Imagine growing up with a famous dad and 11 siblings, four of whom, your brothers, were all, like you, named George. George “Monk” Foreman III, entrepreneur, boxing trainer and former business manager of his legendary father, businessman and two-time heavy weight champion, George Foreman Sr, started to train at age nineteen to pursue a career in boxing, like his dad. But what would you do if you discovered you liked the boxing workout, but not the violence? Would you leave the ring forever,...

Imagine growing up with a famous dad and 11 siblings, four of whom, your brothers, were all, like you, named George. George “Monk” Foreman III, entrepreneur, boxing trainer and former business manager of his legendary father, businessman and two-time heavy weight champion, George Foreman Sr, started to train at age nineteen to pursue a career in boxing, like his dad. But what would you do if you discovered you liked the boxing workout, but not the violence? Would you leave the ring forever,...

What if you hit a wall while swimming across the English channel and felt it was impossible to go on? Ryan Strm Rd, multiple Guinness Book, World record holder, inspirational speaker, world-renowned, extreme swimmer, author, and single dad, still had four hours to swim. And he knew that if he put so much his one hand on the support boat running alongside him, it would all be over. So what would you do if it was getting dark and the ocean was so cold that you could no longer feel your arms?...

What if you hit a wall while swimming across the English channel and felt it was impossible to go on? Ryan Strm Rd, multiple Guinness Book, World record holder, inspirational speaker, world-renowned, extreme swimmer, author, and single dad, still had four hours to swim. And he knew that if he put so much his one hand on the support boat running alongside him, it would all be over. So what would you do if it was getting dark and the ocean was so cold that you could no longer feel your arms?...

 America’s most decorated Winter Olympian, short track speed skater, Apolo Ohno, began full-time training at age thirteen, and the following year, he became the youngest U.S. National Champion. But what would you do if, after dedicating your teenage and young adult years to your sport, you found yourself ready to retire, but there was no process in place to prepare you for your post-Olympic life? Would you stay in your sport for a few additional years because you were afraid to leave? Or...

America’s most decorated Winter Olympian, short track speed skater, Apolo Ohno, began full-time training at age thirteen, and the following year, he became the youngest U.S. National Champion. But what would you do if, after dedicating your teenage and young adult years to your sport, you found yourself ready to retire, but there was no process in place to prepare you for your post-Olympic life? Would you stay in your sport for a few additional years because you were afraid to leave? Or would...

Imagine growing up with prosthetics from the thighs down. Paralympic athlete Roderick Sewell was born missing his tibia in both legs, and he and his mother experienced homelessness for several years, starting when he was just eight years old. So what would you do if, at age ten, you felt a freedom you’d never before known - in the water? Would you assume that your disability would keep you from being an athlete? Or would you grow up and train for the Ironman World Championships, becoming the...

Imagine growing up with prosthetics from the thighs down. Paralympic athlete Roderick Sewell was born missing his tibia in both legs, and he and his mother experienced homelessness for several years, starting when he was just eight years old. So what would you do if, at age ten, you felt a freedom you’d never before known - in the water? Would you assume that your disability would keep you from being an athlete? Or would you grow up and train for the Ironman World Championships, becoming the...

What if you’d trained for the moment when you could win the Rugby World Cup Final? Podcaster and World Rugby Hall Of Famer Jonny Wilkinson scored the winning drop goal in the last minute in the 2003 Rugby World Cup and instantly became one of the world's most recognizable people. But what would you do if you sank into a mire of confusion, defeat, and grief instead of savoring the moment you'd worked so hard for? Would you do whatever you could to recapture the feeling of that win? Or would...

What if you’d trained for the moment when you could win the Rugby World Cup Final? Podcaster and World Rugby Hall Of Famer Jonny Wilkinson scored the winning drop goal in the last minute in the 2003 Rugby World Cup and instantly became one of the world's most recognizable people. But what would you do if you sank into a mire of confusion, defeat, and grief instead of savoring the moment you'd worked so hard for? Would you do whatever you could to recapture the feeling of that win? Or would...

Imagine joining a gang because they had the best cocaine.Actor, Richie Stephens moved from Ireland to San Francisco and became the only white, Irish guy in an all Asian gang.But what would you do if you if the drugs and the booze took over and started to come before everything you loved?  Would you put a gun to your head and end it all?  Or would you call the guy who said, “If ya ever want to get sober, give me a call,” and surrender for the first time in your life?For More On Richie...

Imagine joining a gang because they had the best cocaine.Actor, Richie Stephens moved from Ireland to San Francisco and became the only white, Irish guy in an all Asian gang.But what would you do if you if the drugs and the booze took over and started to come before everything you loved?  Would you put a gun to your head and end it all?  Or would you call the guy who said, “If ya ever want to get sober, give me a call,” and surrender for the first time in your life?For More On Richie...

