It is with heavy heart that I announce the end of the Payne in the Pod era. I'd like to thank each and every single listener and follower from the bottom of my heart for being so loyal. Thank you to each of my podcast guests who allowed me to ask my burning questions, and even get a little personal. Thanks for my friends and family who have supported this journey wholeheartedly. And finally, thank you to the podcast community for welcome this loud southern belle with open arms! While this is...

Mary Payne and her friend Doug Budin thought they were going to spend today’s episode recapping the hit podcast, Mob Queens. Instead, they got something better: a surprise entrance by Mob Queens co-host Michael Seligman. Mary Payne and Doug asked Michael their burning questions about the fascinating and mysterious Anna Genovese, a 20th-century New York mob wife and drag club maven. The Hidden Story of a Mob Wife Michael and his co-host, Jessica Bendinger, began researching Anna Genovese...

Sheila Wysocki is a private investigator who uses her podcast, Without Warning, to crowdsource true crime cases in real-time. The third season of the Without Warning podcast digs into the mysterious 2008 deaths of Kadie Major, her baby River, and her unborn child, Aidan, in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. The Beginnings of Without Warning  Sheila became a private investigator in 2004 to discover what happened to her college roommate who was raped and murdered in the 1980s. After six years of...

Nikki Boyer returns to Payne in the Pod to speak with Mary Payne about her new podcast, The Daily Smile. Best known for her work on the Dying For Sex and Straight Talk with Ross podcasts, Nikki’s latest podcast brings listeners new episodes every weekday morning highlighting uplifting stories from quarentine. A Must-Listen During Quarantine Nikki and her colleagues at Wondery were already in discussions for creating The Daily Smile podcast when the coronavirus pandemic struck in March. As the...

Kristen Meinzer is an overachiever. She currently hosts three podcasts, has authored three books (including a book on podcasting), and regularly delivers lectures and keynote addresses. In this episode, Kristen speaks with Mary Payne about her podcast, By The Book, in which she and her co-host, Jolenta Greenberg, experiment with different self-help books. By The Book Kristen and Jolenta are former co-workers living in New York City. Kristen is a culture critic and Jolenta is a comedian. In...

The Murderous Minors podcast occupies a unique niche in the podcasting world. It tells the complex, heartbreaking stories of children who commit terrible crimes. Mary Payne speaks with Simone (AKA Warbaby), the host of Murderous Minors, about her experience telling these stories and how she thinks our society can help children before they commit crimes. A Warbaby Turned Podcast Host The daughter of two Vietnam vets, Simone was born into a military world (thus, the “Warbaby” nickname). For...

Joe Nocera’s move to The Hamptons a decade ago had a most unexpected twist. The New York journalist’s quiet Long Island neighborhood became the center of one of the most bizarre and jaw-dropping stories in the podcast world.  In this episode, Mary Payne speaks with Joe about his experience creating The Shrink Next Door, which follows the doctor-patient relationship of Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf and Martin “Marty” Markowitz. Something Strange in The Hamptons Joe is a long-time journalist who...

Mary Payne speaks with Ryan Bailey about his hysterical new podcast, So Bad It’s Good. Mary Payne admires Ryan’s ability to dive deeply (and humorously) into Reality TV shows and other areas of pop culture--but tries to get him to cut back on his 4-5 hour episodes!  Ryan’s Journey to the Podcasting World Ryan has always loved pop culture. He was obsessed with movies and TV as a kid, and later moved to LA to pursue a career in acting. He still lives in LA today as an actor (including...

Mandy Slutsker is a Reality TV enthusiast and host of the Is This Real Life? podcast where she focuses not only on reality TV, but the “why” of the things they do. Mandy joins Mary Payne to offer her thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic and to discuss her favorite reality TV shows. A Deep Dive into Reality TV Personalities Mandy started the Is This Real Life? podcast over two years ago as a way to connect with other fans about her favorite reality TV and Bravo shows. In her episodes, Mandy and...

Mary Payne sits down with Jake (aka Poodle) and Matt (aka Mattie) from the Sissy That Talk podcast network for some much-needed laughs for all of our quarantined listeners. Jake and Matt talk about their long journey to develop Sissy That Talk and discuss their new show, 90 Day Gays, which recaps TLC’s hit show, 90 Day Fiancé.  Natural Entertainers 90 Day Gays hosts Jake and Matt first met while studying music at the University of North Texas. They later bonded while teaching summer camp...

Corona Comfort, a new podcast from Junto Media, shares uplifting stories about people, organizations, and businesses coming together to make sure their neighbors and communities are safe, healthy, and cared for during these difficult times. Our lives are changing drastically. It’s good to know that people all over America are helping one another, and it’s good to have Corona Comfort to share their stories with us. From people launching online concerts and story times to bring neighbors...

The American South is seeping with eerie, dark tales that lie beneath its unique and majestic culture. In the Southern Gothic podcast, siblings Brandon and Bryanne Schexnayder combine music, exhaustive research, and traditional southern storytelling to provide the real histories behind Southern legends. Inspirations Behind Southern Gothic Brandon and Bryanne Schexnayder grew up immersed in New Orleans history. Their parents were amateur genealogists who brought Brandon and Bryanne along on...

