This week I am so excited to welcome back three-time guest and friend of the show, Hope Woodard! When I first had Hope on Solace and the City, we talked about her experience navigating her relationship with substance use as I began my own journey being alcohol-free. When we next chatted, Hope was about to embark on a year without dating, relationships, hookups, and any other type of involvement with men and the male gaze. Since then, Hope's boy sobriety has been covered by The New York Times, CN...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 6 min
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Luke Timm and John Timm, two cousins who have a shared passion for mental health and the New York nightlife. I connected with John back in 2022 after he came across an episode I did on the Mental Matchup podcast. He had just started a mental health non-profit, No Man Sits Alone, and we chatted about ways we could collaborate. Fast forward two years, and I see that his cousin has gone viral on social media for being the "hot bouncer" of New ...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with childhood friend and mental health advocate, Josh Murphy. Josh and I grew up together, and over the years we have bonded about the importance of therapy. In this episode, Josh talks about how his therapist has helped him navigate some of the toughest challenges in his life, from being a college athlete to navigating the public eye. We also talk about the crucial role that friendships have played in Josh's life. I have always been in awe of ...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 13 min
After a seven-week hiatus, I am back to post the remaining episodes of this season! This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Brandon (Bills) Jenkins and Sebastian Stant of the lifestyle brand Sadderday. The duo connected back in 2013 over Twitter. In the past eleven years, they have created a company that works to reduce the stigma around feeling sad. Their t-shirts, hoodies, and hats create conversation and encourage vulnerability. To learn more about Bills, Sebastian, and Sadder...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with two friends and aspiring clinicians, Betsey Goldwasser and Dan Fabi. I met Dan through a former guest, Ari Borinsky, because we both changed careers and decided to become therapists. Betsey is a friend and fellow graduate from the Columbia School of Social Work. Some of my first conversations with both Dan and Betsey were about their love for Experience Camps, an award-winning national nonprofit that transforms the lives of grieving childre...
May 28, 2024•1 hr 21 min
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Arshay Cooper, a rower, author, motivational speaker, and volunteer for numerous community outreach organizations. I was connected to Arshay through my wonderful friend Stella Stephanopoulos. Through Stella, I learned about Arhsay's work in the rowing community as well as his memoir. A Most Beautiful Thing is moving true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago's West side who form the first all-Black high school rowing team in t...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 11 min
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Eli Rallo, an ex-theater kid turned multi-dimensional creator, writer, media personality, journalist, and podcast host. She recently released her debut book I Didn't Know I Needed This: The New Rules for Flirting, Feeling, and Finding Yourself . Eli and I are actually from the same town, but it took 25 years for us to finally cross paths. In this episode, Eli talks about her journey towards becoming the incredible writer that she is today a...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 10 min
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Daniela Cell and Martin Crozier from Barry’s and Solidcore, respectively! The word that comes to mind when I reflect on this podcast episode is kismet. I had originally planned to record with another creator, and when he cancelled last minute, I racked my brain for people in my life who I could record with. After taking a class with Martin the previous Friday, I decided to reach out and see if he would be interested in talking about the men...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min
This week I am so excited to welcome back entrepreneur, reality TV star, and my personal sober icon Carl Radke to the Solace and the City podcast! Carl first was a guest back in February of 2023, right as I was beginning my journey to sobriety. Back when we first spoke, I asked Carl if his company, Loverboy, would ever branch out into the N/A world with their spiked sparkling teas. You can imagine my excitement when I saw Carl announce that Loverboy was expanding into the N/A market a few months...
Apr 29, 2024•51 min
I am so unbelievably excited and honored to be sharing this episode with you all. I have been a fan of his for years, so I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to record with the one and only Nick Viall! Nick is a former reality TV star (Bachelor Nation royalty) and host of The Viall Files podcast. In this episode, Nick talks about what led him to become the go-to relationship guru and how he became so good at giving advice. I later hit Nick with a couple of my dating hot takes, an...
