Mentor Buffet

Latest Episodes:

RICHARD LINKLATER: "I’ve never done anything I didn’t want to do” Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Richard Linklater, the great filmmaker who made Boyhood, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Slacker, and so many other movies you love, joins host Alexi Pappas to discuss what it has meant for him to listen to his passion and create his own path. Rick recounts community college professors he admired for living the Art life. He points to Henry David Thoreau as his greatest mentor for writing Walden, for demonstrating that the most important thing in life is to spend as much time doing exactly what you want. Another mentor figure Rick points to (“A ment—”) is Martin Shafer at Castle Rock who helped Rick get Before Sunrise made when the big movie studios wouldn’t offer him the same creative freedom. Rick also shares about admiring Frank Zappa. Alexi and Rick talk about the differences between sports and the arts, and Rick shares why he prefers the Art life. In this conversation with Alexi, Rick’s worldview comes through clearly—the world is trying to help you; the most important thing is to follow your sense of excitement; when you’re ready everybody else will sense it. And so much more. Rick Linklater on Mentor Buffet—enjoy. Another hour of this conversation will be released in a week.

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If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit ⁠https://therabody.com⁠ and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit ⁠https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet⁠ to claim $10 off their first order.

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JENNY SIMPSON: Embracing change, showing up for yourself, and finding new things to be good at Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Jenny Simpson, the World Champion and Olympic medalist track athlete, joins host Alexi Pappas to share about her experience with cardiac arrest, and the changes in her life that are coming as a result of never being able to run again. They talk about our relationship to the unexplainable, finding new teachers when we’ve outgrown old ones, and embracing the fact that we’re good at multiple things. Jenny shares about her relationship with her sister and the process of letting people show up for her.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit ⁠https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet⁠ to claim $10 off their first order.

If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit ⁠https://therabody.com⁠ and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.

Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

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AMELIA MEATH: Feel It And Make Music Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Amelia Meath of Slyvan Esso joins host Alexi Pappas on Mentor Buffet to share about her Aunt Carol who showed her how to be free, what it means to means to share creative and romantic partnership with the same person, and how to build a scene. They talk about how there’s no such thing as “the best,” meeting your icons, and what it means to be guided by intuition. Amelia also shares the feeling she’s after and what it means. She calls it disappearing. Sylvan Esso’s new album “Ow ∞” is out September 11.

Buy “Ow Infinity” on Bandcamp: https://sylvanesso.bandcamp.com/album/ow.

If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit ⁠https://therabody.com⁠ and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.

Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit ⁠https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet⁠ to claim $10 off their first order.

Visit https://GoBrewing.com/alexi50 for 50% first beer club subscription order with code ALEXI50.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ALLIE ROWBOTTOM: On fiction being true, honest feedback, and Lovers XXX Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Allie Rowbottom, the author of Aesthetica, Jell-o Girls, and now Lovers XXX joins Alexi on Mentor Buffet to share about the mentorship she’s experienced from her husband, the writer Jon Lindsey, from her mom, who was constantly writing during Allie’s adolescence, and from her professors—who offered her reading lists that accelerated her toward her taste and style and set deadlines for her. One of her professors was the writer Maggie Nelson. Allie and Alexi also discuss rejection, the nature of the internet, and the benefits of getting in touch with the worst case scenario. Allie shares the books she reads to study her craft and also explores mentorship dynamics between the characters in both Aesthetica and Lovers XXX, explaining the importance of characters that steer the story in the direction of conflict and then learning or growth. It’s a lovely conversation between two writers.

Order Allie's new book, Lovers XXX: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641297301?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit ⁠https://therabody.com⁠ and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.

Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit ⁠https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet⁠ to claim $10 off their first order.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to help someone who doesn't want help Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about navigating long-distance relationships with your friends and family, giving advice to somebody who doesn't accept advice easily, and dealing with being more intense or ambitious than your friends. She also offers wisdom on how to deal with being constantly busy, because she's constantly busy right now.

Add a comfy pair of Merrells to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NILS AREND: No Spectators Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Nils Arend, the founder of The Speed Project, shares the story of designing his life, step by step, from the beginning. He traces the foundation of his principles from his adolescence in Germany to decades later founding and then exiting his successful advertising agency. He talks about the importance of setting ambitious goals but then detaching yourself from the outcome, how he avoids settling, why he loves America, and his running origin story, which leads to the foundation of The Speed Project—a 300 mile journey through the desert from Los Angeles to Las Vegas that Nils first completed in 2013 with Blue Benadum. There’s so much wisdom in this conversation about dreaming big and designing your own life. Here’s Alexi’s conversation with Nils Arend.

If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit ⁠https://therabody.com⁠ and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice. Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠. Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit ⁠https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet⁠ to claim $10 off their first order. Visit https://GoBrewing.com/alexi50 for 50% first beer club subscription order with code ALEXI50.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can I be easier on myself? Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about how to deal with being busy, how to be easier on yourself, and how to stay true to yourself in your creative expression. Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ADAM SKOLNICK: How do you recognize a calling? Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

Adam Skolnick, the lifelong writer behind the David Goggins memoir Can’t Hurt Me, countless publications in the New York Times, and the recent novel American Tiger, joins host Alexi Pappas on Mentor Buffet to discuss how to recognize a calling, how to mold a career around the lifestyle you want, and overcoming doubt. Adam shares about his mentors Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love who he met by circumstance on a trip to Bali, and David Goggins. Adam also shares about the journey leading to the publication of his new new book American Tiger, which demonstrates that there is wildness running through us and that the world is more mysterious than we can consciously know. Adam also shares a story about a time a fortune teller correctly predicted a great success in his life.

If recovery is something you know you should be taking more seriously, visit ⁠https://therabody.com⁠

and use the code MENTORBUFFET at checkout for 15% off one product of your choice.

Add a comfy pair of Merrell's to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Visit ⁠https://goodr.com/mentorbuffet⁠ to claim $10 off their first order.

Visit https://GoBrewing.com/alexi50 for 50% first beer club subscription order with code ALEXI50.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LISA THOMPSON: Not Afraid To Fall Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Lisa Thompson, Alexi's marathon teammate who is blind, joins us on Mentor Buffet for a beautiful conversation about growing up with a visual impairment. And she shares wisdom every step of the way.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Letting go of your old self Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Alexi is joined by her friend Lisa Thompson to answer listeners' advice questions about letting go of a situation you've outgrown, feeling like you live two distinct lives, and granting yourself permission when you're wired to always ask for it. Add a comfy pair of Merrells to your rotation with 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET2026 at ⁠https://merrell.com⁠.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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