Totally Booked with Zibby

As featured in People, E! and BuzzFeed! Actor, director, producer, podcaster, and bestselling author Penn Badgley joins Zibby to discuss his debut essay collection, CRUSHMORE: Essays on Love, Loss, and Coming-of-Age, which he wrote with his podcast co-hosts. Also available on YouTube. Penn reflects on the origins of his podcast show and why adolescence is such a powerful entry point into storytell...

Recorded live at the Whitby Hotel, Zibby interviews renowned, #1  New York Times  bestselling poet Kate Baer about her latest work, a raw, luminous, and urgent collection titled HOW ABOUT NOW. Kate opens up about the health crisis that reshaped her life and work, her evolving relationship with her body, and the lingering impact of past trauma. She also talks candidly about motherhood, ma...

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews entrepreneur, 2x CEO, author, and single mom Amanda Goetz about TOXIC GRIT: How to Have it All and (Actually) Love What You Have. Amanda opens up about building a high-powered career while raising three kids, navigating divorce, and redefining what it means to “have...

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews journalist Lili Anolik about her vivid, engrossing, and outrageously provocative dual biography, DIDION & BABITZ. Lili describes the obsessive hunt that led her to Babitz, and then delves into the complex friendship between Babitz and Didion, the trove of unseen...

Zibby talks with Emmy Award–winning journalist Bianna Golodryga and Israeli news anchor Yonit Levi about their middle-grade novel DON’T FEED THE LION. The book follows three young teens as they confront antisemitism in their school and community, inspired by the authors’ own experiences as mothers navigating rising hate after October 7. Bianna and Yonit share how the story grew from personal conve...

Zibby interviews author and speaker Jennifer Butler about her honest and moving memoir, MOM, REDISCOVERED: My Midlife Breakup with Drinking and Diet Culture. Jen opens up about her journey from “wine mom” to mid-life unraveling to self-acceptance and self-compassion, sharing how she broke free from gray-area drinking, diet culture, and the pressure to be the perfect mom. She and Zibby also reflect...

In this special episode of the podcast (recorded live at Zibby’s Petite Retreat in Greenwich), Zibby interviews bestselling debut author Heather Aimee O’Neill about her achingly poignant and gripping novel, THE IRISH GOODBYE (which was a Read With Jenna book club pick!). Zibby and Heather discuss the novel’s exploration of sisterhood, grief, and forgiveness as three women return home to confront t...

Nigerian-American travel writer, speaker, photographer, and bestselling author Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström joins Zibby to discuss BITTER HONEY, a radiant, deliciously addictive family drama about a mother and daughter divided by long-buried secrets, struggling to understand each other as they forge their own paths. Lola reveals how navigating her own divorce informed the emotional depth of the book, a...

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews Rabbi Angela Buchdahl (Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue and the first Asian American rabbi) about her astonishingly beautiful, searing new memoir (and an instant  New York Times  bestseller), HEART OF A STRANGER:  An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, I...

Zibby welcomes former Dance Moms star Nia Sioux to the podcast to discuss her powerful new memoir, BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID:  A Memoir of Persevering, Dancing for Myself, and Starring in My Own Life.  Joined by a few young fans (Zibby’s kids!), Nia answers heartfelt questions about growing up on reality TV, dealing with pressure and criticism, and learning to stay true to herself. She also...

Zibby Publishing alert! Bestselling Israeli author Lihi Lapid chats with Zibby about I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL, her gut-wrenching, lyrical, and sharply observed novel about marriage, motherhood, sacrifice, and self-discovery. Originally published in Israel as  Woman of Valor , the novel intertwines fiction and memoir, portraying both a woman’s inner life and the complexities of family, love, a...

Pastor Shawn Johnson joins Zibby to discuss his powerful new book, KISS THE FIRE: 7 Ways to get Back Up When You Want to Give Up. Shawn opens up about his diagnosis with an incurable brain disease, his lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression, and how faith and vulnerability helped him find purpose in pain. He and Zibby also discuss how vulnerability creates connection, why sharing our strug...

