The Other Pod with Chloe Aftel

Five time national sports climbing champion, and revered mountaineer, Emily Harrington talks with Chloe Aftel about how competitive climbing has shaped her perspective on life, the world, and her personal truths. Inseparable from her multiple titles that include the phrase, “first woman to,” Harrington discusses her journey in the sport, from starting as a young girl scaling man-made walls to finding herself in life or death moments atop the world’s highest peaks. Along with a superhero-like physicality, Harrington describes how important problem solving, risk-analysis, and intelligent decision making is for the successful climber, and how she has integrated these skills...

Three time Grammy award-winning singer songwriter, and creator of over a dozen acclaimed albums, Lucinda Williams sits down with Chloe Aftel to chronicle her journey in music, from being emotionally taken by the folk music of the 1960s, to creating her most recent album, “World’s Gone Wrong,” which responds directly to the current American political landscape. Shining through Williams’ anecdotes is an artistic integrity and self-honesty that has simultaneously created friction in her career, and pushed her to take her own gravel road to pioneer the Americana genre. From being inspired to write meaningful songs by Bob Dylan, to now perf...

Ashley has spent her career researching and considering the Black revolutionary women of the last century. Her most recent tome is Queen Mother about Audley Moore. With Chloe, she goes in depth about not only who these women were and how they navigated the times during which they existed, but at what cost was their activism and how their lives inform our present world. Moving through the challenges of motherhood, the tools of white control, and possibilities of Black sovereignty, Ashley broadens our understanding of historical context and explains her style of writing usable history.
Highlights
How to...

American novelist and essayist Marilynn Robinson sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss the idea of writing as a practice of honesty, reflection, and attention to lived experience while allowing both real life and remembrance to help shape narratives. Robinson emphasizes the importance of truth in writing and frames her approach as taking in the world around you, and translating it into words. She views simplicity not as a limitation, but as a discipline that requires careful attention and sincerity. They also discuss the relationship between memory and storytelling, and how personal history informs perspective. Robinson reflects on writing...

Ghanaian American writer Meri Nana-Ama Danquah sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss immigration, mental health, and self preservation. They talk about Danquah’s experience having learned about her undocumented status as an adult, and how that severely impacted not only her life, but her mental health. She remarks on the irony of the fact that though she was highly regarded and often asked to speak on issues of mental health, she wasn’t able to speak on one of the key causes of her own depression due to the danger it would put her in. They discuss her writ...

Description:

French Canadian author Alain Deneault sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss what it means to hold multinational corporations accountable for the ecological harm and human rights abuses they enact, as well as the importance of organizing in the face of injustice rather than falling into a cycle of despair. They break down the difference between individualistic cultures versus collectivist cultures, and analyze the different philosophies that surround it. Deneault sheds light on Canada’s role in the development of tax havens and the impact that has on working class families citing his years of research. He...

Acclaimed Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie joins host Chloe Aftel to discuss the way that encouraging experimentation and improvisation in film can push the story even further and make the visuals even more impactful to the audience. Debie discusses how his process came to be, citing his time working on his first feature film, Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible (2002), and how having the limitation of only using natural lighting in that project while also trying to preserve the color in the scenes taught him to embrace spontaneity and intuition as a part of his artistic process. He discusses some of the tech...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and Catholic Priest Michael Pfleger! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Michael Pfleger is an American Catholic priest and social activist who has gained notoriety in recent years for being outspoken about the countless systemic issues and injustices that exist within the Catholic Church and how they impact the world around us. Pfleger was ordained as a priest in May of 1977 by the Roman Cath...

American Catholic Priest and social activist Michael Pfleger sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss the weaponization of faith to target marginalized populations, the importance of taking care of your communities, and what it means to practice your faith through action. Pfleger discusses how he believes that justice and faith are inherently intertwined and in order to create safe and inclusive environments for those who most need it, they need to be met where they are with love rather than judgement. He criticizes many Republican leaders who use faith as a means to justify their attacks on the rights...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and food scientist Marion Nestle! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Marion Nestle is an award winning author, molecular biologist, and health advocate. She received her Bachelors in bacteriology from UC Berkeley in 1959, as well as a Ph.D. in molecular biology and a MPH in public health nutrition. She went on to teach at NYU, where in 1996 she co founded the university’s Food S...

