CleoPODtra

SEASON ONE FINALE! In this ep, Lynn and Christie chat with Mikel Albagdadi about his upbringing in Louisiana to Iraqi & Jordanian-Syrian parents; his veterinarian dad who wouldn't let them get pets; crawdad boils & Southern culture; and his transition from finance to comedy, writing, and acting. This episode gets silly. Hey, remember that time Disney tried to trademark "Día De Los Muertos"...

In this episode, Zack Chapaloni shares the incredible story of his mother's journey from Morocco to the U.S. and how she escaped child slavery and abuse to make a better life for herself centered around family, service, and community. Zack also shares stories about his upbringing in the Bay Area, his creative exploits, and his journey from open micer to paid regular at the World Famous Comedy Stor...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Sophia Zolan about her upbringing to Greek parents in Maryland, and they discuss Greek superstitions and curses; finding community; creativity, Sophia's dreams of playing the sax; romantic encounters on Greek islands; and Sophia's dad who might have been in the mafia ("Mainly because he and his friends wore peacoats all the time and slid mysterious enve...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Syrian-American comic, writer, and actor Laura Laham about her upbringing in New York and her transition from engineering to comedy. They cover a range of topics, including creativity; authenticity; Laura's experience engineering toys for Mattel and Disney; their distinct encounters with Jeff Goldblum; Arab culture, post-9/11 identity, the fictitious Ya...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with actor-comic-clown-writer-creator Leanne Velednitsky about her East Coast upbringing to Russian parents; Broadway, theater kids; the magic of New Jersey malls, and the power of living in your body! Follow Leanne on Instagram & TikTok ! Also here's that LA Times article we referenced: Can anything stop Rick Caruso from turning L.A. into the Cheesecake...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with standup comic and actor Janesh Rahlan about moving from India to the Midwest; his career move from tech to comedy; survival vs. self-actualization; how we gauge our worthiness; battling perfectionism, control, and self-criticism; his big Super Bowl commercial; Roast Battle; and Janesh's Italian alter ego, Gino. Follow Janesh on Instagram , TikTok , and...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Sarah Fatemi about her Iranian upbringing in Ohio; her journey with self confidence, comedy, and Roast Battles; the Evil Eye; her debut on Iranian Late Night; and how she taught her mom to love D jokes! ......... Sarah Fatemi is an LA-based Iranian-American comedian. She is a Roast Battle champion and performs at The Comedy Store, The Hollywood Improv,...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Nigerian-American doctor, comic, writer, and content creator AK Agunbiade . They discuss his upbringing in a Nigerian family; the sheer embarrassment of his Ivy-League excellence; his journey as a comic; and how he finds balance working in medicine and entertainment. Follow AK on Instagram & TikTok ! .... AK Agunbiade is a Nigerian-American comedian...

In this episode, Christie and Lynn chat with Mexican-Lebanese comedian and writer, Kari Assad. They talk about her parents' rom-com worthy first-date; brujas and magical realism; what makes a good mocktail; God and spirituality; and why Meryl Streep can sit down (What? No, that can't be right). ... ⁠Kari Assad ⁠ is a Mexican-Lebanese comedian and writer based in Los Angeles. Her silly and...

In this episode Lynn and Christie chat with Fizaa Dosani about her upbringing in Florida by two Indian doctors; mental health and comedy; her creative journey; and why white napkins make no sense. Follow Fizaa on Instagram , TikTok , & YouTube! ​..... Fizaa Dosani is a comic, writer, and actor based in Los Angeles. She has toured widely and performs regularly on well-known stages and festivals...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Indian-American comic and actor BK Sharad about his roots in Texas and Colorado; BK's boy band aspirations; why Indian racism hits different; drugs & mental health; and why America needs to bring back street dogs. Content Warning: Suicide.  Follow BK on Instagram and TikTok. Watch BK's Don't Tell Comedy taping. Follow Smeagol The Half Be...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Jenny Yang about her upbringing as a Taiwanese-born, Los Angeles-raised overachiever. They discuss her obsession with the wellness industrial complex; coping with burnout and depression; ambition; her transition from politics to a creative career; and how she located her Self and values along the way. Named one of Variety's "Top Ten Comics to W...

Two Middle Eastern comedy queens dig up the funny from the first generation experience. In this episode Lynn and Christie chat with Los Angeles-based filmmaker Oscar Armando about his upbringing in CA by a strong, inspirational single mom; his roots in El Salvador; his creative journey as a filmmaker; the power of intuition and self-trust; warlocks, woo, and astrology ... and more! Follow Oscar @I...

