Life in Seven Songs

Latest Episodes:

Baking star Christina Tosi on the soundtrack behind her cookie empire Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi didn’t set out to become a dessert icon. She just knew that if there was one thing she’d like to do every day for the rest of her life, it was baking cookies. That instinct led her from the world of New York City fine dining to the early days of Momofuku, where David Chang pushed Christina to pursue her passion for baking.

Since then, Milk Bar has become synonymous with cereal milk ice cream and compost cookies, and Christina herself has won two James Beard awards, written numerous cookbooks, and turned Milk Bar into a cultural phenomenon.

In this episode, recorded live at the Charter Workplace Summit in NYC, Christina shares the ingredients behind Milk Bar’s success: a strong work ethic inherited from her parents, a sense of childlike wonder that she’s never lost sight of, and a soundtrack – from Bob Marley to LCD Soundsystem – that reminds her to lose herself, find herself, and keep creating.

Here are her songs:

The Beatles, “A Hard Day’s Night”
Alanis Morissette, “You Oughta Know”
Bob Marley and the Wailers, “Waiting in Vain”
LCD Soundsystem, “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House”

Listen to Christina Tosi’s ⁠full playlist on Spotify⁠. Find the transcript of this episode at ⁠lifeinsevensongs⁠.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ⁠lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com⁠.

How Taylor Swift got TV writer Michael Schur out of a rut Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Michael Schur is the creative force behind some of the most beloved comedies of the past two decades: The Good Place, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and most recently, A Man On The Inside, starring Ted Danson.

If Mike’s face looks familiar, it might be from his scene-stealing performance as Mose Schrute on The Office, on which Mike was also a writer. Mike’s shows have a distinctive signature: they don’t just make you laugh – they make you think about morality and what it means to be human. Along the way, they might just make you cry.

In this episode, Mike charts the songs and milestones that turned him into the writer he is today – from the Neutral Milk Hotel album that taught him to wear his heart on his sleeve, to the fender bender that sparked an existential crisis that would become The Good Place, to the Taylor Swift song that pulled him out of a creative rut during the pandemic. It’s a conversation about how art teaches us to feel, and how those feelings become the stories we tell. Here are his songs.

“Weird Al” Yankovic, “Eat It”
The Beatles, “A Day in the Life”
Indigo Girls, “Kid Fears”
Neutral Milk Hotel, “Ghost”
Derek and the Dominos, “Key to the Highway”
Arvo Pärt, “Spiegel im Spiegel”
Taylor Swift, “gold rush”

Listen to Michael Schur’s ⁠⁠full playlist on Spotify⁠⁠. Find the transcript of this episode at ⁠⁠lifeinsevensongs⁠⁠.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ⁠⁠lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com⁠⁠.

Introducing 'Pacific Standard Time' Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

Pacific Standard Time is smart, surprising weekly podcast about California’s future—and why what happens here matters everywhere and to everyone. Hosted by SF Standard culture editor Emily Dreyfuss and enterprise reporter Jesse Alejandro Cottrell. New episodes Wednesday mornings, beginning Nov. 19.

Why Andrew Ahn remade the first gay film he ever saw Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

When Andrew Ahn’s family rented “The Wedding Banquet” in the early 1990s, they didn’t realize it was a queer film. They also had no idea that 30 years later, Andrew would write and direct his own version of the film.

For many years, Andrew felt his queer and Korean American identities were in conflict. But reconciling those parts of himself has helped Andrew become one of the freshest filmmakers working today – directing the Emmy-nominated “Fire Island” and several episodes of “Bridgerton.”

In this episode, Andrew talks about coming out to his family through his art, the song that still gets him to rush the dance floor at a gay club, and the music that guided his journey towards wholeness. Here are his songs.

Simon & Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps”
Cascada, “Everytime We Touch”
Aimee Mann, “Ray”
Camille Saint-Saëns, “Symphony No. 3 (“Organ Symphony”)”
Frank Ocean, “Self Control”
Hikaru Utada, “Hanataba Wo Kimini”

Listen to Andrew Ahn's ⁠⁠⁠full playlist on Spotify⁠⁠⁠. Find the transcript of this episode at ⁠⁠⁠lifeinsevensongs⁠⁠⁠.com. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠lifeinsevensongs@sfstandard.com⁠⁠⁠.

Trump fired him, but Preet Bharara is still defending the country he loves Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Long before he became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara was a first-generation Indian immigrant, listening to Bollywood music in his childhood home outside of Asbury Park, New Jersey. It’s no surprise that Bruce Springsteen became one of Preet’s heroes – though it was a surprise when ‘The Boss’ gave Preet a personal shoutout at a 2012 concert.

In this episode, Preet talks about his work fighting Wall Street corruption and organized crime, how his family’s American dream unfolded across decades, and his unashamed patriotism in an era when expressing love for America can feel complicated. Plus, Sophie (almost) gets the former prosecutor to sing along to one of their shared seven songs. Here are his songs.