The story told on the podcast Over My Dead Body: Joe Exotic is a story so crazy it is hard to believe that it is real. In this episode of Payne in the Pod, host Robert Moor, joins Mary Payne.  Joe Exotic is a gay polygamous zookeeper in rural Oklahoma and who bred and rescued lions, tigers, ligers, and exotic big cats. He traveled with these big cats and put on shows where he would charge visitors to pet the baby cubs. As a result, Carole Baskin, the owner of a big cat sanctuary in Florida,...

In September 2010, 24-year-old Michelle O’Connell was found dead in her home in St. Augustine, Florida just minutes after breaking up with her boyfriend, St. Johns County Sheriff Deputy Jeremy Banks. Just over eight years later, in January 2019, Eli Washtock, an amateur investigator looking into the O’Connell case, was found dead in his condo. Criminal Conduct is a brand new true-crime podcast hosted by John Taylor and Javier Leiva that investigates these two interlinked murders. The...

Dr. Fredric Brandt was the pioneer of botox. He was an innovative scientist and one of the first doctors to champion cosmetic dermatology. His clients included Joy Beyhar, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kelly Ripa, and Madonna.  Justine Harman, the host of the popular Broken Harts podcast, takes a deep dive into Dr. Brandt’s life in a ten-episode podcast series called The Baron of Botox.  Who Was Dr. Fedric Brandt? Through an extensive investigation and numerous interviews, Justine highlights the...

Rainbow Valentine grew up in a typical 1970s-80s American family. Or so she thought. During her high school years, she learned that the garbage bags of pot in her living room were not so normal. In fact, her parents were pot distributors who delivered loads of marijuana all across the country from their California home. Rainbow’s podcast, Disorganized Crime: Smuggler’s Daughter, tells their story.  The Right Time to Open Up Rainbow Valentine (a name she gave to herself when she was five years...

Lindsay Graham has turned his passion for storytelling and human history into a podcasting career. He is the Webby Award-winning host of the podcasts American History Tellers, American Scandal, and American Elections: Wicked Games, and the executive producer of the audio dramas 1865 and Terms. Mary Payne speaks with Lindsay about his journey to the podcasting world, his storytelling methods, and his perspective on the importance of history. From the Insurance Industry to Podcasting Lindsay...

In April 2016, the wife of a police officer in Griffin, Georgia was shot twice inside a locked closet. She survived, but with no recollection of the incident. As a result, that night’s events remain a mystery to this day. Brendan Keefe, the Chief Investigator for 11Alive in Atlanta, takes listeners inside this perplexing cold case of The Officer’s Wife.  Brendan’s Journey Covering the Officer’s Wife Case Brendan serves as the Chief Investigator on a team of eight investigative journalists at...

Nicki Weisensee Egan has covered the Bill Cosby sex scandal since the first victim filed her lawsuit in 2005. Over the past 15 years, Nicki was one of the only journalists to consistently ask the tough questions without giving Cosby the benefit of the doubt. She recently chronicled her journey in her book, Chasing Cosby: The Downfall of America's Dad and a new podcast, Chasing Cosby.  Nicki’s 15-Year Coverage of the Cosby Sex Scandal Nicki was an investigative writer at the Philadelphia...

Jami Rice has always been fascinated with true crime. After a surreal experience as a juror in a murder trial, Jami decided to begin telling the stories of true crime victims. The Murderish podcast takes delves into true stories of murder, disappearances, and other creepy events. Turning a Courtroom Drama into a Podcast Three years ago, Jami served as a juror in the trial of Rob Arvizu, who was charged with murder of his wife, Courtney Arivzu. Over the two-week trial, Jami and her fellow...

When she’s diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, Molly decides to do something bold: she leaves her unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to help her feel alive. These experiences are beyond anything she could have imagined, so she shares the details with her closest friend, host Nikki Boyer. The two best friends dissect these hilarious, often touching stories. And they growing even closer as they share Molly's journey together. From the makers of The Shrink Next Door...

When host Nikki Boyer’s best friend Molly is diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, she decides to do something bold. She leaves an unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to feel alive. Over this six-part miniseries, Molly shares the details of her hilarious escapades in a story about friendship, death, and what you do with the time you have left. From Wondery, the creators of Dirty John and The Moment comes Dying For Sex. Listen now at wondery.fm/DFS17 Learn more about...

Kirsten (Kirsty) Moore has found an outlet for her addiction to reality TV. A few years ago, she began a podcast called Reality TV & Me, which gives listeners an Australian’s perspective on some favorite American reality shows, with a focus on Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise. A Ten-Year Fascination with Reality TV Ten years ago, Kirsty was diagnosed with spinal cancer at the age of 21. Throughout surgery, recovery, and rehab, Kirsty couldn’t do the typical 21-year-old activities with...

The 1969 murder of a 12-year old girl in Nashville, Tenneesse has remained “officially” unsolved for over 50 years. But Flatrock host Olivia Lind gives listeners an in-depth look into the case that points to the guilt of one man.  True Crime Cases in Tennessee Olivia co-hosts a podcast called Something’s Not Right, a weekly series that primarily focuses on true crime cases in Tennessee. A past episode of Something’s Not Right focused on the “unsolved” murder of 12-year old Kathy Jones in a...