The Reluctant Phoenix
Platform Media LLC • Comedy
Platform Media LLC • Comedy
The Reluctant Phoenix
Platform Media LLC • Comedy
Platform Media LLC • Comedy

About

The Reluctant Phoenix podcast, by New York standup comic Jeff Simmermon is a series of conversations with a wide variety of people who have restarted their lives whether or not they really wanted to in the first place. Don't forget: a phoenix has to burn to be reborn, and it probably screams like hell on the way out.

Episodes

  • Episode 17: Richard Cardillo
    Richard Cardillo was an educator for over three decades on two continents and in three languages. He’s also a decorated storyteller. Richard spent his early adult life as a monk in the Catholic Church, but realized it was a massive effort to...
  • Episode 16: Mike Schleibaum
    Mike is the lead guitarist and one of the original founders of the DC based death metal band “Darkest Hour.” He talks about the pivotal moments that helped him find his love of music, the downsides of the music industry, and what it takes to stay...
  • Episode 15: Kiana Fitzgerald
    Kiana Fitzgerald is a freelance music journalist, cultural critic, and DJ. She’s written for Complex, Rolling Stone, Fader, NPR, WNYC, and more. In 2016 Kiana went missing, frightening her family and friends and igniting a search for her through...
  • Episode 14: Jess Salomon
    Jess Salomon is a Canadian comedian now based in New York, who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Jess left a burgeoning career as an international war-crimes lawyer at The Hague to pursue comedy.
  • Episode 13: Jeff Gomez
    Jeff Gomez, CEO of is one of the world’s leading experts in transmedia storytelling and narrative design. Gomez talks about battling his own demons while simultaneously running one of the most complicated Dungeons and Dragons games in New York city...
  • A Pause
    We are sad to announce the passing of Jeff's father from a year-long battle with ALS. We are going to take a pause in the podcast so Jeff can be with his family. Well wishes can be sent to
  • Episode 12: Kerry Coddett
    Kerry Coddett is a New York based comedian, actress and writer. An academically gifted young student, Kerry bounced between public and private schools, and eventually joined the Crips. She turned things around and graduated high school and college by...
  • Episode 11: Justin Von Bujdoss
    Justin Von Bujdoss is an American Buddhist teacher. As Staff Chaplain for the New York Department of Corrections, Justin was responsible for performing last rites to the hundreds of people who succumbed to COVID and are buried in the potter’s field...
  • Episode 10: Nonye Brown-West
    Nonye Brown-West is a Nigerian-American comic now based in New York. She tells Jeff what it’s like to be a woman of color in the world of comedy – in addition to her constant health struggles. She also clarifies what it really...
  • Episode 9: Lizz Winstead
    Jeff is back with another season of The Reluctant Phoenix! Co-creator of The Daily Show, comedian Lizz Winstead is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Abortion Access Front. She shares how she uses comedy, media, and grassroots organizing...
  • The Reluctant Phoenix Season 2 Trailer
    Jeff Simmermon is back for Season 2 of The Reluctant Phoenix, with more incredible people who have reinvented their lives, whether they wanted to or not.
  • Episode 8: Gary Gulman
    In the Season One Finale, Jeff talks to comedian Gary Gulman, an apex Reluctant Phoenix if there ever was one. In 2017, Gary was hospitalized with major depression, given ECT therapy and was unsure he'd ever do standup again. Now you can see his...
  • Episode 7: Anand Giridharadas
    What do you do when you realize that capitalism itself is held together by masking tape? Jeff talks with Anand Giridharadas, author of "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World" about becoming American, the drama of struggling at...
  • Episode 6: Matthew Zachary
    What happens when cancer derails your life's work and career path as a young adult? Jeff talks with Matthew Zachary from OffScrip Media about his transformation from concert pianist and composer, to patient advocate.
  • Episode 5: Annie Tan
    The coronavirus has forced many of us to rethink how to safely do our jobs. Activist and educator Annie Tan shares how she learned to find her voice to support teachers and students during this pandemic.
  • Episode 4: Ro Reddick
    The 2008 market crash and subsequent recession had many scrambling for new ways to make money. For Ro Reddick, it meant divorcing the daily grind of her profession, and finding out how to become a whole and happy person.
  • Episode 3: Adam Mamawala
    What happens when the most important opportunity in your career is marred by the truth? Jeff talks with comic Adam Mamawala about his big break amidst divorce.
  • Episode 2: Fem Appeal
    Jeff talks to Fem Appeal, New York City burlesque icon about her origin story, finding sobriety in a wild nightlife culture and how it feels to be a Black burlesque performer in 2020
  • Episode 1: Reverend Craig Wansink
    Jeff talks to Craig Wansink, pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, VA about misinterpreted Bible verses, finding yourself after a surprise divorce and what the church's responsibilities are in a culture of cascading moral bankruptcy.
  • The Reluctant Phoenix
    The Reluctant Phoenix podcast, by New York standup comic Jeff Simmermon is a series of conversations with a wide variety of people who have restarted their lives whether or not they really wanted to in the first place. In season one, you'll hear from...