Detoxicity: By Men, About Men, For Everyone

DetoxPod 116 : Nabil Ayers (Memoirist/Entrepreneur)

Nabil Ayers is the president of Beggars Group, a family of independent record labels, and has worked in or around music his entire life. This shouldn't be surprising when you consider his mother was a dancer and his father is legendary jazz and R&B musician Roy Ayers. Earlier this year, Nabil published a memoir entitled "My Life in the Sunshine", which explores his history and that of his family. He and I chat about his upbringing, and the bigger issues of identity and culture that pop up because of that. We also discuss entrepreneurship, representation, and the thin line between acceptance and forgiveness.
Connect with Nabil on IG & Twitter at @nabilayers!

DetoxPod 115 : Jarret Berenstein (Comedian/Writer)

Jarret Berenstein is a writer and comedian best known for pointed political satire. I met him when we were both on Radio Free Brooklyn. If you're interested in offbeat improvisational comedy, his show Famous Dead People might be your jam. Whenever I interview comedians, I wonder what the impetus was for them to decide they wanted to be funny as a profession, and Jarret discusses that during our conversation, in addition to how his more confrontational commentary goes over in environments that may not be as friendly to his politics.
 
Jarret and I go deep into several topics, including his journey with depression and the various pharmaceutical options (some legal, some not) he undertook to medicate. We also go into some depth about his upcoming nuptials, and why Jarret feels like he's already a married man even though he hasn't officially taken the trip down the aisle.
 
You can find out more about Jarret by going to his website, jarretberenstein.com. He is also on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok as jarretberenstein. 

DetoxPod 114 : Zander Masser (Author/Occupational Therapist)

Zander Masser is an occupational therapist based in Montreal. He recently released a book called "Unburying My Father", which contains narrative text designed to thread the needle to photographs taken by his father Randy, who contracted HIV via tainted blood and passed away from AIDS-related complications in 2000. Zander speaks eloquently about grief and how putting together this book was a healing balm for him. He also speaks about the value of his friends and family, who supported him throughout what was clearly a difficult project to put together, and he connects the dots between his loss and grief and his current job as an occupational therapist.
Zander's on Twitter and Instagram at zandermasserYou can find "Unburying My Father" at randymasserphoto.com

DetoxPod 113 : Alex Marcus (Behavioral Therapist/Podcast Editor)

Alex Marcus, by day, is a behavioral therapist working with autistic children. By night, he is building an empire as the podcasts editor for the pop culture website thepopbreak.com. Our conversation covers divorce and being the "man of the house" at an early age, and why Alex's fractured sense of family led him to his current career. We also talk Alex's life with a debilitating bone disorder and the bullying that illness caused him, and we revisit Alex's brave coming out process and how his queerness informs the life he lives today.
You can find Alex on Twitter at mediathinkings, and again, at the popbreak.com.

DetoxPod 112 : Lenny Schwartz (Playwright/Filmmaker)

In this episode, I talk to Lenny Schwartz. Lenny is a playwright and filmmaker based in the tiny town of Scituate, Rhode Island. He came into the world of theater by accident, but now has a lot of opinions about film in general and about the art he makes specifically. Lenny also discusses growing up socially awkward and developing a debilitating case of body dysmorphia as a teenager. We also discuss the many different types of people his life in the arts has exposed him to, and his not-so-secret (well, definitely not secret anymore) other life as a model.
Follow Lenny on Twitter: @lennyschwartz
Follow Lenny on IG: @lnnyschwartz

DetoxPod 111 : Noam Osband (”The Nosy Anthropologist)”

Proud to bring you Episode 111, which is kind of a wild one. I talk to filmmaker & musician (and "The Nosy Anthropologist) Noam Osband about his extreme interest in getting to know people, raising his kids in San Francisco, navigating his youth in an Orthodox Jewish community, and more. 
You can find Noam on IG and Twitter at @noamosband, or hear some of his (admittedly quite creative) songs/see some of his film work at noamosband.com!

DetoxPod 110 : Sean Zearfoss (Musician)

Sean Zearfoss is an educator and musician (drummer in the band Small Reactions), based in the Atlanta, GA area. Our conversation covers the diversity of the South and his pride for his hometown. We talk about his experiences in the Scouts, what led him to therapy, his late start in music, and the advice he learned from Evel Knievel.
 
Follow Sean on IG: @seanzearfoss
Follow Sean's band on IG: @smallreactions

DetoxPod 109 : Luke Wesley (Musician)

Brooklynite (by way of Ohio) Luke Wesley made the decision to become a musician after deciding a life in the clergy probably wasn't the life he wanted after all. You'll hear about that fateful career switch and more during our conversation. Luke discusses his Midwestern upbringing as one of six (!!) boys, he talks about the skills he's acquired as a New York City bartender, waxes poetic about his love for gatherings, and goes deep about his lifelong battle with depression. 
Get to know Luke better after this podcast by following him on IG and Twitter at @lukewesleymusic, or go to lukewesley.com.