Renowned American molecular biologist, nutritionist and health advocate Marion Nestle joins host Chloe Aftel to discuss the ways that politics, industry, and food production have created the health crisis and distrust in science that now dominates our news cycles. Throughout the years, Nestle has written countless articles on these topics and has won a number of awards for her writing, including The American Public Health Association’s Food and Nutrition Section Award for Excellence in Dietary Guidance, The James Beard Literary Award, and a Harry Chapin Media Award for Best Book. They discuss Nestle’s education and career, as well as h...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and political theorist Cristina Beltrán! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Cristina Beltrán, Ph.D., is a NYU Associate Professor and award-winning author as well as political theorist. Born to parents of Mexican descent, Beltrán grew up in Southern California and New Mexico, obtaining a Doctorate in Political Science from Rutgers University and B.A. in Politics from University of California at Sant...

Author and Associate Professor at New York University working in Latinx, race and gender, plus political theory, Dr. Cristina Beltrán joins host Chloe Aftel for a fascinating dive into modern America. Speaking on her upbringing, academic theories, and U.S. politics spanning the last forty years, Professor Beltrán breaks down myriad political/social concepts found within politics and, more broadly, the fabric of America. From the idea of layered colonialisms to Ezra Klein's The New York Times opinion piece on Charlie Kirk's murder, Beltrán and Aftel pick apart organizing tactics on the left and right, the politics of p...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and writer Jamelle Bouie! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Jamelle Bouie is a writer, photographer, and columnist for The New York Times. Obtaining degrees in political plus social thought and government from the University of Virginia in 2009, Bouie started out at The American Prospect magazine. Also writing for The Daily Beast early in his career, Bouie became Slate magazine's chief political correspondent in 2014 before work...

Hillman Prize for Opinion & Analysis winner, The New York Times columnist, and prolific photographer, Jamelle Bouie is Other's latest guest in discussion with host Chloe Aftel. From The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story to covering Trump-era politics and policies through an historical lens, Bouie lets us in on his upbringing, career, and creative processes in this insightful interview. Unafraid to set the record straight, listeners learn about how Bouie shapes both his writing and reporting. Come join us in hearing this guest's fascinating perspective on current American politics and meeting audiences where they're at; plus stick around for the lighting round...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and filmmaking legend Phil Tippett! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Phil Tippett is an American filmmaker who has been working in creative roles and contributing to iconic visuals for over five decades, from creatures like 'Rancor' in 1983's Return of the Jedi to a stop-motion rat in 2024's Alien: Romulus and credits such as 'Dinosaur Supervisor' in Jurassic Park. Additional credits include everything from...

Two-time Academy Award® winning filmmaker Phil Tippett has led an incredibly creative, not to mention successful, career spanning the likes of directing, producing, and visual effects supervising. His legendary stop-motion, computerized character animations, and creature designs can be traced from the original Star Wars, Jurassic Park, RoboCop, and Starship Troopers to his own recent, acclaimed film Mad God. Joining host Chloe Aftel, Tippett dives into all of the above and more, revealing anecdotes behind specific work as well as inner philosophical processes behind such a storied journey.


Highlights:
Aftel and Tippett discuss four different creations throughout the...

Actress Carla Jimenez has been acting and singing since childhood. This year, she’s made her Broadway Debut as Pancha in the original cast of “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.” She joins host Chloe Aftel on The Other Pod to discuss her journey to where she is now and all the ups and downs along the way. They discuss her early career, including breakout roles in “Nacho Libre” and “Desperate Housewives”, as well as her recent key role in “The Mick”, and now her singing on Broadway. Carla’s story is a beautiful journey of dedication, passion, and hard work in a harsh indu...

Actress Carla Jimenez has been acting and singing since childhood. This year, she’s made her Broadway Debut as Pancha in the original cast of “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical.” She joins host Chloe Aftel on The Other Pod to discuss her journey to where she is now and all the ups and downs along the way. They discuss her early career, including breakout roles in “Nacho Libre” and “Desperate Housewives”, as well as her recent key role in “The Mick”, and now her singing on Broadway. Carla’s story is a beautiful journey of dedication, passion, and hard work in a harsh indu...

In this exciting interview with Emmy-nominated writer, comedian, and podcaster Chelsea Devantez, Chloe and Chelsea discuss what being a drag queen taught her about gender and self-acceptance, how she's navigated male violence, the experience writing her first memoir: I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I’m Going To Anyway), her creative process, her marriage with fellow comedian Yassir Lester, and her podcast Glamorous Trash.