William Cheng is a Taiwanese-American comic and artist. In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with William about his quasi-Buddhist upbringing in Texas filled with witchy superstitions; diversity brochures; mental health; balancing comedy and corporate life; facing racism and homophobia; and laughing at our short, bizarre life on this planet. Find William on TikTok , Instagram , X and YouTube !

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Haitian-American writer and comic Ronald Metellus. They discuss his roots in NY and Philly, his charismatic (un)relatability, diversity on the golf course, remaining ageless in Los Angeles, post-pandemic fashion sensibilities, and the creative balance of writing versus performance. .... Ronald Metellus is a writer best known for his work on Ziwe and The...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Salma Hindy about her religious upbringing in Canada as the daughter of an Imam; her transition from biomedical engineering to comedy; her decision to take off the hijab; and her personal revolution of choosing to celebrate her body, embrace her sexuality, and love herself at all costs. .... Salma Hindy is an Egyptian-Canadian stand-up comedian. She is...

Lynn Maleh and Christie Bahna are two Middle Eastern comedy queens digging up the funny from the first-generation experience. In this episode, Christie and Lynn catch up with Ahmed Al-Kadri and discuss his new special, social anxiety, religiosity and Islam, "The Industry" and how to deal with trolls in the comments! Ahmed's new comedy special, "A Special Not Special" is out...

Christie Bahna and Lynn Maleh are two Middle Eastern comedy queens digging up the funny from the first-generation experience. In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Filipina-Canadian actress and comic ⁠Christine Medrano ⁠ about her upbringing in a gambling-enthusiast household; standup comedy; superstitions and woo; rock-climbing; phone addictions, AI bots in comedy and TV; and more! Follow...

Lynn Maleh and Christie Bahna are two Middle Eastern comedy queens digging up the funny from the first-generation experience. In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Ahmed Bharoocha about his bicoastal upbringing as a half Irish-Catholic, half Pakistani-Indian-Burmese Muslim lad; his journey from almost-engineer to actor-comedian; dad jokes; ghosts; pranks; and the meaning of life! .... Conan...

Lynn Maleh and Christie Bahna are two Middle-Eastern comedy queens digging up the funny from the first-generation experience. In this episode, they chat with Bita Joudaki about her upbringing in Italy and Canada; her background as a filmmaker and comedic improviser; the perks of having a bad memory; self-actualization; the importance of a good handshake; and Bita's big plans for haunting loved...

Lynn Maleh and Christie Bahna are two Middle Eastern comedy queens digging up the funny from the first-generation experience. In this episode, Christie and Lynn chat with Nigerian-American comic/ writer/ troublemaker Kazeem Rahman about his upbringing in TX, his comedy philosophy, and his double life (IT guy by day, artist by night). ... Kazeem Rahman is a comedian known for his sharp wit and obse...

Lynn Maleh and Christie Bahna are two Middle Eastern comedy queens digging up the funny from the first-generation experience. In this episode, they chat with Ukrainian writer and standup comic Galina Rivina about her upbringing in Odesa and Ohio; Russian / Ukrainian superstitions; her standup career in LA; the power of positive thinking; and the eternal wisdom of the Fast and Furious franchise. .....

In this episode, Christie and Lynn talk to comic Gena B. Jones, about her diverse upbringing in Washington, D.C.; her Mexican and Syrian roots; the unifying power of shopping malls; the best Trader Joe's snacks; and more! .... Gena is a Syrian-Mexican-American comedian, writer and show producer based in Los Angeles. She’s currently a regular at the Hollywood Improv, the Westside Comedy Theater...

In this episode, Lynn and Christie chat with Palestinian-American comic Joe Abousakher about his upbringing on a sheep farm in rural Tennessee; performing comedy in Palestine; his evolution as a comic in LA's standup scene; and his award-winning pie-making skills. ... Joe Abousakher is a Los Angeles-based stand up comedian and host of the Here With Joe Podcast. Catch him on stages around the c...

In this episode, we chat with Sam Oh about his upbringing in Los Angeles by Korean Christian immigrants; the gay allegory that is Hannah Montana; skincare; comedy; and how it's ok for underrepresented communities to be ugly and unlikable! .... Sam Oh is a writer and comedian from Los Angeles (well technically The Valley which like, totally counts!) An alum of the WarnerMedia Access Writers Pro...