028 Shifting Feelings Dealings (w/ Krista Allen)

Actress, Comedian & Podcast Host Krista Allen is on the couch this week for an amazingly transparent, enlightened, beatifully introspective and self-aware journey through her at times tragic experience finding her voice, LITERALLY. 

With a con-man father and a narcissistic, Beach Boy groupie mother (no seriously), she discusses how the difficult hand she was dealt led to some massive insecurities, both anger and "daddy issues," an unhealthy career victim mentality, eating disorders, love addiction and more. From constantly moving around and seeking safe haven, being inable to express her feelings, leaving school young, surviving sexual abuse and more, she has a truly incredible perspective on her own story and her outlook on both her past and her future is inspiring and lovely.

She talks about alignment and he talks about balance. And thats all just the first half. This a dont-miss whirlwind of a conversation.

There's also a 5 foot 6 persian cage-fighting rapper in there somewhere.

Follow Krista @KristaAllenXO

Far Too Late

In the aftermath of the largest mass shooting in modern american history, I took a moment to express my sadness, disgust and rage over the 58 lives lost.               -Jake

027 Action Woman Protraction (W/ Maggie Levin)

Writer/Director and Woman of Action, Maggie Levin joins Jake this week and talks growing up in Woodstock the daughter of free-spirited rockstar and a crazy balerina, being 6 years old in the theater playing boys, and being un-schooled and teenaged in New York City!

She also talks a bit about a pattern of relationship tag along (that's not as unhealthy as it sounds), the "New York Grudge" which is totally a thing, and her more-than-boyfriend and the joy watching his discomfort with difficult people brings her.

They also discuss her Rocky Horror stage show with a twist "Rocky Horror Hipster show" and how her incredibly talented friends helped spawn the idea with thier collective super-powers, the Sci-Fi Comedy TV show she directs and writes called "Miss 2059" on Go90.com, representing women in film and television, writing as woman and for women and navigating the landscape of casting women and people of color in a time when it is in the forefront of public conversation. 

Follow Maggie on social Media @MaggieLevin
See Miss 2059 at Go90.com or on the Go90 App on any Verizon device.
Visit Women of Action LA at www.WomenOfAction.us

026 Corrective Perspective Objective (w/ Aaron Pruner)

Actor/Writer/Critic Aaron Pruner is on the couch this week talking about his on-again off-again relationship with entertaining. He tells the tales of being a teen commercial star and how his role as the often picked on "Percy" on VR Troopers effected his off screen life, the decision to leave acting as a career behind and how proving his ability to exist in the "real world" to himself was important.

He also talks about some dark family history and how his mother came out of it unconditionally supportive, how a series of unfortunate events in 2007 led to his decision to persue better living through therapy and improving his physical health which ultimately hurt his ability to perform and finding the balance.

There's also Comic Cons, acts of kindness, and Gordon Ramsay.

Follow Aaron on social media @AaronFlux

025 Depression & Rememberies

Jake is back after another week dark explaining himself. He's talking about the shallow pit he recently fell into, Bojack Horseman and his internal dialogue, his doggo Cosmo and his new cats and how nothing is wrong yet something is wrong. Then we jump into a time machine back to a test recording from before the start of the show with writer/actor and Elaborate First Mate, Paul Bianchi in which the duo discuss memories and Jake's inability to recall details that the seemingly Mutant Memoried Paul knows each and every detail of. Regular shows return next week!

024 Steady Pace Ventura (w/ Eddie Pence)

We're back after a week off and Comedian/Actor/Filmmaker Eddie Pence is on the couch talking about the comedy/pro wrestling connection happening the world (and that brought he and Jake together in the first place), his father's knack for complaining about things he secretly likes and his son's knack for standup and stealing his material.

He also talks about growing up a suburban latchkey kid in Virginia to two government working parents, sibling friendships, his parental instincts and being a responsible modern parent while working in an industry that generally breeds irresponsibility, graduating virgina Tech before uprooting to LA to study film and television and discovering his calling as a comic, his earliest comedic inspirations and sharing a sense of humor with his son as well as talking in the cinema.

