According to the Gallup folks, 89% of the American workforce says that they're "burned out." So, the good news is, we're not alone! The other news is, "burnout" - and PTSD - are worth looking into, and who better to sit down with than Scott Anderson: he's the founder - in partnership with Tel Aviv University - of AtEaseUSA.org, a treatment technology accelerator helping military families recover from PTSD. He also launched BurnoutBreakthrough.com, an evidence-based system to help business leaders recover from and prevent workplace burnout. Scott's an Executive Coach, the author of PLAYING BIG, and a Licensed Therapist with Masters in Clinical Counseling.

Marci Warhaft - “The Resiliency Rebel” - is a Resiliency coach and founder of The Fit vs Fiction Body Image workshops. She was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Health influencers for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 by Optimyz fitness magazine. Marci is the author of The Good Stripper: A Soccer Mom’s Memoir of Lies, Loss and Lap Dances, where she shares in raw, honest and intimate detail her eye-popping journey to self discovery. By turning a life of turmoil into an example of tenacity and survival, Marci uses her experiences to help others release themselves of the shame, guilt and insecurities that keep them from living their lives with the joy they deserve.

To paraphrase Willy Wonka, "Don't forget what happened to the little boy who suddenly got everything he ever wanted: he felt empty AF and wanted to die. And then...." One of the most gratifying things about hosting TTF is that my guests come on to get real. They've tasted the truth, and tried swallowing the BS as well. And they have a lot to teach the rest of us about getting unstuck. Kevin Palmieri is the host of Top 100 Global Podcast "Next Level University" -1000+ Episodes, with listeners in Over 125 Countries, and this is our chat.

"There's a certain pact we make with the devil to enjoy life in a way that makes us feel fulfilled. So we're not doing heinous crimes on our own volition, but we're enabling inequity. We're enabling climate disasters. We're enabling, you know, take your pick, because we've decided that on some level we are happier." This quote from my interview with Humans First founder - and serial entrepreneur - Rob Krecak forms the backdrop for this conversation, which is as useful in terms of practical solutions as it is provocative regarding the subject of social media overload and technology mindfulness.

What role does marketing play in a post-truth world? Can we believe in ourselves enough to sell the image to other people? Hersh consults with Lorraine Ball, Marketing Strategist, Marketing Educator, and host of the More Than A Few Words podcast, to get a handle on what’s always worked, what doesn’t work, and what authenticity really means. Lorraine shares her stories of the glass ceiling effect, beginning as a Brooklyn girl working the phones for an oil company in West Texas: she could put on a Texas drawl, but she was still a woman, and it was a struggle to break into the C-Suite. Her goal was to be a VP, but every path was blocked. She cut her own swath, forging ahead toward success.

"Make for yourself a teacher, and acquire for yourself a friend." This I have done, in the form of Janet Elaine Schmidt. I should say that subsequent to our interview, I had a session with Janet that has already had an impact on my mindset and I highly recommend the experience! She's the Creator of "Reprogram For Success" and has been a practical yet potent Quantum Consciousness Accelerator, Integrative Holistic Healing Facilitator, and Business Coach for a decade. If most of those descriptors make sense only when read indvidually, that's where I was before I sat down with Janet to talk about mindset in a way I never had before.

Adam Vibe Gunton shares not only his amazing story but also his methods for helping others find their voice in the journey of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. While there are harrowing moments in this conversation, Adam also injects humor into his narrative. As he explained, "Bringing light and comedy into situations can help people heal." And his faith enters the picture in such a way as to convey his experiences with honesty and reflection. Adam is a #1 Bestselling Author and Founder of Recovered On Purpose. After overcoming homelessness and IV drug addiction in 2017, Adam made it his mission in life to help addicts find a way out of their addictions.

Just when we stop obsessing about pandemics, we've gotta worry about a possible economy in recession, inflation rates, and more. But wait - this is Truth Tastes Funny, so Hersh's interview with Money 911 host Kris Miller has laughs, heart, and most importantly, useful info for changing the way you think about investing. Over the past 30 years, Kris Miller has helped over 6,000 families, individuals and businesses, avoid financial disaster by getting real about money and strategically planning their futures.

