Maggie Lyons is a creative producer living in LA. Read her essay The Comfort Playlist of Teenage Faves™️. Listen to her nostalgia playlist here . Aaron's advice originally aired back in 2022. -- Support the show and listen to Weirdly Helpful without ads by becoming a Patron today! -- Thanks to Rula for supporting today's show. Learn more @ https://www.rula.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 20, 2026•14 min
Ross Simonini is an interdisciplinary artist and writer. Read his essays Bless The Phone here and Through the Fire here . Check out his essential interviews with so many modern masters at The Believer ! Noa on using our phone less. Dapne on using our phone less. Rabbi Yoni on the bathroom blessing. -- BECOME A WEIRD HELPER AND LISTEN TO THE SHOW AD-FREE! GET YOUR WEIRDLY HELPFUL MERCH HERE! -- Ross has held solo presentations of his work at the Sharjah Biennial (UAE) , Francois Ghebaly (NYC), an...
May 13, 2026•20 min
I'm excited to share a preview of a new podcast I think you’d enjoy: No Such Thing . It's a show where three best friends and journalists settle their dumb arguments — and yours — by actually doing the research. Hosts Manny Fidel, Noah Friedman, and Devan Joseph start each episode with an argument using just their gut feelings. Then they go out into the world, investigate, talk to experts, and conduct some experiments. Finally, the guys bring their findings back to the group to see if they can c...
May 06, 2026•14 min
Shari and Eric are married with children in NYC. They were last on the show talking about touching feet during marital discord. More on SPOA - Lucy Anderton on graphing household labor and other weirdly helpful gems. - What do you find Weirdly Helpful? Call me at 844-935-2378 THE WEIRDLY HELPFUL MERCH STORE!!!! Become a WH Patron and listen to the show ad-free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 06, 2026•11 min
On today's episode, a family's post-dinner ritual and later Zak tells the improbable tale of Peace Pilgrim. Lucy, Gino and Avery fart walk in Miami, FL. Lucy co-hosts Slate's parenting show with Zak and Elizabeth Newcamp. It's called Care and Feeding . She also hosts the Mamacita Rica and co-authors Best Mom Friends Forever . --- LISTEN TO WH AD-FREE BY BECOMING A PATRON TODAY! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 29, 2026•17 min
Mike Pesca is the creator and host of The Gis t, the longest-running daily news podcast in history, moderator of Not Even Mad , a political debate podcast, and host of Funny You Should Mention , a co-production with the Comedy Cellar, where he conducts in-depth interviews with stand up comedians. On today's show we get into how understanding your own neurochemistry can offer new perspectives on mental health and anxiety. READ : Opinion | The Feel-Good Gene LISTEN: How to address acute anxiety wi...
Apr 22, 2026•20 min
Cara Ryan is an academic living in Florida. --- Laura Weber Davis originally gave her cover letter advice back in 2023. --- Listen to WH ad-free by becoming a Weird Helper right now @ Patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 15, 2026•21 min
Laura Hawley is an artist and therapist from Philadelphia. She's a frequent contributor to the show having first called about howling , then giving away 62 balls! Bob Newhart's Stop It Sketch from MAD TV. -- Call me (Zak) on the Weirdly Helpline @ 844-935-2378 to share what you find weirdly helpful. -- Listen to the show ad-free by becoming a Patron today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 08, 2026•16 min
Eric Zimmer is an author, teacher, speaker, and the creator of The One You Feed podcast—an award-winning show with over 50 million downloads across 800+ conversations exploring meaningful living. His new book is How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life. --- Billy Oppenheimer is a writer and research assistant to Ryan Holiday based in Austin, TX. Every Sunday at 6 AM (CT) Billy sends out an email with SIX things he's learned, thought were interesting, or fou...
Apr 01, 2026•20 min
On today's episode, Toogie Barcelo shares her unique approach to movement, creativity, and emotional well-being through the power of wiggling! Toogie is a dancer , choreographer , movement director , certified breath & meditation coach , educator , and emerging director for film and immersive performance . Go to the Wiggle Room if you're in LA! - Watch an Impala Wiggle --- Related from the Weirdly Helpful archive: Let Your Voice Break with Abigail Bengson --- Become a Weirdly...