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews beloved  New York Times  bestselling author Susan Orlean about her brilliant, high-spirited, exhilarating debut memoir, JOYRIDE. Susan reflects on the “reign of good fortune” that has shaped her career and personal life, from serendipitous early writing bre...

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews journalist and  New York Times  bestselling author Marisa Meltzer about her dazzling and intimate new book, IT GIRL: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin. Together, they explore the iconic muse’s complex life beyond the famed Hermès bag, from her bohemian beg...

Totally Booked: LIVE! In this special episode of the podcast (in-person at the Whitby Hotel with a live audience!), Zibby interviews economist Dr. Corinne Low about her groundbreaking new book, HAVING IT ALL: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours. Corinne shares how thinking like an economist can help women redefine what it truly means to “have it all”—not by max...

Jewish social media influencer and food blogger Melinda Strauss chats with Zibby about her debut cookbook, EAT JEWISH: Over 100 Recipes that Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors, and Family Traditions. Melinda shares how she found her voice online—celebrating Judaism, answering questions, and connecting through food—and how her social media community inspired this book. They also discuss family r...

Zibby interviews neuroscientist Ben Rein about his exquisite and insightful new book, WHY BRAINS NEED FRIENDS: The Neuroscience of Social Connection. Ben explains complex neuroscience in an accessible, engaging way, sharing insights about how even small, everyday interactions boost mental health, creativity, and a sense of belonging. The two discuss everything from the neuroscience of empathy and...

World-famous designer, educator, and play advocate Cas Holman joins Zibby to discuss her radiant, provocative, and essential new book, PLAYFUL: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity. Cas—best known for her Netflix  Abstract  episode and her imaginative creations like Rigamajig—shares how decades of designing for children led her to explore why adults ne...

New York Times  bestselling author and bookstore owner Peter H. Reynolds joins Zibby to discuss his simple, witty, and marvelously illustrated new children’s book, THE DOT. Peter delves into his creative journey, from illustrating JUDY MOODY to founding International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity and confidence now honored in 190 countries. He also shares the moving story that i...

Zibby chats with Tiffany Graham Charkosky about her honest and unflinching new memoir, LIVING PROOF: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy. Tiffany shares the difficult journey that began when she discovered she might carry Lynch syndrome, a genetic mutation linked to early-onset cancers—the same condition that likely caused her mother’s death when Tiffany was just 11. Tiffany opens up about grief, mothe...

Social media star, author, and activist Molly Burke joins Zibby to discuss her vulnerable, honest, and darkly humorous new memoir, UNSEEN: How I Lost My Vision but Found My Voice. Molly opens up about losing her vision at 14, facing depression and bullying, and ultimately rebuilding her life. She shares the shocking story of being exploited by a manipulative speaking organization, the emotional to...

Zibby is joined by Newbery Medalist and beloved, bestselling middle-grade author Rebecca Stead to discuss THE EXPERIMENT, an extraterrestrial coming-of-age novel about identity and change. Rebecca discusses her unexpected path from public defender to acclaimed writer, how she captures the emotional truth of childhood, and why she believes in letting kids read (and reread) whatever they love. She a...

Zibby interviews Pushcart Prize-winning author Karen Palmer about her searingly honest, heart-pounding, illuminating new memoir, SHE’S UNDER HERE. Karen opens up about escaping an abusive marriage by changing her identity and disappearing overnight with her children and new husband, then grappling with the lifelong consequences of that decision. She and Zibby also discuss the many forms of domesti...

Zibby chats with  New York Times  bestselling author and middle school teacher Matt Eicheldinger about HOLES IN MY UNDERWEAR, his wildly entertaining new collection of 100+ funny and thoughtful poems and illustrations, and STICKY NOTES, a collection of short, moving stories from his years in the classroom. Matt shares how his journey from sixth-grade teacher to  New York Times &nbsp...

Zibby chats with TikTok sensation Eli Rallo about her candid, funny, and deeply relatable new collection, DOES ANYONE ELSE FEEL THIS WAY?: Essays on Conquering the Quarter Life Crisis. Eli opens up about finding her voice online, navigating the isolation and uncertainty of post-grad life, and turning her popular podcast and Substack into a meaningful writing career. She and Zibby also discuss the...