Bios:
Chelsea Devantez is an Emmy-nominated writer, comedian, and filmmaker. She hosts the widely-loved independent podcast Glamorous Trash which has over 5 million downloads. Her TV credits include Girls5Eva, Not...

In this exciting interview with Emmy-nominated writer, comedian, and podcaster Chelsea Devantez, Chloe and Chelsea discuss what being a drag queen taught her about gender and self-acceptance, how she's navigated male violence, the experience writing her first memoir: I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This (But I’m Going To Anyway), her creative process, her marriage with fellow comedian Yassir Lester, and her podcast Glamorous Trash.

Highlights:
The differing comedy styles of Chelsea and her husband Yassir Lester;
Different turning points in Chelsea’s career from Jon Stewart to Girls5Eva, amongst others;Her experiences making the wi...

In part two of this in-depth interview with NCAA coaching legend Tara VanDerveer, Chloe and Tara dive into how she built a career, her coaching philosophy, and how she helps her players reach their highest potential. They also discuss the significance of relationships built through sports and VanDerveer's ongoing involvement in the sport post-retirement.

Highlights:
How to foster a collaborative and supportive team environment where everyone has a voice, and where the focus is on collective success;

What strategies VanDerveer uses to continuously evolve her coaching approach and maximize her team's strengths;

How...

For the end of our interview feature with Tara VanDerveer, Chloe asks Tara closing questions about her other passions, her post game rituals, and stand out players Tara has coached over the years. 

About:

Tara VanDerveer is one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of women's basketball, best known for her legendary 38-season tenure at Stanford University, where she led the Cardinal to three NCAA championships (1990, 1992, 2021) and 14 Final Four appearances. Born on June 26, 1953, she began her head coaching career in 1978 and became the highest winning coach in NCAA Division I basketball history, retiring in 2024 w...

Tara VanDerveer is a Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, widely considered to be one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport. Now retired from coaching, she joins host Chloe Aftel on The Other Pod to talk about her unique and heavily lauded career in the world of basketball. In this exciting episode, the pair discuss the unique aspects of coaching women's basketball, the generational shifts in players that VanDerveer has noticed over time, and how to develop great team relationships for group success. 

Highlights:
Strategies that successful coaches use to help players set a...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and multitalented content creator Alice Little! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Alice Little is an Irish-American sex worker, content creator, educator, and activist. She gained media attention for her outspoken advocacy for sex workers' rights and her personal experiences within the legal brothel system. Alice has also used her platform to educate the public about the importance of safe, consensual, and legal sex work...

Alice Little is widely recognized as the top-earning legal sex worker in the United States. As a passionate advocate for the safety and empowerment of sex workers, she joins host Chloe Aftel to explore the current state of legal sex work in the U.S. and how positive sexual experiences grounded in intimacy and consent can lead to transformative change for individuals and our society.

Alice and Chloe delve into a range of key topics, from male sexual trauma and intimacy challenges to the advantages of legal sex work in a high-end Nevada brothel, compared to the critical...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and Nobel Prize winner Victor Ambros! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Victor Ambros is a renowned molecular biologist and a pioneer in the field of RNA biology. He is best known for his discovery of microRNAs, small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression. Ambros, along with his colleague Gary Ruvkun, identified the first microRNA, lin-4, in the early 1990s, which marked a revolutionary find...

Victor Ambros, a Nobel Prize winner for his work on nematodes and microRNA, joins host Chloe Aftel on The Other Pod for an exciting conversation on the joys of scientific discovery. The pair discuss his work and research, as well as his childhood and his father's fascinating life story escaping Nazi Germany. Victor describes his work with passion and devotion to his research and field of study as well as life itself. Highlights:
The key insights and collaborative nature that enabled the groundbreaking discoveries in C. elegans research;Victor's love and devotion for his wife and scientific partner Rosalind L...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance Ai-jen Poo! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy. 


Biographies:

Ai-jen Poo is a labor activist and the executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), an organization advocating for the rights of domestic workers in the U.S. She has been a leading voice in the fight for better wages, working conditions, and legal protections for n...

