The Ben Stortini Show

My grandma (RIP) always told me I should be an actor. So, Grandma, I'm going to give this my all—my everything. After having my first audition just a week ago, I received another callback after sending in my second self-tape, making me two for two: two self-tapes, two callbacks. I can't explain how much fun I'm having since I started exploring this world. It really does feel like this...

I've always wanted to entertain. I've always wanted to be in front of the camera. So I finally took the first steps toward making that happen. I may be 46, but you're never too old to pursue your dreams. I got myself an agent, was asked to film a self-tape for a commercial, received a callback from the casting agency, and had my very first audition this week. I'm smiling as I write...

Last weekend was Father's Day. I had never reached out to my dad on Father's Day before, but for some reason, this year I wanted to. So I did. I genuinely wanted to wish him a Happy Father's Day, thinking it might make his day, knowing he probably wasn't getting any other texts. What happened next was embarrassing. But I made this show to get things off my chest, so here we go. Thi...

I couldn't wait for my Friday night cheat meal. I couldn't wait for that first bite... I sat down, turned on my documentary, and went in for my first bite of my Harry's burger. Boom. First bite... my back tooth breaks. Needless to say, my weekend turned into quite the adventure. I talk about my dentist appointment and meeting a dentist who sees the world the same way I do. Speaking of...

Life is like a jungle sometimes. Things move fast. One minute you're figuring out your own path, and the next your daughter is turning 10 and your 3-year-old son is bringing home his first medal. I almost didn't record this episode. I was in a bit of a mood. But I'm glad I did. We get into a wild neighbor story that reminded me of my own run-in years ago, talk a little religion, and di...

This episode is a love letter to running. Long before I became a runner, I watched my Grandpa run marathons. I saw the joy it brought him and the way people were drawn to him. To me, he wasn't just a runner — he was a hero. Since then, running has been there at every major crossroads in my life. It's helped me clear my mind, reset, prepare for what's next, and stay grounded through it...

This episode is about putting work into yourself and finally realizing how far you’ve actually come. When I started this show 2 years ago, I was a mess. But today? I feel like I’m back. Back to how I felt in 2009 when I met my soon-to-be wife — that funky groove, that confidence, that real version of me. In this one I talk about my best friend asking me to be his best man, old island summer memori...

White sand. Tans. Rosé. BBQ chicken. Aqua agua. Post-trip depression. Saint Maarten gave us exactly what we needed — peace. Watching my kids play in the ocean from our beach chairs outside the condo felt perfect. The waves, the heat, the music and the slow pace reset every cell in me. I ran hills, found an outdoor gym with giant tires to lift, and somehow balanced workouts with the vacation float....

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. No real format. No heavy structure. Just a trip back in time. With my family and I heading to St. Maarten, I wanted to leave you with something you could throw on, relax to, and get transported by while I’m away. After buying a CD drive and digitizing music I made over 24 years ago, I had an idea… Why not bring the guys back together and relive it? So I called u...

For 45 years, I’ve been chasing happiness. I’ve built a life I’m proud of — family, routine, fitness, all of it… and still, something feels missing. Lately, I’ve been asking myself — is it faith? is it God? Because in my hardest moments, I’ve caught myself praying… and I’m not religious. So why did I pray? This episode is me trying to figure that out — what that missing piece is, and why it won’t...

This one is Texas big. A degreed aerospace engineer — deep in math, physics, and fluid dynamics — flipped the script and went all in on music. Say hello to my lil friend… Mark Winters. We break down the moment that changed everything — writing and performing a song for his wife at a restaurant… and from that second on, he was hooked. We get into science and faith, fatherhood, and trusting that pul...

413 days after my first episode, “Who Am I?”, I felt it was time to check in. Back then — heavy stress, panic attacks, feeling out of my mind. Today — not perfect, but better. A lot better. So the question is… why? This episode is me digging into my own life — what changed, what helped, and what signs I might’ve missed. Because if I can understand what’s working, I can hold onto it. From the stres...

This one’s a trip back… To that age — 4 to 8 — where kids see and hear everything. We head to the mid-80s … Jane & Finch — Driftwood Ave … that high-rise apartment. Cockroaches as big as baby birds. The mysterious stairwell. Goalie pads made of insulation. From Maple Leaf Gardens to my first real encounters with ignorance and racism … it was all getting absorbed. And the soundtrack? 🎶 Fleetwo...

