The Kyle Thiermann Show

Episodes

• #414 Intimacy Rewired - Amy Baldwin 03.06.2026 1h 32m

  This episode is with Amy Baldwin, a Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach (trained in the Somatica® Method), Certified Sex Educator, and host of the Shameless Sex podcast. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and energetic forces behind great sex and intimate connection, offering everything from how-to workshops to erotic empowerment retreats. She’s a fan favorite of this show and has been on many a time. Her new course, Intimacy Rewired, is available for pre-signup now. This podcast is in a new partnership with The Waking Up App. Use this link for $30 bucks off the most profound meditation course I’ve ever come across.Lastly, I am hosting a live podcast with author Adam Skolnick tonight (6/3) at The Lighthouse in Venice, CA. Come by if you want to hear two bookish people talk about how to take a project from conception to completion. Event details here. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #413 From Chubby Gamer to Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt - Leor Weiss 14.05.2026 1h 46m

  Leor Weiss has been training jiu jitsu since 2007, when, at eighteen, he walked into a gym and began what would become a near two-decade education in controlled violence. He now holds a second-degree black belt under Daniel Gracie and teaches at the Renzo Gracie Academy in Brooklyn. What distinguishes Weiss from the more monastic practitioners of his discipline is the breadth of his curiosity. He has traveled to Japan not for tournaments but for forests. He is devoted to the films of David Lynch. He is drawn, above all, to people whose circumstances bear no resemblance to his own. In this wide-ranging podcast, we talked about Leor’s arc from non-athletic gamer to black belt, his knack for teaching, and the crossover between jiu jitsu and surfing. I said it in the podcast and I’ll say it again: Dude’s got the gift of gab.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #412 The Power of Asking for Help - (Entrepreneur) Michael Chernow 06.05.2026 1h 1m

  Michael Chernow is a New York City restaurateur, entrepreneur, and television host who has spent over two decades building one of the more recognizable names in the city's food scene. He started in restaurants at thirteen, worked his way up through the ranks as a bartender and bar manager at Frank in the East Village, and earned his degrees in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management from the French Culinary Institute. In 2010, he co-founded The Meatball Shop with his childhood best friend, a concept that grew into a six-location empire complete with a critically acclaimed cookbook and one of the more inventive beverage programs in the city. In 2015, he launched Seamore's, a casual seafood restaurant built around fresh, sustainably sourced fish. He has since expanded into wellness with his WellWell drink brand and television with A&E's Food Porn. Having now sold a number of businesses, Michael Chernow is a seasoned businessman and is the host of the Kreatures of Habit Podcast. In this episode, we focused on Michael’s growth trajectory from individual contributor to manager of large teams, how he negotiates deals with brands, and the power of asking for help. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #411 Write What Sells: TV, Audio, and the New Hollywood - Matthew Starr 23.04.2026 1h 17m

  A comedian who found his footing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, where he spent the better part of a decade as a house writer and performer, Matthew Starr belongs to a generation of entertainers who were formed by the rigors of institutional improv and then quietly outgrew the institution. His most recent project is The Best Man’s Ghostwriter, an Audible Original he created, wrote, and directed, featuring a cast that includes Glen Powell, Nicholas Braun, Ashley Park, and D’Arcy Carden. He has also, since 2016, run Write Your Pilot!, a workshop for writers attempting their first television pilot. In this conversation, we talked about the art of improv, writing for audio narrative, and navigating the shifting sands of screenwriting in the Hollywood industry. Sharp thinker. Good dude. Easy convo.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #410 Legalize Psychedelics - Jesse Gould 17.03.2026 1h 35m