Ai-Jen Poo is a lifelong activist, current director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), and author of the book “The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America.” She joins Chloe on The Other Pod to discuss the current landscape of carework in the United States amidst political turmoil and threats of mass deportation. Chloe and Ai-Jen discuss:
How can we effectively advocate for universal access to care and the recognition of carework as essential infrastructure despite political setbacks? What innovative approaches or programs can be developed to support and empower caregivers, such as the im...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and expert herbalist Rosemary Gladstone! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biography:

Rosemary Gladstar is a renowned herbalist, author, and teacher, widely recognized for her contributions to the modern herbalism movement. With over 40 years of experience in the field, she has played a pivotal role in reviving interest in plant medicine and herbal traditions. Gladstar is the founder of the California School of Herbal Studies and...

Author, teacher, and expert herbalist Rosemary Gladstone joins host Chloe Aftel for a long-awaited interview about her career and fundamental understanding of nature’s healing properties. The pair explores how modern medicine got to where it is today, the misconceptions people may have regarding herbalism, and the divide between Western medicine and herbalism. Rosemary discusses the importance of native traditions and how it’s never too late to explore a connection with nature. 
Highlights:
Rosemary’s early education from her grandmother, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide; Her definition of what it means to be an herbalist and the diff...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with 'Other' podcast guest and musician K.Flay! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

K.Flay (born Kristine Flaherty) is a singer, songwriter, and rapper known for blending elements of indie rock, electronic, and hip-hop into her unique sound. K.Flay's breakthrough came with her debut full-length album, Life as a Dog (2014), and she later achieved critical success with her 2017 album, Every Where Is Some Where, which earned her...

Indie artist and songwriter K. Flay celebrates the release of her new EP I’m Making Friends With Silence through an honest and philosophical conversation with host Chloe Aftel on The Other Pod. K. Flay (Kristine Flaherty), reflects on her start in the music industry while in school at Stanford, the influence of her psychology and sociology studies, and her musical and personal evolution from early records like Life as a Dog to now. She speaks on the importance of trust and reliability above all else and the transformative nature of her queer awakening. 

Highlights
K. Flay’s com...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with 'Other' podcast guest and actress Aya Cash! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Aya Cash is an American actress known for her wide range of characters in film and television. Born in San Francisco, she has gained widespread recognition for her role as Gretchen in the critically acclaimed series You're the Worst. Cash has also appeared in notable projects like The Boys and This Is Us. With a st...

Theater and TV actor Aya Cash joins host Chloe Aftel to discuss her past and present projects and reflect on an acting career that has been 20 years in the making. She talks about having artist parents, growing up in the Bay Area, and what that taught her about not compromising on a creative vision. She also highlights the importance of instinct in acting, her thoughts on the collaborative nature of filmmaking, and the impact of good writing. Highlights
How she understands and embodies evil characters, from Gretchen Cutler on You’re The Worst, to playing a nazi as a Jew...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and multitalented Jeff Lemire! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.

Through his graphic novel works like Sweet Tooth (now a Netflix original), Black Hammer, Gideon Falls, Essex County, and more, Jeff Lemire creates new worlds with distinct styles while representing a myriad of identities and experiences.

Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photog...

Through his graphic novel works like Sweet Tooth (now a Netflix original), Black Hammer, Gideon Falls, Essex County, and more, Jeff Lemire creates new worlds with distinct styles while representing a myriad of identities and experiences.

In this month's episode of The Other Pod, Jeff gets candid with host Chloe Aftel about his career, from making up stories as a child in rural Ontario, to writing Essex County during the day while working night shifts as a cook in Toronto, to now expanding his creative world into film and television with international acclaim. He shares about...

Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and author Rachel Kushner! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


Biographies:

Rachel Kushner is an author long-listed for the Booker Prize, responsible for the widely loved novels Telex from Cuba, The Flamethrowers, and The Mars Room. Her latest novel, Creation Lake, released September 4, 2024. You can keep up with Rachel on her website and find all her written work here.

Chloe Aftel has spent her...

Author Rachel Kushner and host/visual artist Chloe Aftel first met after the success of Rachel’s first novel and have worked collaboratively ever since. Now, the pair reunite for the latest episode of The Other Pod to discuss her new novel, Creation Lake, and dive into everything creative process and ideation. They discuss the way their artistic processes align and differ across mediums, the journey to capture shifting perspectives, and the kinetic, alive energy that comes with creating. Highlights:
Rachel reflects on the tricky balance and ultimate catharsis of writing first-person characters whose thoughts and judgments are antithetical to...