I do now is coaching. And that all came from the experience of taking a break from alcohol. So I was a broker back in the day and over the last 10 years have gravitated away from that. Because I think when someone goes on this alcohol-free adventure or spends time on the fun

side of the island, like I like to describe it, there's a sense you want to give it back. You know, I had that real, I didn't know what it was. It was this tug to give this thing back, which led me into training as a coach which led me on this beautiful journey of now I train coaches executive coaches business coaches life coaches but then add the specialism of alcohol-free performance coaching because what I've figured out is over all these years and I've been so lucky I've trained some amazing actors actresses some of the like the best in the business athletes and always the foundation of alcohol-free performance training. Because what I figured out is if they're middle lane drinkers and they take a break,

they're going to get amazing results anyway. So I look like a bit of a hero. They get incredible results really because they've just stopped drinking. Plus, there's a bit of coaching around it, but that helps people get great results. So it's a big part of what I do now is actually help other people and train them to do exactly the same thing, to share this message. Far and wide is the mission. Well, I want to thank you because you really did make a difference in my life. I am one of those people who heard you. And I'm hoping all of the hundreds of thousands of people that will hear this, within there, there's a group of people that are going to try this and it will make a difference in their life. And I really did feel, I really do, as I'm playing with this and taking on this challenge,

I really do feel better, most importantly, in my mental health. That's really important. And you, yeah, that's one thing I just want to talk about. We talked about the physical things, but I noticeably feel less anxious and less depressed as someone who battles those things. noticeably feel less anxious and less depressed as someone who battles those things. And I just want to acknowledge you for being an advocate for this, because some people will hear this and go, great, not for me. But there are that are going to hear it and go, let me try it. Let me see what they're talking about. And I just want to thank you for being so vocal about it all.

Yeah, and that's lovely to hear. And what is wonderful for me is more people like yourself with your incredible profile, sharing a new message, because it is a fresh message about taking breaks from alcohol as more of a middle lane drinker. And I think that's such an important message to share because for years we've had that one story. It's been very black and white when it comes to alcohol. You've either got a problem or you haven't. I think you were the first person I ever heard speak on it so eloquently and that's exactly what it was and you just did it again because that's what it was it was in my life it was you either have a problem and need aa or another program or you don't drink and and or whatever and then and then or you're just a

middle lane person and there was no there was no message for the middle lane people ever and not even when you go to your doctor your doctor's even like how many drinks do you have a week two you're good don't worry about it yeah everyone's lying when they say two two yeah nobody's telling the truth but no one ever addressed like to to me me, like, Hey, I never had it. I never digested it until I heard you in such a way that was like, why don't you see what happens after a month? Then see what happens after two months, do this experiment. What if you're, you're on antidepressants or you're battling anxiety or you're, you're battling your weight. What about just doing the easiest thing you can do, which is an experiment? Remove alcohol for a month, three months. Just see how you feel. Just clock it. Yeah, it's so powerful. And that is the message. I genuinely believe it. We look

at people that are suffering from anxiety or depression. Of course, it's not a panacea for all those things, but it certainly cleared it up for me. I was suffering from anxiety, panacea for all those things, but it certainly cleared it up for me. I was suffering from anxiety, full-blown panic attacks at times. I removed alcohol, that disappeared out of my life. And you know, as someone that's experienced that, it's debilitating. And it went, it vanished for me. I see that all the time. In our relationships, there's research out of Ireland that suggests 50% of all relationship problems are down to alcohol. You know, I think our relationship counselors, the first thing they should do is, have you tried taking a break from alcohol? Someone that's suffering with their mental health, have you tried taking a break from alcohol?

Someone that wants to perform better in their job, have you taken a break from alcohol? Be a better parent, be a better partner. Like, let's just take a break from alcohol. I genuinely could list everything. I heard a guy who said, the reason stopped drinking was I wanted to be the best parent I could be. And I knew that if I was going to do that with occasional hangovers and fogginess and grumpiness, that wasn't going to be me. And I didn't want to be that at all. I wanted to show up a hundred percent. And I thought that was really cool thing he said. So powerful. And it is so true. Be be an even better parent even better at your job i just think it's this foundational thing that barely anyone's talking about i know and you are

and and i and i really that's why i wanted to share your message it's funny you say about i've been watching this really stupid reality show that is that i'm obsessed it's called below deck right oh now it's stupid. The other day, he was loving Below Deck the other day. I just feel bad. I feel, although I'm during the strike, they would prefer I promote a reality show than a scripted show. So I will just say, but here's, and it's just fun.

It's a stupid reality show. It is. But here's one thing I saw, just from someone who's experimenting with not drinking. You're watching this show, right? And granted, it's a heightened reality. They're meant to drink and party and get into hijinks. But I'm sitting there laughing to myself going,

every single one of these problems that these people are having is related to alcohol. They go out, they get hammered, they make bad choices. They hook up with someone they're not supposed to. They get in fights. The next day they're hungover. They have to work. They're grumpy.

They're crying. They're calling their mom. They're sad. They're homesick. The captain's mad at them because they're not performing. And I'm sitting there laughing going, you realize this wouldn't even be a show if they pulled out the alcohol. Like there is no show.

