Welcome to the first ever episode of the This is totally fine podcast. Thanks for stopping by! This episode covers the recent controversy that surrounds the Madness Blooms by Mackenzi Lee and the debate that started online from the book's prerelease blurb. Fans were angry about the misgendering of the protagonist on the book cover but let's really …

A performer at one of Barry Manilow’s birthday parties, John Flynn, recounts two stories of plans going sideways.Av Avalon Media

A writer and comedian, Alison Wong, shares stories of situations in her life that started to look like real problems. She’s formerly one of the most entertaining waitresses you could find in all NYC and now writes for BuzzFeed and Maude Night at UCB in LA.Av Avalon Media

Lamar Woods, a writer and performer from Atlanta, shares stories about anger and breaks down bullying dynamics within friendships. You can see Lamar as an animated character on Disney’s “Big City Greens,” watch his most recent film “It’s a Party“ on iTunes this fall, and check out his team White Women at UCB each month. Lamar currently writes for A…

A writer reveals his past compulsions and explores the aftermath of succumbing to urges. This episode contains graphic language, includes descriptions of sexual behavior, and all of the names involved have been changed.Av Avalon Media

Brenna Kouf, a sharp-witted television writer, tells the story of one of the worst dates imaginable, retraces mistakes made at an important charity event, and reflects about the benefits of getting sober.Av Avalon Media

A Moth StorySLAM winner and all-around hilarious storyteller, Buck Ball, shares a tale about growing up in the South and navigating pressures in a new relationship. More of Buck’s work can be found at buckball.org.Av Avalon Media

A Moth GrandSLAM winner, Brandon Burkhart, shares two stories about panic in Los Angeles.Av Avalon Media

A writer, Danielle Sepulveres, shares stories about how she navigated challenging times during elementary, middle, and high school. Allie offers a shameful story of her own and the two discuss guilt, pride, and getting away with things. Danielle is on Twitter @ellesep. Her books are available on Amazon and more of her work can be found at the L.A. …

Kat Bawden, a bubbly and savvy international photographer, recounts the fallout of a time she did not (and a time she could not) communicate directly.Av Avalon Media

A playwright, Robert Patrick, shares cringeworthy stories of his time in theatre, including moments of passion, regret, and persistence.Av Avalon Media

A former forced laborer reflects on the most fearful moments of his life. This interview was recorded at Fred Haring’s farmhouse in Northern Minnesota. Fred immigrated to the United States to continue his education and ultimately taught mathematics at NDSU. He speaks German, Native Indonesian, Dutch and English. When he was a prisoner of war, Fred …

Dann Freeman, an author, shares his struggles to confront his boss and a love interest.Av Avalon Media

Allie announces changes to the show’s second season.Av Avalon Media

A woman tells stories about how her frugal tendencies have gotten her into extremely uncomfortable situations. As someone who professionally performs cost-benefit analyses, she applies the strategy to her personal life to disastrous result. This interview was recorded in Portland, Oregon.Av Avalon Media

An award winning storyteller, Michael Kass, describes one of his most vulnerable moments and Allie chimes in with one of her own.Av Avalon Media

The final episode of the first season features some of the most popular stories from Season 1. Guests are open about their battles with addiction, shame, absurd politeness and imposter’s syndrome. The season wraps with a mix of laughs, insight and honesty. The show will return on October 18th, 2016.Av Avalon Media

Devin Murphy navigated life as a single child in New Jersey. As an adult, he reflects on his youthful mistakes and talks about the unexpected damages of addiction.Av Avalon Media

Dave Ross, a touring stand up comedian, reflects on the closest he’s been to a public mental breakdown.Av Avalon Media

As the son of parents who grew up in war, Solomon Georgio’s upbringing gave him a surprising perspective that he uses to rise over an obscene amount of challenges.Av Avalon Media

Crippled by overthinking, Allie and guest Michael Jordan recall times in their lives that they let guilt transform them into paralyzed a-holes.Av Avalon Media

Alison Stevenson, during an anxiety-ridden senior year of college, goes on a string of terrible dates and temporarily becomes her own worst enemy.Av Avalon Media

Comedian Caitlin Gill recalls and examines the effects of her former bullying.Av Avalon Media

Two long-distance friends deal with inadequacy, puking in public and a general lack of boundaries.Av Avalon Media

Heartbreak rears itself in many forms, causing a very nice guy to struggle to keep his cool.Av Avalon Media

A puppeteer galavants the world and sees things she can’t unsee.Av Avalon Media

A scrappy business owner gets herself into less than ideal circumstances.Av Avalon Media

A former victim of childhood bullying shares near-death experiences.Av Avalon Media

A talented yet studious gal divulges what it takes to excel in very different arenas.Av Avalon Media

A solo hiker charts her adventures abroad which involve strangers, buses and zero backup plans.Av Avalon Media

An astrophysicist chats about the perks of being an outsider.Av Avalon Media

After surviving growing up gay in the South, a badass takes on a new challenge.Av Avalon Media

Adventures of faux bad-assery from two of the world’s worst stoners.Av Avalon Media

When a creative, highly educated young professional weeds a stranger’s garden, she ends up getting more than just cash.Av Avalon Media