Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

Victoria Tsai is the founder & CEO of skin care company Tatcha. She joins Jonathan to talk all things skin; starting a skincare company, how we can take care of our own skin, why it's important too, what skin is for, and more! Find VIctoria’s company Tatcha at https://www.tatcha.com. She’s on Instagram @vickytsai. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram...

Noor Tagouri is a Libyan-American journalist, activist, motivational speaker, producer, and host of the podcast series “Sold in America: Inside Our Nation's Sex Trade.” She sits down with Jonathan to discuss her activism, the realities of Muslim-Americans, the world of sex trafficking, and more. Noor is on Twitter @NTagouri and Instagram @Noor. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up...

Jodi Picoult is an American writer who currently has approximately 14 million copies of her books in print worldwide, translated into 34 languages. She joins Jonathan to talk the process of writing, what goes into being a successful author, tackling tough subjects, and more. Find Jodi’s work at https://www.jodipicoult.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @jodipicoult. Find out what today’s guest an...

Beth Porter is Green America’s Climate & Recycling Director, as well as the author of "Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System." She joins Jonathan to talk all things recycling: what is is, how it works, whether plastic straws are as dangerous we’ve been told, how oil prices affect recycled plastic demands, and more. Beth is on Twitter and Instagram @bethrecycles, and at www.bet...

Anastasia Khoo is Chief Marketing Officer of Conservation International. She has led ground-breaking campaigns around critical moments in America’s history, including the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. She joins Jonathan to recap her career working for the Human Rights Campaign, the struggle for LGBTQA rights, the impact climate change...

Bishop Briggs is a British musician and singer-songwriter. She joins Jonathan to discuss how she broke onto the music scene, growing up in Asia, the importance of being an ally & using your voice for good, the need to “keep going” once you’ve become successful, utilizing your platform for good, and more. Find Bishop’s work at https://bishopbriggs.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @thatgirlbishop...

Rebecca Givan is an Associate Professor of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University. She joins Jonathan to discuss the ins and outs of trade unions: what they are, how they work, why they’re needed, the benefits and protection they offer members, and much more. Professor Givan is on Twitter @rkgwork, and her website is www.rkgivan.com. Find out what today’s guest and former gue...

Dr. Jessica Rett is an Associate Professor in UCLA's Linguistics Department who joins Jonathan to discuss the power and nuances of words, breaks down the concepts of what "dog whistles" are, code-switching, how words evolve, endangered languages, and more. Find Jessica’s work at http://linguistics.ucla.edu/people/Rett/index.html. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following...

Dr. Jeff Chen is the head of UCLA’s new Cannabis Research Initiative. He joins Jonathan to break down the numerous medicinal properties of THC, how it works, its effect on the mind and body, new cannabis research breakthroughs, marijuana laws, and more! Dr. Chen is on Instagram @drjeffchen. You can learn more about his work at www.uclahealth.org/cannabis/jeff-chen and www.uclahealth.org/cannabis....

Paul Geithner is the Deputy Project Manager — Technical for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Paul joins Jonathan to give him a crash course in what the electro-magnetic spectrum is, how space debris can effect space programs, the vastness of space, his work with the James Webb Space Telescope, and more. Learn more about Paul’s work at htt...

Karl Racine is Attorney General for the District of Columbia - the only Attorney General in Trump’s backyard. He is the first elected AG in the District of Columbia, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, and the VP of the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General. Attorney General Racine joins Jonathan to talk about corruption in government, his work to fight sys...

Gaby Goldstein is co-founder and Political Director of the Sister District Project, a grassroots organization of over 30,000 volunteers that supports Democratic candidates. She joins Jonathan to talk the importance of flipping red states blue, strategies to win legislative races, and more. Gaby Goldstein is on Twitter @gaby__goldstein. You can learn more about Sister District at https://sisterdist...

Julia Landauer is an American professional stock car driver who joins Jonathan to discuss being one of the few professional female drivers, the physical demands of driving, navigating a predominantly male dominated profession, her racing origins, how a pit crew works, and more. Find Julia’s work at https://julialandauer.com/. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @julialandauer. Find out what today’s gue...