Imagine having a nine-year-old son who was so violent that you were afraid of him. Acclaimed Korean American writer and author Marie Myung-Ok Lee accepted the diagnosis of autism the doctors gave her son but knew that there was something else going on, something that defied traditional treatment plans and medication. So what would you do if Cannabis was the only thing that seemed to offer your son the relief he needed for his pain? Would you be too afraid to administer it because of what...

Imagine having a nine-year-old son who was so violent that you were afraid of him. Acclaimed Korean American writer and author Marie Myung-Ok Lee accepted the diagnosis of autism the doctors gave her son but knew that there was something else going on, something that defied traditional treatment plans and medication. So what would you do if Cannabis was the only thing that seemed to offer your son the relief he needed for his pain? Would you be too afraid to administer it because of what...

Author, activist, and founder and director of Resilience Force, Saket Soni, was in New Orleans working as a community organizer when he got a call from an Indian man who was being held in a labor camp. Saket Soni is a labor organizer and human rights strategist working at the intersection of racial justice, migrant rights, and climate change. He is founder and director of Resilience Force, the voice of the rising workforce rebuilding America after climate...

Author, activist, and founder and director of Resilience Force, Saket Soni, was in New Orleans working as a community organizer when he got a call from an Indian man who was being held in a labor camp. Saket Soni is a labor organizer and human rights strategist working at the intersection of racial justice, migrant rights, and climate change. He is founder and director of Resilience Force, the voice of the rising workforce rebuilding America after climate disasters. For More On Saket...

Rafael Agustin is a writer on the award-winning The CW show Jane The Virgin and is a past Sundance Institute Episodic Fellow. He currently serves as CEO of the Latino Film Institute, overseeing the Youth Cinema Project, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), and LatinX in Animation. In 2018, LA Weekly named Agustin one of the fifty most essential people in Los Angeles. The United Nations also invited him to speak at their 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Universal...

Rafael Agustin is a writer on the award-winning The CW show Jane The Virgin and is a past Sundance Institute Episodic Fellow. He currently serves as CEO of the Latino Film Institute, overseeing the Youth Cinema Project, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), and LatinX in Animation. In 2018, LA Weekly named Agustin one of the fifty most essential people in Los Angeles. The United Nations also invited him to speak at their 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Universal...

The Only One in the Room & R63 Productions is happy to share the brand new audiobook podcast, Jazz Lion’s Den, from accomplished playwright, screenwriter, actor, and stage director, Levy Lee Simon. Lee will be reading excerpts from his debut memoir Odyssey Towards the Light, with added commentary not found in the book, as well as a one-on-one introduction to each episode between Lee and Producer Scott Slaughter.   Levy Lee Simon’s memoir will take you on a journey of a Black man/child in...

Lauren Chan is a size-inclusion activist, having made an impact on the fashion industry over the past decade as a model (JAG), fashion editor (Glamour), and exited plus-size clothing brand founder (Henning, acquired by Universal Standard). In 2023, she became a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie and has since branched into television hosting. Chan identifies as AAPI and LGBTQ+; her pronouns are she/her.    Laura opens the show by talking to Lauren about when she came out as gay and what her...

Chef Keith Corbin is the two-time James Beard Award nominated executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams in Los Angeles, named one of the best restaurants in the country by Esquire, Thrillist, and The Los Angeles Times. He is the author of The Los Angeles Times bestselling memoir California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival. Keith is also sought-after public speaker.    Laura opens the show by asking Keith about his restaurant, Alta Adams, and her experiences eating there. Keith...

Chef Keith Corbin is the two-time James Beard Award nominated executive chef and co-owner of Alta Adams in Los Angeles, named one of the best restaurants in the country by Esquire, Thrillist, and The Los Angeles Times. He is the author of The Los Angeles Times bestselling memoir California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival. Keith is also sought-after public speaker.    Laura opens the show by asking Keith about his restaurant, Alta Adams, and her experiences eating there. Keith...

Jillian Lauren is a writer, storyteller, adoption advocate, and rock-wife. She is the New York Times best-selling author of the memoirs “Everything You Ever Wanted” and “Some Girls: My Life in a Harem”. She was the only journalist to extensively interview Samuel Little, the most prolific serial killer in American history. Her latest book about the time she spent interviewing Sam Little is called “Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer”. Her writing has appeared...

Jillian Lauren is a writer, storyteller, adoption advocate, and rock-wife. She is the New York Times best-selling author of the memoirs “Everything You Ever Wanted” and “Some Girls: My Life in a Harem”. She was the only journalist to extensively interview Samuel Little, the most prolific serial killer in American history. Her latest book about the time she spent interviewing Sam Little is called “Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer”. Her writing has appeared...

David Manheim is an American podcaster who currently hosts the popular addiction podcast Dopey. Dave slid into the embrace of heroin and stayed there for around 15 years, until just four months before he started the podcast in 2016 with his friend Chris, who he had met in rehab. Unfortunately, Chris died of a drug overdose in 2018, along with many other people who were featured on the podcast over the years.   Laura opens the show by asking David about how he fell into addiction. David...