Podcasts of the Week 9/4/25

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Happy Thursday! Given the short week and packed trains (thanks to school restarting), we are all disoriented.

I see tiny kids in new outfits and sweaters they will regret later in the warmer parts of the day. There is a woman with a visor that extends at least a foot away from her face. A standing man holding onto nothing but his Wall Street Journal. Yesterday, I saw a frail skinny elderly woman get on the train. She approached a seat and immediately whipped out a seat cushion, and then, plopped down on it. An icon. There was also a sticker that read “Cuomo go harass some other city.” Amen.

There is a man who has a 90s Backstreet Boy haircut. He draws on the thickest eyebrows we have ever seen collectively. It’s akin to my blush blindness but more dramatic. I wonder what his face looks like in the rain. Hopefully, it’s waterproof. His goatee is also bold. I swear he spray paints it.

Some good podcast episodes emerged this week:

There was the HSR podcast with the Arrae founders. Arrae is set to exceed $100m. It was a reminder that building a team that wins can be fun.

Andy Frisella did Real Talk (The Illusion of Permission) and reminded us of what it takes to succeed. It’s brutal, but one can’t operate off of anything but reality if you are going to win the game of life.

Theo Von interviewed a “Young Amish Male” on rumspringa. This interview was gold. The discussion around first cousins was priceless, and Theo Von was made to have this conversation. It was lighthearted, educational and had the dose of innocence only Theo can bring. This was a reminder to laugh and smile.

If you haven’t watched or listened to Alex Ikonn and Asma Khan— you shouldn’t miss that gem. Find it here.

We are almost to Friday. And just like the week is winding down, this train is emptying out. I spy a seat!

The Right Question

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I was on a coaching call not long ago, and as a particular issue was being discussed, the coach’s question was:

“What does love do next?”

You could have heard a pin drop.

That’s a profound question. We so often do things from our false self and ego— but what does love do next?

It stayed with me. I am clearly still thinking about it. It’s a question worth asking.

How to be Remembered

“I believe, wholeheartedly, that when it comes to caring for people, “chill” won’t cut it. In fact, I think I reject nonchalance in nearly every aspect of my life. Care about things! Big things! Be incredibly curious and deeply interested! Solve real problems! Read, drink, eat, go, do—with muchness! At the end of my life, I want to be remembered as a moment-maker for my family, friends, and strangers alike — as someone who brought people together and gave them wind at their backs as they left feeling full.”
— From the Dinner Party Directory

The One Who Learns the Most

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Back-to-school season is upon us. Fall is in the air early. (Usually, NYC is at a low simmer during this time of the year). The trash is usually roasting, and us pedestrians are one shove away from landing in a boiling heap of trash bags, and surrendering because the heat has drained our will to live. Instead, we have the gift of 60-degree weather. We are giddy.

This weather makes me want to drink a hot tea, eat warm comfort food and watch an Arthur Thanksgiving special. Autumn arrives, and I COME ALIVE. ✨

This time of the year comes in with a heavy dose of nostalgia, but also, with the tickle of wanting to learn new things. I mean, what is life if not an eternal pursuit of truth and knowledge?

James Clear had a fabulous quote the other day about the ones who learn the most:

“The person who learns the most in any classroom is the teacher. 

If you really want to learn a topic, then “teach” it. Write a book. Teach a class. Build a product. Start a company.

The act of making something will force you to learn more deeply than reading ever will.”

As the temps drop, may we drop into learning mode. Pick something. Master it.

“Being ready is a myth. You start. You just do it. You suck. You figure it out.

You get better. And you do it again.” Dara Kaye

Goosebumps

“Because if a man selling tomatoes at a market can look me in the eye, show me his goosebumps, and say, “I adore my life” – then maybe that’s what we should all be striving for. Not perfection, not recognition, not more. Just a life that gives us goosebumps.” Chloé Crane-Leroux

Narrowed

I heard this quote recently that is a profound expression of truth:

“Love eliminates options.” Andy Figueroa

People make choices. Choosing is the most sacred thing we do. Love rules our choices, if we allow it to. And when it does, it eliminates options.

I heard someone discussing this phrase in coaching. “How have you been married for 70 years?” Easy. “Love eliminates options.”

Defining Leadership

“Leadership isn’t about control.

It’s about responsibility.

And the weight of that responsibility gets heavier the more people you lead.”

Erwin McManus

Father

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Alex Ikonn asked Asma Khan how she became a confident and secure woman filled with so much love; how she grew to have self-love. Her answer moved me. She said, “I believed my father.”

No matter who your father is/was, what I find comforting is we have a Heavenly Father who has a lot to say about who we are. It’s in the Bible.

Having a strong sense of identity in who our Father says we are is key. It spurs us forward to serve others with His love. It gives us security.

Believe your Father.

“I Deserve This”

Image via Great British Chefs

“I swore to God, make me that person. Make me so powerful that when a woman in her forties walks into a room, and they tell her, ‘Stay in your lane,’ she says my name.

Even the ocean will know you arrived. That’s how you die.

You die in that way; that the legacy that you have left behind is so big— everybody knows your name.

The world was gonna know my name.”

Asma Khan, world-renowned chef (featured on Chef’s Table)

I loved this conversation.

Alex Ikonn’s podcast has quickly become one of my favorites. This was a powerful one.

“Set the world on fire.” 🔥