A closed hotel pool, a hot parking lot, and an angry ant hill aren’t the villains—they’re the chorus. Episode 100 lands mid-bite and mid-thought, which turns out to be the most honest place to take stock of a life on stage. We talk about addiction-level love for Story of the Year’s new song Gasoline, daydreams of skipping lunch for a KTM, and how the road strips away your excuses until only the work is left. That’s where the real conversation starts: anxiety that pretends to be effort, the strange ritual of staying calm all day just to spike your heart at showtime, and why comedy often feels like couples therapy with a partner who doesn’t need you back.
I share early road stories about thin envelopes and almost-not-getting-paid nights, hard-won advice from friends, and the lesson that stand-up owes none of us anything. The only way through is to hold confidence and humility at the same time: brave enough to take the room, patient enough to rebuild when it all falls flat. We get into refusing to dim your volume to make other people comfortable, experimenting with new openers and pre-show rituals, and catching surprising flashes of joy when you review a set and see a grin you didn’t know you had. Gratitude shows up sideways—in clouds outside a plane window, in a rehearsal that feels like a secret show, in the sting that reminds you you’re still here.
Looking ahead, I’m planning the next hundred with more intention and better guests, without sacrificing the messy honesty that got us here. If you’ve ever wrestled with burnout, creative drought, or the instinct to make yourself smaller, this one will meet you where you are. Hit follow, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review with the one risk you’re taking this week—we’ll read our favorites on the show.
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