There is no show without the booze. The producers are sitting there like, have a drink, bro. Of course they are. But I'm saying like all of the drama, and this is just in a heightened reality reality show, obviously, but all of the drama and all of their crying and all of their fights and all of their shame is solely removed when you pull alcohol out of the show. Yeah. That's just a microcosm of society, right? Bachelor in Paradise ain't Bachelor in Paradise without that bar.

Yeah. Real talk. And this is the thing, isn't it? That is a reflection of real life. Right, that's what I was thinking. I believe it. People are suffering on a huge scale and they've got no idea

that actually it's alcohol. They're looking in all the wrong places. They're ice bathing and they're trying to do all these other beautiful things while still, you know, quaffing vino calapso like it's going out of fashion

and wondering why they feel a bit down, a bit deflated. They're a bit inconsistent. Put the right on. Just remove it. Our final message, and thank you so much for coming on, is just, if you're curious, try this out. You can go to the Dry App, D-R-Y-Y, or

very simply, the way I used to do this when I would take a month or two off, is just get a paper calendar, and I would buy stickers, and every day I didn't drink, I'd take a month or two off is just get a paper calendar and I would buy stickers. And every day I didn't drink, I'd put a sticker on the calendar. And that's a very simple way to do it. And just, you know, try it for a month and just see how you feel. You'll feel better. There's no way you're not going to feel better.

That feeling, there's not an option, I don't think, that you wouldn't feel better. Yeah, and it's so true. And that's my message. It's just try it. Imagine if all of those results and benefits that we've all shared tonight are waiting for you. You won't know until you try. You know who this is really for?

This message is really for? That person that's out there that's like, but dude, I barely drink. That's who this message is for right now. You listening right now that thought that immediately when you heard this dude i barely drink i think this is for you i think the message is also for someone who i guess what i wish someone had said directly to me and you did in a lot of ways andy but but taylor made for me would be um you're trying all of these things

you're trying therapy you're trying exercise you're trying cold plunge you're trying all of these things. You're trying therapy. You're trying exercise. You're trying cold blood. You're trying sauna. You're trying meditation. All of these things to feel better. You're forgetting the thing, the depressant that you're drinking several times a week. You're forgetting the poison that several times a week you're injecting into your bloodstream.

Why haven't you tried removing that? Yeah, there is. That's it. And I think that's the big message. Do it for a while. And if you feel great, keep going. Andy, we're over here trying to pitch freaking advertising campaign slogans for you.

Zach and I are here. You know who this message is for? This message is for this person. Zach's like, you tried this. You tried that. No, it's honest. I'm not pitching anything. I don't have any fucking thing to gain other than hopefully helping other people in a way that Andy

on the Rich Roll podcast helped me that's my only hope so dude thank you so much Andy for coming on and we appreciate you thank you team for having me alright thunderous applause Donald Daniel is getting married right now I'm sorry you missed this.

Daniel's getting hammered right now. Right now as we speak. As we speak. All right, Andy. Thank you so much. Thank you, brother. Wasn't he a great guest? He was wonderful.

So inspiring. Very inspirational. I know. That's why I wanted to share. I wanted to share him because he speaks so eloquently on the topic. And he's just a really wonderful person. All right. That's our show.

Everybody. Joel, anything we need to tell them? We love them. We do love you guys. And we'll be back next week. Oh, and,

and we're going to get a sex therapist, right? Joel, that was part of sex. We are doing a pre-interview on a couple who are both sex therapists. Oh, I love that. Is there a way since we're doing sex-tober,

is there a way that we can get the sex therapist on? This might be not what they want, but the sex therapist on with the couple that was cock-holding? No. First of all, it's not cock-holding. It's cuck-holding. Cuck-holding? That couple doesn't want help.

They're fine. Their shit's worked out. They're good. He's worked out they're good he's not happy I'm gonna put it out there well you don't know that I think we don't know

he might be turned on by it everybody has their thing Donald just like you're turned on by fucking Darth Vader he might be turned on by his wife fucking up I am turned on by Darth Vader yeah

I am I'm not gonna lie have you watched Star Wars porn? no it'll ruin Star Wars for me alright Donald count us out. Five, six, seven, eight. These are stories that we all should know. So gather round to hear our, gather round to hear our Scrubs Rewatch Show with Zach and Donald. I'm Raquel Willis.

Join me on my new podcast, Queer Chronicles, a show where LGBTQ plus folks tell their own stories in their own words. This season, teens will share all about growing up in political battleground states. We will always exist and we will definitely not let them take away our joy, no matter how hard they try. Listen to Queer Chronicles on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your most fabulous shows. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the On Purpose podcast. And I had the opportunity to

talk to one of Hollywood's major icons, Michael B. Jordan. In our conversation, Michael shares the highs, the lows, and everything in between, offering a genuine glimpse into his world. The closest to getting what you want is always the hardest. People give up right before they get what they've always wanted to get. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine you ask two people the same seven questions. I'm Minnie Driver, and this was the idea I set out to explore in my podcast,

Minnie Questions. This year, we bring a whole new group of guests to answer the same seven questions, including Courtney Cox, Rob Delaney, Liz Fair, and many, many more. Join me on season three of Minnie Questions on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Seven questions, limitless answers.