Dr. Laura Ferguson is an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and the associate director of the Program on Global Health & Human Rights at the USC Institute for Global Health. She joins Jonathan to discuss the importance of global health and its impact on day-to-day life. Dr. Ferguson is on Twitter @lauraf_la. The USC Institute for Global Health is on...

Dr. Amy Baker is a nationally recognized expert in parent-child relationships, parental alienation, and child emotional abuse who joins Jonathan to discuss the signs and causes of parental alienation, how it affects children, and how to avoid it. Find Dr. Amy Baker’s work at https://www.amyjlbaker.com. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter...

Dr. Nanthia Suthana is a neuroscientist from UCLA who joins Jonathan to discuss memories, how the brain works, epilepsy, new breakthroughs in medical technologies, how virtual reality is used in therapy, and more. Find Dr. Suthana's work at http://neurosurgery.ucla.edu/nanthia-suthana. Find out what today’s guest and former guests are up to by following us on Instagram and Twitter @CuriousWithJVN....

Reese Witherspoon is an actress, producer, entrepreneur, and author of the newly released Whiskey in a Teacup, who joins Jonathan to talk British Baking Challenge, the work-life balance of social media, lady-entrepreneurship, the creation of Big Little Lies, the need to create better acting roles for all women, and more. Find Reese’s new book Whiskey in a Teacup at http://www.whiskeyinateacupbook....

Nicole Byer is a comedian, writer, and host of Netflix’s Nailed It as well as the Why Won’t You Date Me? podcast. Erin Gibson is a comedian, director/writer, creator of Gay of Thrones and the host of Throwing Shade. They join Jonathan live in Montreal at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival to talk Erin giving Jonathan his big break, being women in comedy & empowered content creators, Roseanne’s me...

Michelle Wolf is a comedian & writer featured performer at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner and hosted The Break with Michelle Wolf. Florence Welch is an English musician, producer, singer/songwriter, and lead vocalist and primary songwriter of Florence & The Machine. They join Jonathan live at Outside Lands Festival to talk a variety subjects including reactions to Michelle’s Correspon...

Justin Theroux is an actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who joins Jonathan to talk about early days living and traveling in China, landing his first major acting role, his outlook on life, as well as a surprise Q&A session with Tan & Antoni. Recorded live at Vulture Fest. Find Justin’s work at https://www.achancetobloom.org/. He’s on Instagram @JustinTheroux. Find out what today’s guest a...

Dr. Adi Jaffe is a specialist in mental health, addiction, and shame who has spoken at multiple TEDx events and has a doctorate in psychology from UCLA. He joins Jonathan to discuss addiction and alternative treatments, the negative consequences of shame, and how abstinence-based treatment is not the only method to recovery. Find Dr Adi Jaffe’s work on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @dradijaffe....

Hrishikesh Hirway is a musician & host of Song Exploder who joins with Jonathan to talk about about the many elements that go into creating a song, speaking with artists like Solange, Lorde, & Weezer about their creative process & what goes into their songwriting, as well as his own creative process. Find Hrishi Hirway on Twitter & Instagram @HrishiHirway & visit Song Exploder http://songexploder....

Bobby Berk is an interior designer & fellow Queer Eye cast member who joins Jonathan to talk growing up closeted in the Midwest, emancipating himself from his parents as a teen, landing the role on Queer Eye, finding his way to New York City, and his love for interior design. Check out the Queer Eye cast's Glamour friendship test here. Find Bobby Berk on Twitter & Instagram @bobbyberk & visit his...

Dr. Elizabeth Barnert joins Jonathan to talk about the toxic effects that separating families can have on a child’s physical and mental state, the process of family reunification, and how to help child who have been impacted by family separation. Dr. Barnert is a pediatrician and an assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hosp...

Austyn Weiner is a renowned photographer and artist extraordinaire who, at 28 years old, has worked with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid and exhibited at Art Basel. Jonathan talks with this business woman and artist about her own artistic evolution, and the advice she’d offer to young female artists coming up behind her: commit 100%, share with those around you, don’t be afraid to put...