We got a real deal Holyfield Movie Star on this one… Before heading back to L.A., Emmanuel Kabongo sat down with me — and this goes way deeper than acting. This is about purpose . From cleaning trains late nights in Toronto — scrubbing down urinals and doing whatever it took … to being at Hollywood parties and crossing paths with names like Michael B. Jordan — Emmanuel breaks down the journey of t...

This one’s not about chivalry… it’s about the art of being a real Gentleman. No flash. No gimmicks. Just presence. Open the door. Eye contact. Pull out her chair. Make her laugh. Make her smile. Every man learns his own way to move… some develop that touch — some don’t. We dive into the Gentleman’s Game and why it still matters. We ride with Smokey Robinson , then slide to St. Clair for some salsa...

This one starts on less than 2 hours of sleep. 2:30 AM… my son Stelo says it’s time to go. Mamamia. But out of that fog… something special came through. This episode turned into a case study —a deep dive into the psychology of: Snakes and Snitches. You know the type. We all do. What they are… how they move…and how to deal with them in today’s world. And the evidence? We go into the moment when Sea...

This episode jumps back to 1989–1990 , right around the time my parents divorced. My Dad moved into Sault Ste. Marie , while we stayed on St. Joseph Island at my Grandpa’s — my Dad’s Dad — which tells you everything you need to know about the kind of heart he had. RIP Grandpa. He had the old house next to his rebuilt place ready for us, and when I think about that house now the memories come flood...

Four grown men. One bone fide conversation. Max P returns to the show with some big personal news he shares here first. Joining the ride are Slang Hugh and Sir Toks from the podcast Darkness with a Ginger Hue . We talk about the pressure surrounding marriage — family expectations, cultural influence, media conditioning, and why so many people feel pushed toward the “industry standard” of life. Fou...

In this episode of, I salute my Dutch side and remember my incredible Oma and Opa , two people I miss deeply. I share a few stories from World War II when they were still in Holland , including the time my Oma refused to let a German soldier take her music away . My Oma also believed she could see spirits and ghosts , and I recount a few of the stories that still give me chills today. I also talk...

Episode 50. And we celebrate it the right way — with a brother. The Iron Drini — Adam Alessandrini — joins me from Sault Ste. Marie for round two, and this one goes deep. He opens up about the highs and lows… gambling, addiction, hospital visits, losing it all, near-death moments — and the real comeback that followed. A true get-back story. Adam, thank you for the honesty. Nothing but respect. We...

Before Wi-Fi. Before followers. We jump back to the 90s — no internet, no social media, no cell phones… just cords down the hallway and the freedom of being unreachable. Unintentional cool. Grunge. Plaid shirts. Dad’s pants. Thrift-store finds. Copying someone was lame — being original was everything. The summer of ’98 — the music, the nights, the invincibility. I lost my… you’ll hear it. It was a...

Addiction doesn’t always look dark — sometimes it looks like a party. In this raw episode, I share my family history with alcoholism, how close I came to that edge, and why nearly seven years of sobriety means everything to me. From my YTV days crashing a corporate Christmas party as a “Party Shark,” to musical time warps with Massive Attack, a stop in Cardiff, and some Dancing Outlaw Jesco White...

In this episode, I share a moment during COVID when something inside me shifted. Through breathwork and meditation, I had a spiritual experience that’s hard to explain — but I try. I also talk about what aging feels like for me now, plus a dive into the history of Orange Sunshine during the revolution of the 60s, and a surreal story about a borrowed flute in a 1968 studio session tied to Donovan....

Sometimes growing up means outgrowing people. In this episode, I talk about the tough decision to cut off a friend who crossed the line — something I still reflect on, but know I had to do. I briefly touch on what’s happening in America, then lighten the mood with funny old-people moments, reggaeton, college vibes, and the usual real-life randomness. Life, boundaries, laughs, and music — just us f...

Me Time is essential. In this episode, I explore why disappearing into something you love is necessary for the mind, body, and soul. I reflect on my dad getting lost in his guitar, a North Bay neighbor who unknowingly decoded the meaning of Me Time, and how those moments stuck with me. I also share my recent MRI results and the new goals I’m setting moving forward. A reminder that floating away is...