Mar 25, 2026•23 min
Discover practical tips and surprising truths that can help you and your loved ones stay safe and informed with Dr. Ashely Alker , author of 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them and an emergency medicine physician on a mission to improve public health. --- Pooping with Dr. Kira Newman --- Support Weirdly Helpful and listen to the show ad-free by becoming a Patron today @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 18, 2026•18 min
Dessa Cosma is executive director of Detroit Disability Power . Today she schools Zak on the importance of pride-forward language, especially around disability and shares practical tips on self-correction, evolving language, and fostering respect for disability identity. --- SUPPORT WEIRDLY HELPFUL and listen to the show without ads by becoming a Patron today @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 11, 2026•21 min
Natalie and Jacob are sibling youths from Texas. --- SUPPORT WEIRDLY HELPFUL and listen to the show without ads by becoming a Patron today @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 04, 2026•14 min
Ramzi Fawaz is an award-winning queer cultural critic, educator, podcaster, and public speaker. He is a Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and host of the podcast Nerd from the Future which introduces you to the best ideas and insights from the nation's leading humanities professors. In June, Ramzi is leading a 5-day workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California callled The Thrill of Groundlessness: Flowing Through Life Without Absolutes . ENROLL HERE! --- Lis...
Feb 25, 2026•14 min
Fabiola Lara is a Chilean-born, Florida-raised artist! She lives in flux of feeling simultaneously too American to be Chilean and too Chilean to be American, and is constantly navigating her identity as a white Latinx and recent US-citizen. This episode originally aired in 2022. SUPPORT WEIRDLY HELPFUL AND LISTEN TO THE SHOW AD-FREE BY BECOMING A PATRON RIGHT @ VERY MOMENT! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 18, 2026•10 min
Dedeker Winston is a co-host of Mulitamory , relationship coach , writer, and advocate for polyamory and non-traditional relationships. She is the author of The Smart Girl's Guide to Polyamory: Everything You Need to Know about Open Relationships, Non-Monogamy, and Alternative Love , published by Skyhorse Press. This episode originally ran in 2023. Shira Heisler i s a prolific and longtime contributor to the show. She was last on to share about talking through grief. Her advice from today's epis...
Feb 11, 2026•12 min
Lauren LoGrasso is a multi-passionate creative with experience as a keynote speaker, creative coach and musician. She's the creator and host of Unleash Your Inner Creative . --- Become a Weirdly Helpful Patron and access the show ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 04, 2026•16 min
Audio from pt. 1 of today's episode comes from this YouTube live event presented by No Kings called Eyes on ICE: Document and Record . You can watch the whole thing here. --- No Kings Welcome to the Adopt a Day Labor Corner Campaign We The People Activist Toolkit --- M. Cristina Marras is an audio producer and sound artist living in Sardinia, Italy. She authored the Incantation for Restoring Democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 28, 2026•15 min
Bridget Thoreson is an award-winning journalist, executive, and creator of the Career River framework . Check out her Weirdly Helpful episode about floating down the career river. --- Listen to WH ad-free by becoming a Patron today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 21, 2026•13 min
Conor Heffernan is Lecturer in the Sociology of Sport at Ulster University, UK, and Chair of the British Society of Sports History. His new book is When Fitness Went Global: The Rise of Physical Culture in the 19th Century. Conor has published over fifty peer-reviewed articles and runs a history of fitness website @ Physical Culture Study . Find him on Bluesky @PhysCstudy --- The Quest to Pick Up the Lost Lifting Stones of Ireland in GQ --- LISTEN TO WEIRDLY HELPFUL AD-FREE BY BECOMING A PATRON ...