  I’ve been out of the loop on the state of psychedelics these days, particularly in the realm of therapeutic legality. So, it was time for a talk with the man who has his finger on the pulse… Jesse Gould is a former Army Ranger and a pioneer in psychedelic therapies for veterans. As Founder and President of the Heroic Hearts Project, he has spearheaded the research and acceptance of ayahuasca, ibogaine, ketamine, and psilocybin therapy programs for military veterans. Jesse has connected hundreds of veterans to psychedelic treatments, partnered with the world’s leading psychedelic centers, and is researching psychiatric applications with the University of Georgia, the University of Texas, Austin Dell Medical School, and Imperial College of London. His mission is to help military veterans struggling with mental trauma and spread awareness of the benefits that psychedelic therapies offer as an alternative treatment to pharmaceuticals. You can buy his new book here.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #409 The Dane Reynolds Profile - Tony Andrews 06.03.2026 1h 40m

  Tony John Andrews hails from Rhode Island, which despite being the smallest U.S. state in terms of landmass, has the second greatest ratio of coastline to landmass of all 50 states. He’ll take it. He is a former state champion swimmer who really wanted to surf, so he did the best he could to teach himself in the region’s piddling windslop. Now in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset, trying to wrangle Ocean Beach, he has developed a renewed appreciation for his swimming background. Tony holds his BA in Philosophy and Film Studies from Amherst College, and an MFA in English from the Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program. His work is particularly interested in subjects driven by obsessive passions, like surfing, that often teeter on the edge of self-destruction. He has been contributing to The Surfer’s Journal since 2022, and recently wrote the definitive profile on pro surfer Dane Reynolds. His work has been nominated for Best American Essay and Best American Science and Nature Writing. He is represented by Creative Artists Agency, and is working on a hybrid book of surf memoir and reportage.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #408 Whatever Scares You, Go Do It - Derek Sivers (Repost) 16.02.2026 1h 35m

  In case you missed the last episode, my big news is that I relocated to Brooklyn for the next few months. My fingers are numb as I write this, but I do love it. Also, I’m capping off my book tour on February 19th at Patagonia SoHo. If you’re in town, I would love to meet you in person. You can RSVP here. Okay, what else? Right, the latest podcast. You see, I’m an informational grazer, nibbling on bits of media here and there but rarely sitting with a concept long enough to fully digest it. I’m trying to change that in 2026. One habit I’ve adopted is simply journaling about a book I’m reading for a few minutes. What did I learn? Journal one page. Done. I find this is helping the cement dry. Another is listening back to podcasts I’ve already recorded, including this one with Derek Sivers. Ahem, onto the bio: An author of philosophy and entrepreneurship, Sivers is known for his surprising quotable insights, pithy succinct writing style, and commitment to minimalism. (He currently lives in a 4x8 meter house in New Zealand and is building it out slowly, room by room, just to see what he needs.) Formerly a musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown, he sold his first company for $22 million and gave all the money to charity. Sivers' books (Useful, Not True, How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Your Music and People, Anything You Want) and newest projects are at his website: sive.rs. He loves hearing from strangers and will reply to every email, so if you enjoyed this podcast, shoot him an email and let him know.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I also take payments in surf wax. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• Live with David Litt 13.02.2026 53m

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• #407 Running a Big Creative Agency In a Small Town - David Littlejohn 09.02.2026 1h 27m

  Big news. I moved to New York for the next few months. My fiancé and I are renting a spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and I’ve already managed to get lost on the subway twice. Also, my book tour is coming to a close at Patagonia SoHo on February 19th. If you’re in New York, come out, I’d love to hang in person. Event details here. Okay, onto our regularly scheduled programming: David Littlejohn is a magician, cold plunge enthusiast, and the founder of Humanaut, a creative agency based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Under Littlejohn’s leadership, Humanaut has executed campaigns for Liquid Death, Organic Valley, Dollar Shave Club, and many other brands that probably live rent-free in your brain. In this episode, Littlejohn and I talked about his love of sleight-of-hand magic, the real job of entrepreneurs, and the benefits of working on nationwide campaigns from a small town like Chattanooga. You can get in touch with him on Instagram and check out Humanaut here. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I also take payments in surf wax. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #406 Understanding Endometriosis - Soraya Simi 06.01.2026 1h 43m

