Stories, Controversy & Band-aids

Writer-producer Charlene Davis joins Sylvia and Michel to share how she pivoted from a 35-year legal career to make her debut feature  Relative Control —casting Terry Polo, shooting through a pandemic and SAG strike, and landing distribution and an upcoming AARP screening. A candid, funny, and encouraging talk about caretaking, resilience, Delaware film hustle, and why creative “third acts” after...

Sylvia revisits her solo trek through Nepal—where the beauty of the Himalayas collided with the shock of being iced out by her own Swiss group. The conversation shifts when Sylvia recalls a troubling note from a close friend, sparking a discussion about boundaries, encouragement, and continuing to create no matter your stage of life. They also unpack the emotional minefield of searching for Sylvia...

Veterinarian-turned-producer Alysia Reid joins Sylvia and Michel to talk healing and filmmaking: from surviving cancer and embracing energy medicine to balancing Western care with holistic tools. The trio swap stories on producer stress, social media’s fantasyland, generational trauma, and the roll of the dice with DNA tests—plus a sidebar on movies made by algorithms vs.making something that actu...

Picking up where they left off, Chelsea reveals the FBI’s “furnace leak” sting, the bug next door, and why she never lived in fear. She and Sylvia compare intuition, trust, and family fallout; trace medals and redactions; and tease a wild, never-aired roundtable with Oleg Kalugin, Boris Korczak, a CIA veteran, and her father, Jack Barsky. Part 2 closes with shared resources, next steps, and a prom...

In this powerful crossover episode, Sylvia and Michel sit down with Chelsea Dietrich, daughter of a former KGB agent and star of A&E’s The Spy Who Raised Me. Together, they explore what it means to grow up in the shadow of espionage—missing photos, false identities, and families built on secrets. From East Germany to New York to the FBI’s doorstep, two daughters of spies discover unexpected co...

Producer Rachel drops in as Sylvia and Michel follow new leads on Sylvia’s elusive father—why his name is missing from her birth certificate, the Catholic gravesite he chose, and a shadow-witness who recalls African business deals and wartime intelligence ties. Between French-name pronunciation drills, a 1990s John Major-at-Medy Roc memory with stepfather Camille Rayon, and those infamous “matchin...

Sylvia and Michel welcome “Tish” whose life has been intertwined with Sylvia’s since childhood. What begins as a reunion becomes a startling revelation: Tish’s grandmother once proposed that Robert Greif adopt her after her own mother’s death — before Sylvia herself was born. Together, the three women trace the echoes of destiny, adoption, and identity that link their families from Cap d’Antibes t...

Sylvia and Michel trade stormy weather for spa day confessions and a candid, restorative check-in on memory, secrecy, and the cost-of-living life off the record. Their conversation also explores the documentary’s evolving titles—drawn from CIA files that echo Maria’s private letters—and the realities of international research and legal hurdles.

Reminiscing on   a Late-night in Delaware, Sylvia recalls the story when her mother sent a gold helicopter to bring her back to Medy Roc while on her honeymoon. A newly surfaced “diary” email from Sylvia’s former nanny reveals a hyper, athletic kid who hated homework, loved music, and needed her mother more than more nannies. Plus, a teenage sneak-out: a beauty contest in Nice gone wrong, a front-...

In this episode, Sylvia and Michel compare the unpredictable twists of documentary filmmaking to the fixed path of scripted films, sharing how new discoveries upended their edit and opened still more rabbit holes. They revisit stories of Sylvia’s father’s friendships with Dominican president Juan Bosch and the Kennedys, a mysterious woman spotted at Vienna’s 1955 reopening, mafia ties that once bl...

Sylvia & Michel swap travel chaos for candid memories. Sylvia recalls being teased at her Swiss boarding school, embarrassed by her mother’s custom green Beetle, and reconnecting with a nanny who still had a childhood photo of her. The conversation bounces from Medy Roc to the realities of making a documentary—how stories shift in ways scripted films never can—and the skepticism they face when...

After opening the season in New York, Sylvia and Michel continue from Delaware with a house full of chaos, candor, and revelations. They reflect on why some people resist women telling their own family stories—especially when secrets, adoption, and espionage are at the center. With research stretching across Europe and beyond, the investigation has become both global and deeply personal, as they r...