Early in my podcasting adventure, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Mark Asquith, aka That British Podcast Guy. Mark is Managing Director & co-founder of Captivate.fm (part of Global), and his business is helping podcasters to grow their audience. I asked this TEDx and Harvard speaker what I was getting into - and I got the straight talk, the only kind Mark knows how to give. And here we are, celebrating 20 episodes of "Truth Tastes Funny," so it's apt to do it with this gracious guest, and our conversation.

Businesses are built. Entrepreneurs, however, are born, not made. From Hersh's first exchange with John and Mark Cronin, he recognized that their genius lay in their commitment to one goal - Spreading Happiness - and the joy they bring to the pursuit. This interview is for anyone who ever wondered what life is really about, and where the purpose meets the road. Founded in 2016, their business, John’s Crazy Socks (see below for discount code, thanks guys!), is a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. They bootstrapped their business into the world’s largest sock store earning them recognition as EY’s Entrepreneurs of the Year. The company has 240,000 Facebook followers and over 29,000 five-star reviews.

Sometimes, a podcast does exactly what it’s intended to do. In the case of Hersh’s interview with author/piemaker/peace activist Beth M. Howard, the result goes beyond well-meaning folks ruminating about making the world a better place. These two hit upon a concrete way to make each of their specialties serve the greater good.

If you're the slightest bit curious, the first person you should seek out is Mike Oppenheim. The author, essayist, and podcaster has been indulging in adventures of the mind for a while now, and each time he dives under the waters of our consciousness, he emerges with insights and musings that spur us along. Hersh had to have him on TTF, because chaotic times call for curious tourists! You may know him from his column, The Casual Casuist, from his novels*, or his Coffin Talk podcast...if you don't, get to know him now.

We knew that it would be difficult for Hersh to get through 15 episodes of TTF without using a British accent. It took his interview with Meridith Grundei - a passionate and charismatic public speaking and presentation skills coach - to set off that reaction. As she explains, Meridith created Confidently Speaking, a form of coaching that helps people perform in a safe space so they can analyze and improve upon the experiences. It's really about being yourself, she says, "bringing yourself to the stage" - and leaning into all the flaws and foibles that make us the beautiful humans we are.

He would've built an atomic bomb as a kid...but his mom wouldn't give him the uranium. True story - and it's not even THE story. It's merely an episode in the life of Joe Templin, the Human Kaizen expert intent on inspiring 100 million people to make some positive change in their lives. The hope is for us to commit to self-improvement, one step at a time. The author of the Amazon Kindle #1 New Release "Every Day Excellence" wasn't intent on seizing the day from the day he was born...but he certainly adopted the philosophy the day he died ("I got better.") at the age of 10. He's gone on to be an ultramarathoner, special needs parent, martial arts champion, polymath, and adherent to the practice of kaizen - from the Japanese word for 'improvement.'

The mantra of Aryeh & Co is that "the quality of your dreams is never compromised." The Truth Tastes Funny credo is "Laugh. Survive. Thrive." And in this episode, the two philosophies meet, in the form of a conversation between Hersh and Aryeh Rephun. While father and son have gone into completely different businesses, they share a knack for working closely with clients to craft something special. In Aryeh's case, it's high-end jewelry with meaningful, personal expressions. Increasingly, his clients are coming to him with their own designs, and his team is rising to the challenge of making those visions a reality. Apologies for the background chatter.

Guess what? All that external judgment and criticism that holds you back? It comes from YOU. And the clown in my childhood nightmares who constantly sought to tickle me to death? He was me. But I’ve said too much. Join me in this chat with award-winning Author, Writer, and Speaker Debbie McKiver (Mick-EEV-er) to talk clowns, snakes, religion, meditation, manifestation, and more. Debbie is a Mindset Expert, Holistic Wellness Practitioner, Certified Health Coach, Manifestation & Transformation Coach, Certified Gut Health SME, Corporate Wellness Advocate, and Level 1 Meditation Teacher.

You will dig this episode if you: know anything about the heyday of music videosknow nothing about music videos, periodwant to be successful in businesswant to be successful as an individualhave an oral fixation CEO/Executive Producer/Photographer/Entrepreneur Gary Rose is Hersh’s guest on the podcast, and today the guys chart Gary’s path from broadcasting to producing music videos, and then producing over two thousand commercials including work for both the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, through the successful launch in 2021 of KICSTICK, a licorice root product that became an oral substitute when Gary kicked his lifelong nicotine habit. He’s now writing a movie dealing with teens and the current fentanyl crisis.

