by Joel Zaslofsky | Apr 8, 2026
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.
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by Joel Zaslofsky | Apr 6, 2026
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.
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by Joel Zaslofsky | Mar 3, 2026
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.
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by Joel Zaslofsky | Feb 25, 2026
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.
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