Joe Cucci led all North America sales for Procter & Gamble for decades, overseeing massive teams, national retail relationships, and billions in revenue across some of the most recognizable brands in the world. A career P&G leader, he built and scaled sales organizations at the highest level of corporate America and became known for disciplined strategy, people-first leadership, and long-term thinking in high-pressure environments.

Of all the people I know, Joe is the one I admire most in the business world. He's been my mentor for 30 years, and this conversation is packed with the kind of wisdom you only get from decades inside the arena. We talk about what it really takes to lead large teams, how to earn trust in rooms where the stakes are huge, and why listening is the most underrated skill in business. Joe shares lessons on navigating corporate politics, developing talent, and staying grounded while driving serious growth. I can't recommend this one enough.

I sat down with Danny Pudi - actor, comedian, and one of the most beloved ensemble performers of the past decade. You know him as Abed Nadir on Community, as Brad on Apple TV+'s Mythic Quest, and from projects like DuckTales, Powerless, and The Tiger Hunter.

We talk about what it was really like being part of Community - the chemistry around the table, working with Donald Glover, and realizing (much later) just how deeply that show connected with people. Danny opens up about his acting process, why preparation and world-building matter so much to him, and how studying drama helped him stop relying solely on comedy. We also get into fatherhood, balance, learning to say no, walking fast (very fast), and the oddly specific anxiety of parking structures.

It's thoughtful, funny, and quietly profound - a conversation about creativity, kindness, identity, and gently moving through the world while putting out good energy.

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Danny Jolles is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer you've seen on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Ramy, Ted, and in sketches with his comedy group Chess Club Comedy, whose work has built a strong online following. He's one of those comics who makes it look effortless - sharp, self-aware, and just uncomfortable enough to be hilarious.

In this episode, Danny and I talk about his move from New York to LA, the culture shock of dating in a city where everyone looks like they're waiting to be cast, and why he chose to keep a framed picture of Jesus in his nearly empty Koreatown apartment. We get into his early years in stand-up, including the brutally honest admission that he wasn't good at first - and how working a mindless but oddly perfect job assembling electronics kits at Adafruit helped him develop material without losing his sanity. We also dive into sketch comedy discipline, killing your own work when it's not good enough, New York vs LA comedy audiences, drinking with no consequences, ghosts in college apartments, and the eternal shame of not having seen The Godfather.

It's a loose, funny, slightly chaotic conversation about starting over, getting better, and figuring out who you actually are on stage - which, as it turns out, is way more interesting than trying to be "cool."

Watch Danny's Special: You Choose: An Interactive Comedy Special

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Support Adafruit, Danny's former employer.

Henry Alford is an acclaimed humorist and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and whose latest book, I Dream of Joni, landed on the cover of The Washington Post Book Review. I was thrilled to sit down with Henry while he was in the middle of his book tour to talk about writing, creativity, and the strange little moments that stay with us for decades.

We get into Henry's path to becoming a writer, his process for balancing journalism and humor, and why having a deadline can sometimes be the greatest creative gift. We also talk about what it really means to "make it," the emotional highs and lows of a creative life, and why the true reward of doing this work is simply being asked to do it again.

Along the way, we dig into art, memory, vulnerability, and the idea that the best writing often comes from the things we can't quite shake. This was a thoughtful, funny, and deeply human conversation, and I'm excited to share it with you.

Buy Henry's book I Dream of Joni

Read Henry's work on the New York Times

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I sat down with comedian Jeremiah Watkins for a conversation that quickly turned into a deep dive on comedy, commitment, and what actually goes into building a standup career in Los Angeles. We talk a lot about his improvised standup show, Standup on the Spot - how it started, how it's evolved across multiple venues, and why creating comedy with no prepared material is both terrifying and creatively freeing.

We also get into bombing, booking shows, comedy etiquette, and the weird balance between advocating for yourself and letting the work speak for itself. Jeremiah shares what he looks for when booking comics, what drives him crazy, and why commitment onstage matters more than perfection. This one's very much "comics talking to comics," but even if you're just a fan of standup, there's a lot here about creativity, risk, and trusting the process.

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I'm joined this week by Karen David - actress, singer-songwriter, and one of the most versatile performers working today. You know her from Fear the Walking Dead, Galavant, Once Upon a Time, and films like The Scorpion King 2 or Isabella's Garden, but this conversation goes far beyond credits. Karen and I talk about what it actually takes to sustain a creative life - from running through literal fire on set to walking onto stage scared, prepared, and determined to care anyway.

We get into her upbringing as a half-Indian, half-Chinese kid, the impact of bullying and loneliness, and how those experiences shaped her deep commitment to kindness, courage, and leadership on set. Karen shares stories from Fear the Walking Dead, learning guitar in two weeks to perform on camera, working with legends like Lenny James and Sheryl Crow, and why staying curious (and a little scared) is part of doing meaningful work. It's a wide-ranging, thoughtful, and surprisingly funny conversation about preparation, empathy, and saying yes to challenges you never imagined you'd face.

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In this episode, I sit down with one of my favorite comics to talk shop with – Dwayne Perkins. Dwayne has one of the sharpest joke brains in the business, but more importantly, he's just a great hang. We get into everything from his early days growing up in Coney Island to why international crowds sometimes understand his comedy even better than Americans do. Along the way, we compare notes on alt rooms, likability, nerd culture, and what it really takes to carve out a lane in this industry without losing your identity.

We also go off on a ton of fun tangents - New York borough politics, the psychology of audiences, why some comedy styles only work on certain "surfaces" (like tennis courts), and how Dwayne accidentally became the Wiz Kid of his neighborhood. If you're a comic, you'll relate. If you're not a comic, you'll still have a blast listening. And yes… we somehow end up talking about fortune cookies and Vietnamese restaurant puns.

Dwayne's book:
Hot Chocolate for the Mind

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I sat down with writer and showrunner Vijal Patel to talk about one of the questions I get asked the most: how do you turn your comedy and point-of-view into a TV series? Vijal is the creator of The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, which became Amazon Prime's #1 comedy, and this conversation is a real look at how a personal voice turns into a fully-realized show.

We talk about growing up between cultures, moving from India to the Midwest as a kid, and how those early experiences shaped the way he sees the world— and writes about it. We also get into the mechanics of writing for television, the importance of a strong point-of-view, and why some shows feel like they're speaking directly to you while others don't quite land the same way. Along the way, we riff on sitcoms, sports, identity, family, and the long road from stand-up and writing to actually getting something made. If you're interested in comedy, TV writing, or building a creative career that reflects who you are, there's a lot in here to chew on.

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Watch The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh