Nick Kroll, a comedy powerhouse from Kroll Show and Big Mouth, reunites with Mike Birbiglia for a nostalgic chat. They dive into their college improv days and how silliness fuels comedy. Nick shares a hilarious anecdote about F. Murray Abraham during Oh, Hello's Broadway run. The duo also discusses the evolution of comedy from live venues to digital platforms, the importance of hard work, and the complexities of friendship amidst fame, fatherhood, and creative endeavors.

Comedian and actor Nick Kroll feels strongly about being Conan O’Brien’s friend. Nick sits down with Conan once again to discuss his new special Little Big Boy, becoming a dad, and working with Mel Brooks on History of the World, Part 2. Plus, Conan recounts his run-in with a delivery drone. Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: (323) 451-2821. For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com. Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan.

Nick Kroll is a brilliant comedian and one of the minds behind Big Mouth and History of the World, Part II. We Rick Roll Nick Kroll, that is, ask him questions about roles played by actors named Rick.Support NPR by signing up for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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What happens when you have two very big but different dreams vying for your focus? Do you choose one? Or do you risk it all to pursue both?This was the dilemma faced by today’s guest—a woman who knows a thing or two about what it takes to execute at the highest level.Meet Alexi Pappas—Olympic athlete. Award-winning writer. Filmmaker. And so much more.An extraordinary runner, Alexi set the Greek national record in the 10,000-meters and competed for Greece at the 2016 Olympic Games. An equally noteworthy artist, her words have graced the pages of The New York Times, Runner’s World, Women’s Running Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and Outside.Not enough? In the exact same year she competed in the Olympics, she also co-wrote, co-directed, and starred alongside Rachel Dratch in Tracktown, her first feature film. Executing on just one of these goals is an exceptional accomplishment. Doing both in parallel is downright superhuman.More recently, Alexi co-wrote and starred alongside Nick Kroll in Olympic Dreams, the first non-documentary-style movie to ever be filmed at the actual Olympic Games.Profiled in every major publication from Sports Illustrated to Rolling Stone, my interest was recently piqued by an amazing New York Times OpDoc (produced by friend of the pod Lindsay Crouse), which poignantly portrays the emotional toll of chasing an Olympic dream.In her excellent new memoir Bravey, Alexi dives deeper. An exuberant and unflinching primer on the struggle of self-actualization, it’s the beautiful story of surviving trauma and navigating disparate dreams—filmmaking and athletics—in competition for her attention. Why she refused to pick just one lane. And how, setbacks and deep lows aside, Alexi ultimately succeeds at both.How is possible that this human is so good at so many things simultaneously? And what is the cost (if any) of setting the bar so high?I needed to know more.This is a conversation about the courage required to blaze your own path. It’s about self-belief. And it’s about setting audacious goals and how to work towards them.It’s also about depression, loss and sacrifice.It’s about the intersection of athletics and art. And how to prioritize synergy over balance.But more than anything, this is about what Alexi calls being bravey.In Alexi’s case, trauma helped fuel her success. But it was in healing that trauma that she learned to thrive—and find the joy in the journey.FULL BLOG & SHOW NOTES: bit.ly/richroll579YouTube: bit.ly/alexipappas579This one’s for all the Braveys and soon-to-become Braveys seeking to replace can’t with maybe.Alexi is my new favorite person. Tune in and discover why.Peace + Plants,Rich