  Hey Austin, Texas people. I’ll be doing a live reading of my new book at Patagonia Austin on January 8 at 7 pm. It’s a free event and you can RSVP here. Good food, cold drinks, and your future husband/wife will probably be there. Okay, onto the show.Soraya Simi is a writer, director, surfer, and damn sharp thinker. Her first documentary, ROW OF LIFE, follows renowned Paralympian and Marine Veteran Angela Madsen as she rows solo across the Pacific Ocean. She’s now working on a new feature-length documentary about endometriosis, a chronic disease that affects roughly one in ten women worldwide and is a common cause of infertility. In this podcast, Soraya and I caught up about life, relationships, story structure, and of course, her forthcoming documentary. Connect with Soraya on Instagram.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I also take surf wax as payment. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #405 Charging Jaws & Hunting Bucks - Wilem Banks (Repost) 29.12.2025 1h 32m

  In 2017, Wilem Banks (@Wilembanks) made headlines when he suffered a horrific fall at Mavericks and won WSL’s Wipeout of the Year (the most embarrassing award in surfing). The award seemed to put a chip on Wilem’s shoulder, and since then, he’s set out to prove that he can do more than paddle into gigantic waves—he can make them, too. This year, the humble warrior took his first trip to Jaws on Maui and bagged what some say was the biggest wave ever completed at the spot. In this episode, Wilem recounts the story in detail. Beyond the ocean, he is a hunter, carpenter, and co-owner of Banks&Banks Saunas, a custom-built sauna service he runs with his brother.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #404 What Throwing Parties Can Teach You About Brand Strategy - Ned Lampert 22.12.2025 1h 13m

  Ned Lampert is an unpretentious dude with a bag of big ideas. As the founder of Zero Ambition, a creative and strategy studio that works with Nike, Vans, Whole Foods, and a roster of other AAA brands, his job is to come up with culture-shifting campaigns that make customers laugh, cry, and do a little shimmy. Ned is also an avid fly fisherman, mountain bike rider, and backcountry skier. In this episode, we talked about how Ned got into advertising through the unlikely path of DJing parties, why that led him to New York, and where he finds inspiration today. (Spoiler: at the top of the Alpine mountains.) Oh, Ned is also behind Slick’s For All, one of the fastest-growing intimacy brands redefining the category. He does so much, the bastard. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #403 How to Die - My Mom (Kimberly) 12.12.2025 1h 13m

  In one of the early chapters of my book, my mom assembles her Gravity Kit, an assortment of belongings she’ll leave behind once gravity wins. The kit includes passwords to her accounts, photos from her life, music that moved her, and a number of other personal belongings usually left in disarray for the children to rummage through. As she once said, “logistics often get in the way of grief.” In this very personal episode, we talk about how to assemble your own Gravity Kit, the hidden value of saving voicemails, and how to maintain strong relationships even through disagreement. This one was a tear-jerker. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today.Kyle Thiermann is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #402 The Hidden Benefits of Self-Publishing - Adam Skolnick 01.12.2025 1h 23m

  This podcast is with Adam Skolnick, an award-winning independent journalist and author covering adventure sports, environmental issues, travel and human rights for The New York Times, Outside, Playboy and Lonely Planet. He is the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits, the ghost writer and narrator of David Goggins’ smash hit memoir and audiobook Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, and he is a co-host on the Rich Roll Podcast. His latest book, American Tiger, is available to order now. (I’ve read it and it fucking rocks.) In this episode, we talk about the state of publishing today, the Southern California wilderness, and creativity as lantern offerings. Follow Adam’s Substack here.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #401 Photography & Psychedelics - Chris Burkard (Repost) 24.11.2025 1h 17m

  Tuesday, November 25: Book tour event at Patagonia Santa Cruz @7pm. It’s free. BYOP (Bring Your Own Parent). RSVP here. Okay, onto the podcast…Chris Burkard (@ChrisBurkard) is an acclaimed American photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller known for his breathtaking landscape photography. Born in San Luis Obispo, California, Burkard rose to prominence through his striking surf photography in remote and often icy locations like Iceland, Norway, and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. His work captures the raw beauty of nature, often blending elements of human exploration and environmental grandeur. Burkard’s style is marked by expansive compositions, ethereal light, and a reverence for the wild. Beyond photography, he is also a sought-after speaker, author of several books, and director of award-winning documentaries, including Under an Arctic Sky. A passionate advocate for environmental preservation and outdoor adventure, Burkard uses his platform to inspire others to seek meaningful connections with the natural world. His work has been featured by National Geographic, The New Yorker, Apple, and Patagonia, among others. Whether hanging from a cliff face or paddling through freezing surf, Burkard’s lens invites viewers to embrace discomfort, awe, and the power of the untamed.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #400 He Paddled 1,000 Miles Down Baja - Sean Janson (Repost) 14.11.2025 1h 46m

  Sean Jansen is a freelance writer and seasonal wilderness guide in Yellowstone National Park. He’s intense, slightly awkward, and deeply committed to dancing with the more raw frequencies of human experience. I love this guy. During his off-season from guiding, he partakes in a litany of expeditions from thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to his recent trip, standup paddling more than 1,000 miles down the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. Through recovery from alcoholism, he has moved into a van and spends his time flying fishing trout streams, training for ultra-marathons, and searching the coast for unsurfed waves. With a passion for wilderness and wild places, he often takes his pen and paper on trips and finds ways that the outdoor recreation activities he loves can give back to conservation and environmental areas in need. Follow him on Instagram and read his new book, Paddling with Porpoise.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to order today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #399 From Surfing Dungeons to Saving Coasts - Mike Schlebach 31.10.2025 1h 11m

  Mike Schlebach is a South African big-wave surfer and coastal-activist deeply rooted in the surf culture of Cape Town’s wild Atlantic coast. Mike made his name charging serious surf at spots like Dungeons and the offshore reef at Sunset Reef. More recently, he has emerged as a voice against illegal mineral‐sand mining along South Africa’s West Coast, using his platform to raise awareness and protect coastline communities. Follow Mike here. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to preorder today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #398 Navigating an AI Childhood w/ NY Times Writer Jess Grose 17.10.2025 1h 5m

  Jess Grose is an opinion writer at The New York Times covering parenting and culture, and the author of three books: Sad Desk Salad, a sharp and funny novel about the early days of online media; Soulmates, a novel that dives into love, marriage, and the strange search for connection; and Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood, a nonfiction exploration that cracks open the impossible pressures mothers face today. If you’ve read The New York Times, chances are you’ve come across her thoughtful reporting or her essays that cut straight to the heart of how we live now. If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to preorder today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #397 Gardening for the Formerly Incarcerated - Chris Buroughs 10.10.2025 1h 9m

  After serving 14 years in prison, 90 days of which were in solitary confinement, Chris Buroughs is now the director of Garden 31, a group that works to localize food production in San Diego’s low income neighborhoods by training new farmers with a focus on formerly incarcerated men and women, as well as those suffering from substance abuse issues. Contact Chris at: cburoughs1129@gmail.comIf you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. My book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is available to preorder today. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
• #396 What's Your Big Wave Spirit Animal? - Bianca Valenti 26.09.2025 1h 6m

  Bianca Valenti is the 2024 Big Wave Challenge Winner, a 9-time Mavericks Awards Champion, 2-time Puerto Escondido Cup Winner, and one of the few women to compete in the Eddie Aikau Invitational, the world’s most prestigious big wave surf event. She led the fight for equal pay in surfing, securing it for all athletes worldwide. For her trailblazing impact, she has been inducted into the California Outdoor Hall of Fame and named an Honorary Chief in the State of California. In this episode, we talked big wave mindset, training for longevity, and how spirit animals can help in heavy water situations. Scope her Instagram.If you dig this podcast, will you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts? It takes less than 60 seconds and makes a difference when I drop to my knees and beg hard-to-get guests on the show. I read them all. You can watch this podcast on my YouTube channel and join my newsletter on Substack. It’s glorious. Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe