Extended Scenes

My guest this week is Kashana Cauley. Kashana is a former anti-trust lawyer who went on to become a Twitter star, a television writer and now a novelist. She’s the author of THE PAYBACK, which came out earlier this year ,and THE SURVIVALISTS, which was published in 2023. Kashana has also written for shows like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and is a former contributing writer for the New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker and many others. This episode is episode number 20 of Extended Scenes and the last episode of Season One. I'll be back in the new year to start up season two!To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is  Alexandra Auder Alex is a writer and actress and a sometime yoga instructor who was born in New York City’s Chelsea Hotel (her mother was Warhol Superstar Viva). She came of age in Manhattan’s downtown art scene which she writes about beautifully in the critically acclaimed memoir, Don’t Call Me Home. As an actress, she’s been featured in HBO’s High Maintenance and has appeared in the films of Wim Wenders and Jodie Foster, among others.Alex runs popular writer and artist retreats. If you don’t follow her, you should! alexandraauder.substack.comTo support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Kimberly Harrington. Kimberly is the author of BUT YOU SEEMED SO HAPPY, about her separation and subsequent divorce, and AMATEUR HOUR about parenting. Her work is also included in the collection KEEP SCROLLING TILL YOU FEEL SOMETHING: TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF HUMOR FROM MCSWEENEY’S INTERNET TENDENCY. Kimberly's a long-time copywriter and creative director whose clients have included Apple, Nike, and Netflix. We’re talking about unconventional life choices, fear vs. boredom, choosing curiosity and adventure over safety and security and where that’s led us now that we’re in our 50s and closer to retirement than we once were. To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is the the writer, television producer and podcast creator and host Molly Lambert. Molly’s written for a ton of places including the New York Times and Pitchfork. She’s the author of the book Double Acts in Pop, about duos in pop music, which came out earlier this year. And she wrote, produced and hosted the 2022 podcast "HeidiWorld" about the life of madam Heidi FleissMolly’s latest project, which we talk about a lot today, is JennaWorld. It's centered around the life of porn star Jenna Jameson but is also this super fascinating history of the porn business and how it eerily reflects the last quarter century in media.You can find new episodes of JennaWorld out every Monday wherever you get your pods.To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is the pop culture writer, editor and critic Alex Pappademas. Alex is the author of two books, "Keanu Reeves: Most Triumphant" and "Quantum Criminals," about the songs of Steely Dan, which he wrote in collaboration with the artist Joan LeMay.  The two have a second book about the Grateful Dead coming out next year. Alex is currently the Culture Director at GQ and also happens to be my partner of more than 20 years. We're talking about ambition, surviving an industry in collapse and how we've learned to support each other's careers even though our individual definitions of success couldn't be further afield. To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm skeptical! This week I'm talking to sleep expert, ADHD advocate and productivity strategist, Lindsay Scola. Lindsay spent 20 years experiencing sleep attacks, hallucinations and serious anxiety, only to have doctors chalk it up to a "busy work schedule." She had an intensely ambitious career, working for the Obamas, and then for the Emmys, all while suffering from both undiagnosed narcolepsy and ADHD.Lindsay has two recently released projects: A new book, "AI for ADHD," and a new sleep course, “Sleep Is the Power Move” — both of which we talk about a lot today.If you’re interested in Lindsay’s sleep course, listeners of this podcast can get 20% off with the code jennromolini.Here is the direct link to the course: https://courses.lindsayscola.com/a/2148159017/kTF64ynWTo find Lindsay (and her books/projects!): www.lindsayscola.comTo support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Catherine Connors. Catherine has had one of those careers and lives that broke all the rules. She started as an academic and a political scientist before becoming one of the first big-time mommy bloggers in the aughts with the blog, Her Bad Mother. From there, she was a high-level executive at Disney, a start-up founder (with Beyoncé as an investor!) and now teaches storytelling at workshops all over the world. We're talking about cosplaying as girl bosses, coming out on the other side of real failure, how everything we tell young people about work is wrong and how you never know what will happen, even when you're old enough to feel sure you do. To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered what a book editor does? How they make the decisions about whether or not to buy and publish the books they do? What they actually think of your book proposal? Why — especially if you're a writer — the publishing industry seems so inherently f*cked? My guest this week is the powerhouse editor Kate Napolitano. Kate is the editorial director of nonfiction books at Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) where she's edited nearly a dozen New York Times bestsellers. She also happens to be the best editor I've ever worked with, a person who is not only amazing at her job, but also smart and insightful about the business at large. We're talking the business of publishing, diversity in books, rookie mistakes in book proposals, how we can help save an industry in trouble and a whole lot more.Kate's book recs:No Sense In Wishing: Essays — Lawrence BurneyFinding My Way: A Memoir — Malala YousafzaiScream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980) — Eleanor Johnson The People's Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking ForwardThe Dream Songs The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-HopTo support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm talking to Karen Walrond. Karen is an award-winning author, a leadership and activism coach, a speaker a former high-level lawyer and all around brilliant/wise/inspiring/cool person to know. Her latest book, which comes out this week, IN DEFENSE OF DABBLING and is all about "intentional amateurism" and discovering a sense of devotion, purpose and even joy through what interests you outside of making money, including everyday hobbies. To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Amanda Litman. Amanda is the co-founder and president of Run for Something, an organization which recruits and supports young, diverse progressive leaders running for down-ballot office. Since launching in 2017, Run for Something has elected more than 1500 leaders across nearly all 50 states, mostly women and people of color. Amanda is also a writer who runs a popular Substack and whose most recent book When We’re In Charge: The Next Generation’s Guide to Leadership came out earlier this year.To support the production of the show, listen to ad-free episodes and read more of my writing, you can subscribe to jennromolini.substack.com.The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.