Bring It In: How to Give a Great Hug – SMJ 003

What if the handshake is a dominance ritual and the hug is the antidote? Joel breaks down the energetics, mechanics, and cultural context of giving truly great hugs in 15 surprisingly nuanced tips. From the five-second rule to the one last squeeze, this episode might just change how you wrap your arms around the world.

Rocks, Frogs, and the Flexible Mind with Ryan Nicodemus – SMJ 002

What if there are no objective truths, no real rules, and the most radical thing you can do is just stay open? Ryan Nicodemus joins Joel for a deeply personal conversation to explore forgiveness, the concept of formlessness, why everyone is doing the best they can, fear versus love, and why emotions – unlike apples – multiply when you give them away.

Be Beautifully Boring with Charlie Gilkey – SMJ 001

After a seven-year hiatus, Joel Zaslofsky returns to podcasting with a longtime friend, Charlie Gilkey, for an unscripted, wide-ranging conversation. They cover Charlie’s evolution from “do epic shit” to “be beautifully boring,” navigating chronic illness, creative constipation, grief, holding gratitude amid global chaos, and the real trick to thriving through life’s in-between seasons.

Lighting the Fuse – SMJ 000

Imagine an unpredictable audio porch where I sling stories, facilitate connections, and whip up experiments to help you make friends with people, possibilities, and ideas. That’s the lovely promise with Surprise Me, Joel.