Some say, "We're only human." Maybe being human is more than enough!! Jennifer Norman is the Founder of The Human Beauty Movement (The HBM), a community that fosters radical self acceptance and self-love. She gets right down to it with Hersh, beginning with her adoption at the age of two from Korea into a Caucasian family. Jenn used to think of herself as just another 'white girl from Long Island,' but reality had other plans. From having a sister who wanted to kill her to religious extremism, two divorces and the near death of her only child, Jenn finally found peace, love and balance. She knows all too well that if we don't laugh, we cry.

The game of life may seem hard to play, but maybe we've got the rules mixed up! SuperBetter - invented by world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal - is a global leader in using the psychology of game play to build life skills, overcome obstacles & achieve goals. Over 1 million people have played the SuperBetter web and mobile app, and on this episode, Hersh chats with CEO and Co-Founder Keith Wakeman. Keith is a purpose-driven innovator and brand builder, who has led development and launch of over $1B of new products in health, wellness and food. In response to the decade-long decline in mental health among youth & young adults in the US and globally, he is leading SuperBetter’s expansion to play a major role in ending the youth mental health crisis.

In pursuit of his daily dose of sanity in today's world, Hersh sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Nakia Hamlett (of Complex Psychology), who helps organizations and individuals create safe spaces through communication. Nakia has been interested in human behavior since she was a child reading about Anastasia's conversations with Freud, and now brings people together in pursuit of safe, honest dialogue. Her chat with Hersh spans social engagement, DEI, African American mental health, and yes, Nakia's certainty at 8 years old that she would become a clinical psychologist...

When Hersh launched TTF, he committed to engaging fellow truth-seekers with diverse points of view, in pursuit of answers, and having some laughs in the process. He delivers - and so does Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen, Ph.D. Key Takeaways: To human better, we can GET OUTSIDE, and ENGAGE with nature, because so many answers are there...and it's nicer than our basement.Some outcomes may be inevitable (just look at Beer), but science is ultimately our friend.Hersh may have six degrees of Kevin Bacon, while Merriwether has more useful Degrees from universities, but when it's 100 degrees outside, who doesn't appreciate air conditioning??

Today’s episode carries a trigger warning as this interview contains an in-depth discussion of suicide, grief, and mental health issues. I know this can be distressing, so please consider before listening. If you or someone you know are struggling emotionally, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Jenetta Barry, Founder of The Epiphany Process and its non-profit, World Jenny's Day, is renowned for having helped many people through crisis. To hear her story - honestly, just to hear her voice, with its wise and soothing tone - is to understand her impact on so many in the wake of her own tragic loss, the suicide of her 16 year old daughter Jenny after they had an enormous argument.

Hersh is a white Jew from Miami who's never been to Fiji. Barry is Black, and raised in the Christian faith, and just returned from those magnificent islands in the South Pacific. That's one take on the conversation between Hersh and his guest, Barry Queen Jr., a wealth advisor and, in a world rife with uncertainty, the guy you can count on. The two talk about the bond between client and advisor, and the kind established by Barry and his close friends Ari and Ali, whose podcast, "The Jew, The Muslim, and The Other Guy," (at 23:00 in our show) goes deep into race, religion, and more.

Are you too old to climb Mt. Everest? Not if you start now! And it’s not only mountain climbing that keeps you in shape, mentally and physically, it’s the outdoors. As Hersh points out, a guy named Noah spent two years building an ark - and lived to be 950! In this episode, he discusses the real fountain of youth with Martin Pazzani, author of international best seller Secrets of Aging Well: GET OUTSIDE, a TED Speaker, Founder of an innovative brain fitness startup, and a mountaineer who has hiked and climbed 100,000,000 uphill steps across 7 continents, over 50 years. Having done time in the corporate world, Martin now is a serial entrepreneur, focused on longevity and anti-aging techniques.

We are what we are, and what we are needs no excuses! Being an artist with ADHD is one thing; having ADHD as your personal hyperfocus adds a whole new dimension to the experience. Hersh sits down with improv and sketch comedian Liz Bennett, whose filterless, in-the-moment life process is diverse and productive, including original music, professional book editing, and ongoing advancement in The Groundlings (“the one step-by-step feasible goal in my mind”). A play-by-ear pianist, Liz creates rap-style songs delivering rapid-fire lyrics courtesy of a racing mind. They range from the witty to the heavily dramatic, and are a beautiful testament to her neurodivergencies.