Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Jenn Lyon (Claws, Justified) sits down with Bridget to discuss her path to acting, how being a preacher's daughter always made her feel like public property, getting kicked out of the first college she went to, her battle with an eating disorder, why she finally sought treatment, and her fear that being healthy would impede her ability to ever book another job. They discuss her role on Claws, why it's the best job she's ever had, why she embraces body neutrality over body positivity, their issues with intimacy, anxiety as a habit, how social media engenders despair, womens' universal struggle with shame and their bodies, and why we are terrible predictors of our own happiness and success. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Amanda Knox (exoneree, journalist & podcaster) is on a mission to reclaim her identity. She sits down with Bridget for a thoughtful and introspective conversation about how her identity, face, and name have come to define her in ways that were not in her control, and how she's defining her own world moving forward. They discuss how embracing complicated emotions allows you to have a better perspective, how she dealt with the stress and waiting during her trial process and jail time, what we do to cope, being turned into a symbol, and why we as a society should be better about allowing people to admit that they're wrong. They cover how entitled people feel to judge when they see someone going through something bad, the loss of the sense of humor and the ability to laugh at terrible things, returning to reality and getting reacclimated after prison, the absolute loss of control of being pregnant, and feeling like everything could be taken from her again. Check out her podcast Labyrinths with husband Christopher Robinson. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Kathleen Madigan has been a comic for more than 30 years. She takes a break from her Do You Have Any Ranch tour to sit down with Bridget and discuss their similar upbringings in large Irish Catholic families - which is basically like growing up in a roast battle - wondering what was wrong with small families and people who don't have cousins in every city, the fine art of speed eating, and why Kathleen is the expendable one in her family because she doesn't have kids. They cover when your Twitter account renders you unemployable, why TikTok feels like a bunch of coke heads, why you shouldn't be getting medical advice from comedians, and at what age you should kill your parents. For more information about Kathleen's tour schedule and her podcast, Madigans Pubcast, visit her website - kathleenmadigan.com.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Aymann Ismail (Slate Magazine staff writer) sat down with Bridget for an interview on January 6th 2022, coincidentally, Ismail had been in D.C. on January 6th, 2021, so inevitably their conversation covers the events of that day, including Aymann's sense of the mood of the crowd, what made it different from other Trump rallies, and why many different things can all be true at once about the Capitol riot. They also discuss Aymann's trip to Egypt during the Arab Spring and his coverage of the riots in Minneapolis in 2020, amidst a broader conversation about platforming dangerous ideas & ideologies, 9/11, the Patriot Act and the repercussions within the Muslim community in New York City, the polarization of our two political parties, people who view political violence as an acceptable means of affecting change, Gerrymandering, voter's rights, and they wrap it all up with the biggest mistakes Aymann made as a new father. Be sure to check out Aymann's podcast Scoot Over, a series of conversations about how to build a more inclusive world and what is standing in our way.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Adam Carolla (The Adam Carolla Show) stops in to talk about his new comedy special Truth Yeller. He and Bridget discuss is wandering career trajectory from stand-up to sketch comedy, radio, television, podcasting, and back to stand-up. They cover why people are scared to talk about sex these days, how Adam keeps his job separate from his personal identity, why he feels bad for the Alyssa Milanos of the world, how he wound up on some sort of no-fly list for Netflix & HBO, the importance of keeping hold of your common sense in this day and age, how to avoid falling into the trap of narcissism, and why he does not wear a beret.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Story Hour with Bridget Phetasy is a segment where Bridget reminisces with cousin Maggie and tells stories explaining who she is and how she got here.Bridget and Maggie tell tales of their individual and shared experiences with the holidays growing up. They cover their childhood traditions at their grandparents' house and then the diverging of their holiday celebrations as they grew up. Bridget talks about the stress of her parents' divorce, the annual meltdowns, the traveling and general chaos, why she hated the holidays for years, and how she reclaimed them as something to be enjoyed and celebrated as an adult. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Rabbi David Wolpe, the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple, sits down with Bridget to discuss the complexity of human beings, learning how to be okay with people being upset with you, the advantage of getting older, how social media is turning adults back into teenagers, the difficulty of staying away from politics at the pulpit in today's social climate, and why we need more windows and fewer mirrors. They also discuss Rabbi Wolpe's strategies for tolerance and listening to someone he disagrees with, his belief that this extreme political polarization will not last forever, the importance of being authentic and connecting with people, how to make your losses and struggles matter in your life, the seduction of the instantaneous, how we're a lot more resilient than we give ourselves credit for, and why the conviction that you're 100% right makes you wrong.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Briahna Joy Gray is the former National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders campaign, and the host of Bad Faith podcast. She and Bridget cover Briahna's background as a corporate lawyer, the truth about the way most corporate laws are written and the system we've inherited, how she became interested in politics, and how she wound up working for the Bernie Sanders campaign. They also discuss their willingness to have their minds changed, the importance of making your point in a way that can be heard by people who don't agree with you, the wealth disparity that most people don't understand, how class is weaponized against poor people, the basics of democratic socialism, and the reality of sensitivity training in corporate culture.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Former US Presidential Candidate, Andrew Yang, sits down with Bridget to discuss his decision to leave the Democratic Party, the unexpected reaction and fallout as a result, his founding of the Forward Party, why a two party system doesn't work at all, and the importance of ending the duopoly if we have any hope of solving the problems this country faces. They cover the importance of an independent media, the difficulties of galvanizing the "mushy middle" into action, why Americans should travel more, restructuring unemployment benefits, Universal Basic Income, the decline of the labor rate, and building a new tribe to give people who feel disenfranchised a place to belong. Learn more about the Forward Party here . This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Jesse Morton was once an American born, jihadist propagandist who ran Revolution Muslim, a New York City-based organization active in the 2000s and connected to a number of terrorism cases. He and Bridget talk about his upbringing, how he discovered Islam and the process of his radicalization, and then the slow evolution of nuance creeping back into his life and what eventually caused him to reexamine his belief system and deradicalize. They cover the work he's doing now with his organization Parallel Networks to intervene with jihadist, far-right and far-left extremism and prevent reciprocal radicalization. They discuss the role the NYPD police officer who incarcerated him played in his deradicalization, whether censorship on social media platforms is effective in combatting terrorism, why differentiating between hate and violent extremism is so important, and Jesse's work trying to create a national program that has a public health, trauma-informed design that would not only help prevent terrorism, but get to the root of the hyper-polarization dividing our society. For more resources check out lightuponlight.online.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show