Also Ace Ventura is a bar for comedy which all other comedy is judged.

Follow Eddie on social media @EddiePence

023 Strong Smirk Ethic (w/ Jonny Loquasto)

Comedian Jonny Loquasto is on the couch talking about his new independent stand up album "Jonny Loquasto Presents Jonny Loquasto's Jonny Loquasto," being a self starter, his vast creative endeavors and his absolute warpath of a work ethic.

He talks about his suburban Pennsylvania roots from the whitest city ever that drove him to seek diversity in life, how the sketch show "In Living Color" and actor David Alan Grier inspired him to find the funny, being a physical therapist, the whim that brought him to LA and into standup, dealing with the bitterness from bouts of unpopularity and finding the positive reinforcement. He also talks about how he found himself as a pro wrestling color commentator for Championship Wrestling from Hollywood all because someone no showed.

Find his new album and more at http://www.jlocomedy.com

022 A Rich Mahogany (w/ Mike Bridenstine)

Comedian Mike Bridenstine is on the couch this week talking about tv shows Jake isn't watching (spoiler alert: one has both thrones and a game) the nickname Mike doesnt know he has, and their pro wrestling fandom connection before going off on an awful tanget about the misuse of words.

He talks about his small town Iowa roots and growing up the son of two teachers as well as being a funny bad kid, the sort of interests and comedy that caught his attention in his youth. They share thier mutual expierience of being directed towards fine art by being good kid artists who knew they werent that great. He also talks about being an outsider until making his way to Chicago and finding comradery in the comedy scene alongside talents like TJ Miller, Kumail Nanjiani and Pete Holmes. 

He also talks about recording his debut standup album "The Hungry Wolf Hunt's Best" at The Mill, a venue his grandfather, aunt and uncle played as a blueglass family band when he was a kid and why it was important to him.

Also Mike has a lot of hostility towards the artist, Donatello.

"The Hungry Wolf Hunts Best" is available now on itunes and ASTRecords.com

021 Linear Motion Devotion (w/ Tybee Diskin)

She's been mentioned quite a bit on the show but Tybee Diskin is finally on the couch joining Jake this week talking about the genesis and ending of her podcast "InterroBang w/ Travis and Tybee" and the good it's done including the incredible "InterroPals" pen pal system she established that puts people in need in touch with others experiencing similar things, and how just being transparent in general helped HER discover information about ADHD/Autism she wouldn't know otherwise.

The two talk about Tybee's jovial drunk behavior and how misguided positivity made her cry on her birthday, Jake's sober behavior, being close friends who don't see each other often and how they're both fans of communication. Tybee talks a little about the actors grind that she's left behind, working with Wayside Creations and working on fan films like Fallout Nuka Break as well as the children's book based on her Ninento DS playing giant grandmother that she has put her creative energy into recently. She talks a bit about her grandmother's personality, confidence, and also tells the story of how her grandparents met and it's super awesome.

Follow Tybee on social media @HelloTybeeRen

020 The Defense Quests (w/ Celia Gordon)

Celia Gordon is a Criminal Defense Attorney, Yoga Instructor, Entrepenuer and co-founder of The Work-Shop in Huntington, NY. She also happens to be Elaborate host Jake's sister! Jake is home on Long Island sitting with his big sis and chatting with her about thier relationship, complex family and shared father. Celia discusses how she went from district attorney intern to being one of New York's top Criminal Defense Attornies working on high and low profile cases and defending people other's might consider undefendable. She talks about defending the wrongly convicted Jon-Adrian Velazquez in a now infamous homicide case covered by Dateline NBC, putting her work above all else including family and self and how her ego challenged her desire to slow down and eventually go home. She goes on to discuss how Yoga allowed her to shut off her mind, put away her cell phone and deal with her conflicted feelings as well as the difficult decisions she made to find herself where she is now, so far from where she started. Following the mantra the miracles in life happen when you stop trying to figure it all out.

Also, she went through a pretty intense dubsmash phase.

Follow Celia on social media @CeliaGordonYoga Find The Work-Shop at www.thework-shop.com & on social media @thework_shop