Mar 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Today marks my first year of sobriety, and so it feels only fitting that I share a conversation with someone who was an integral part of my journey to recovery. Chloe Veitch is an icon -- not only is she a model, media personality, and popular host, but also a star on multiple Netflix shows including Too Hot To Handle, The Circle, and Perfect Match. At only 24 years of age, Chloe is wise beyond her years. In this episode, Chloe shares her journey to sobriety which began at a time of personal, pr...
Jan 01, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 3
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Thai Richards, the founder and creative director of Rage and Release! Rage & Release is a health and wellness community that empowers individuals to overcome adversity through a holistic approach. Rage and Release provides diverse experiences for the mind, body, and spirit, promoting unity and self-discovery. Their mission is to break negative stigmas surrounding cannabis through education, while also offering a space for personal growt...
Nov 28, 2023•53 min•Ep. 2
I am so excited to be sharing my conversation with Andrew Collin! Andrew is a comedian, actor, and writer who I have listened to as a guest on one of my favorite podcasts for almost five years. In this episode, Andrew talks about his life before and after being introduced to the world of comedy. Andrew seriously has nine lives He's lived in LA, Miami, New York City, and St. Louis and has had a multitude of careers, from dog walking to fish mongering. Andrew became sober after noticing that the p...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 1
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Ari Borinsky, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy! (That's a lot of words, so let's break it down). Ari graduated from Columbia and became passionate about alternative medicines after attending his first ayahuasca retreat in Peru. When he started his own private practice, he knew that he wanted to incorporate some of the techniques he had learned from his mentors into his work. Now Ari inc...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 2
The most-listened-to guest of Solace and the City is back and better than ever! I am SO excited to be sharing my second podcast conversation with Hope Woodard with you all. In this episode, Hope and I have a sobriety catch-up. When we first recorded back in January, I had been only 10 or so days sober, and Hope had been well over the year mark. Fast forward to this conversation, and I just hit my 300-day mark! Over these 300 days, Hope has been re-evaluating her relationship with alcohol and oth...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 1
I am so excited to be sharing my conversation with Felix Levine this week! Felix and I connected back in August, and he graciously agreed to be a guest on Solace and the City. On his podcast Where's This Going, Felix interviews the most iconic and influential people, including former hitmen, world champion athletes, billionaire CEOs, and even the Mayor of the Big Apple. In this episode, Felix talks about his journey to podcasting and the work ethic that he's tapped into over the past four years ...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 2
CW: This podcast contains content related to disordered eating and sexual assault. If at any point this episode becomes too triggering, please be sure to pause it and take some time to yourself. Furthermore, if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or is struggling after an incident of sexual assault, help is available. The National Sexual Assault Hotline is 1-800-656-4673. I feel incredibly honored to share this episode with NYC-based comic, writer, and actress, Hanna Dickin...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Welcome back to Season 5 of Solace and the City! I can't believe we are coming up on our fifth year of this show. For those who are new here, I launched Solace and the City back in October of 2019 on a complete whim. It's truly amazing to be here four years later looking back on all the incredible progress I have made no only on the show but also in my own life. In honor of my 28th birthday now behind me and the fifth year of this podcast quickly approaching, I decided to record an episode of 28...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 2
This week I am SO happy to be sharing my conversation with Nash Jenkins! Nash is a fellow alum of Johns Hopkins and as in the Writing Seminars program. Although we only overlapped briefly, I was so excited to hear the news that he had published his debut novel Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos. "When Foster Dade arrives at Kennedy, an elite boarding school in New Jersey, the year is 2008. Barack Obama begins his first term as president. Kanye West’s “Graduation” bumps from the newly debuted iPhone...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 19 min
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Leo Massey! Leo is also pursuing his Master's in Social Work at Columbia University, and we bonded over our shared fascination of psychoanalyzing our families. In this episode, Leo and I talk about the role that culture plays when it comes to mental health and the stigma surrounding it. Furthermore, because Leo previously worked in the entertainment industry, we discuss the power that the media has in representation of all forms. You can fo...