Jan 14, 2026•12 min
Andy J. Pizza is a New York Times Bestselling author-illustrator of many books for children and adults such as "Invisible Things" and "A Pizza with Everything On It". Pizza is also the creator of the popular podcast Creative Pep Talk . He lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and three kids. He was last on the show talking about getting high on your own supply. --- LISTEN TO WEIRDLY HELPFUL AD-FREE BY BECOMING A PATRON TODAY! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 07, 2026•11 min
Happiest and healthiest of New Years to you and yours! Thank you for listening. Love, z SUPPORT WEIRDLY HELPFUL BY BECOMING A PATRON RIGHT NOW. Todays episode features morsels from the following Weirdly Helpers... Compare Yourself to Yourself with Billie Lundt You Don't Need to Feel Good to Get Going with Brad Stalburg Do The Hard Thing First with Tiffany Paulsen Drive-By Huggers with Brian Passell Meditation with Jen Kimchiano Shower Belly with Lauren Passell Morning Joy Practice with Brandi ...
Dec 31, 2025•22 min
Rekha Murthy is a podcast strategist with more than 25 years of experience in podcasting, public radio, and other digital media. SOURCES MENTIONED: -On Tyranny by Tim Snyder -You Need a Manifesto: How to Craft Your Convictions and Put Them to Work by Charlotte Burgress-Auburn -The.Ink by Anand Giridharadas -Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson --- Support Weirdly Helpful by coming a patron today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 24, 2025•17 min
Zak went on Michigan Public's daily show Stateside to share some weirdly helpful end of year rituals and practices. He shares that segment today. Stateside covers what you need (and want) to know about Michigan. You hear stories from people across the state—from policymakers in Lansing, to entrepreneurs in Detroit, to artists in Grand Rapids. Tune in every day for in-depth conversations that matter to Michigan. Stateside is hosted by April Baer and produced by Mike Blank and Ronia Cabansag Subsc...
Dec 17, 2025•20 min
Austin Kleon is a writer who draws. He’s the bestselling author of Steal Like An Artist and other books - Austin's essay on Meeker's work, The Comedy of Survival. Ann Friedman ( @AnnFreidman ) is the co-author Big Friendship and creator of the excellent The Ann Freidman Weekly newsletter. Sign up here . For an ad-free Weirdly Helpful listening experience become a helpful weirdo @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 10, 2025•10 min
Zak's Weirdly Helpful guru, Laura Hawley , returns to the show to share a transcendent and fun gift-giving practice. Hear Laura on howling and bus art . BECOME A WEIRD HELPER and GET AD-FREE EPISODES @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 03, 2025•13 min
Weirdly Helpful advice on today's episode comes from Lainey , Margo , Rabbi Yoni and Zak ! --- If you have a response to Morty's voice memo, send me something at Zak@weirdlyhelpful.show or call the hotline @ 844-935-2378 --- Become at Weirdly Helpful Supporter @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful --- This episode is brought to you with support from Uncommon Goods. To get 15% off your next gift, go to www.uncommongoods.com/podcast/bestadvice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...
Nov 26, 2025•14 min
Emma Martin is a painter and workshop facilitator from Chicago. Check out her work! She was last on the show dishing on indecision . Become a WEIRDLY HELPFUL Patron @ https://www.patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful --- Past episodes referenced in today's episode... Try These Witchy, Water-based Maneuvers to Improve Your Life with Dr. MLE Manifesting Someone To Watch Over You with Cassandra Jenkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Nov 19, 2025•7 min
Lizzie Post is the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, and author of Emily Post's Etiquette - The Centennial Edition , and Higher Etiquette , as well as Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette 6th edition, and The Etiquette Advantage in Business 3rd edition . She is a co-president of the Emily Post Institute focusing on publishing and business development. Lizzie and her cousin Daniel co-host the Awesome Etiquette podcast, a weekly Q&A show that explores the topic of etiquette through the lens o...
Nov 12, 2025•13 min
DR. ELLEN HENDRIKSEN (she/her) is a clinical psychologist who will help you calm your anxiety and be your authentic self. She serves on the faculty at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) and is the author of HOW TO BE ENOUGH: Self-Acceptance for Self-Critics and Perfectionists . Tell Zak what YOU ARE FINDING WEIRDLY HELPFUL @ 844 935 2378 Listen to this show ad free by becoming a supporter @ patreon.com/weirdlyhelpful This episode is brought to you with support fr...
Nov 05, 2025•12 min
