Spiritual Practices of the Disgruntled Artist

Welcome back Spodies! In this episode your hosts Ari Hader and Olivia Spirz, discuss the joy of noticing the small things and being a kind human, and how important it is to extend help and opportunities to others. Olivia talks about her theater filled week and her new puzzle theory. And Ari talks about her love for film and tv and how lately she's been using her magic to manifest new artistic...

This episode begins with an Ari/Olivia catch up discussing last episode’s spiritual practice (Alec Engerson's homework of watching “Woman Under The Influence”). We then segue into a brief but quite loud meltdown from Ari about the anger she’s harboring towards this industry rn and Olivia very kindly brings in the light. Our interview with Max centers around his navigation of the non-meritocra...

This episode Ari and Olivia discuss how nightly praying, our last practice from previous guest Kristin Couture, goes. Then we get into Ari's new theory! Spoiler alert: it involves lotto balls! Then we bring on our guest, a writer and former development exec, who is currently working on the reboot of Baywatch which comes out September 2026! We talk about the industry, and what it actually mean...

The episode starts with an Ari/ Olivia Catch Up where we dissect the spiritual practice of laughing from Will Mueller's interview last time. Then we get into Kristin's interview - her darkest year and how she got herself out of it, being raised Catholic, how her parents have shown her in action what it is to love God and love your neighbor, why hard conversations are sometimes the most i...

Hello Spodies! In this episode, Ari and Olivia recap how making art out of journaling went for them. We then discuss our reasons for choosing acting when we were younger, and if those reasons hold any meaning!  We then bring on our first guest of season two, actor and friend, Will Mueller! Will talks about his famous LSD (Not Mushroom) trip story that has been mentioned in previous episodes! He di...

Season TWO episode 1! In this episode, Ari and Olivia catch up on the last few months. We chat about manifestation, making our own art, acting for the love of it, and Ari's magical day. We're so happy to be back!  xoxo, Us P.S. SO sorry for the buzzing in the background of this episode- we figured out what was causing it and it won't happen again! Forgive us, we cute :)

In a fun and sing-songy intro, Olivia and Ari discuss Faryn's spiritual practice of the zoom out/zoom in meditation. Then they get into a discussion about why typically more women are into manifestation than men, Olivia's recent callback experience, and Ari's unblocking work. Our interview is with the multi-talented Sarah Lindsley who found, lost, and re-found a renewed sense of the...

We start with a very fun intro by Olivia and Ari in which we discuss last episode’s spiritual practice (Josh Brown’s artist dates) as well as crows (be nice to them) and Magick (we love Magick). Our guest, hilarious and delightful human Faryn Pearl, gets vulnerable about how her first enormous directing opportunity drove her into her darkest days, the pressure of being a female director in a very...

In this episode of SPODA, Olivia and Ari start with a recap of last episode's spiritual practice, indulging! They also discuss how this episode kind of messed Ari up a bit, and we continue along Ari's Questioning Journey. Our guest, Josh Brown, delves into his upbringing with two parents of different religions, his love of "The Artist's Way," his journey from acting to wri...

The episode kicks off with Olivia and Ari discussing Jeff D'Elia's spiritual practice from the last episode of creating a playlist to get back in touch with your inner teenager. Amidst many giggles (and Olivia's KICKASS impression of Tom DeLonge), they discover they have a song in common on their playlists (magick!). We curtail, seamlessly of course, into a discussion of if you can...

In this special crash out episode, we begin with the epic career crash out Ari had when a bad night of performance happened with someone important in the audience. This forays into a new year long goal of Ari living like their future self for a year, which includes  not being friends with anyone who thinks they’re untalented for a year (weird? Great? You decide!). Olivia shares her own crash out s...

In an uncharacteristically short intro, Olivia and Ari touch on last episode's spiritual practice, Keara's "finding God in the small moments." There will be a much longer episode released next week about Keara's practice and how it helped both Ari and Olivia in separate career spirals. The interview is with head writer and story editor Jeff D'Elia. He touches on being...

On this episode of SPODA, Ari and Olivia talk about Samantha Barrios' practice of daily journaling and how some spiritual practices are for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. We also discuss how Lion's Gates Portal (August 8th) went this year, and the magic of helping others.  Then we bring on our first stunt performer on the pod, Keara Maryn. We talk about her journey from navigating th...

This episode starts with Olivia and Ari talking about Jake Elitzer's spiritual practice from last episode that they tried on for size, asking "is it true? Is it absolutely true?" in moments of doubt. Then Ari opens up (and hyperbolizes) about being one of the older cast members in the show she's doing. Olivia and Ari agree to a fun challenge of manifesting something for each ot...

We start with an intro where Olivia and Ari talk about Dr. Tanu's nature awareness practice from the last episode, which includes a very funny/terrifying story about a rat. We also analyze Ari's tendency to cry easily, and Love Island is referenced liberally. Our actual interview (beginning around the 20 minute mark) is with Jake Elitzer. We talk about his Jewish roots, his experience wi...

In this Episode Ari and Olivia discuss Doug's spiritual practice of volunteering and implementing it in their everyday lives. Olivia opens up about her show coming to an end and Ari discusses her growth and the new process she practiced when she got a big guest star audition!  Then we bring in our guest, the magical and calming Dr. Tanushree Verma! She breaks down the new study of Ecological...

This episode starts with an Ari and Olivia Original Chat involving a medium-sized career breakdown and recovery, and Ari's continuing forgiveness practice discoveries. Then we bring on our delightful and hilarious and wonderful guest, Doug Harvey, to have an honest and insightful chat about his artistic and spiritual journeys, dealing with the passing of his Dad, the multiverse, eclipses, bei...

This episode kicks off with a juicy Ari and Olivia tea time about our latest spiritual practice assignment from Philip Rossi's episode (and how Olivia's throat chakra may need some serious help- send us a chakra specialist!!), how the podcast has changed us, some new hobbies, and some new thoughts (cough: complaints) about this nutso-bananas industry we're in. Our guest this episode...

In this funny, honest, and free-flow interview, we delve into Philip's Catholicism and how it supports, and sometimes does not support, his life as an actor. Philip's truthfulness about his struggle to be an artist when he feels like God is only giving him crumbs (instead of the whole cookie) is something we think a lot of people will be able to resonate with and relate to. Beautiful mus...

In this episode, Kate Nienhauser gets really raw about her journey into sobreity, coming out as gay, and how her spirituality deepens the more she gets to know herself. Beautiful music by Doug Harvey Hosted by Ari Hader and Olivia Spirz. Follow us on IG @spodapod !

On this Episode of Spiritual Practices of the Disgruntled Artist, we talk to Grant Jossi! Grant is a writer on the newly announced Avatar show, Seven Havens. We talk to him about how breaking a sweat helps him crack a scene, his relationship to the industry and how he maintains a healthy state of mind.  Music by Doug Harvey

In our very first episode, we explain the concept of the podcast and explore each other's spiritual practices and spiritual history. Next episode we'll have on our first guest! Beautiful music composed and performed by Doug Harvey