Jun 13, 2023•59 min•Ep. 2
This week I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to sit down with Brooke Siem, award-winning chef, writer, and author of the memoir May Cause Side Effects. Brooke Siem was among the first generation of minors to be prescribed antidepressants. Initially diagnosed and treated in the wake of her father’s sudden death, this psychiatric intervention sent a message that something was pathologically wrong with her and that the only “fix” was medication. As a teenager, she stepped into the hazy wor...
May 22, 2023•59 min
This week I have the pleasure of sharing a conversation with my amazing friend and fellow podcaster, Stella Stephanopoulos. My friendship with Stella was kismet, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have her in my life. Stella's unparalleled maturity is deceiving, because she is actually four years younger than I am (and five the wiser). For this reason, Stella and I decided to record an episode where we could discuss the lessons I would give to my 23-year-old self. The topics we covered stemmed fr...
May 15, 2023•55 min
This week I sat down with Makena Sage to talk about friendships. Makena is a life coach, business strategist, and "reinvention catalyst" who helps women step into who they are meant to be so they can live lives beyond their wildest dreams. Makena has been broke & hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. She's made millions through her businesses. She's gone from crippling anxiety, panic attacks and burnout to living a life of pleasure, prosperity and fulfillment. She is on a mission to help...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 13 min
This week I spoke with Dr. Sarah Church, the founder and executive director of Wholeview Wellness. Dr. Church is a clinical psychologist who has more than 20 years of experience in research, program development and treatment of patients with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. Before starting Wholeview Wellness, Dr. Church served as the Executive Director of the Division of Substance Abuse at Montefiore Medical Center and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychia...
Apr 17, 2023•57 min
Today I am officially 100 days sober! I seriously can't even believe that I have this huge milestone to celebrate. It seems like just yesterday that I was hitting the three-week mark. I've been wanting to record this episode for a while now, because there are truly so many things I've learned about alcohol (and sobriety for that matter) since I stopped drinking. If any of this resonates with you, maybe consider taking a month, week, or even a day without consuming alcohol. If you choose to do so...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 13
This week we're going back to basics with my friend and mentor, Ariella Grosse! I first met Ariella when I was looking into graduate schools for social work and was in desperate need of assistance in navigating the application process. At the time, Ariella was a first-year MSW student at the Columbia School of Social Work, and she was instrumental in my decision to apply and ultimately be accepted into this program! Now Ariella is a full-time psychotherapist at Prescott Psychotherapy and Wellnes...
Mar 20, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Today I am so excited to share my conversation with Annie Grace, who is the author of This Naked Mind, a science-based and compassion-led approach to reinvent your relationship with alcohol. At 26, Annie Grace was the youngest Vice President in a multinational company’s history, and her drinking career began in earnest; by 35, she was in a global C-level marketing role, responsible for 28 countries. Drinking close to two bottles of wine a night became a ritual. Annie Grace’s professional success...
Mar 13, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 11
She's back! When I decided to become alcohol-free, the first person to reach out and congratulate me was the one and only Joanne Irizarry. I met Joanne two years ago when I invited her to be a guest on my podcast and talk about A Safe Place Inside Your Head, a non-profit she co-founded to raise awareness about suicide prevention. Since then, Joanne has been a friend, a mentor, and a mother figure for me in Austin. With her deep-seated entrepreneurial spirit, no pun-intended, Joanne has decided t...
Mar 06, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 10
This week I am so excited to share my conversation with Sarah Levy, a writer and author who explores sobriety, relationships, culture, and identity. Sarah has appeared in The New York Times, TIME, The Cut, Vogue, Glamour, Elle, Refinery29, and Cosmopolitan, among other publications. She just released her first book, a memoir called Drinking Games, where she discusses her journey to sobriety, among so many other things. Sarah's memoir resonated with me in a way that's difficult to even describe. ...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 9
I am officially 50 days sober! And what better way to celebrate than by releasing a new episode with Carl Radke from Bravo's Summer House! Summer House is a reality show featuring about ten professionals in their twenties and thirties who work in Manhattan and spend their summer weekends in a share house in Montauk. The show centers around the drama that inevitably unfolds over the course of the summer and the season. Carl has been a member of the cast since its 2017 inception, and the world has...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 8
