Mentor Buffet

Lisa Thompson, Alexi's marathon teammate who is blind, joins us on Mentor Buffet for a beautiful conversation about growing up with a visual impairment. And she shares wisdom every step of the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alexi is joined by her friend Lisa Thompson to answer listeners' advice questions about letting go of a situation you've outgrown, feeling like you live two distinct lives, and granting yourself permission when you're wired to always ask for it. Add a comfy pair of Merrells to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠. Learn more about...

Alessia de Gasperis, the artist formerly known as Kai who you may know from the hit songs “Never Be Like You” with Flume and “Revolution” with Diplo, joins host Alexi Pappas to share the story of the past ten years, making music and not making music, inside and outside of the institutions of the music industry. Alessia and Alexi talk about healing childhood wounds, training your nervous system, an...

Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about how to know whether you should take somebody's advice, how to know when to quit, and what to do if you feel like you like your boyfriend way more than he likes you.  Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

Documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr, the director of Mommy Dead and Dearest about Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Britney vs. Spears on Netflix, as well as 13 other documentary films, joins host Alexi Pappas to share about a number of film world icons who have been mentors to her: Janet Pierson, Andrew Rossi, and Sheila Nevins. Erin, who was born two months prematurely to parents who struggled with drug...

Nayeema Raza is the host of the podcast “Smart Girl, Dumb Questions” and she joins Mentor Buffet host Alexi Pappas to share about the influence her upbringing has had on her values. Her father worked for the World Bank and their family moved around constantly. Nayeema learned how to communicate, even across language barriers. She shares how her upbringing has given her her openness, her flexibilit...

Alexi answers listeners’ advice questions about how to deal with feeling like everybody around you is less ambitious than you, how to navigate a flirtatious friendship, and the best way to proceed into romantic situations with a complicated sexual health condition.  Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at https://merrell.co...

David Greene is a longtime journalist who for many years was the host of NPR’s Morning Edition. On this episode of Mentor Buffet, he joins host Alexi Pappas for a conversation about their moms, who both struggled with depression and passed away when they were young. How do you know what to do when you’re a kid? How does my relationship to my mother affect my current relationships? What is the natu...

Creative icon Marta Pozzan joins host Alexi Pappas to talk about femininity, what it means to be your true self, and why creation is her orientation toward the world. Marta and Alexi discuss their childhoods, and what it feels like for them to be alone. Marta shares a story about an influential early mentor of hers working at a magazine in Italy. Marta also shares her style icons and about the rol...

Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about being busy, comparing yourself to others, and trying new things. She also offers tips on how to avoid your emails going to the junk folder, how to quit shoplifting, and how to tell your friend bring her dog everywhere is not the vibe. For a limited time, we’re partnering with Merrell to give you an exclusive offer of 25% off your first purchase using...

Kristen Faulkner, the two-time Olympic champion cyclist, joins host and fellow Olympian Alexi Pappas to discuss the decision of leaving her thriving career in venture capital in favor of her Olympic dream. Kristen is somebody who can change: She grew up in Alaska and then moved to New York City, she rowed for Harvard and then took up cycling, she left her prestigious job in favor of something with...

Dan LaMorte, comedian and ultramarathoner, joins host Alexi Pappas to discuss mentorship (and the lack of mentorship) in the comedy world. He encourages us to sit in the presence of suffering without trying to numb it. All experiences are good, even painful ones. He shares what it’s been like going through his divorce, talks about his love for running, and shares how important his family’s been in...

Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about confidence, cohabitating with the in-laws, and how to break a bad habit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jacqueline Novak is a comedian and writer and actor. Her show “Get On Your Knees” was a smash hit and in 2024 it became a Netflix comedy special. On this episode of Mentor Buffet, Jacqueline and Alexi discuss mentorship in the abstract. They offer hypotheses about what their purposes might be. They discuss their systems of motivation. Jacqueline shares how she got into comedy and what makes a proj...

Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel joins host Alexi Pappas on Mentor Buffet to discuss her transition into the ultramarathon. She shares about the process of getting in touch with what she actually wants, and how she’s come to break her old pattern of doing what she thinks other people expect of her—both in her running career and in her relationships. She talks about why she’s attracted to the i...

Pat Regan is a TV writer for the hit shows Hacks and Overcompensating. He co-hosts the podcast Seek Treatment with Cat Cohen. He's writing a book right now. On this episode of Mentor Buffet, he joins host Alexi Pappas to talk about the very beginning: dreaming of writing for TV, not talking for his entire freshman year of high school, making the boys on the track team laugh for the first time—and...

Alexi answers listeners' questions about how to combat disillusionment, how to deal with crumbling New Year's Resolutions, and how to choose whose advice to trust. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Social media star Victoria Paris joins host Alexi Pappas on Mentor Buffet to discuss her internet origin story and how her relationship to social media has changed over time. Victoria shares about how positive her relationship with her girlfriend Nico has been the past few years and how she’s grown as a person because of it. Victoria also talks about why Bethany Frankel is an icon to her. She shar...

Rainn Wilson joins host Alexi Pappas for the second time on Mentor Buffet, this time to discuss spiritual tools for modern living. Rainn shares his path to spirituality in his 20s living in New York in the 90s. Rainn says the question, “What are we really paying attention to?” is really to ask “What are we really worshipping?” They discuss screentime, the billboards in Calabasas, and why young peo...

Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS shoes, joins host Alexi Pappas to share advice he’s learned on the path of creating purpose-driven business and along his healing journey. Blake shares advice he’s learned from his dad, from Sarah Blakely the founder of Spanx, from his therapist Dr. Dan, and others. Blake shares what it means to be ENOUGH and shares his new bracelet with Alexi. Blake and Alexi b...

Alexi answers listeners’ questions about how to parent a crazy kid, how to get what you want, and how to move on after chasing a dream and coming up short. Follow Mentor Buffet on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mentorbuffet.   For a limited time, we’re partnering with Merrell to give you an exclusive offer of 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET25 when you checkout on Merrell....

Cam Hanes is a world-class bowhunter. On this episode of Mentor Buffet, he joins host Alexi Pappas to express his gratitude for his grandmother who created a safe-haven for him in his younger years, and his late friend Roy who is his number-1 hunting partner, the man who really believed in Cam, and the guy he could tell anything to. Cam shares why it’s important to him to have a close relationship...

Cooper Raiff, the writer, director, and lead actor of Shit House, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and now Hal and Harper, which is now streaming on Mubi, joins host Alexi Pappas to discuss what it means to make true art, how he develops relationships with his characters, and what a good mentor looks like. He shares about his relationship with his mentor Jay Duplass, who he met because he emailed him a short...

The amazing Gabby Reece joins Alexi on Mentor Buffet and shares so much wisdom it'll knock your socks off. For a limited time, we’re partnering with Merrell to give you an exclusive offer of 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET25 when you checkout on Merrell.com. Follow Mentor Buffet on Instagram at https://instagram.com/mentorbuffet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about dealing with anxiety and getting out of a toxic relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices