Ya girl loves road trips and road TRIPPIN’! I recently got the chance to do both at the same time and write about it for InsideHook.com. My podcast partner and bestie Sofiya Alexandra made our way to Joshua Tree with a case of Psychedelic Water, and we tried the new psilocybin-inspired drink with a healthy dose of hope and skepticism.
Using kava as its main ingredient, Psychedelic Water is entirely legal, as it’s considered psychedelic but not hallucinogenic. So I drank up and waited to see just what kind of “trip” I was getting into, and… well, I was pleasantly surprised. (And for those concerned that I didn’t get a proper trip — don’t worry, I have a lead on a local Ayahuasca ceremony!)
➡️ Read the InsideHook article here ⬅️
And speaking of trips, I started the month in New York on a reporting trip for the ongoing Chevron v. Steven Donziger saga. It was both invigorating and exhausting. I don’t want to travel for a while, but I’ve rekindled my love for NYC, and I’m utterly obsessed with this case.
Since I left, there have been several new developments:
After his bail motion was denied, Steven Donziger reported for prison on Wednesday, October 27.
Also on Wednesday, Amazon Watch and others held a Free Donziger press conference in Washington DC with members of Congress, including Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Jesús "Chuy" García, Jim McGovern, Cori Bush, Jamie Raskin, and AOC.
And Big Oil CEOs, including Chevron’s Mike Wirth, testified in front of Congress this past week about their industry’s role in misinformation about the climate crisis.
If you need CliffsNotes on what came preceded this, check out Paul Paz y Miño explaining the decades-long legal battle in a tight 14-minute set.
I’ve been working with Mesh Lakhani as he expands Lola Media into a podcast network. A few weeks ago, we took an informative podcast marketing workshop with Jeremy Helton and picked up a lot of helpful tips that we’ll be putting to good use when we launch a slate of new shows early next year. It also gave me a lot to think about in terms of Private Parts Unknown and my other podcast projects. I feel like I’ve added some powerful tools to my toolbox, and I’m so excited to start remodeling and building new stuff with them. And I want to share what I’ve learned, so I’ll be doling out craft musings, marketing intel, jobs, and show recs on my new newsletter, Podcast Bestie, launching next month. Sign up here.
💰 Side note: Thanks to both Mesh and my boyfriend, I’m getting very into Bitcoin and crypto. Any of y’all playing around with it? So far, I love everything I’ve heard about blockchain technology and Web3. It seems like a huge boon for artists. I mean, imagine being able to track ownership easily and get paid for your work?! So, on that front, at least, I’m looking forward to the future.
New Private Parts Unknown episodes this month 💋
Jaclyn is a talented TV writer, showrunner, and former sex worker who we absolutely adore. We discuss her experience transitioning during the pandemic, the New Orleans queer scene (which she’s exploring thanks to her new job co-showrunning Peacock’s Queer as Folk reboot!), her previous career as a sex worker, how sex work allowed her to explore her sexuality and gave her freedom to pursue marking art, and more.
Recently, Jaclyn has been publicly critical of Netflix and Dave Chappelle for his latest comedy special's transphobic rhetoric. While Jaclyn’s episode was recorded before the controversy, we talk a lot about the transphobia she’s experienced on her journey thus far. Check out this Variety article for an interview with Jaclyn on why she won’t be working with the streamer they stop “promoting and profiting from dangerous transphobic content.”
In our most recent episode, we talked to author Joan Foor about her new memoir, My Heart’s Journey: Chasing Love through Europe on a Motor Scooter, detailing her intrepid European road trip, traveling solo as a woman in 1964. What an adventure! She had dudes literally chasing her around the continent (for better or worse). Now in her 80s, she still remembers it as the trip of a lifetime. She shared some jaw-dropping stories with these kindred spirits. We had such a blast. Hanging out with Joan for an hour made me miss my grandma… so I ordered her a copy of Joan's book.
I hope everyone is in the midst of a perfectly spooky Halloween! I didn't dress up, but I did clean the shit of my house, which is enough trick or treat for my taste. Check ya next month! xx