The Jake Sasseville Show

Before becoming the most famous substitute teacher in the country this week, Kondwani Fidel thought he'd be a lawyer. That's because his grandma said he liked to argue.  Kondwani is 22 and earlier this week a student in one of his classes released a video of him spitting a poem he wrote about his childhood growing up in inner city Baltimore. His parents were crack addicts, his dad's in jail, his f...

Sure, hiphop starlit Kayla Brianna's dad is NBA legend Kenny Smith, her grandma sang in Ray Charles' band and her step-grandmother was Carole King, but don't think for one second that Kayla doesn't stand on her own two feet.  At 21, she's already produced and sang with Birdman and Meek Mill, her second season of "Meet the Smiths" for TBS begins taping shortly and her philosophy about life is impor...

Sean Patrick has a mission that is also a brand: "That Guy Who Loves the Universe." He's an Anti-Spiritual Guru, though. Part educated psychologist and part spiritual life coach, Sean is in his mid-20s, a likable fella from Liverpool, England.  His take on spirituality and psychology and the new age folks is interesting and at times, rather hilarious. We talk sex, relationships, polyamory, the pow...

Shed Simove is an inventor of products that have sold 1+ million units, a TV executive that created Big Brother in the UK, a best-selling author (wait till you hear how!) and an entrepreneur that is pushing us all beyond the limits of what we think is possible, plausible or necessary. And that's where the magic happens.  I first met Shed at a cafe where he proceeded to show me his inventions, incl...

Reza Salazar and I have been best friends since we were nearly teenagers in NYC. Until we weren't.  This is an audio-essay capturing an email I wrote to Reza that he asked me to write after a particularly interesting chance encounter we had in an Upper West Side bookstore three days before Christmas, 2013.  We met to make good on a loan he had taken out with me. But of course, as all friendships r...

The Artist + The Mobster: The two black sheep of a Long Island Family both color outside the lines. There is a saying -- "you're only as sick as your secrets." For USC professor of theater, award winning poet and filmmaker Eric Trules, his family secrets ran deep.  After spending most of his childhood admiring his Uncle Harvey, it was revealed that Harvey was in the mob. A murderer and jewelery th...

Jason Zook can sell anything -- and now he wants to sell his future, to you, starting today.  After working with 2000 brands including professional sports organizations, ad agencies and startups, Jason has sold his last name (three times) to the highest bidder, he crowd-sourced -  through sponsorship - his self-published book to the tune of $75,000 before he wrote a single word and he has created...

At 104, Connie Sawyer is the oldest AND longest working actress in Hollywood. She's also one of the first stand up comedians ever. With almost 200 credits to her name and a 80 year career, she started entertaining audiences in NY and LA during The Great Depression. As you can imagine, talking to Connie is pure joy, and a trip down 100 years of memory lane. Before stand up and Kevin Hart existed, C...

Annie Lalla: "Never ever waste an orgasm."  Annie Lalla has spent her life studying the labyrinthine world of emotions -mapping the complexities of communication & subtleties of relationships. A philosopher, speaker and a thought leader, Annie is known as the “Cartographer of Love.” She's a wealth of information on the science and art of relationships and I think you'll love the interview. This ep...

Tara DeFrancisco has done over 3000 improv shows and has been based in the improv capital of Chicago for 10+ years. Currently, she's on tour in Europe. Recently, Curves Magazine named her top 25 funniest women in the country. Tara shares philosophy about life, comedy, agreements, educations and how at the root of comedy and improvisation is human beings being OK with who they are and whatever's ha...

Our 9-11 episode. When Jacob Kimchy was 24, his dad was blown up by a suicide bomber in Israel.  Jacob said he had a choice in that moment -- to harden and fight terror with avengence, or learn to love and share understanding with others. He chose the latter. His story is palpable and in honor of the September 11th anniversary -- and offering an alternative to how we harden when something bad happ...

Allen Iverson was Pat Croce's first draft pick in 1996 after Pat first bought the Philly &6ers. Pat gave himself, management and the team five years to get to a Championship. He did just that.  One of the only self-made guys to go from the locker room (as a trainer) to the boardroom in NBA history, Pat is filled with insight, stories, intriguing obsessions with Pirates and Houdini. A true mensch. ...

Beyonce's publicist Yvette Noel-Schure sure has made a name for herself starting out in the small Caribbean island of Grenada, moving to NYC and attending City College, becoming a journalist and eventually a staff publicist at Sony in 1993. Since then, Yvette has molded the careers of Mariah, Prince, Beyonce, John Legend, Wyclef, Adele and others. It's her heart -- worn on her sleeve -- her values...

James Murray ("Murr") is the star and creator of "Impractical Jokers" on TruTV, one of cable's highest rated shows. This week is the "live punishment" on Jokers, so we thought we'd have a listen to James.  I loved my interview with him - he and his high school buddies (who co-star on Jokers) were a 13-year-overnight-success as the improvisational troupe: "The Tenderloins."  Murr was my head writer...

Rosie Von Lila is the Head of Relationships at the Burning Man Organization. She first went to Burning Man in 1999, and has been coming back -- and now working with the organization -- ever since.  Rosie added “Von” to her name at the suggestion of her friend Tom. Tom and Rosie were riding bikes gleefully through the streets of Amsterdam. They were on their way to a surprise birthday party in Croa...

Noel Biderman is the Founder and CEO of AshleyMadison.com. He's also my friend.  There has been a tremendous amount of controversy surrounding Noel since the leaking of more than 37 million pieces of information related to users of the site for discreet affairs.  Noel has always been kind to me, and when I've hung out in Toronto at the headquarters of AshleyMadison, what's remarkable is how much o...

Perez Hilton like you've never heard him before. Sensitive, reflective and dynamic, the former "Queen of Mean" and I finally set up a time to chat, after years of being mistaken physically for one another (although one of us is now a skinny bitch).  Perez talks about his dad dying, the struggle of being known for how he was as a younger version of himself and not being able to shake off the percep...

Love Addicts & Soul Mates: Amber Smith is a supermodel and actress. She's graced the covers of 300+ magazines and starred in films and TV shows over her famed 25 year career. At 19, she developed a pill addiction which bled its way into alcohol and other drugs. As she got help for that from Dr. Drew Pinksy, she discovered the root of her addictions was Love Addiction. She got herself into Sex and...

Canadian Music publicist Tara Muldoon shares her story of rape from the inside of forgiveness. She's the founder of F-U: The Forgiveness Project, and together with Bishop Desmond Tutu, she's established the International Day of Forgiveness, December 10th.  When Tara was 18, she moved from Nova Scotia to University in Toronto. She was a contestant on the Canadian version of "American Idol" and one...

We are a generation obsessed with building Community. From Summit Series, Airbnb, Coachella to Uber, micro-communities are everywhere -- even in our philanthropic work in the US and overseas. Jacy Cunningham is the Head of Fitness and Movement at Summit Series' $40 million summit: Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah.  Brett Emmons, a former gambling addict and professional Broadway dancer, is head of in...

We hit episode 100! To celebrate, we have an episode on why we care about Our Roots.  Six-time Grammy nominated jazz singer Tierney Sutton, Graham Oxman, a Boston Geologist, and Karen Rocco, a talent executive and one of the first employees at Sirius XM radio, give us perspectives on our roots -- why we care about them and why they're important. Tierney talks about the roots of all music found in...

Dajiow, the popstar formally known as David Jordan, came up in the music industry at the same era as Amy Winehouse (they were friends, and signed by the same management company).  That also included a ton of drugs, a string of hit songs (Sun Goes Down) and access to pretty much anything Dajiow wanted. As he says "they kept me just high enough." After the label dropped him, he spiralled. In the dow...

Vince Nance was the only non-Korean ever to represent Korea at the International  Jiu-Jitsu Competition in  Abu Dhabi. He started training in his early teens so that he could defend himself at home.  Matt Pipkin is the founder of SPEAK YOUR SILENCE. He's kept his secret for 20 years without telling a soul.  His non-profit now helps kids who have suffered abuse get the counseling they need, but oft...

Joe Hawkins' mom, Carol Hawkins, was convicted of stealing nearly $4 million from U2 Bassist Adam Clayton. She worked for and lived with Adam Clayton for more than 15 years. While Carol been spending time in prison in Ireland, no one from her family has spoken publicly... until today. Joe, 24 at the time, candidly opens up about his mom and his experience -- from growing up alongside one of the bi...

Vianna Stibal is the founder of the ThetaHealing® technique. She's rarely done up close and revealing interviews -- that is, until today.    Vianna is on the leading edge of spirituality and unlocking our understanding of the power of our minds -- and while the ThetaHealing technique doesn't come without its set of controversies, it's spread like wildfire in the past 18 years: there are over 300,0...