Bruce Springsteen, “Thunder Road”
Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, and Shailendra Singh, “Amar Akbar Anthony”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”
U2, “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”
Daniel Rodriguez, “God Bless America”
Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”
Zeshan B, “O Say, Can You See”

How actress Pepi Sonuga keeps the faith, even when Hollywood says 'We don't need you' Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

Pepi Sonuga always knew she would become a performer. Even as a little girl in Lagos, Nigeria, watching “Barney” tapes that her flight attendant mother brought home, Pepi felt certain that someday, she’d be the one onscreen. That childhood conviction helped Pepi survive the culture shock of moving to Los Angeles at age 10, teen bullying, and years of grinding in an industry that tried to tell her, over and over, that she was replaceable.

With her star now on the rise – with roles in Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” and Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” – Pepi joins Sophie to reflect on her journey so far, the songs that defined her girlhood, and her ultimate dream: to lift up the country she came from and “the little girl just like me who deserves everything she dreams about, too.” Here are her songs.

"I Wanna Be a Rockstar" – Barney
"You Gotta Be" – Des’ree
"This Is What Makes Us Girls" – Lana Del Rey
"The Only Exception" – Paramore
"Dreamer" – Charli XCX
"Ready" – Tems
"Ojuelegba" – Wizkid

Drag queen and activist Peppermint finds joy even when there’s ‘no tears left to cry’ Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

Miss Peppermint wears a lot of hats (and wigs): drag queen, first openly trans woman on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Broadway actress, Traitors contestant – and through it all, vocal trans rights activist.

She’s also hilarious, fabulous, and unapologetically herself.

In this episode, Peppermint dishes on her early queer icons (think Prince and Amadeus), the danger and drama of the ’90s NYC nightclub scene – and why she’s always wanted to be anything but “basic and predictable.” Here are her songs.

Prince - 7
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 “Haffner”
Lenny Kravitz - Believe
Bush - Glycerine
Deborah Cox - Nobody's Supposed To Be Here
Stars On 54 - If You Could Read My Mind
Ariana Grande - no tears left to cry

How music taught culture critic Sam Sanders to be grateful for his grief Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

As the host and creator of numerous hit culture podcasts, Sam Sanders is known for having a finger on the pulse of pop culture. But growing up strictly Pentecostal in Texas, non-religious music was forbidden – so Sam got resourceful, smuggling CDs into the house in his underwear and watching MTV in secret.

At 18 years old, just as he was getting ready to leave for Stanford, Sam’s life was turned upside down. Both of his parents suffered major health crises in the span of a few months, resulting in Sam becoming their caregiver. Years later, Sam would face another devastating double-whammy with the death of his mother followed a month later by a crushing breakup.

In this episode, Sam opens up about the music that carried him through – from Janet Jackson videos to soaring gospel tunes to revenge-fueled breakup anthems – and why today, he’s savoring the freedom he’s been chasing his whole life. Here are his songs.

Janet Jackson, “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”
Stevie Wonder, "Don't You Worry ‘Bout A Thing"
Richard Smallwood, "Total Praise"
John Mayer, “Stop This Train"
Labelle, "Isn't It a Shame"
Caroline Rose, “The Kiss”
Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”

From the South Bronx to Sesame Street: How Sonia Manzano made Maria a Latina icon Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Sonia Manzano knows you think of her as Maria on Sesame Street – and that’s exactly the point. Growing up in the South Bronx in a household “ruled by domestic violence,” TV was Sonia’s refuge as a child – but she never saw anyone who looked like her.

Years later, when she landed the role of Maria on Sesame Street, Sonia made a choice. She wouldn’t play a character; she would be herself – on purpose. For 44 years, she served as an authentic and beloved role model for millions of kids. More recently, she’s created another iconic Latina heroine through the animated children’s show Alma’s Way — this one inspired by her childhood self.

In this episode, Sonia reflects on growing up “at a time when Latin people were absolutely invisible,” the power of seeing yourself reflected in pop culture, and the music that accompanied her journey. Here are her songs.

Numero 6 - Bobby Rodríguez y la Compañía
Lamento Borincano - Rafael Hernandez
When You Wish Upon A Star sung by Jiminy Cricket [aka Cliff Edwards]
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
I Wish I Knew How It Feels to Be Free - Nina Simone
Bang! Bang! - Joe Cuba Sextet
Sing - Joe Raposo, cast of Sesame Street

From Mozart to Drake: The music that moves Misty Copeland Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

After 25 years with American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland is taking her final bow this October. Just ahead of her last performance, the groundbreaking ballerina – who made history as ABT’s first Black female principal dancer – joins Sophie to reflect on her journey.

From a shy girl nicknamed “Mouse” who grew up without a home for much of her childhood in Southern California, to a stunning career on the stages of Lincoln Center and beyond, Misty’s is a story of defying the odds.

In this episode, Misty opens up about her tumultuous upbringing, dancing through six stress fractures, finding love at a nightclub, and the music that has carried her through it all. Here are her songs.