Not Lost

Lili Taylor loves her acting career - but the emotional intensity of her work and the constant travel can take its toll. But Lili has found a way to relax and unwind - watching birds.  As Lili explains in her new book Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing - if we stop to listen to birdsong or pause to watch their busy daily lives - we give ourselves a break from our own stresses.   Get ad-free episodes to The Happiness Lab by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.  Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkinSubscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover the top travel destinations for 2024 with activities like yoga on the beach and encounters with dolphins. Explore sustainability efforts in Fiji and Norway, cultural richness in St. Kitts, and unique experiences in Estonia. Learn about diverse destinations like San Diego, Bhutan, and Machu Picchu with a new twist, and travel predictions for 2024 including a glimpse into Oman.

No piña coladas were consumed during travel writer Pico Iyer’s quest for paradise. Instead he found himself communing with guides and locals in thorny parts of the globe: Iran, Kashmir, and North Korea, among others. Brendan speaks with Pico about his lifetime of exploration and what it’s taught him. Then comedian, musician and self-proclaimed “disinformationist” Reggie Watts talks about growing up in Montana and shares his do’s and don’ts for TSA pre-checkers, wedding guests, and folks in the window seat. Plus, Brendan boards a flight on this last episode of this season of Not Lost Chat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan finds the perfect Not Lost Chat guest in author Cheryl Strayed, who not only wrote the bestselling travel memoir “Wild,” but is also a renowned advice columnist. First, they talk about Strayed’s epic trek up the Pacific Coast Trail after losing her mother to cancer, divorcing her husband, and quitting hard drugs. And then Brendan smoothly pivots the conversation to advice, talking about Strayed’s bestselling book of essays “Tiny Beautiful Things” and then getting her to answer listeners' travel questions about everything from what books to read to what shoes to wear on the road.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan receives a postcard from the only registered US historical landmark outside America and then talks with the great essayist, novelist and occasional world-class complainer, Geoff Dyer about travels to Tahiti, India, Venice and more. Then “Euphoria” star Colman Domingo stops by to answer your travel questions, launch a campaign against babies in business class, and roast Brendan for his brunch-avoidant tendencies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan speaks with Kristin Newman, author of “What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding: A Memoir,” about falling in love in a different language, plus she provides travel tips for folks who are single and looking. And writer and director Paul Feig (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Bridesmaids”) talks about his civilized approach to shooting movies abroad and why he always travels in a suit and tie …all while answering listener’s travel questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan visits Japan on a trip that puts the “junk” in junket. Then he speaks with Marius Kociejowski, author of The Serpent Coiled in Naples, an immersive plunge into the Italian city where skulls are worshiped and blood soaks into the stones. Plus comedian Jessi Klein answers your questions about parent-child separation on planes, and opines about her favorite travel activities: sitting near the ocean and drinking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan talks with Jessica Nabongo, the author of “The Catch Me if You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World” about the mysterious community of “country counters” and the non-mysterious eurocentricity of most travel media. Then Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara talk about surviving life on tour, plus answer your burning questions about road trips (good), bed and breakfasts (bad), and guided tours (you’ll just have to listen to find out.) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New York Magazine described “Not Lost” as having the “slight energy of Andrew Sean Greer’s Less” so Brendan calls the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the comic, road trip novels “Less” and “Less is Lost” to find out if they should be offended. Plus, a postcard from Hollywood, and stand-up comedian Jay Pharoah answers listener questions about airport and flight etiquette, with a stirring speech on when it’s ok to push the flight-attendant button.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who do we become when we travel? Who are we allowed to be? And where is everyone going? Brendan Francis Newnam is on a mission to find out. Join him as he speaks with travel writers (Pico Iyer, Jessica Nabongo, Marius Kociejowski ), celebrities on-the-go (Jay Pharoah, Tegan & Sara, Colman Domingo), and ordinary misfits like himself for a mini-season of in-studio conversations. Not Lost Chat begins January 4th, 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.