A Bit of Optimism

🚨  Chomp Alert! 🚨 We saw your comments — loud and crunchy. Turns out not everyone wants front-row seats to mouth sounds. Who knew? Skip to 29:29 to dodge most of the chewing. We promise, after that it’s just a few graceful nibbles of Basque cheesecake. 🧀🍰😅 _____________________________________ We turned the studio into a restaurant for the day—because when Phil Rosenthal’s in the house, you don’t just talk about food, you eat it! Phil—the genius behind Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil—joins us for a heartfelt, hilarious meal where we dive into everything from sitcoms and food shows to gratitude, creativity, and finding joy in the everyday. Sure, we talk about the evolving world of television and the secrets to mastering great storytelling—but this episode isn’t just about food and show business.  Phil reveals the best life advice he’s ever received—and it might just change the way you live. As lovers of the LA food scene, we also used this episode as a chance to highlight and support some of our favorite local restaurants. Because nothing pairs better with great conversation than a table full of incredible local bites. Breakfast Burritos: Civil Coffee  [https://civilcoffee.com/] Fried Chicken: Anajak Thai [https://www.anajakthai.com/] (surprise guest experience from owner and chef Justin Pichetrungsi)  Hand Rolls: The Joint [https://jointseafood.com/] Liver Pâté: Petit Trois [https://www.petittrois.com/] Basque Cheesecake:  Pasjoli [https://www.pasjoli.com/] Watch the new season of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/80146601] Check out more of Phil’s work: philrosenthalworld.com [https://www.philrosenthalworld.com/] --------------------------- This episode is brought to you by True Classic! I really love their T-shirts, so we called them up and asked if they wanted to work together. And they said yes! Check out their clothes at: trueclassictees.com [http://trueclassictees.com/]

Magic moments do happen in real life. If you ask Brad Meltzer, magic happens when ordinary people choose to do the extraordinary.  Brad is a prolific writer and bestselling author. He’s published over 70 books in nearly every genre you can think of—thriller novels, biographies, children’s books, film and television. He’s written comic books for iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman. And in 2024, his commencement speech at the University of Michigan went viral for its simple, powerful message—to shock the world, unleash your kindness. In this conversation, Brad tells me how his journey from a writer drowning in debt to bestselling author would not have been possible without the extraordinary kindness of a few ordinary strangers. He shares how other people’s negativity can become inspiration, why fictional heroes inspire us so much, and how ordinary people change the world.  This…is A Bit of Optimism.  For more on Brad and his work, check out: his book, Make Magic [https://bradmeltzer.com/Nonfiction/makemagic] bradmeltzer.com [http://bradmeltzer.com/]

My career is an accident. It started when I set out to rediscover my passion and reignite a spark I’d lost — and that journey led me to the work I do now. If you know me from my books or my speaking, you know I’m fascinated by why people do what they do. What makes someone find joy and meaning in their life, or pursue something far greater than themselves? I started A Bit of Optimism to explore those ideas and expand my own perspective. This podcast is a trove of honest conversations, with people who challenge me, teach me, or simply help me see things in a different way. Some guests are household names, and others you may be meeting for the first time. But each one of them has something to share that can help all of us grow. So if you’re looking for a spark — some insight, inspiration, or just a reminder that good things are possible — join me on A Bit of Optimism. Let’s grow together.

What if this podcast turned into a baking show? For Christina Tosi’s third visit to A Bit of Optimism, we decided to find out. So we headed to Milk Bar to make compost cookies from things in my own pantry and my favorite beer bread from scratch!  Christina’s not just my best friend—she’s the founder of Milk Bar, host of Bake Squad on Netflix, a cookbook author, and a fan favorite on this podcast. She lives by one simple question: what if? In this experimental episode, we dug into some big ideas about creativity, uncertainty, and the magic of trying something new. Recipes below! This...is A Bit of Optimism. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube here [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgCOAz4cqZMTQ4Blgkfr4IqU2YAJWJzN1]. For more on Christina and her work, check out: christinatosi.com [http://christinatosi.com/] ---------------------------- Simon's Compost Cookie Recipe (makes 15-20 cookies): * 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature * 1 cup granulated sugar * 2/3 cup tightly packed light brown sugar * 2 tablespoons glucose syrup * 1 large egg * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract * 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour * 1/2 teaspoon baking powder * 1/4 teaspoon baking soda * 1 teaspoon kosher salt * Maltesers * 85% dark chocolate * Optimism Coffee grounds * Granola * Space/Astronaut Ice Cream * Kettle Corn Pop Chips For the full step-by-step recipe, visit Milk Bar's website [https://milkbarstore.com/blogs/recipes/compost-cookie-new?srsltid=AfmBOoq3Xn896zypVDfdBRaoxfyMcdfdyAcJ2eYzK_PSZGBEMbmDF_FM]! Beer Bread Recipe: * 3 cups self-rising flour * 1 teaspoon kosher salt * 4 tablespoons honey (or to taste) * 12 oz beer (Samual Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout is Simon's preference!) * 2 tablespoons butter (and save a little for the top) Mix ingredients slowly together Bake at 350 for 45-60 mins until baked through ---------------------------- This episode is brought to you by True Classic! I really love True Classic T-shirts, so we called them up and asked if they wanted to work together. And they said yes!  Check out their clothes at: trueclassictees.com [http://trueclassictees.com/]

We're taking some time off to bring you even more episodes of A Bit of Optimism that you're going to love! In the meantime, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes, like this one with couples counselor Shawn McBride.   Relationships are hard. No matter how much we like, respect, or love someone, conflict seems inevitable. But even as we fight and disagree, we can also learn the skills we need to resolve our problems. For over two decades, Shawn McBride has helped thousands of couples do the work to strengthen their relationships. And he has tons of practical advice. Shawn sat down with me to discuss the three biggest problems couples face, why I'm a huge fan of his Instagram, and how love can keep relationships afloat, but it's often not enough. This...is A Bit of Optimism. For more on Shawn and his work, check out: @couples_counseling_center [https://www.instagram.com/couples_counseling_center/] @shawnmcbridespeaks [https://www.instagram.com/shawnmcbridespeaks/] and couplescounselingcenter.org [https://www.couplescounselingcenter.org/team]