

Mentor Buffet
Alexi Pappas
Alexi Pappas's Mentor Buffet is a podcast about mentorship: Who influenced the people who influence us? Who helped them along their journey?Alexi is an Olympian, filmmaker, actress, and bestselling author, and she's leaned on mentors to help her level up faster than she could on her own. After losing her mom to suicide when she was four, she needed to find other people to lean on. Now, it's Alexi's turn to peel back the curtain on mentorship. In each episode of Mentor Buffet Alexi sits down with people who inspire her—athletes, entrepreneurs, creatives, and beyond—to have conversations about chasing dreams and befriending pain, through the lens of those who have shaped them into who they are today.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 15, 2025 • 17min
How to leave your toxic relationship on your own terms
Alexi answers listeners' advice questions about dealing with anxiety and getting out of a toxic relationship.

4 snips
Nov 6, 2025 • 59min
RYAN HOLIDAY: Keep Moving Foward
Ryan Holiday, the writer who has popularized stoicism among millions of readers today, joins host Alexi Pappas for the second consecutive episode of Mentor Buffet to share about the very beginning—from sandbagging on the high school cross country team, to being promised a job that didn’t exist at a talent agency, to dropping out of college not certain about where his path was leading him. One thing’s been true: Ryan has kept it moving forward. Ryan recounts the earliest days of his writing career, discusses discipline, and talks about why he rarely writes about himself in his books. Ryan also shares about his relationship with Rich Roll and talks about what he’s learned from being a parent.
Ryan’s new book Wisdom Takes Work is out now. Ryan talks about the book on the other episode of Mentor Buffet, titled RYAN HOLIDAY: Wisdom Takes Work.
For a limited time, we’re partnering with Merrell to give you an exclusive offer of 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET25 when you checkout on Merrell.com.
Follow Mentor Buffet on Instagram at https://instagram.com/mentorbuffet.

Oct 23, 2025 • 48min
RYAN HOLIDAY: Wisdom Takes Work
Ryan Holiday, the writer who has popularized the ideas of stoicism among millions of people, joins host Alexi Pappas to talk about his mentors from history. From the Roman Empire, Ryan calls on Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian, and Antoninus, but he also calls on legendary basketball coach Gregg Popovich, the writer Joan Didion, Florence Nightingale the mother of modern nursing, and Michel de Montaigne, the french philosopher. Ryan believes our greatest mentors can be found in books. He also shares about why he was first attracted to stoicism, what it means to him now, and how it could help us all.
For a limited time, we’re partnering with Merrell to give you an exclusive offer of 25% off your first purchase using the code MENTORBUFFET25 when you checkout on Merrell.com. You can find Alexi's favorite Merrell shoes and gear at merrell.com/alexi.
Mentor Buffet has teamed up with Square. Go to square.com/go/mentorbuffet to learn more about how your business can grow with Square.

Oct 17, 2025 • 23min
What you want might not exist yet
Alexi is back with another episode of Help Me Please, where she answers listeners' advice questions—about receiving criticism, finding or creating your dream job, and when to break off a marriage. Alexi also shares an update on her running.

Oct 9, 2025 • 52min
ZACK BORNSTEIN: Finding Your Voice
Zack Bornstein, the writer and director and comedian, joins host Alexi Pappas to talk about the beginning of his creative career in Hollywood and the lessons he’s since learned along the way. Zack emphasizes that creative output holds all the answers. Make more work and your voice will reveal itself. Zack also shares about mentors of his, including the writers and directors Jonathan Groff and Bill Lawrence.
Check out http://merrell.com/alexi for Alexi’s collection of Merrell products.

Oct 2, 2025 • 1h 27min
NICOLE McLAUGHLIN: Create What You Want
Nicole McLaughlin, the prolific upcycler and fashion designer, joins host Alexi Pappas on Mentor Buffet to discuss her creative process, the importance of spending time alone, and how she worked up the courage to make a big leap and change her whole life—from working a mostly predictable corporate job at Reebok, to launching her own business and career, completely on her own terms. This conversation is about creating something that didn’t exist before.
If you love Mentor Buffet, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the audience survery: http://voicingchange.media/mentorbuffet
Shop Alexi’s Merrell collection: http://merrell.com/alexi
Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/mentorbuffet

Sep 19, 2025 • 22min
Help Me Please: “It’s not that crazy to try something different"
Alexi answers listener advice questions about helping people who don’t want to be helped, how to make a big change, and how to fix the problems that football can cause within a marriage. Alexi also shares an update on her running.

Sep 13, 2025 • 1h 28min
JAY DUPLASS: Slow Down & Tune In
Alexi sits down with a real life mentor: filmmaker and cross country kid Jay Duplass. Jay shares about what he does to protect his creativity, dispels myths about making money as a filmmaker, and shares what he admires about indie filmmaking icon Richard Linklater. Jay also tells the story of how he unexpectedly began his acting career and shares an on-set ritual that puts entire film crews at ease. And finally, Jay is a mentor to many young filmmakers—like Cooper Raiff, the director of Shit House and Cha Cha Real Smooth—and he shares what that’s looked like. Among other things—Alexi and Jay vibe like crazy. Tune in for a great hour long conversation between two friends.
If you love Mentor Buffet, we'd love to hear from you. Please fill out our Audience Survey: http://voicingchange.media/mentorbuffet
If you love the show, follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/mentorbuffet
Check out Alexi's Merrell collection: http://www.merrell.com/alexi

Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 14min
SINNA NASSERI: A Strange Victory
The photographer Sinna Nasseri joins host Alexi Pappas after shooting their Outside Magazine cover together. They reflect on the shoot and talk about believing in potential, following a feeling with curiosity, and believing The Universe is good. Sinna also shares about how he changed his life—abandoning his career as a lawyer to pursue photography. They discuss the differences between observing and concluding, what's real and what's not, and how to change your default settings.
Check out Alexi's Merrell collection: www.merrell.com/alexi
If you love Mentor Buffet, we'd love to hear from you. Please fill out our Audience Survey: http://voicingchange.com/mentorbuffet
Check out what we're doing with Square at: www.Square.com/go/mentorbuffet

Aug 22, 2025 • 23min
Help Me Please Special from Training Camp
Alexi takes a break from her routine at training camp in Mammoth to give some advice to Bella Chao. Alexi and Bella are 10 years apart in age and both ran for Dartmouth College.