In this follow-up episode, Sylvia, Michel, and guests continue their journey through memories of glamour, secrecy, and extraordinary lives on the Riviera. From kitchens lined with Picasso plates, to quiet stories of resistance heroes, concentration camp survivors, and neighbors such as novelist Harold Robbins, the conversation brings the past vividly to life. Alongside tales of champagne-fueled pa...

Sylvia and Michel return to New York with comedian/actor Mark Riccadonna and family friend Samantha Haywood. Together they revisit a world of glamour and secrets—from the Hôtel du Cap after World War II to Samantha’s memories of her parents’ ties with Sylvia’s and Hollywood. Along the way come whispered stories of adoption, secret clinics, British resistance fighters, German officers, glittering R...

In the final podcast of their European journey, Sylvia and Michel reflect on their trip's challenges, joys, and discoveries—from endless rain and Sylvia’s frizz-proof hair to emotional revelations about her mother’s mysterious past. They delve into family secrets involving a nobleman, a gangster romance, and conflicting accounts from CIA and Beaverbrook papers. Old photographs and ties to the...

Sylvia and Michel kick off the episode from San Sebastian, Spain, reflecting on their exhausting journey, unexpected Airbnb passport checks, and broader concerns about privacy and surveillance. They dive into their documentary work, recounting a chaotic but revealing interview, a relative who recognized a person in an old photo and mentioned a nobleman named Von Trotha. Later, they speak with “Jur...

The duo revisit Sylvia’s childhood memories while in San Sebastian uncovering new layers of her mother Maria’s mysterious past. From a poignant boat trip to Medy Roc to an eye-opening interview with Pierre Rayon, son of a French Resistance hero, they delve into Maria’s ties to war, espionage, and high society. Unexpected revelations—like monogrammed towels from a former German officer is balanced...

Sylvia and Michel continue their journey in San Sebastian, reflecting on their latest interviews and experiences while traveling through France. They discuss their meetings in Cannes to speak with Sylvia’s mother’s friends, Nicole and Jean-Claude. The conversation explores Jean-Claude’s helicopter company, his adventures with Sylvia’s mother, and the extravagant lifestyle of high society in the So...

Michel and Sylvia’s latest episode finds the duo recounting their travels through Switzerland, Italy, and France. Their journey is packed with unexpected twists, from cultural mix-ups about muscle cramps to navigating scenic yet chaotic coastal roads. They share amusing anecdotes, like dodging a seagull attack on their drone, making unplanned stops at lavish villas, and Sylvia’s frantic search for...

In this episode, Sylvia and Michel check in from San Sebastián, Spain, reflecting on their whirlwind journey through Paris, Switzerland, and the south of France while filming. They recount unexpected travel challenges—like navigating a French taxi strike—and dive into their latest discoveries about Sylvia’s mother, confirming long-held suspicions of her espionage past. With insights from historian...

This week’s episode highlights the process of uncovering the life and motivations of Sylvia's mother, Elsa, and her transformation into Maria. They discuss the significance of photos, documents, and interviews collected during their journey. Sylvia and her collaborators speculate on Elsa’s connections to espionage, her intelligence, multilingual abilities, and the circumstances that may have l...

Join the filmmakers in Paris as they uncover espionage secrets linked to Sylvia's father, explore Josephine Baker's former residence, and delve into Paris's rich diplomatic history. From navigating travel hurdles, such as securing international driver’s licenses, to discovering clues in Montparnasse Cemetery and preparing for pivotal interviews with filmmaker Patrick Spica, journalist...

The hosts reflect on the cultural diversity of Switzerland, childhood memories, and the challenges of working in the film industry. Sylvia shares her upbringing on the Swiss-German side, as she recalls her boarding school days in Switzerland, where skiing was part of daily life, and contrasts this with American childhood games like "tag" and "dodgeball," which she had never encount...

The duo reminisces about their childhood pets, Sylvia talks about her chinchilla and Korean squirrels to an octopus named Octavio who mysteriously followed her during Mediterranean swims, forging an unforgettable bond. The episode delves into the comforting and steadfast presence of animals in their lives, contrasting the reliability of pets with the complexities of human relationships. Sylvia als...

The team dives into Robert Greif’s business activities, which appear linked to international intrigue. They explore his involvement in infrastructure projects across Latin America, connections to a Dominican coup, CIA entanglements, and his role as a middleman in high-stakes deals, as evidenced by Swiss diplomatic documents. The conversation shifts to Maria and uncovering her tragic history of ill...