Ego Was Here

Actress, model, and painter Paz de la Huerta continues her conversation about her time in Hollywood, sharing why she has chosen to keep speaking about the experiences she says shaped her life and career. In this part of the discussion, she reflects on what it has been like to revisit that period over time, the challenges she describes in being understood, and how those moments have continued to af...

Ngozi Onwuchekwa joins Ego Was Here to share the story of a health crisis that changed the direction of her life. What began as the feeling that something was seriously wrong soon became a long and difficult journey through uncertainty, treatment, and recovery. For months, Ngozi sought medical help while doctors struggled to identify the cause of her symptoms. The turning point came during what wa...

British supermodel Sophie Anderton rose to fame in the 1990s almost overnight, becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the era. In this episode of Ego Was Here , she speaks about the reality behind fame, the modeling industry, and the life that unfolded beyond the headlines. Sophie first gained international attention in 1996 as the face of the iconic “Girl in the Grass” campaign for the li...

Actress, model, and painter Paz de la Huerta speaks about Epstein, Weinstein, and the celebrities she says shaped what happened to her behind closed doors in Hollywood. In this episode of Ego Was Here, she names people, reflects on how certain figures are rarely questioned publicly, and shares how speaking out changed her life. Paz talks about her current situation, the strain that followed after...

Actress, model, and painter Paz de la Huerta speaks about Epstein, Weinstein, and why she decided to come forward publicly. She describes abuse she says she experienced in her family and how exploitation by powerful figures shaped her life. In this episode of Ego Was Here , Paz says she was sexually abused by members of her family and grew up under extreme control. She talks about her father’s bac...

What do you do when choosing your own life puts you in danger? Born in Jordan, Dima Ghawi grew up in a culture where women were discouraged from pursuing education or independence. After escaping an arranged marriage, her father believed she brought shame on the family and has sought revenge ever since. For nearly twenty five years, the consequences of that choice have followed her. In this episod...

What if midlife is not a crisis or something to fix, but a powerful point of change? This episode explores what women often face in midlife: shifting roles, changing bodies, and the pressure to keep going even when everything inside says to slow down. Heike Yates shares insights from over 40 years of experience in fitness and coaching, reflecting on how this stage affects identity, confidence, and...

What does leadership feel like when responsibility comes first and there are no perfect answers? In this episode of Ego Was Here, Janice Kovach , Mayor of Clinton, New Jersey, reflects on leadership as lived experience rather than theory. Drawing from years in public service, she talks about what it means to serve an entire community while navigating disagreement, pressure, and accountability. Jan...

What happens when your life doesn’t unfold in the order you expected? In this episode of Ego Was Here , Laura Behnke shares her experience of building a successful career while quietly questioning her timing in life. Laura spent 16 years as a TV sports anchor and reporter, reaching professional milestones many people aspire to. And yet, at 35, she had never been in a relationship and often felt ou...

What if the reason some parts of your life feel hard to change has nothing to do with motivation or effort, but with beliefs that were formed long before you were aware of them? In this episode of Ego Was Here, Karen Leigh , NLP Master Practitioner and hypnotherapist, explores how limiting beliefs take shape early in life and continue to influence how we grow, decide, and move forward as adults. T...

What if the reason you feel stuck in your head, exhausted, and disconnected from your own life isn’t because something is wrong with you, but because overthinking has quietly taken over? Psychotherapist Mary Starks joins to explore why authenticity can feel dangerous, how old patterns and survival strategies keep us locked in our own minds, and what it actually takes to feel like yourself again. F...

What actually happens when you grow up faster than everyone else? In this episode, filmmaker, actor, and producer Elinor Keyes shares what it was really like to start college at 13 through an exceptionally gifted program, and why being academically ahead didn’t make growing up any simpler. She reflects on skipping high school, entering adult environments as a child, and how early achievement quiet...

What if the women erased from history were the very ones who could help you finally stop shrinking yourself? In this episode, award-winning historical fiction author Kerry Chaput ( Daughter of the King, Chasing Eleanor, The Secret Courtesan ) shares how discovering forgotten women in history helped her reclaim her voice, her creativity, and her life. She opens up about growing up in a patriarchal...

Actor, writer and acting coach Laura Cayouette joins the podcast to talk about what it really means to risk everything on a dream that almost no one achieves. Before appearing in films like Django Unchained , Kill Bill: Vol. 2 , Enemy of the State , Now You See Me and TV shows such as Friends , True Detective and Queen Sugar , Laura was on track to become a professor, building a safe and respectab...

Actor, filmmaker, and spiritual thinker Sean Stone joins the conversation for a deep exploration of consciousness, perception, and the subtle experiences that shape how we understand the world. As the son of director Oliver Stone, Sean grew up on the sets of his father’s films and appeared in several of them, including JFK , The Doors , and Nixon . Those early years offered a unique insight into h...

Actor John Scott Wells joins the show for a thoughtful conversation about fatherhood, empathy, and learning to understand the world through a different lens. Raising a neurodivergent child led him to rethink communication, connection, and the small moments that reveal who we are. It shaped his work as an actor and the way he moves through everyday life. John shares how autism is often perceived, h...

When Plan B is not an option, what keeps you going? Actor Danny Boushebel , known for his work in Stranger Things, Homeland, The Blacklist, and Elementary, shares a powerful journey shaped by resilience, discipline, and a deep commitment to his craft. Danny grew up between Lebanon and Kuwait during years marked by conflict, and those early experiences shaped his perspective as an artist. In this c...

When life hits hardest, some people fight back with laughter. Comedian Sean Porter shares how growing up in the shadow of war shaped his voice, his presence, and his purpose on stage. Through stand-up, therapy, and reflection, he discovered that comedy isn’t just entertainment, it’s healing in motion. In this deeply human conversation, Sean opens up about the discipline of being present, learning...

Actress and storyteller Stacy Thunes explores what it really means to be seen, in life, art, and the world of Hollywood. In this inspiring episode of Ego Was Here , Stacy opens up about acting, reinvention, and the courage to live authentically , revealing how self-discovery and creativity intertwine on and off the screen. Through her candid reflections on resilience, Buddhism, and filmmaking, Sta...

Every story that reaches the screen begins long before the cameras roll. Writer and producer Philip Levens ( Smallville ; creator and showrunner of Ascension ) has lived the highs and heartbreaks of turning ideas into stories that survive the system. In this episode, he opens up about what it really takes to bring a vision to life, from endless rewrites and studio notes to moments with icons like...

Behind every unforgettable performance lies more than talent, it’s shaped by story and the science of human connection. Actor, acting coach, writer, and producer Carolyn Stotesbery reveals how a story-driven, neuroscience-informed approach can shift the focus away from ego and bring truth back to acting. Drawing on her on-screen experience and a deep understanding of storytelling and neuroscience,...

In a world obsessed with perfection, actor and model Dan Cordle reveals why our imperfections might be the very thing that makes us unforgettable. In this raw and thought-provoking episode of Ego Was Here, Dan dives deep into self-acceptance, vulnerability, and the unexpected power of imperfection to create genuine human connection. Dan shares how his life in front of the camera and on stage taugh...

At 27, Heaven Stellar (born Kate Stellar, formerly known as Kate Romero) made her screen debut in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise. But her life story goes far beyond that iconic moment. In this intimate conversation, Heaven shares how she broke free from toxic cycles, set new boundaries, and rebuilt her life in Los Angeles. From her career in Hollywood to the personal transformations that shaped her...

What does it take to be authentic in an industry built on roles and appearances? In this episode of Ego Was Here , actor and filmmaker Yasmine Alice shares her journey of finding identity through acting, facing auditions and rejection, and creating her short film Anxious . Yasmine opens up about the pressure of performance, the tension between social media and self-expression, and the courage it t...

What if one thought changed how you decide, create and relate? Havilah Malone joins Ego Was Here to trace the pivot that redirected her life. She explains how she stopped resisting a recurring pattern, shifted the lens she used to make decisions, and rebuilt daily practices to align with who she wanted to be. Havilah brings lived experience and training. She is an award winning actor, four-time be...